A 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 (first preference) 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.
Background The UAP and Country Party formed a new coalition a few months after the 1934 election, after the UAP initially attempted to govern in minority. The coalition proved stable throughout the parliamentary term, with Country Party leader Earle Page becoming de facto deputy prime minister.
James Scullin retired as leader of the Labor Party in October 1935. John Curtin unexpectedly won the resulting leadership election over Frank Forde, becoming the first Western Australian to lead a major party. In February 1936 the Lang Labor MPs re-joined the parliamentary ALP caucus for the first time since the 1931 party split, in line with the federal conference's decision to readmit the New South Wales branch.
Campaign Although Australia was not at war, the 1937 election has been described as a khaki election as the primary issue during the campaign was defence policy.
Both major party leaders launched their campaigns at smaller venues within their electorates. Curtin gave his policy address on 20 September in Fremantle, Western Australia, while Lyons followed on 28 September in Deloraine, Tasmania. This was the first time Lyons had launched the UAP campaign in his home state, with the party's 1931 and 1934 campaigns launched at the Sydney Town Hall.
Results The governing coalition won 43 out of 75 seats in the House of Representatives, with Lyons becoming the first Australian prime minister to win three consecutive federal elections. The position in the House was largely unchanged from the 1934 election, with Labor winning only a single seat (Bendigo) from the UAP. The Country Party won two rural seats from the UAP, although in Grey this was a result of an agreement within South Australia's Liberal and Country League to allow Country Party senator Oliver Badman and UAP MP Philip McBride to swap chambers.
Two senior cabinet ministers were unexpectedly defeated at the election. External affairs minister George Pearce lost his Senate seat in Western Australia following a targeted campaign which criticised his earlier opposition to the secession movement. The pro-secession Sunday Times ran an anti-Pearce editorial line, while the Dominion League of Western Australia and the Wheat Growers' Union ran a "Put Pearce Last" campaign. Defence minister Archdale Parkhill was defeated in Warringah by Percy Spender, an "independent UAP" candidate who campaigned on defence preparedness and "the need for youth in government".
House of Representatives
+ House of Reps (IRV) — 1937–40—Turnout 96.13% (CV) — Informal 2.59% Party First preference 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 3 +2 Total 3,603,223 75 Two-party-preferred UAP–Country coalition Win50.60 −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 First preference 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
Seat Pre-1937 Swing Post-1937 Party Member Margin Margin Member Party Ballaarat, Vic United Australia Archibald Fisken 3.9 3.5 0.6 Reg Pollard Labor Bendigo, Vic United Australia Eric Harrison N/A 0.3 6.9 George Rankin Country Grey, SA United Australia Philip McBride N/A 2.9 7.1 Oliver Badman Country Warringah, NSW United Australia Archdale Parkhill N/A 29.4 1.9 Percy Spender Independent UAP Wimmera, Vic Country Hugh McClelland N/A 2.9 1.9 Alexander Wilson Independent Members listed in italics did not contest their seat at this election.
See also Candidates of the 1937 Australian federal election Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1937–1940 Members of the Australian Senate, 1938–1941
Notes
References
External links University of WA election results in Australia since 1890 Two-party-preferred vote since 1937