1928 Australian federal election

1928 Australian federal election
← 1925 17 November 1928 1929 →
← outgoing members elected members →
All 76 seats in the House of Representatives; 38 seats were needed for a majority in the House ; 19 (of the 36) seats in the Senate
Registered	3,444,769 4.32%
Turnout	2,728,815 (93.64%); (2.25 pp)
	Results by division for the House of Representatives, shaded by winning party's margin of victory.
Prime Minister before election; Stanley Bruce; Nationalist/Country coalition	Subsequent Prime Minister ; Stanley Bruce; Nationalist/Country coalition

The 1928 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 17 November 1928. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Nationalist–Country coalition, led by Prime Minister Stanley Bruce won a record fifth consecutive election defeating the opposition Labor Party led by James Scullin.

The election was held in conjunction with a referendum on Commonwealth–State relations, which was carried.

Future Prime Ministers John Curtin and Ben Chifley both entered parliament at this election. Both then lost their seats in the 1931 election and did not re-enter parliament until 1934 and 1940 respectively.

Background

Industrial troubles

The lead-up to the 1928 election was marked by industrial tension, including a major strike of waterside workers beginning in December 1927. After a further strike of ship's cooks beginning in March 1928 and attempts by the Waterside Workers' Federation of Australia to repudiate an industrial award ruling, the government began to crack down on union activity in the sector.^[1] The Transport Workers Act 1928 passed two months before the election, giving the government the power to terminate the employment of waterside workers who engaged in unapproved union activity.^[2]

Country Party tensions

The second term of the Bruce–Page government was marked by conflict between the federal parliamentary Country Party, which supported the alliance with the Nationalists, and state branches and farmers' organisations which "questioned the coalition strategy and demanded that the Country Party return to parliamentary and electoral independence".^[3] The government imposed multiple tariff hikes, which were unpopular with the Country Party's base of small farmers.^[4] Many Country Party members considered the pact with the Nationalists to have compromised the party's independence, with "anti-pact" factions prominent in South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. In 1926, former Country Party minister Percy Stewart left the party and formed a separate Country Progressive Party, sitting on the crossbench.^[5]

The Nationalists and Country Party ultimately agreed to renew their electoral pact prior to the 1928 election, with the modification that both parties could stand candidates in a seat if the incumbent was not recontesting.^[3]

Campaign

The Bruce–Page government fought its election campaign "almost exclusively on industrial peace". Bruce delivered his policy speech on 9 October, seeking a "further mandate to impose law and order in the trade unions" and proposing a joint conference of workers and employers to review federal industrial law.^[2] He also promised to cut back the government's migration schemes to combat rising unemployment.^[6] The government also "strongly promoted" its National Insurance scheme, which would have provided "sickness, old age, disability and maternity benefits, mainly paid for by compulsory contributions by workers and employers, along with smaller payments to parents of children under 16 and to orphans". The National Insurance Bill 1928 had been introduced in September 1928 but failed to pass before the dissolution of parliament.^[7]

Opposition leader James Scullin contested his first federal election as leader, having replaced Matthew Charlton as ALP leader in March 1928.^[8] He campaigned for higher tariffs, an expansion of the Commonwealth Bank, and for the Commonwealth Line to be kept in public ownership.^[6]

A referendum on a constitutional amendment allowing the federal government to assume state debts was held simultaneously with the federal election. Both the government and the opposition supported a "Yes" vote.^[6]

Results

House of Representatives

House of Reps (IRV) — 1928–29—Turnout 93.64% (CV) — Informal 4.90%
Party			First preference Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Nationalist–Country coalition		1,286,208	49.56	–3.64	42	–8
		Nationalist	1,014,522	39.09	–3.37	29	–8
		Country	271,686	10.47	–0.27	13	0
	Labor		1,158,505	44.64	–0.40	32^[c]	+8
	Country Progressive		41,713	1.61	+1.61	1	+1
	Protestant Labor		20,212	0.78	+0.78	0	0
	Independents		88,447	3.41	+1.65	1	–1
	Total		2,595,085			76
Two-party-preferred (estimated)
	Nationalist–Country coalition		Win	51.60	−2.20	42	–8
	Labor			48.40	+2.20	31	+8

Notes

Independent: William McWilliams (Franklin, Tas.).
Twelve members were elected unopposed – three Labor, five Nationalist, and four Country.

First preference vote

Labor			44.64%
Nationalist			39.09%
Country			10.47%
Country Progressive			1.61%
Independent/Other			4.19%

Two-party-preferred vote

Coalition			51.60%
Labor			48.40%

Parliament seats

Coalition			56.00%
Labor			41.33%
Country Progressive			1.33%
Independent			1.33%

Senate

Senate (P BV) — 1928–31—Turnout 93.61% (CV) — Informal 9.88%
		First preference votes	%	Swing	Seats won	Seats held	Change
Nationalist–Country coalition		1,466,323	50.46	–4.35	12	29	+1
	Nationalist	1,141,405	39.28	–6.07	10	24	0
	Country	324,918	11.18	+1.73	2	5	+1
Labor		1,422,418	48.95	+3.93	7	7	–1
Independents		17,092	0.59	+0.42	0	0	0
Total		2,905,833			19	36

Seats changing hands

Seat	Pre-1928				Swing	Post-1928
Seat	Party		Member	Margin	Swing	Margin	Member	Party
Barton, NSW		Nationalist	Thomas Ley	1.0	7.3	6.3	James Tully	Labor
Boothby, SA		Nationalist	Jack Duncan-Hughes	7.6	7.7	0.1	John Price	Labor
Denison, Tas		Nationalist	John Gellibrand	2.2	2.5	0.3	Charles Culley	Labor
Franklin, Tas		Nationalist	Alfred Seabrook	N/A	7.2	1.6	William McWilliams	Independent
Fremantle, WA		Independent	William Watson	8.1	1.2	2.1	John Curtin	Labor
Herbert, Qld		Nationalist	Lewis Nott	0.3	0.5	0.2	George Martens	Labor
Indi, Vic		Country	Robert Cook	6.7	N/A	(Unopposed)	Paul Jones	Labor
Lang, NSW		Nationalist	Elliot Johnson	5.9	9.4	3.5	William Long	Labor
Macquarie, NSW		Nationalist	Arthur Manning	1.3	6.2	4.9	Ben Chifley	Labor
Wakefield, SA		Nationalist	Richard Foster	14.8	24.4	9.6	Maurice Collins	Country
Wilmot, Tas		Country	Llewellyn Atkinson	7.0	N/A	4.6	Llewellyn Atkinson	Nationalist

Members listed in italics did not contest their seat at this election.

In the Division of Indi, the sitting candidate Robert Cook lost his seat after forgetting to file nomination papers, resulting in Labor candidate Paul Jones winning the seat unopposed.

Notes

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

References

^ Cumpston, Ina Mary (1989). Lord Bruce of Melbourne. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. p. 83. ISBN 0-582-71274-2.
^ ^a ^b Cumpston 1989, p. 84.
^ ^a ^b Cumpston 1989, p. 85.
^ Davey, Paul (2010). Ninety Not Out: The Nationals 1920-2010. UNSW Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-1742231662.
^ Davey 2010, pp. 37–38.
^ ^a ^b ^c Souter 1988, p. 242.
^ Wilks, Stephen (2020). 'Now is the Psychological Moment': Earle Page and the Imagining of Australia (PDF). ANU Press. p. 175-176. ISBN 9781760463687.
^ Souter, Gavin (1988). Acts of Parliament: A Narrative History of the Senate and House of Representatives. Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press. p. 236. ISBN 0522843670.

External links

University of WA Archived 18 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine election results in Australia since 1890
Two-party-preferred vote since 1919

[1] Turnout in contested seats

[2] The Northern Territory had one seat, but members for the territories did not have full voting rights until 1966 and did not count toward government formation.

[11] Including Northern Territory

[3] Cumpston, Ina Mary (1989). Lord Bruce of Melbourne. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. p. 83. ISBN 0-582-71274-2.

[FOOTNOTECumpston198984-4] Cumpston 1989, p. 84.

[FOOTNOTECumpston198985-5] Cumpston 1989, p. 85.

[6] Davey, Paul (2010). Ninety Not Out: The Nationals 1920-2010. UNSW Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-1742231662.

[FOOTNOTEDavey201037–38-7] Davey 2010, pp. 37–38.

[FOOTNOTESouter1988242-8] Souter 1988, p. 242.

[9] Wilks, Stephen (2020). 'Now is the Psychological Moment': Earle Page and the Imagining of Australia (PDF). ANU Press. p. 175-176. ISBN 9781760463687.

[10] Souter, Gavin (1988). Acts of Parliament: A Narrative History of the Senate and House of Representatives. Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press. p. 236. ISBN 0522843670.

[b]

[a]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[c]

v t e Federal elections and referendums in Australia
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See also: By-elections