The 1910 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 13 April 1910. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party (formed by the fusion of the Protectionist Party and the Anti-Socialist Party in 1909) led by Prime Minister Alfred Deakin was defeated by the opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) led by Andrew Fisher.

The election represented a number of landmarks: it was Australia's first elected federal majority government; Australia's first elected Senate majority; the world's first labour party majority government at a national level; after the 1904 Chris Watson minority and Fisher's former minority government the world's third labour party government at a national level; the first time it controlled both houses of a bicameral legislature; and the first time that a prime minister, in this case Deakin, was defeated at an election. It also remains the only election in Australia's federal history to have occurred following expiration of a full three-year parliamentary term by the "effluxion of time". Dissolution This was the first time the Labor Party won a federal election.

Two referendums to approve proposed amendments to the Constitution were held on the same day. The State Debts referendum was carried, but the Surplus Revenue referendum was not carried.

Future Prime Minister James Scullin and future opposition leader Matthew Charlton both entered parliament at this election. Scullin lost his seat at the subsequent 1913 election and did not re-enter parliament until 1922.

Background After the 1906 election, the House of Representatives first met on 20 February 1907. Prime Minister Alfred Deakin allowed the parliament to run to its maximum permissible length under section 28 of the constitution (three years). Its final meeting ended on 8 December 1909, and it was then prorogued until 19 February 1910 at which point it expired by "effluxion of time". This remains the only occasion to date where the House has been allowed to expire, rather than being dissolved earlier by the Governor-General. The writs for the election were issued on 28 February, producing the longest gap between federal elections in Australian history.

Results

House of Representatives

+House of Reps 1910–13 (FPTP) — Turnout 62.80% (Non-CV) — Informal 2.00% Party Votes % Swing Seats Change   Labor 649,538 49.12 +12.48 42 16   Liberal 591,248 44.71 −8.01 31 11   Socialist Labor 628 0.05 +0.05 0   Young Australia 590 0.04 +0.04 0   Independent 80,478 6.09 −2.22 2 3 Total 1,322,482     75   Labor Win 42 +16   Liberal 31 +31

Notes Independents: William Lyne (Hume, NSW), George Wise (Gippsland, Vic) Four members were elected unopposed: two Labor and two Liberal.

Senate +Senate 1910–13 (FPTP BV) — Turnout 62.16% (Non-CV) — Informal N/A Party Votes % Swing Seats won Seats held Change   Labor 2,021,090 50.30 +11.57 18 22 +7   Liberal 1,830,353 45.55 N/A 0 14 -6   Independents 134,976 3.36 +2.46 0 0 −1   Other 31,700 0.79 0 0 0   Total 4,018,119     18 36

Seats changing hands

Seat Pre-1910 Swing Post-1910 Party Member Margin Margin Member Party Bass, Tas  Liberal David Storrer 12.3 56.8 6.8 Jens Jensen Labor  Batman, Vic  Liberal Jabez Coon 1.3 15.3 13.6 Henry Beard Labor  Bendigo, Vic  Independent John Quick 1.7 0.4 1.3 John Quick Liberal  Bourke, Vic  Liberal James Hume Cook 2.2 15.3 8.6 Frank Anstey Labor  Brisbane, Qld  Liberal Justin Foxton 11.3 12.5 1.2 William Finlayson Labor  Capricornia, Qld  Liberal Edward Archer 5.6 12.4 6.8 William Higgs Labor  Corangamite, Vic  Liberal Gratton Wilson 24.7 29.4 4.7 James Scullin Labor  Corio, Vic  Liberal Richard Crouch 100.0 54.4 4.4 Alfred Ozanne Labor  Dalley, NSW  Liberal William Wilks 2.7 9.3 6.6 Robert Howe Labor  Denison, Tas  Liberal Philip Fysh 6.5 18.6 8.1 William Laird Smith Labor  East Sydney, NSW  Liberal George Reid 4.9 12.0 7.1 John West Labor  Gippsland, Vic  Liberal George Wise 100.0 62.1 12.1 George Wise Independent  Hume, NSW  Liberal William Lyne 100.0 66.4 16.4 William Lyne Independent  Hunter, NSW  Liberal Frank Liddell 0.8 11.7 0.9 Matthew Charlton Labor  Indi, Vic  Liberal Joseph Brown 11.0 14.1 3.1 Parker Moloney Labor  Maribyrnong, Vic  Liberal Samuel Mauger 6.9 17.7 10.8 James Fenton Labor  Nepean, NSW  Liberal Eric Bowden 10.6 14.8 1.5 George Cann Labor  Perth, WA  Labor James Fowler 2.7 13.4 10.7 James Fowler Liberal  Riverina, NSW  Liberal John Chanter 100.0 57.0 7.0 John Chanter Labor  Robertson, NSW  Liberal Henry Willis 7.0 7.9 0.9 William Johnson Labor  Members listed in italics did not contest their seat at this election. Electorates listed as previously won by a margin of 100% were contested in 1906 as Anti-Socialists v Protectionists (Echuca and Hume) or by two Protectionists (Corio and Gippsland): these parties merged to form the Commonwealth Liberal Party on 26 May 1909.

Post-election pendulum

Government seatsAustralian Labor PartyMarginalRobertson (NSW)William JohnsonALP00.9Brisbane (Qld)William FinlaysonALP01.2Nepean (NSW)George CannALP01.5New England (NSW)Frank FosterALP02.7Indi (Vic)Parker MoloneyALP03.1Calare (NSW)Thomas BrownALP03.6Wide Bay (Qld)Andrew FisherALP04.1Corio (Vic)Alfred OzanneALP04.4Werriwa (NSW)David HallALP04.6Corangamite (Vic)James ScullinALP04.7Wannon (Vic)John McDougallALP05.0Fairly safeMacquarie (NSW)Ernest CarrALP06.5Dalley (NSW)Robert HoweALP06.6Capricornia (Qld)William HiggsALP06.8Bass (Tas)Jens JensenALP06.8 vs INDEast Sydney (NSW)John WestALP07.1Denison (Tas)William Laird SmithALP08.1Riverina (NSW)John ChanterALP08.5Bourke (Vic)Frank AnsteyALP08.6Gwydir (NSW)William WebsterALP09.6SafeMaribyrnong (Vic)James FentonALP10.8Hunter (NSW)Matthew CharltonALP10.9Herbert (Qld)Fred BamfordALP11.0Adelaide (SA)Ernest RobertsALP13.3Darwin (Tas)King O'MalleyALP13.3Batman (Vic)Henry BeardALP13.6Boothby (SA)Lee BatchelorALP13.8 vs INDCook (NSW)James CattsALP14.1Darling (NSW)William SpenceALP14.7Kennedy (Qld)Charles McDonaldALP14.8Melbourne (Vic)William MaloneyALP17.0Melbourne Ports (Vic)James MathewsALP19.6Very safeMaranoa (Qld)Jim PageALP21.0West Sydney (NSW)Billy HughesALP21.5South Sydney (NSW)Edward RileyALP24.1Coolgardie (WA)Hugh MahonALP25.4Yarra (Vic)Frank TudorALP26.1Newcastle (NSW)David WatkinsALP26.7Kalgoorlie (WA)Charlie FrazerALP31.4Barrier (NSW)Josiah ThomasALP35.8Grey (SA)Alexander PoyntonALPunopposedHindmarsh (SA)William ArchibaldALPunopposed Non-government seatsLiberal PartyMarginalEchuca (Vic)Albert PalmerLIB00.4 vs INDGrampians (Vic)Hans IrvineLIB00.4Laanecoorie (Vic)Carty SalmonLIB00.8Wakefield (SA)Richard FosterLIB00.8Lang (NSW)Elliot JohnsonLIB01.0Ballaarat (Vic)Alfred DeakinLIB01.1Bendigo (Vic)John QuickLIB01.3Mernda (Vic)Robert HarperLIB01.8Illawarra (NSW)George FullerLIB02.0Franklin (Tas)William McWilliamsLIB03.4Richmond (NSW)Walter Massy-GreeneLIB04.2 vs INDFremantle (WA)William HedgesLIB04.5Parkes (NSW)Bruce SmithLIB05.1Fairly safeKooyong (Vic)William KnoxLIB06.3 vs INDWilmot (Tas)Llewellyn AtkinsonLIB06.6Flinders (Vic)William IrvineLIB08.1Fawkner (Vic)George FairbairnLIB08.9Barker (SA)John LivingstonLIB09.5SafeSwan (WA)John ForrestLIB10.2Perth (WA)James FowlerLIB10.7Wentworth (NSW)Willie KellyLIB11.0Moreton (Qld)Hugh SinclairLIB11.1Balaclava (Vic)Agar WynneLIB12.0Oxley (Qld)Richard EdwardsLIB12.2 vs INDNorth Sydney (NSW)George EdwardsLIB15.8Wimmera (Vic)Sydney SampsonLIB16.0Parramatta (NSW)Joseph CookLIB18.0Cowper (NSW)John ThomsonLIB19.5Darling Downs (Qld)Littleton GroomLIB19.9Very safeAngas (SA)Paddy GlynnLIBunopposedEden-Monaro (NSW)Austin ChapmanLIBunopposedIndependentsGippsland (Vic)George WiseIND12.1 vs LIBHume (NSW)William LyneIND16.4 vs LIB

See also Candidates of the 1910 Australian federal election Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1910–1913 Members of the Australian Senate, 1910–1913

Notes Notes

Citations

References University of WA election results in Australia since 1890