AUSTRALIAN LEGISLATIVE ELECTION OF 29 MAY 1954 ======================================================================================== Source: Australian government publications THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ======================================================================================== NATIONAL SUMMARY ======================================================================================== Enrolled voters: 5,096,667 Votes counted: 4,619,561 90.6 Informal votes: 91,910 02.0 -00.2 Formal votes: 4,527,651 98.0 +00.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Party Votes % Change Seats ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liberal Party of Australia 1,765,799 39.0 -01.7 47 -05 Country Party 388,171 08.6 -01.1 17 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total coalition 2,153,970 47.6 -02.8 64 -05 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Australian Labor Party 2,266,979 50.1 +02.4 57 +05 Others 106,702 02.3 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 4,527,651 121 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seven seats were uncontested, lowering turnout. For the effect of this on the final result, see note below. VOTES AND SEATS BY STATE OR TERRITORY ======================================================================================== NEW SOUTH WALES ======================================================================================== Enrolled voters: 1,985,267 Votes counted: 1,789,087 90.1 Informal votes: 53,256 03.0 +01.1 Formal votes: 1,735,831 97.0 -01.1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Party Votes % Change Seats ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liberal Party of Australia 619,643 35.7 -03.3 15 -01 Country Party 146,417 08.4 -01.7 7 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total coalition 634,290 44.1 -05.0 22 -01 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Australian Labor Party 910,350 52.4 +03.3 25 +01 Others 59,421 03.5 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 1,735,831 47 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three seats in NSW were uncontested, lowering turnout. Two Liberal members and one CP member were elected unopposed. The Liberal-CP vote is therefore understated. VICTORIA ======================================================================================== Enrolled voters: 1,415,592 Votes counted: 1,281,132 90.5 Informal votes: 14,897 01.2 -01.4 Formal votes: 1,266,235 98.8 +01.4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Party Votes % Change Seats ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liberal Party of Australia 572,233 45.2 +01.2 15 Country Party 43,390 03.4 -01.8 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total coalition 615,623 48.6 -00.6 18 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Australian Labor Party 636,911 50.3 +01.7 15 Others 13,701 01.1 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 1,266,235 33 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two seats were uncontested, lowering turnout. Two CP members were elected unopposed. The CP vote is therefore substantially understated. QUEENSLAND ======================================================================================== Enrolled voters: 733,053 Votes counted: 703,621 96.0 Informal votes: 7,787 01.1 -00.8 Formal votes: 695,834 98.9 +00.8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Party Votes % Change Seats ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liberal Party of Australia 223,406 32.1 +01.2 8 -01 Country Party 152,408 21.9 -01.9 5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total coalition 375,814 54.0 -00.7 13 -01 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Australian Labor Party 295,424 42.5 +00.2 5 +01 Others 24,596 03.5 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 695,834 18 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOUTH AUSTRALIA ======================================================================================== Enrolled voters: 455,872 Votes counted: 357,854 74.5 Informal votes: 8,812 02.5 +00.4 Formal votes: 349,042 97.5 -00.4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Party Votes % Change Seats ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liberal Party of Australia 150,708 43.2 -06.9 4 -01 Australian Labor Party 192,446 55.1 +06.2 6 +01 Others 5,888 01.7 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 349,042 10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two seats were uncontested, greatly lowering turnout. One Liberal member and one ALP member were elected unopposed. In one seat, the ALP was opposed only by a Communist and polled 94% of the vote. The ALP vote is therefore overstated. WESTERN AUSTRALIA ======================================================================================== Enrolled voters: 334,353 Votes counted: 321,688 96.2 Informal votes: 5,561 01.7 -00.8 Formal votes: 316,127 98.3 +00.8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Party Votes % Change Seats ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liberal Party of Australia 117,566 37.2 -03.2 2 -01 Country Party 45,956 14.5 -01.1 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total coalition 163,522 51.7 -04.3 4 -02 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Australian Labor Party 150,197 47.5 +04.2 4 +01 Others 2,408 00.8 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 316,127 8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TASMANIA ======================================================================================== Enrolled voters: 172,530 Votes counted: 166,179 96.3 Informal votes: 1,597 01.0 -02.1 Formal votes: 164,582 99.0 +02.1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Party Votes % Change Seats ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liberal Party of Australia 82,243 50.0 -01.8 3 -01 Australian Labor Party 81,651 49.6 +01.4 2 +01 Others 688 00.4 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 164,582 5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE ON THE OUTCOME OF THE 1954 ELECTION -------------------------------------------------------------------- After the 1954 election, the ALP claimed on the strength of the above figures that the Menzies Government had been returned on a minority vote. But this claim ignored the fact that six safe Liberal-CP seats were uncontested, as opposed to only one ALP seat. If the votes cast in these seats in 1951 (1949 in the case of Hindmarsh, which was also uncontested in 1951), corrected for the 1.9% two-party swing to the ALP, are added to the above totals, and if the 1951 figures for Port Adelaide (contested in 1954 only by the ALP and a Communist) are substituted, the following figures are obtained: > Lib-CP ALP etc Total -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1954 actual 2,153,970 2,266,979 106,702 4,527,651 minus 47,355 3,045 plus 265,186 132,310 1,304 -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1954 new 2,419,156 2,351,934 104,961 4,876,051 -------------------------------------------------------------------- 49.61% 48.23% 2.15% -------------------------------------------------------------------- Of the "etc" vote, 53,188 (1.09%) was the Communist vote, and 51,773 (1.06%) was for independent candidates. If the Communist vote is allocated 90% to the ALP, and the independent vote 50% to the ALP, the notional ALP two-party vote is 2,425,689, or 49.75%. Thus it seems clear that, had all seats been contested by both major parties, the ALP would not have obtained 50% of the primary vote, and may not have obtained 50% of the two-party prefered vote. --------------------------------------------------------------------