1934 Australian federal election
![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 74 seats of the Australian House of Representatives 38 seats were needed for a majority in the House 18 (of the 36) seats of the Australian Senate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Popular vote by state with graphs indicating the number of seats won. As this is an IRV election, seat totals are not determined by popular vote by state but instead via results in each electorate. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The 1934 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 15 September 1934. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent United Australia Party led by Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons formed a minority government, with 33 out of 74 seats in the House.
The opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) led by James Scullin saw its share of the primary vote fall to an even lower number than in the 1931 election, due to the Lang Labor split. However, it was able to pick up an extra four seats on preferences and therefore improve on its position.
Almost two months after the election, the UAP entered into a coalition with the Country Party, led by Earle Page.
Future Prime Ministers Robert Menzies and John McEwen both entered parliament at this election.
Results[]
House of Representatives[]
Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | Note | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United Australia Party | 1,170,978 | 32.97 | −3.13 | 28 | −6 | ||
Australian Labor Party | 952,251 | 26.81 | −0.28 | 18 | +4 | (1 elected unopposed) | |
Australian Labor Party (NSW) | 510,480 | 14.37 | +3.80 | 9 | +5 | ||
Country Party | 447,968 | 12.61 | +0.36 | 14 | −2 | ||
Social Credit Party | 166,589 | 4.69 | * | 0 | 0 | ||
Liberal & Country League (SA) | 142,583 | 4.01 | * | 5 | +5 | ||
Communist Party of Australia | 47,499 | 1.34 | 0 | 0 | |||
Independents | 113,037 | 3.18 | −5.04 | 0 | −1 | ||
Total | 3,551,385 | 74 | −1 |
The member for Northern Territory, Adair Blain (independent), had voting rights only for issues affecting the Territory, and so is not included in this table.
Senate[]
Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats won | Seats held | Change | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Labor Party | 923,151 | 28.08 | −1.18 | 0 | 3 | −7 | |
United Australia Party | 679,422 | 20.66 | −4.59 | 10 | 26 | +5 | |
UAP/Country (Joint Ticket) | 599,723 | 18.24 | −11.92 | 6 | |||
Country Party | 470,283 | 14.30 | * | 2 | 7 | +2 | |
Australian Labor Party (NSW) | 435,045 | 13.23 | +1.12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Social Credit Party | 91,596 | 2.79 | * | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Communist Party of Australia | 73,506 | 2.24 | +1.30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Independents | 15,105 | 0.46 | −1.81 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 3,287,831 | 18 | 36 |
Seats changing hands[]
Seat | Pre-1934 | Swing | Post-1934 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Member | Margin | Margin | Member | Party | ||||
Barker, SA | United Australia | Malcolm Cameron | N/A | 6.4 | 18.7 | Archie Cameron | Country | ||
Bass, Tas | United Australia | Allan Guy | 14.5 | 14.8 | 0.3 | Claude Barnard | Labor | ||
Batman, Vic | United Australia | Samuel Dennis | 14.5 | 14.8 | 0.3 | Frank Brennan | Labor | ||
Corangamite, Vic | Country | William Gibson | N/A | 7.2 | 15.7 | Geoffrey Street | United Australia | ||
Darling, NSW | Labor | Arthur Blakeley | N/A | 63.5 | 13.5 | Joe Clark | Labor (NSW) | ||
Denison, Tas | United Australia | Arthur Hutchin | 5.0 | 5.3 | 0.3 | Gerald Mahoney | Labor | ||
Franklin, Tas | United Australia | Archibald Blacklow | 13.0 | 15.4 | 2.4 | Charles Frost | Labor | ||
Fremantle, WA | United Australia | William Watson | 5.5 | 6.6 | 1.1 | John Curtin | Labor | ||
Maribyrnong, Vic | United Australia | James Fenton | 0.4 | 7.1 | 6.7 | Arthur Drakeford | Labor | ||
Northern Territory, NT | Labor | H. G. Nelson | N/A | 7.5 | 1.8 | Adair Blain | Independent | ||
Werriwa, NSW | Country | Walter McNicoll | 1.7 | 3.2 | 2.5 | Bert Lazzarini | Labor (NSW) |
- Members listed in italics did not contest their seat at this election.
See also[]
- Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1934
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1934–1937
- Members of the Australian Senate, 1935–1938
References[]
- University of WA election results in Australia since 1890
- Two-party-preferred vote since 1919
- Federal elections in Australia
- 1934 elections in Australia
- September 1934 events