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 (first preference) 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.

Background

UAP leader Joseph Lyons formed a UAP-only ministry after the 1931 federal election, with the Country Party excluded from cabinet but providing qualified support during the parliamentary term.

The first term of the Lyons government was marked by conflict with state governments over federal–state relations and the continuing response to the Great Depression in Australia. The 1932 New South Wales constitutional crisis culminated in the dismissal of state premier Jack Lang, following a confrontation with the federal government over state debts. In Western Australia, a secession referendum was held in 1933 and resulted in a large majority in favour of secession, despite the pro-federation campaigning of Lyons and George Pearce. The results of the referendum were not implemented.

Campaign The election campaign focused on economic matters, particularly the banking industry. Lyons and the UAP promised to maintain their orthodox financial policies and provide larger grants to the states for unemployment relief and rural subsidies. The Labor Party promised banking and monetary reform, additional tariff protection for industry, and reversal of the remaining austerity measures made under the Premiers' Plan.

The UAP received significant funding from the banking industry, which was concerned by proposals for bank nationalisation or "socialisation of credit" that enjoyed strong support from the Labor Party, Social Credit Party and factions of the Country Party. In February 1934, a committee of major bank executives was formed to develop a nationwide publicity campaign against bank nationalisation. Funding was provided to front organisations, including the Sound Finance League of Australia and the Sane Finance League, to place newspaper advertisements, distribute pamphlets and sponsor radio segments.

During the election campaign, both Page and Scullin announced their support for a royal commission or other independent inquiry into the banking industry. Lyons "reluctantly" announced the UAP would do likewise, with a royal commission eventually convened in 1935 with cross-party representation.

Results The UAP won 32 out of 74 seats in the House of Representatives, with a small swing against the party. Of the remaining seats eighteen were won by the official Labor Party, fifteen by the Country Party, and nine by Lang Labor.

The 1934 election has been identified as the "electoral summit" of the social credit movement in Australia, with the Douglas Credit Party (or Social Credit Party) polling 4.7 percent of the vote in the House of Representatives. Its performance was strongest in Tasmania, where its straight-out candidates polled 11.6 percent and several Labor Party candidates were cross-endorsed by the Douglas Social Credit Association. In Lyons' seat of Wilmot, the Labor Party did not field a candidate and the two Social Credit candidates (including former Labor minister William Laird Smith) polled 42.5 percent of the vote.

House of Representatives

+ House of Reps (IRV) — 1934–37—Turnout 95.17% (CV) — Informal 3.44% Party First preference votes % Swing Seats Change  United Australia 1,287,963 36.25 −5.53 32 −6  Labor 953,101 26.82 −0.20 18 +2  Lang Labor 510,480 14.37 +3.83 9 +5  Country 480,279 13.52 +1.31 15 −1  Social Credit 166,589 4.69 +4.69 0 0   Communist 47,499 1.34 +1.08 0 0  Independents 107,335 3.02 −5.17 1 −1 Total 3,553,246     75 −1

Senate + Senate (P BV) — 1934–37—Turnout 95.03% (CV) — Informal 11.35% Party First preference votes % Swing Seats won Seats held Change   Labor 923,151 28.08 −1.18 0 3 −7   United Australia 679,422 20.66 −4.59 10 26 +5  UAP/Country (Joint Ticket) 599,723 18.24 −11.92 6   Country 470,283 14.30 * 2 7 +2   Lang Labor 435,045 13.23 +1.12 0 0 0   Social Credit 91,596 2.79 * 0 0 0   Communist 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 Lang Labor  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 Lang Labor  Members listed in italics did not contest their seat at this election.

Government formation

Lyons attempted to continue governing in minority after the election, forming another ministry comprised solely of UAP members. When parliament resumed in October 1934, Page and the Country Party threatened to vote against an adjournment motion for the Melbourne Cup as a tactic to force Lyons into negotiations on a joint ministry along the lines of the Bruce–Page government of the 1920s. A joint ministry was sworn in on 9 November 1934, with the Country Party securing four positions in cabinet and Page again becoming de facto deputy prime minister..

See also Candidates of the 1934 Australian federal election Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1934–1937 Members of the Australian Senate, 1935–1938

Notes

References

External links University of WA election results in Australia since 1890 Two-party-preferred vote since 1919