Australian federal election, 1910

Australian federal election, 1910

13 April 1910 (1910-04-13)

All 75 seats in the Australian House of Representatives 38 seats were needed for a majority in the House 18 (of the 36) seats in the Australian Senate   First party Second party   Leader Andrew Fisher Alfred Deakin Party Labour Commonwealth Liberal Leader since October 1907 1909 Leader's seat Wide Bay Ballaarat Last election 26 seats N/A Seats won 42 seats 31 seats Seat change 16 31 Popular vote 660,864 596,350 Percentage 49.97% 45.09% Swing 13.33 N/A

Prime Minister before election Alfred Deakin Commonwealth Liberal Resulting Prime Minister Andrew Fisher Labour

Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 April 1910. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Commonwealth Liberal Party (the result of a merger between the Protectionist Party and the Anti-Socialist/Free Trade Party) led by Prime Minister of Australia Alfred Deakin was defeated by the opposition Australian Labour Party led by Andrew Fisher.

The election represented a number of firsts: it was Australia's first elected federal majority government; Australia's first elected Senate majority; the world's first Labour Party majority government at a national level; after the 1904 Chris Watson minority government the world's second Labour Party government at a national level; and the first time it controlled both houses of a bicameral legislature. It also remains the only election in Australia's federal history to have occurred following expiration of a full three-year parliamentary term by the 'effluxion of time'.^[1]

Two referenda to approve proposed amendments to the Constitution were held on the same day. The State Debts referendum was carried, but the Surplus Revenue referendum was not carried.

The 113 acts passed in the second Fisher government (1910–13) exceeded even the output of the second Alfred Deakin government over a similar period. At the time, it represented the culmination of Labour's involvement in politics. It was a period of reform unmatched in the Commonwealth until the 1940s under John Curtin and Ben Chifley.

Results

Independents: William Lyne (Hume, NSW), George Wise (Gippsland, Vic)

Seats changing hands

• Members in italics did not contest their seat at this election.

Post-election pendulum

See also

• Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1910
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1910–1913
• Members of the Australian Senate, 1910–1913

Notes

References

• University of WA election results in Australia since 1890

Elections and referendums in Australia
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Elections in: Australian Capital Territory New South Wales Northern Territory Queensland South Australia Tasmania Victoria Western Australia