1914 Australian federal election

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All 75 seats in theHouse of Representatives 38 seats were needed for a majority in the House All 36 seats in theSenate
Registered	2,811,5151.86%
Turnout	1,726,906 (73.53%)[a] (0.04pp)
First party Second party   Leader Andrew Fisher Joseph Cook Party Labor Liberal Leader since 30 October 1907 20 January 1913 Leader's seat Wide Bay (Qld) Parramatta (NSW) Last election 37 seats 38 seats Seats won 42 seats 32 seats Seat change 5 6 Popular vote 858,451 796,397 Percentage 50.89% 47.21% Swing 2.42% 1.73%
Results by division for the House of Representatives, shaded by winning party's margin of victory.
Prime Minister before election Joseph Cook Liberal Subsequent Prime Minister Andrew Fisher Labor

The1914 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 5 September 1914. The election had been called before the declaration of war in August 1914. All 75 seats in theHouse of Representatives and all 36 seats in theSenate were up for election, as a result of adouble dissolution being granted, the first in Australian history. The incumbentLiberal Party, led by Prime MinisterJoseph Cook, was defeated by the oppositionLabor Party underAndrew Fisher, who returned for a third term as prime minister.

The Cook government is one of only two non-Labor governments in Australian history that did not last longer than the Labor government it had replaced; the other was theHoward government, which was defeated in 2007.

This election also marks the only time that three consecutive elections resulted in changes of government. Indeed, even two consecutive elections resulting in changes of government has only occurred on one instance since this election – in1929 and1931.

Fisher is one of only two Labor leaders who took the party from Opposition to Government and also had previous experience as a minister, the other beingAnthony Albanese. This election was the second time he accomplished this, the first being in 1910.

This election resulted in the highest ever primary vote percentage for the Labor Party, at 50.89%, and was the first time that Labor achieved more than 50% of the primary vote. The only other time this happened was in1954.

The1913 federal election had given Cook's Liberal Party a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives. As prime minister, Cook faced significant difficulties in passing legislation, controlling the House only through thecasting vote of the speaker and dealing with a substantial ALP majority in the Senate.^[1]

Both the Liberals and ALP sought an early election with the aiming of breaking the political deadlock and securing majorities in both houses. In early 1914, the Senate twice rejected the Liberals'Government Preference Prohibition Bill 1914, which would have abolished the previous ALP government's policy of giving preference to trade union members in theCommonwealth Public Service. Cook used this as an opportunity to secure Australia's firstdouble dissolution, a provision contained insection 57 of the constitution.^[2]

The parliament was dissolved and thewrits for the election were formally issued on 30 July, with the close of nominations on 5 August.^[3][4]

The election campaign encompassed theassassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June, the ensuingJuly Crisis and outbreak of World War I on 28 July, and the British Empire's entry into the war on 4 August. As a result – whilst the campaign initially focused on the domestic matters which had been the source of the political deadlock that triggered the double-dissolution election in the first place –Australia's role in the war and support for Britain became more pressing issues later in the campaign.^[5]

Cook launched the Liberal Party's campaign on 14 July inParramatta, New South Wales. He defended his decision to call an early election and accused the ALP of obstructionism.^[6]

Fisher's campaign speech was delivered on 6 July inBundaberg, Queensland. He announced that his priorities if returned to office would include reducing industrial unrest, addressing the cost of living, and breaking uptrusts and monopolies. He promised to resubmit the ALP's proposed constitutional reforms – narrowly defeated ata 1913 referendum – to another referendum, and to introduce legislation permittingcitizen-initiated referendums. Fisher defended the previous Labor government's legacy and promised to expand on its social reforms by increasing spending on health and pensions, introducing government-owned insurance, establishing public-sectorsuperannuation schemes, and standardisingAustralia's rail gauges. He was critical of the Cook government's fiscal management and its policy of funding defence expenditure through borrowings rather than revenue.^[7]

House of Reps 1914–17 (FPTP)Turnout 73.53% (Non-CV)Informal 2.32%

Party		Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Labor	858,451	50.89	+2.42	42	+5
	Liberal	796,397	47.21	−1.73	32	-6
	Independents	31,915	1.89	−0.70	1	+1
	Total	1,686,763			75
	Labor	Win			42	+5
	Liberal				32	−6

Notes

• Independents:George Wise (Gippsland, Vic)
• Thirteen members were elected unopposed – seven Labor and six Liberal.

Senate 1914–17 (FPTPBV)Turnout 72.64% (Non-CV)Informal N/A

Party		Votes	%	Swing	Seats won	Seats held	Change
	Labor	6,119,018	52.15	+3.43	31	31	+2
	Liberal	5,605,305	47.77	−1.61	5	5	−2
	Independents	9,799	0.08	–0.78	0	0	0
	Total	11,734,122			36	36

• Candidates of the 1914 Australian federal election
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1914–1917
• Members of the Australian Senate, 1914–1917

• Day, David (2008).Andrew Fisher: Prime Minister of Australia. HarperCollins.ISBN 9780732276102.
• Irving, Helen (2014)."Pulling the Trigger: The 1914 Double Dissolution Election and Its Legacy"(PDF).Papers on Parliament. Australian Parliamentary Library.

• Federal elections in Australia
• 1914 elections in Australia
• September 1914 in Australia

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