The 1975 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 13 December 1975. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives and all 64 seats in the Senate were up for election, due to a double dissolution.
Quick Facts All 127 seats of the House of Representatives 64 seats were needed for a majority in the House All 64 seats of the Senate, Registered ...
The Coalition of Fraser's Liberal Party of Australia and Doug Anthony's National Country Party secured government in its own right, winning the largest majority government to date in Australian history.[lower-alpha 1] The Liberals actually won a majority in their own right, with 68 seats–the first time that the main non-Labor party had done so since adopting the Liberal banner in 1944. Although Fraser had no need for the support of the National Country Party, the Coalition was retained. It was also the first time a party won over 90 seats at an Australian election. This was the last federal election the Coalition won more than 50% of the primary vote.
Labor suffered a 30-seat swing and saw its lower house caucus cut almost in half, to 36 seats—fewer than it had when Whitlam became leader in the aftermath of the Coalition landslide nearly 10 years earlier, in the 1966 election. With only 28% of the House of Representatives seats, this is the worst seat share for Labor since the current Liberal-Labor party contest from 1946.
While the Coalition under John Howard won 94 seats at the 1996 election, this only accounted for 63.51% of all seats in the House of Representatives, as there were 148 seats in 1996. The Coalition under Fraser won 91 seats, which, although smaller than 94, accounted for 71.65% of the House of Representatives, which had 127 seats in 1975. Therefore, while Howard won three more seats than Fraser in 1996, Fraser still won a larger majority.
More information Party, Votes ...
House of Reps (IRV) – 1975–77—Turnout 95.39% (CV) – Informal 1.89%
The election followed the controversial dismissal of the Whitlam government by Governor-General Sir John Kerr in the 1975 constitutional crisis. Labor campaigners hoped that the electorate would "maintain [its] rage" and punish the Coalition for its part in bringing down the government, proclaiming "Shame Fraser, Shame". However, the Coalition focused on economic issues following the 1973 oil crisis and 1973–75 recession, the so-called Loans Affair, alleged Labor mismanagement of inflation, and campaigned under the slogan "Turn on the lights, Australia" (drawing on a contemporary cynicism: "Would the last businessman leaving Australia please turn out the lights?").[1][2]
The election was a highly significant one. The Coalition won a landslide victory and gained 30 seats from Labor. The Coalition had a higher two-party-preferred vote in every state and territory, even the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). This is the first time such a feat has been achieved.[3] The ACT was the only jurisdiction where Labor had a higher primary vote than the Coalition. Furthermore, it was the first time a party won 90 or more seats in an Australian legislature, the largest majority government in Australian history and the second-highest number won at any election in Australian history. The Coalition won 91 seats in the House of Representatives, while Labor won just 36, its lowest seat count since 1940 (under John Curtin). The Coalition would then go on to win 96 seats in 1996 (under John Howard) and 90 in 2013 (under Tony Abbott). Although Howard won three more seats than Fraser, the House of Representatives had 148 seats in 1996, while it only had 127 in 1975; additionally, in 2013 there was 150 and currently there is 151. Therefore, this was still the largest majority government in Australian history.
