1937 Australian federal election

1937 Australian federal election

← 1934 23 October 1937 1940 →
All 74 seats of the House of Representatives 38 seats were needed for a majority in the House 19 (of the 36) seats of the Senate
First party Second party   Leader Joseph Lyons John Curtin Party UAP/Country coalition Labor Leader since 7 May 1931 1 October 1935 Leader's seat Wilmot (Tas.) Fremantle (WA) Last election 42 seats 18 seats Seats won 43 seats 29 seats Seat change 1 11 Percentage 50.60% 49.40% Swing 2.90% 2.90%
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.
Prime Minister before election Joseph Lyons UAP/Country coalition Subsequent Prime Minister Joseph Lyons UAP/Country coalition

The 1937 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 23 October 1937. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent UAP–Country coalition government, led by Prime Minister Joseph Lyons, defeated the opposition Labor Party under John Curtin.

The election is notable in that the Country Party achieved its highest-ever primary vote in the lower house, thereby winning nearly a quarter of all lower-house seats. At the 1934 election nine seats in New South Wales had been won by Lang Labor. Following the reunion of the two Labor parties in February 1936, these were held by their members as ALP seats at the 1937 election. With the party's wins in Ballaarat and Gwydir (initially at a by-election on 8 March 1937), the ALP had a net gain of 11 seats compared with the previous election.

This was the first federal election that future Prime Ministers Harold Holt and Arthur Fadden contested as members of parliament, having entered parliament at the 1935 Fawkner by-election and 1936 Darling Downs by-election respectively.

Results[]

House of Representatives[]

  Labor: 29 seats

  United Australia: 28 seats

  Country: 15 seats

  Independent: 2 seats

House of Reps (IRV) — 1937–40—Turnout 96.13% (CV) — Informal 2.59%

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	UAP–Country coalition		1.774,805	49.26	–1.01	43	–4
		United Australia	1,214,526	33.71	+0.73	28	0
		Country	560,279	15.55	+2.93	15	+1
	Labor		1,555,737	43.17	+16.36	29	+11
	Social Credit		79,432	2.20	−2.49	0	0
	Communist		17,153	0.48	+0.48	0	0
	Independents		176,214	4.89	+2.38	2	+2
	Total		3,603,223			74
Two-party-preferred (estimated)
	UAP–Country coalition		Win	50.60	−2.90	43	+1
	Labor			49.40	+2.90	29	+11

Notes

• Four members were elected unopposed, all from the Labor Party.
• Independents: Alexander Wilson (Wimmera, Vic) and Percy Spender (Warringah, NSW).
• The member for Northern Territory, Adair Blain (independent), had voting rights only for issues relating to the Territory, and so is not included in the table.

Senate[]

Senate (P BV) — 1937–40—Turnout 94.75% (CV) — Informal 9.56%

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats won	Seats held	Change
	Labor		1,699,172	48.48	+20.40	16	16	+13
	UAP–Country coalition		1,636,889	46.71	–6.51	3	20	–13
		UAP–Country joint ticket	1,005,247	28.68	+10.44	0	N/A	N/A
		United Australia	565,161	16.13	−4.54	3	16	−10
		Country	66,481	1.90	−12.41	0	4	−3
	Social Credit		49,801	1.42	−1.36	0	0	0
	Independent		118,768	3.39	+2.93	0	0	0
	Total		3,504,630			19	36

Seats changing hands[]

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

See also[]

• Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1937
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1937–1940
• Members of the Australian Senate, 1938–1941

References[]

• University of WA election results in Australia since 1890
• Two-party-preferred vote since 1937

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Australian federal election, 1937.