AUSTRALIAN LEGISLATIVE ELECTION OF 29-30 MARCH 1901 ======================================================================================== THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ======================================================================================== NATIONAL SUMMARY ======================================================================================== Enrolled voters: 977,993 Votes counted: 502,556 51.4 Informal votes: 8,469 01.7 Formal votes: 494,087 98.3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Party Votes % Seats ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protectionist 148,578 30.1 33 Free Trade 164,085 33.2 25 Labour 90,174 18.3 15 Others 91,250 18.4 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 494,087 75 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. One seat in NSW, four seats in Victoria and one seat in Western Australia were uncontested, lowering the national turnout. 2. In South Australia, where voters elected seven members in a statewide poll, the turnout has been obtained by dividing the number of votes cast by seven. This is a minimum figure, since voters could vote for any number of candidates up to seven. The actual number of voters was probably substantially higher. 3. In two Western Australian seats, the number of informal votes is unknown. 4. Members have been listed under the heading of the party with which they chose to sit in the First Parliament. 5. There was no national protectionist party in 1901. The term Protectionsist (Prot) is used for all candidates who accepted the leadership of Edmund Barton, including those of the Australian Liberal Association (ALA) in NSW, the National Liberal Organisation (NLO) in Victoria, the Protectionist Association (PA) in South Australia and the National Liberal and Protectionist League (NLPL) in Western Australia and Tasmania. 6. The Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association (FT), a loose federation of state free trade parties accepting the leadership of George Reid, was the only national political party in 1901. 7. There were no free trade or protectionist parties in Queensland, where the fiscal issue was not regarded as important. Three of the non-Labour members elected supported the Barton ministry and are therefore classed as Protectionists. The other two are classed as independents. 8. There was no national Labour Party in 1901. The term Labour (Lab) includes candidates endorsed by the various state labour organisations. VOTES AND SEATS BY STATE ======================================================================================== NEW SOUTH WALES ======================================================================================== Enrolled voters: 329,615 Votes counted: 215,104 65.3 Informal votes: 3,980 01.9 Formal votes: 211,034 98.1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Party Votes % Seats ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protectionist 61,493 29.1 8 Free Trade 87,534 41.5 12 Labour 38,314 18.2 6 Others 23,693 11.2 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 211,034 26 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One Protectionist was elected unopposed. The Protectionist vote is therefore understated. VICTORIA ======================================================================================== Enrolled voters: 260,053 Votes counted: 129,558 49.8 Informal votes: 1,051 00.8 Formal votes: 128,507 99.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Party Votes % Seats ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protectionist 60,222 46.9 17 Free Trade 30,159 23.5 4 Labour 11,156 08.7 2 Others 26,970 20.9 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 128,507 23 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Four Protectionists were elected unopposed. The Protectionist vote is therefore substantially understated. QUEENSLAND ======================================================================================== Enrolled voters: 105,144 Votes counted: 62,656 59.6 Informal votes: 1,575 02.5 Formal votes: 61,081 97.5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Party Votes % Seats ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Labour 24,262 39.7 4 Others 36,819 60.3 5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 61,081 9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There were no Protectionist or Free Trade organisations in Queensland and all non-Labour candidates have been classed as Other. Three of the non-Labour members were classed as Protectionists after the elections, and appear as such in the national table. SOUTH AUSTRALIA ======================================================================================== Enrolled voters: 153,268 Votes counted: 51,008 33.3 Informal votes: 985 01.9 Formal votes: 50,023 98.1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Party Votes % e Seats ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protectionist 16,710 33.4 2 Free Trade 25,116 50.2 4 Labour 7,948 15.9 1 Others 249 00.5 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 50,023 7 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In South Australia, where voters elected seven members in a statewide poll, the turnout has been obtained by dividing the number of votes cast by seven. This is a minimum figure, since voters could vote for any number of candidates up to seven. The actual number of voters was probably substantially higher. Likewise, party totals have been divided by seven. These figures are therefore approximations. WESTERN AUSTRALIA ======================================================================================== Enrolled voters: 91,043 Votes counted: 25,655 28.2 Informal votes: 254 01.0 Formal votes: 25,401 99.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Party Votes % Seats ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protectionist 2,310 09.2 1 Free Trade 11,218 44.2 2 Labour 8,494 33.4 2 Others 3,379 13.3 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 25,401 5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One Protectionist was elected unopposed. Both the turnout and the Protectionist vote are therefore substantially understated. TASMANIA ======================================================================================== Enrolled voters: 38,870 Votes counted: 18,575 47.8 Informal votes: 534 02.9 Formal votes: 18,041 97.1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Party Votes % Change Seats ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protectionist 7,843 43.5 2 Free Trade 10,058 55.8 3 Labour - - Others 140 00.7 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 18,041 5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There was no Labour Party in Tasmania in 1901, but King O'Malley, shown here as a Protectionist candidate, joined the Labour Caucus after the election.