1946 Australian federal election

1946 Australian federal election
← 1943 28 September 1946 1949 →
All 75[a] seats of the House of Representatives
38 seats were needed for a majority in the House
19 (of the 36) seats of the Senate
Registered4,739,853 Increase6.12%
Turnout4,453,941 (93.97%)
(Decrease2.35 pp)
  First party Second party
 
Leader Ben Chifley Robert Menzies
Party Labor Liberal/Country coalition
Leader since 13 July 1945 23 September 1943
Leader's seat Macquarie (NSW) Kooyong (Vic.)
Last election 49 seats 19 seats
Seats won 43 seats 29 seats
Seat change Decrease 6 Increase 10
Popular vote 2,159,953 1,896,349
Percentage 49.71% 43.65%
Swing Decrease 0.22 Increase 13.20
TPP 54.10% 45.90%
TPP swing Decrease 4.10 Increase 4.10
  Third party Fourth party
 
IND
Leader Jack Lang N/A
Party Labor (Non-Communist) Independents
Leader since N/A
Leader's seat Reid (NSW)
(won seat) 		N/A
Last election 0 seats 3 seats
Seats won 1 seat 2 seats
Seat change Increase 1 Decrease 1
Popular vote 69,138 79,040
Percentage 1.59% 1.82%
Swing Increase 0.87 Decrease −10.34
Results by division for the House of Representatives, shaded by winning party's margin of victory.
Prime Minister before election

Ben Chifley
Labor

Subsequent Prime Minister

Ben Chifley
Labor

The 1946 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 28 September 1946. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Labor Party led by Prime Minister Ben Chifley defeated the opposition Liberal–Country coalition, led by Robert Menzies. It was the Liberal Party's first federal election since its creation. This was the first time the Labor party had won a second consecutive election. This was also the last time the Labor party would win a federal election until the 1972 election.

The election was held in conjunction with three referendum questions, one of which was carried.
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