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1954 Australian federal election

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All 123 seats of the House of Representatives 61 seats were needed for a majority
Registered	5,096,468 2.70%
Turnout	4,619,571 (96.09%) (0.09 pp)
First party Second party   Leader Robert Menzies H. V. Evatt Party Liberal (Coalition) Labor Leader since 21 February 1945 13 June 1951 Leader's seat Kooyong (Vic.) Barton (NSW) Last election 69 seats 52 seats Seats won 64 57 + NT + ACT Seat change 5 5 Popular vote 2,117,669 2,256,164 Percentage 47.57% 50.07% Swing 2.77 2.44 TPP 49.30% 50.70% TPP swing 1.40 1.40
Results by division for the House of Representatives, shaded by winning party's margin of victory.
Prime Minister before election Robert Menzies Liberal/Country coalition Subsequent Prime Minister Robert Menzies Liberal/Country coalition

The 1954 Australian federal election were held in Australia on 29 May 1954. All 121 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election, but no Senate election took place. The incumbent Liberal–Country coalition led by Prime Minister Robert Menzies defeated the opposition Labor Party led by H. V. Evatt, despite losing the two-party preferred vote. Although the ALP won the two-party preferred vote, six Coalition seats were uncontested compared to one ALP seat. The Psephos blog makes clear that if all seats had been contested, the Coalition would have recorded a higher primary vote than the ALP and possibly also a higher two-party preferred vote.

This was the first federal election that future Prime Minister Gough Whitlam contested as a member of parliament, having entered parliament at the 1952 Werriwa by-election.

Though they did not win government, this election was the last time that the Labor party would achieve more than 50% of the primary vote. The only other time this happened was in 1914.

This was the first federal election to be held under the reign of Elizabeth II as Queen of Australia just two years after she succeeded her father.

Issues

The election was complicated by the Petrov Affair, in which Vladimir Petrov, an attache to the Soviet embassy in Canberra, defected amidst a storm of publicity, claiming that there were Soviet spy rings within Australia. Given that the 1951 election had been fought over the issue of banning the Communist Party of Australia altogether, it is unsurprising that such a claim would gain credibility.

Results

House of Reps (IRV) — 1954–55—Turnout 96.09% (CV) — Informal 1.35%

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Labor		2,266,979	50.07	+2.44	59	+5
	Liberal–Country coalition		2,153,970	47.57	–2.77	64	–5
		Liberal	1,765,799	39.00	–1.62	47	–5
		Country	388,171	8.57	–1.15	17	0
	Communist		56,675	1.25	+0.27	0	0
	Independents		50,027	1.11	+0.06	0	0
	Total		4,527,651			121
Two-party-preferred (estimated)
	Liberal–Country coalition		Win	49.30	−1.40	64	−5
	Labor			50.70	+1.40	59	+5

Notes

• Seven members were elected unopposed – three Liberal, three Country, and one Labor.
• See 1953 Australian Senate election for Senate composition.

Seats changing hands

Aftermath

The third session of the 20th Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. This was the first time a reigning monarch had opened a session of parliament in Australia. The Queen wore her Coronation Dress to open the 20th session of parliament. The success of the 1954 Royal Tour of Australia (the first by a reigning sovereign), the recovery of the economy from a brief recession in 1951-52 and the Petrov Affair were all credited with assisting in the return of the government.

See also

• Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1954
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1954–1955

Notes

1. Turnout in contested seats
2. The Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory each had one seat, but members for the territories did not have full voting rights until 1966 and did not count toward government formation.
3. Including Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory

References

1. Carr, Adam. "Legislative election of 29 May 1954: House of Representatives". Psephos. Retrieved 10 December 2020.

• University of WA Archived 18 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine election results in Australia since 1890
• AEC 2PP vote
• Prior to 1984 the AEC did not undertake a full distribution of preferences for statistical purposes. The stored ballot papers for the 1983 election were put through this process prior to their destruction. Therefore, the figures from 1983 onwards show the actual result based on full distribution of preferences.

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See also: By-elections

• Federal elections in Australia
• 1954 elections in Australia
• May 1954 events in Australia