1954 Australian federal election

← 1951 29 May 1954 1955 →
← outgoing members elected members →
All 123[b] seats of theHouse of Representatives 61 seats were needed for a majority
Registered	5,096,468 2.70%
Turnout	4,619,571 (96.09%)[a] (0.09pp)
First party Second party   Leader Robert Menzies H. V. Evatt Party Liberal–Country 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

The1954 Australian federal election were held in Australia on 29 May 1954. All 121 seats in theHouse of Representatives were up for election, but noSenate election took place. The incumbentLiberal–Country coalition led by Prime MinisterRobert Menzies defeated the oppositionLabor Party led byH. 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.^[1]

This was the first federal election that future Prime MinisterGough Whitlam contested as a member of parliament, having entered parliament at the1952 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 in1914.

This was the first federal election to be held under the reign ofElizabeth II asQueen of Australia just two years after she succeeded herfather.

The election was complicated by thePetrov Affair, in whichVladimir 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.^{[citation needed]}

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[c]	+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.
• See1953 Australian Senate election for Senate composition.

The third session of the 20th Parliament of theCommonwealth of Australia was officially opened by Her Majesty QueenElizabeth II,Queen of Australia. This was the first time a reigningmonarch had opened a session of parliament in Australia. The Queen wore her Coronation Dress to open the 20th session of parliament. The success of the1954 Royal Tour of Australia (the first by a reigning sovereign), the recovery of the economy from a brief recession in 1951-52 and thePetrov Affair were all credited with assisting in the return of the government.

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

• University of WAArchived 18 January 2015 at theWayback Machine election results in Australia since 1890
• AEC 2PP vote

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

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use Australian English from April 2024
• All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English
• Use dmy dates from April 2023
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from November 2017
• Pages using bar box without float left or float right
• Webarchive template wayback links