The 1914 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 5 September 1914. The election had been called before the declaration of war in August 1914. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives and all 36 seats in the Senate were up for election, as a result of a double dissolution being granted, the first in Australian history. The incumbent Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Joseph Cook, was defeated by the opposition Labor Party under Andrew Fisher, who returned for a third term as prime minister.

The Cook government is one of only two non-Labor governments in Australian history that did not last longer than the Labor government it had replaced; the other was the Howard government, which was defeated in 2007.

This election also marks the only time that three consecutive elections resulted in changes of government. Indeed, even two consecutive elections resulting in changes of government has only occurred on one instance since this election – in 1929 and 1931.

Fisher is one of only two Labor leaders who took the party from Opposition to Government and also had previous experience as a minister, the other being Anthony Albanese. This election was the second time he accomplished this, the first being in 1910.

This election resulted in the highest ever primary vote percentage for the Labor Party, at 50.89%, and was the first time that Labor achieved more than 50% of the primary vote. The only other time this happened was in 1954.

Background The 1913 federal election had given Cook's Liberal Party a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives. As prime minister, Cook faced significant difficulties in passing legislation, controlling the House only through the casting vote of the speaker and dealing with a substantial ALP majority in the Senate.

Double dissolution Both the Liberals and ALP sought an early election with the aiming of breaking the political deadlock and securing majorities in both houses. In early 1914, the Senate twice rejected the Liberals' Government Preference Prohibition Bill 1914, which would have abolished the previous ALP government's policy of giving preference to trade union members in the Commonwealth Public Service. Cook used this as an opportunity to secure Australia's first double dissolution, a provision contained in section 57 of the constitution.

Election dates The parliament was dissolved and the writs for the election were formally issued on 30 July, with the close of nominations on 5 August.

Campaign

The election campaign encompassed the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June, the ensuing July Crisis and outbreak of World War I on 28 July, and the British Empire's entry into the war on 4 August. As a result – whilst the campaign initially focused on the domestic matters which had been the source of the political deadlock that triggered the double-dissolution election in the first place – Australia's role in the war and support for Britain became more pressing issues later in the campaign.

Campaign launches and domestic agenda Cook launched the Liberal Party's campaign on 14 July in Parramatta, New South Wales. He defended his decision to call an early election and accused the ALP of obstructionism.

Fisher's campaign speech was delivered on 6 July in Bundaberg, Queensland. He announced that his priorities if returned to office would include reducing industrial unrest, addressing the cost of living, and breaking up trusts and monopolies. He promised to resubmit the ALP's proposed constitutional reforms – narrowly defeated at a 1913 referendum – to another referendum, and to introduce legislation permitting citizen-initiated referendums. Fisher defended the previous Labor government's legacy and promised to expand on its social reforms by increasing spending on health and pensions, introducing government-owned insurance, establishing public-sector superannuation schemes, and standardising Australia's rail gauges. He was critical of the Cook government's fiscal management and its policy of funding defence expenditure through borrowings rather than revenue.

Results House of Representatives

+House of Reps 1914–17 (FPTP) Turnout 73.53% (Non-CV) Informal 2.32% Party Votes % Swing Seats Change   Labor 858,451 50.89 +2.42 42 +5   Liberal 796,397 47.21 −1.73 32 -6   Independents 31,915 1.89 −0.70 1 +1  Total 1,686,763     75   LaborWin 42 +5   Liberal 32 −6

Notes Independents: George Wise (Gippsland, Vic) Thirteen members were elected unopposed – seven Labor and six Liberal.

Senate

+Senate 1914–17 (FPTP BV) Turnout 72.64% (Non-CV) Informal N/A Party Votes % Swing Seats won Seats held Change   Labor 6,119,018 52.15 +3.43 31 31 +2   Liberal 5,605,305 47.77 −1.61 5 5 −2   Independents 9,799 0.08 –0.78 0 0 0   Total 11,734,122     36 36

Seats changing hands

Seat Pre-1914 Swing Post-1914 Party Member Margin Margin Member Party Corio, Vic  Liberal William Kendell 1.4 3.0 1.2 Alfred Ozanne Labor  Gippsland, Vic  Liberal James Bennett 5.0 6.0 1.0 George Wise Independent  Grampians, Vic  Liberal Hans Irvine 3.9 4.2 0.3 Edward Jolley Labor  Indi, Vic  Liberal Cornelius Ahern 1.8 3.0 1.0 Parker Moloney Labor  Riverina, NSW  Liberal Franc Falkiner 1.0 3.1 2.1 John Chanter Labor  Werriwa, NSW  Liberal Alfred Conroy 5.9 5.9 0.0 John Lynch Labor 

Post-election pendulum

Government seatsAustralian Labor PartyMarginalWerriwa (NSW)John LynchALP00.0Grampians (Vic)Edward JolleyALP00.3Indi (Vic)Parker MoloneyALP01.0Corio (Vic)Alfred OzanneALP01.2Ballaarat (Vic)Charles McGrathALP01.2Riverina (NSW)John ChanterALP02.1Macquarie (NSW)Ernest CarrALP03.3Gwydir (NSW)William WebsterALP03.8Grey (SA)Alexander PoyntonALP04.0Illawarra (NSW)George BurnsALP04.2Hunter (NSW)Matthew CharltonALP04.6Bendigo (Vic)John ArthurALP05.1Boothby (SA)George DankelALP05.3Denison (Tas)William Laird SmithALP05.9Fairly safeBass (Tas)Jens JensenALP06.0Darwin (Tas)King O'MalleyALP06.1Fremantle (WA)Reginald BurchellALP06.3Oxley (Qld)James SharpeALP06.8East Sydney (NSW)John WestALP07.3Fawkner (Vic)Joseph HannanALP09.3SafeBrisbane (Qld)William FinlaysonALP10.3Darling (NSW)William SpenceALP10.5Dalley (NSW)Robert HoweALP11.3Cook (NSW)James CattsALP11.7Wide Bay (Qld)Andrew FisherALP14.3 vs QFUMaribyrnong (Vic)James FentonALP14.3Herbert (Qld)Fred BamfordALP14.4Bourke (Vic)Frank AnsteyALP15.9Adelaide (SA)George Edwin YatesALP16.4Capricornia (Qld)William HiggsALP17.4South Sydney (NSW)Edward RileyALP18.8Melbourne (Vic)William MaloneyALP19.3Very safeHindmarsh (SA)William ArchibaldALP24.4West Sydney (NSW)Billy HughesALP25.3Barrier (NSW)Josiah ThomasALP29.7Batman (Vic)Frank BrennanALPunopposedKalgoorlie (WA)Hugh MahonALPunopposedKennedy (Qld)Charles McDonaldALPunopposedMaranoa (Qld)Jim PageALPunopposedMelbourne Ports (Vic)James MathewsALPunopposedNewcastle (NSW)David WatkinsALPunopposedYarra (Vic)Frank TudorALPunopposed Non-government seatsLiberal PartyMarginalHume (NSW)Robert PattenLIB01.0Calare (NSW)Henry PigottLIB01.2Corangamite (Vic)Chester ManifoldLIB01.6Lilley (Qld)Jacob StummLIB02.3Wakefield (SA)Richard FosterLIB02.4Flinders (Vic)William IrvineLIB02.7Nepean (NSW)Richard OrchardLIB02.7Robertson (NSW)William FlemingLIB03.4Lang (NSW)Elliot JohnsonLIB03.5Wannon (Vic)Arthur RodgersLIB03.6Dampier (WA)Henry GregoryLIB03.9Perth (WA)James FowlerLIB05.8Fairly safeWentworth (NSW)Willie KellyLIB06.5New England (NSW)Percy AbbottLIB06.7Barker (SA)John LivingstonLIB06.7Darling Downs (Qld)Littleton GroomLIB06.9Moreton (Qld)Hugh SinclairLIB07.3Henty (Vic)James BoydLIB07.7Echuca (Vic)Albert PalmerLIB08.2Balaclava (Vic)William WattLIB08.4Parkes (NSW)Bruce SmithLIB08.5Eden-Monaro (NSW)Austin ChapmanLIB09.2Swan (WA)John ForrestLIB09.2SafeWilmot (Tas)Llewellyn AtkinsonLIB10.9Kooyong (Vic)Robert BestLIB13.3 vs INDNorth Sydney (NSW)Granville RyrieLIB17.6Very safeAngas (SA)Paddy GlynnLIBunopposedCowper (NSW)John ThomsonLIBunopposedFranklin (Tas)William McWilliamsLIBunopposedParramatta (NSW)Joseph CookLIBunopposedRichmond (NSW)Walter Massy-GreeneLIBunopposedWimmera (Vic)Sydney SampsonLIBunopposedIndependentsGippsland (Vic)George WiseIND01.0 vs LIB

See also Candidates of the 1914 Australian federal election Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1914–1917 Members of the Australian Senate, 1914–1917

Notes

References

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