This article provides information on candidates who stood for the 1906 Australian federal election. The election was held on 12 December 1906.
By-elections, appointments and defections
By-elections and appointments
On 26 February 1904, Norman Cameron (Free Trade) was elected to replace Sir Edward Braddon (Free Trade) as the member for Wilmot. On 30 March 1904, William Maloney (Labour) was elected to replace Sir Malcolm McEacharn (Protectionist) as the member for Melbourne. McEacharn's election in 1903 had been declared void. On 18 May 1904, John Chanter (Protectionist) was elected to replace Robert Blackwood (Free Trade) as the member for Riverina. Blackwood's election in 1903 had been declared void. On 12 October 1906, Isaac Isaacs (Protectionist) resigned as the member for Indi. H. B. Higgins (Protectionist) resigned as the member for Northern Melbourne the following day. Due to the proximity of the election, no by-elections were held.
Defections In 1904, Independent MP James Wilkinson (Moreton) joined the Labour Party. In 1904, the Free Trade Party under its leader George Reid took office from the Watson Labour Government. Protectionists Senator James Drake (Queensland), James McCay (Corinella), Allan McLean (Gippsland) and Sir George Turner (Balaclava) accepted office under Reid and effectively ended their connection with the Protectionist Party, becoming Free Trade MPs. They were joined by Richard Edwards (Oxley), Senator Simon Fraser (Victoria), Sir Philip Fysh (Denison) and James McColl (Echuca). Around this time the Revenue Tariff Party was dissolved, and its two parliamentarians, Senator Henry Dobson (Tasmania) and William McWilliams (Franklin), also became Free Traders. Protectionists Sir John Forrest (Swan) and Sir John Quick (Bendigo) also dissolved their relationship with Deakin's party, but stopped short of joining the Free Traders. They were the beginning of what became known as the "Corner" group of independent conservative protectionists. In 1906, the Free Trade Party was renamed the Anti-Socialist Party. In 1906, the Western Australian Party was formed. Sir John Forrest (Swan), formerly a Protectionist, ran as its endorsed candidate, but in reality remained a member of the "Corner" group. Anti-Socialist MP Norman Cameron (Wilmot) lost pre-selection and contested the election as an independent. Labour Senator Anderson Dawson (Queensland) initially announced his intention to retire at this election. He ultimately decided to contest it, but as the Labour candidates had already been selected he ran as an independent. Labour MP James Ronald (Southern Melbourne), whose seat was abolished, was unsuccessful seeking pre-selection for Melbourne Ports. He contested the election as an independent.
Redistributions and seat changes
Redistributions of electoral boundaries occurred in New South Wales and Victoria. In New South Wales, Bland was abolished, Cook and Nepean were created, and Canobolas was renamed Calare. The member for Bland, Chris Watson (Labour), contested South Sydney. The member for Canobolas, Thomas Brown (Labour), contested Calare. In Victoria, Corinella and Moira were abolished, Maribyrnong was created, and Northern Melbourne and Southern Melbourne were renamed Batman and Fawkner respectively. The member for Corinella, James McCay (Anti-Socialist), contested Corio. The member for Echuca, James McColl (Anti-Socialist), contested the Senate. The member for Flinders, James Gibb (Anti-Socialist), contested the New South Wales seat of Hume. The member for Grampians, Thomas Skene (Anti-Socialist), contested the Senate. The member for Melbourne Ports, Samuel Mauger (Protectionist), contested Maribyrnong. The member for Moira, Thomas Kennedy (Protectionist), contested Echuca. The member for Southern Melbourne, James Ronald (Independent), contested Melbourne Ports.
Retiring Members and Senators
Protectionist Sir Langdon Bonython MP (Barker, SA) Pharez Phillips MP (Wimmera, Vic) Senator James Drake (Qld) Senator Sir William Zeal (Vic)
Free Trade George Edwards MP (South Sydney, NSW) Sir George Turner MP (Balaclava, Vic) – elected as Protectionist Senator Sir Richard Baker (SA) Senator Alexander Matheson (WA) Senator Staniforth Smith (WA)
House of Representatives Sitting members at the time of the election are shown in bold text. Successful candidates are highlighted in the relevant colour. Where there is possible confusion, an asterisk (*) is also used.
New South Wales
ElectorateHeld byProtectionist candidateAnti-Socialist candidateLabour candidateOther candidates Barrier Labour George Marshall Josiah Thomas Calare Labour John Fitzpatrick Thomas Brown Cook Unknown John Hindle James Catts Cowper Anti-Socialist John Thomson Henry Lee John O'Brien Eugene Rudder (Ind)Dalley Anti-Socialist Bill Wilks Robert Howe Darling Labour Denis Acton William Spence East Sydney Anti-Socialist George Reid John West Eden-Monaro Protectionist Austin Chapman John Longmuir Gwydir Labour Thomas Cunningham William Webster Hume Protectionist Sir William Lyne James Gibb Hunter Anti-Socialist Frank Liddell William Kearsley Illawarra Anti-Socialist George Fuller George Holt Lang Anti-Socialist Elliot Johnson Edward Bennetts Macquarie Anti-Socialist Sydney Smith Ernest Carr Nepean Unknown Eric Bowden Charles Dyer Thomas Taylor (Ind AS)Newcastle Labour John Hawthorne David Watkins New England Anti-Socialist Edmund Lonsdale Frank Foster North Sydney Anti-Socialist Dugald Thomson Parkes Anti-Socialist Bruce Smith Hampton Slatyer (Ind AS)Parramatta Anti-Socialist Joseph Cook Richmond Protectionist Thomas Ewing John Sutton Riverina Protectionist John Chanter John Jackson Robertson Anti-Socialist Henry Willis William Johnson South Sydney Anti-Socialist Sir James Graham Chris Watson Wentworth Anti-Socialist Willie Kelly William Duncan Werriwa Anti-Socialist Alfred Conroy David Hall West Sydney Labour James Burns Billy Hughes
Queensland
ElectorateHeld byProtectionist candidateAnti-Socialist candidateLabour candidate Brisbane Labour Justin Foxton Millice CulpinCapricornia Labour Edward Archer David ThomsonDarling Downs Protectionist Littleton Groom Horace RansomeHerbert Labour Walter Tunbridge Fred BamfordKennedy Labour Frederick Johnson Charles McDonald Maranoa Labour Joseph Little Jim Page Moreton Independent Hugh Sinclair James Wilkinson Oxley Protectionist Richard Edwards Alfred MerryWide Bay Labour Jasper Harvey Andrew Fisher
South Australia
ElectorateHeld byProtectionist candidateAnti-Socialist candidateLabour candidateIndependent candidate(s) Adelaide Protectionist Charles Kingston Angas Anti-Socialist Paddy Glynn Alexander Dey Barker Protectionist John Livingston Roland Campbell Boothby Labour Lee Batchelor Grey Anti-Socialist Alexander Poynton Hindmarsh Labour James Hutchison Wakefield Independent John Vaughan Sir Frederick Holder
Tasmania
ElectorateHeld byProtectionist candidateAnti-Socialist candidateLabour candidateOther candidates Bass Protectionist David Storrer William Oldham Darwin Labour William Lamerton King O'Malley Henry Bannister (Ind AS)Denison Protectionist Sir Philip Fysh George Burns William Brown (Ind Prot)Franklin Revenue Tariff William McWilliams Wilmot Anti-Socialist Charles Fenton Llewellyn Atkinson Thomas Wilson Norman Cameron (Ind AS)
Victoria
ElectorateHeld byProtectionist candidateAnti-Socialist candidateLabour candidateIndependent candidate(s) Balaclava Protectionist Edward Roberts Alfred Hampson Joseph Hewison (Ind AS)Agar Wynne* (Ind Prot)Ballaarat Protectionist Alfred Deakin James Scullin Batman Unknown Jabez Coon Robert Solly Samuel Painter (Ind)Roy Vernon (Ind Prot)Bendigo Protectionist Thomas Glass Sir John Quick (Ind Prot)Bourke Protectionist James Hume Cook Joseph Molden Randolph Bedford Corangamite Anti-Socialist Desmond Dunne Gratton Wilson Thomas Carey Corio Protectionist Richard Crouch James McCay Echuca Protectionist Thomas Kennedy Albert Palmer Fawkner Unknown John Miller Thomas Smith George Fairbairn (Ind Prot)Flinders Anti-Socialist Arthur Nichols William Irvine Gippsland Protectionist George Wise Allan McLean Grampians Anti-Socialist Hans Irvine Edward Grayndler Indi Protectionist Thomas McInerney Joseph Brown Daniel Turnbull Kooyong Anti-Socialist Robert Barbour William Knox Edward Hodges Laanecoorie Protectionist Carty Salmon Walter Grose William Rowe Maribyrnong Unknown Samuel Mauger Clement Davidson Melbourne Labour William Maloney William Lormer (Ind Prot)Melbourne Ports Protectionist Edward Watts James Mathews Cyril James (Ind AS)James Ronald (Ind Lab)Mernda Protectionist Robert Harper John Leckie James Kenneally Richard O'Neill (Ind Prot)Wannon Anti-Socialist Arthur Robinson John McDougall Wimmera Protectionist Richard Taffe Herman Brauer (Ind Prot)Max Hirsch (Ind AS)William Leslie (Ind AS)Sydney Sampson* (Ind Prot)Yarra Labour Frank Tudor George Roberts (Ind Lab)Richard Vale (Ind Prot)
Western Australia
ElectorateHeld byLabour candidateWAP candidate Coolgardie Labour Hugh Mahon John ArchibaldFremantle Labour William Carpenter William HedgesKalgoorlie Labour Charlie Frazer William BurtonPerth Labour James Fowler Edward ThurstanSwan Protectionist Peter O'Loghlen Sir John Forrest
Senate Sitting senators are shown in bold text. Tickets that elected at least one Senator are highlighted in the relevant colour. Successful candidates are identified by an asterisk (*).
New South Wales Three seats were up for election. The Anti-Socialist Party was defending three seats. Anti-Socialist Senators John Gray, John Neild and Edward Pulsford were not up for re-election.
Anti-Socialist candidatesLabour candidatesSocialist Labor candidates Albert Gould*Edward Millen*James Walker* George ClarkAllan McDougallGreg McGirr Tom BathoJames MoroneyJohn Willcox
Queensland
Three seats were up for election. The Protectionist Party had held one seat. The Labour Party was defending two seats. Labour Senators Thomas Givens, James Stewart and Harry Turley were not up for re-election.
Anti-Socialist candidatesLabour candidatesOther candidates Thomas Chataway*Robert Sayers*Anthony St Ledger* James GriffithWilliam HiggsJens Lundager Anderson Dawson (Ind Lab)
South Australia Three seats were up for election. The Protectionist Party was defending one seat. The Anti-Socialist Party was defending two seats. Labour Senators Robert Guthrie, Gregor McGregor and William Story were not up for re-election.
Protectionist candidatesAnti-Socialist candidatesLabour candidates Thomas Playford David CharlestonSir Josiah Symon*Joseph Vardon* Reginald BlundellDugald CrosbyWilliam Russell*
Tasmania Three seats were up for election. The Protectionist Party was defending one seat. The Anti-Socialist Party was defending one seat. The Labour Party was defending one seat. Protectionist Senator Edward Mulcahy and Anti-Socialist Senators Henry Dobson and James Macfarlane were not up for re-election.
Protectionist candidatesAnti-Socialist candidatesLabour candidates John Keating* Cyril Cameron*John Clemons*Norman Ewing James GuyDavid O'Keefe
Victoria Three seats were up for election. The Protectionist Party was defending three seats. Protectionist Senator Robert Best, Labour Senator Edward Findley and Independent Senator William Trenwith were not up for re-election.
Protectionist candidatesAnti-Socialist candidatesLabour candidates Charles AtkinsAlexander RamsayJames Styles Simon Fraser*James McColl*Thomas Skene Stephen BarkerEdward Russell*Tom Tunnecliffe
Western Australia Three seats were up for election. The Anti-Socialist Party had held two seats. The Labour Party was defending one seat. Labour Senators John Croft, Hugh de Largie and George Henderson were not up for re-election.
Labour candidatesWAP candidates Patrick Lynch*Ted Needham*George Pearce* Charles ClarkeHenry MillsEdward Wittenoom
See also 1906 Australian federal election Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1903–1906