1903 Australian federal election
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All 75 seats in the House of Representatives 38 seats were needed for a majority in the House 19 (of the 36) seats in the Senate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Registered | 1,893,586 93.62% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Turnout | 739,402 (39.05%)[a] (12.34 pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results by division for the House of Representatives, shaded by winning party's margin of victory. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1903 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 16 December 1903. All 75 seats in the
.The election outcome saw a finely balanced House of Representatives, with the three parties each holding around a third of seats − the Protectionists on 26, the Free Traders on 24 and Labour on 22. This term of parliament saw no changes in any party leadership but did see very significant and prolonged debates on contentious issues − the Protectionist minority government fell in April 1904 to Labour, while the Labour minority government fell in August 1904 to the Free Traders, while the Free Trader minority government fell in July 1905 back to the Protectionists, which continued until the
Despite a break in prime ministerships in 1904-1905 and 1908–1909, this is the first of three consecutive elections in which Deakin was the sitting prime minister.
Issues
The wreck of
Results
House of Representatives
Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Free Trade | 228,721 | 31.73 | −1.48 | 24 | 1 | |
Labour | 214,713 | 29.78 | +11.53 | 22 | 6 | |
Protectionist | 166,176 | 23.05 | −4.47 | 24 | 8 | |
National Liberal Union | 44,562 | 6.18 | +6.18 | 2 | 2 | |
Revenue Tariff | 3,546 | 0.49 | +0.49 | 1 | 1 | |
Independents/Other[b] | 63,218 | 8.77 | −12.24 | 2 | ||
Formal votes | 720,936 | 97.50 | ||||
Informal votes | 18,466 | 2.50 | ||||
Total | 75[c] | |||||
Registered voters / turnout | 1,893,586 | 39.05 | −12.34 |
Senate
Party | Votes | % | ± | Seats | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seats won |
Seats held |
Seat change | |||||
Free Trade | 986,030 | 34.33 | −5.11 | 4 | 12 | 5 | |
Labour | 784,859 | 27.33 | +13.83 | 3 | 8 | 5 | |
Protectionist | 503,586 | 17.53 | −27.33 | 3 | 8 | 3 | |
National Liberal Union | 136,727 | 4.76 | +4.76 | 0 | 0 | ||
Socialist Labor | 69,769 | 2.43 | +1.41 | 0 | 0 | ||
Revenue Tariff | 25,310 | 0.88 | +0.88 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Independent | 365,851 | 12.74 | −8.60 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Formal votes | 2,872,132 | ||||||
Total | |||||||
Registered voters / turnout | 1,893,586 | 46.86 |
Significance
The election saw the Labour party make significant gains outside
As a result of Labour's gains, the numbers of the three parties in Parliament were very close to equal, leading to unstable governments: Alfred Deakin would describe it as a parliament of "three elevens" (three cricket teams). Although the Protectionists were able to retain their minority government with the qualified support of the Labour Party, the equal numbers would see a record three changes of government over the course of the Parliamentary term, with each of the three parties holding office at least once during the term of the Parliament.
The three parties that contested the 1901 election also contested the 1903 election, with only the Protectionists changing leaders: Alfred Deakin was chosen as a result of
The Free Traders downgraded the view they had last election of having no tariffs to campaigning on minimal tariffs, while the other major party contesting the election was the Labour Party.
This election also saw a minor party, the Tasmanian Revenue Tariff Party, gain an MHR and one Senator. Prior to the 1901 election, the Free Trade Party had been known as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states. However, in 1903 a separate Revenue Tariff Party competed against the FTP in Tasmania. Nevertheless, both of the Revenue Tariff Party members elected joined the Free Trade Party, when the new parliament began sitting.
Like the
Electorates
Candidates were contesting all 75 House of Representatives and 19 of the 36 Senate seats, a number unchanged from the 1901 election. The House of Representative seats were determined by the population of each state, giving 26 seats to
Each state elected six Senators regardless of population. The Senate was elected by
Seats changing hands
Seat | Pre-1903 | Swing | Post-1903 | ||||||
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Party | Member | Margin | Margin | Member | Party | ||||
Adelaide, SA | new division | 100.0 | Charles Kingston | Protectionist | |||||
Angas, SA
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new division | 100.0 | Paddy Glynn | Free Trade | |||||
Barker, SA | new division | 100.0 | Langdon Bonython
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Protectionist | |||||
Bass, Tas | new division | 6.7 | David Storrer | Protectionist | |||||
Boothby, SA | new division | 100.0 | Lee Batchelor | Labour | |||||
Brisbane, Qld | Protectionist | Thomas Macdonald-Paterson | 7.6 | 9.7 | 2.1 | Millice Culpin | Labour | ||
Capricornia, Qld | Independent | Alexander Paterson | 1.0 | 8.6 | 9.6 | David Thomson
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Labour | ||
Corangamite, VIC | Protectionist | Chester Manifold | 22.2 | 35.2 | 2.2 | Gratton Wilson
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Free Trade | ||
Cowper, NSW | Protectionist | Francis Clarke | 2.4 | 15.4 | 13.0 | Henry Lee | Free Trade | ||
Darwin, Tas | new division | 0.7 | King O'Malley | Labour | |||||
Denison, Tas | new division | 0.2 | Philip Fysh | Protectionist | |||||
Franklin, Tas | new division | 4.6 | William McWilliams | Revenue Tariff | |||||
Fremantle, WA | Free Trade | Elias Solomon | 10.3 | 21.6 | 11.3 | William Carpenter | Labour | ||
Grey, SA | new division | 100.0 | Alexander Poynton | Labour | |||||
Gwydir, NSW | Protectionist | George Cruickshank | 12,9 | 24.3 | 11.4 | William Webster | Labour | ||
Hindmarsh, SA | new division | 16.7 | James Hutchison | Labour | |||||
Hunter, NSW | Protectionist | Edmund Barton | 100.0 | 59.3 | 13.3 | Frank Liddell | Free Trade | ||
Kalgoorlie, WA | Free Trade | John Kirwan | 14.1 | 30.7 | 26.6 | Charlie Frazer | Labour | ||
New England, NSW | Protectionist | William Sawers | 0.6 | 2.5 | 1.9 | Edmund Lonsdale | Free Trade | ||
Riverina, NSW | Protectionist | John Chanter | 3.5 | 3.5 | 0.0 | Robert Blackwood | Free Trade | ||
Wakefield, SA | new division | 100.0 | Frederick Holder | Independent | |||||
Wilmot, Tas | new division | 4.9 | Edward Braddon | Free Trade |
- Members listed in italics did not contest their seat at this election.
Post-election pendulum
See also
- Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1903
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1903–1906
- Members of the Australian Senate, 1904–1906
- First Deakin Government
Notes
- ^ Turnout in contested seats was 50.27%.
- ^ The independents were James Wilkinson (Moreton, Qld) who was elected as an independent labour candidate and joined the Labour caucus in 1904, and Frederick Holder (Wakefield, SA).[3]
- ^ Seventeen members were elected unopposed – ten Protectionist, four Free Trade, two Labour and one National Liberal Union.
References
- JSTOR 24583070.
- ^ "House of Representatives election 1903". Australian politics and elections database. The University of Western Australia. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- ^ Carr, Adam. "1903 legislative election: House of Representatives, Queensland". Psephos.
- ^ "AEC.gov.au". AEC.gov.au. 25 October 2007. Retrieved 27 June 2010.