1975 Australian federal election

The 1975 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 13 December 1975. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives and all 64 seats in the Senate were up for election, due to a double dissolution.

1975 Australian federal election

← 1974 13 December 1975 1977 →
← outgoing members elected members →
All 127 seats of the House of Representatives 64 seats were needed for a majority in the House All 64 seats of the Senate
Registered	8,262,413 4.62%
Turnout	7,881,873 (95.39%) (0.03 pp)
First party Second party   Leader Malcolm Fraser Gough Whitlam Party Liberal/NCP coalition Labor Leader since 21 March 1975 8 February 1967 Leader's seat Wannon (Vic.) Werriwa (NSW) Last election 61 seats 66 seats Seats won 91 seats 36 seats Seat change 30 30 Popular vote 4,102,078 3,313,004 Percentage 53.05% 42.84% Swing 7.32 6.46 TPP 55.70% 44.30% TPP swing 7.40 7.40
Results by division for the House of Representatives, shaded by winning party's margin of victory.
Prime Minister before election Malcolm Fraser Liberal/NCP coalition Subsequent Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser Liberal/NCP coalition

Malcolm Fraser had been commissioned as caretaker prime minister following the dismissal of Gough Whitlam's three-year-old Labor government by Governor-General Sir John Kerr, on 11 November 1975. The same day, Fraser advised an immediate double dissolution, in accordance with Kerr's stipulated conditions (see 1975 Australian constitutional crisis).

The Coalition of Fraser's Liberal Party of Australia and Doug Anthony's National Country Party secured government in its own right, winning the largest majority government to date in Australian history.^{[lower-alpha 1]} The Liberals actually won a majority in their own right, with 68 seats–the first time that the main non-Labor party had done so since adopting the Liberal banner in 1944. Although Fraser had no need for the support of the National Country Party, the Coalition was retained. It was also the first time a party won over 90 seats at an Australian election. This was the last federal election the Coalition won more than 50% of the primary vote.

Labor suffered a 30-seat swing and saw its lower house caucus cut almost in half, to 36 seats—fewer than it had when Whitlam became leader in the aftermath of the Coalition landslide nearly 10 years earlier, in the 1966 election. With only 28% of the House of Representatives seats, this is the worst seat share for Labor since the current Liberal-Labor party contest from 1946.

Results

House of Representatives results

Main article: Results of the 1975 Australian federal election (House of Representatives)

Government (91)
Coalition
  Liberal (68)
  NCP (22)
  CLP (1)

Opposition (36)
  Labor (36)

1. While the Coalition under John Howard won 94 seats at the 1996 election, this only accounted for 63.51% of all seats in the House of Representatives, as there were 148 seats in 1996. The Coalition under Fraser won 91 seats, which, although smaller than 94, accounted for 71.65% of the House of Representatives, which had 127 seats in 1975. Therefore, while Howard won three more seats than Fraser in 1996, Fraser still won a larger majority.

House of Reps (IRV) – 1975–77—Turnout 95.39% (CV) – Informal 1.89%

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Liberal–NCP coalition		4,102,078	53.05	+7.32	91	+30
		Liberal	3,232,159	41.80	+6.85	68	+28
		National Country	853,943	11.04	+0.28	22	+1
		Country Liberal	15,976	0.21	+0.21	1	+1
	Labor		3,313,004	42.84	−6.46	36	−30
	Democratic Labor		101,750	1.32	−0.10	0	0
	Workers		60,130	0.78	+0.78	0	0
	Liberal Movement		49,484	0.64	–0.14	0	0
	Australia		33,630	0.43	−1.89	0	0
	Communist		9,393	0.12	+0.11	0	0
	Independent		63,109	0.82	+0.42	0	0
	Total		7,732,578			127
Two-party-preferred (estimated)
	Liberal–NCP coalition		Win	55.70	+7.40	91	+30
	Labor			44.30	−7.40	36	−30

Popular vote Labor   42.84% Liberal   41.80% National   11.25% DLP   1.32% Other   2.79%

Two-party-preferred vote Coalition   55.70% Labor   44.30%

Parliament seats Coalition   71.65% Labor   28.35%

Senate results

Government (35)
Coalition
  Liberal (26)
  NCP (8)
  CLP (1)

Opposition (27)
  Labor (27)

Crossbench (2)
  Liberal Movement (1)
  Independent (1)

Senate (STV) – 1975–77—Turnout 95.39% (CV) – Informal 9.10%

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats won	Seats held	Change
	Liberal–NCP coalition (total)		3,706,989	51.74	+7.85	35	35	+6
		Liberal–NCP joint ticket	2,855,721	39.86	+5.09	17	*	*
		Liberal	793,772	11.08	+3.26	16	26	+3
		National Country	41,977	0.59	−0.71	1	8	+2
		Country Liberal	15,519	0.22	+0.22	1	1	+1
	Labor		2,931,310	40.91	−6.38	27	27	−2
	Democratic Labor		191,049	2.67	−0.89	0	0	0
	Liberal Movement		76,426	1.07	+0.11	1	1	0
	Workers		62,385	0.87	+0.87	0	0	0
	Family Movement		45,658	0.64	+0.64	0	0	0
	Australia		34,632	0.48	–0.91	0	0	0
	United Tasmania		1,227	0.02	–0.01	0	0	0
	Socialist		727	0.01	+0.01	0	0	0
	Independents		114,310	1.60	–0.52	1	1	0
	Total		7,164,713			64	64	+4

Notes

• Independent: Brian Harradine (Tasmania)

Seats changing hands

Seat	Pre-1975				Swing	Post-1975
	Party		Member	Margin		Margin	Member	Party
Barton, NSW		Labor	Len Reynolds	5.1	10.0	4.9	Jim Bradfield	Liberal
Bowman, Qld		Labor	Len Keogh	1.3	8.4	7.1	David Jull	Liberal
Braddon, Tas		Labor	Ron Davies	4.8	8.6	3.8	Ray Groom	Liberal
Brisbane, Qld		Labor	Manfred Cross	1.1	5.0	3.9	Peter Johnson	Liberal
Canberra, ACT		Labor	Kep Enderby	7.1	10.4	3.3	John Haslem	Liberal
Capricornia, Qld		Labor	Doug Everingham	4.9	5.0	0.1	Colin Carige	National Country
Casey, Vic		Labor	Race Mathews	1.5	9.0	7.5	Peter Falconer	Liberal
Cook, NSW		Labor	Ray Thorburn	0.5	8.3	7.8	Don Dobie	Liberal
Dawson, Qld		Labor	Rex Patterson	0.6	4.2	3.6	Ray Braithwaite	National Country
Denison, Tas		Labor	John Coates	2.8	7.7	4.9	Michael Hodgman	Liberal
Diamond Valley, Vic		Labor	David McKenzie	0.7	9.8	9.1	Neil Brown	Liberal
Eden-Monaro, NSW		Labor	Bob Whan	0.1	5.6	5.5	Murray Sainsbury	Liberal
Evans, NSW		Labor	Allan Mulder	4.9	6.9	2.0	John Abel	Liberal
Franklin, Tas		Labor	Ray Sherry	12.9	14.7	1.8	Bruce Goodluck	Liberal
Henty, Vic		Labor	Joan Child	1.5	6.7	5.2	Ken Aldred	Liberal
Holt, Vic		Labor	Max Oldmeadow	6.9	8.5	1.6	William Yates	Liberal
Isaacs, Vic		Labor	Gareth Clayton	0.6	7.5	6.9	David Hamer	Liberal
Kalgoorlie, WA		Labor	Fred Collard	2.1	6.3	4.3	Mick Cotter	Liberal
Kingston, SA		Labor	Richard Gun	6.1	12.7	6.6	Grant Chapman	Liberal
La Trobe, Vic		Labor	Tony Lamb	4.6	8.9	4.3	Marshall Baillieu	Liberal
Leichhardt, Qld		Labor	Bill Fulton	3.3	5.7	2.4	David Thomson	National Country
Macarthur, NSW		Labor	John Kerin	4.4	8.5	4.1	Michael Baume	Liberal
Macquarie, NSW		Labor	Tony Luchetti	8.7	10.3	1.6	Reg Gillard	Liberal
McMillan, Vic		National Country	Arthur Hewson	N/A	2.1	6.7	Barry Simon	Liberal
Perth, WA		Labor	Joe Berinson	8.2	9.0	0.8	Ross McLean	Liberal
Phillip, NSW		Labor	Joe Riordan	4.5	7.1	2.6	Jack Birney	Liberal
St George, NSW		Labor	Bill Morrison	5.8	5.8	0.0	Maurice Neil	Liberal
Swan, WA		Labor	Adrian Bennett	5.6	7.7	2.1	John Martyr	Liberal
Tangney, WA		Labor	John Dawkins	3.1	9.7	6.6	Peter Richardson	Liberal

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

Issues and significance

The Gallagher Index result: 14.19

The election followed the controversial dismissal of the Whitlam government by Governor-General Sir John Kerr in the 1975 constitutional crisis. Labor campaigners hoped that the electorate would "maintain [its] rage" and punish the Coalition for its part in bringing down the government, proclaiming "Shame Fraser, Shame". However, the Coalition focused on economic issues following the 1973 oil crisis and 1973–75 recession, the so-called Loans Affair, alleged Labor mismanagement of inflation, and campaigned under the slogan "Turn on the lights, Australia" (drawing on a contemporary cynicism: "Would the last businessman leaving Australia please turn out the lights?").^[1][2]

The Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory received an entitlement to elect two senators each as a consequence of the Senate (Representation of Territories) Act 1973, passed during the 1974 Joint Sitting of the Australian Parliament.

See also

• Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1975
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1975–1977
• Members of the Australian Senate, 1975–1978

References

1. Twomey, Anne (19 April 2017). "Australian politics explainer: Gough Whitlam's dismissal as prime minister". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 23 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
2. Farnsworth, Malcolm. "1975 Federal Election". AustralianPolitics.com. Archived from the original on 23 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.

• AustralianPolitics.com 1975 election details
• University of WA Archived 18 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine election results in Australia since 1890
• AEC 2PP vote