1910 Australian federal election

1910 Australian federal election

← 1906 13 April 1910 (1910-04-13) 1913 →

All 75 seats in the House of Representatives
38 seats were needed for a majority in the House
18 (of the 36) seats in the Senate
Registered2,267,482 Increase7.49%
Turnout1,349,626 (59.52%)[a]
(Increase12.04 pp)
  First party Second party
 
Leader Andrew Fisher Alfred Deakin
Party Labour Liberal
Leader since 30 October 1907 26 May 1909
Leader's seat Wide Bay (Qld.) Ballaarat (Vic.)
Last election 26 seats New party
Seats before 27 seats 42 seats
Seats won 42 seats 31 seats
Seat change Increase15 Decrease11
Popular vote 649,538 591,248
Percentage 49.12% 44.71%
Swing Increase13.33% Decrease8.01

Results by division for the House of Representatives, shaded by winning party's margin of victory.

Prime Minister before election

Alfred Deakin
Liberal

Subsequent Prime Minister

Andrew Fisher
Labour

The 1910 Australian federal election was 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 Liberal Party (formed by the fusion of the Protectionist Party and the Anti-Socialist Party in 1909) led by Prime Minister Alfred Deakin was defeated by the opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) led by Andrew Fisher.

The election represented a number of landmarks: 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 and Fisher's former minority government the world's third labour party government at a national level; the first time it controlled both houses of a bicameral legislature; and the first time that a prime minister, in this case Deakin, was defeated at an election. 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] This was the first time the Labor Party won a federal election.

Two referendums 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.

Future Prime Minister James Scullin and future opposition leader Matthew Charlton both entered parliament at this election. Scullin lost his seat at the subsequent 1913 election and did not re-enter parliament until 1922.


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