1922 Australian federal election

The 1922 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 16 December 1922. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Nationalist Party, led by Prime Minister Billy Hughes lost its majority. However, the opposition Labor Party led by Matthew Charlton did not take office as the Nationalists sought a coalition with the fledgling Country Party led by Earle Page. The Country Party made Hughes's resignation the price for joining, and Hughes was replaced as Nationalist leader by Stanley Bruce.

1922 Australian federal election
16 December 1922 (1922-12-16)
All 76[lower-alpha 1] seats in the House of Representatives
38 seats were needed for a majority in the House
19 (of the 36) seats in the Senate
Registered2,980,424 Increase4.58%
Turnout1,646,863 (59.36%)[lower-alpha 2]
(Decrease18.94 pp)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Matthew Charlton Billy Hughes Earle Page
Party Labor Nationalist Country
Leader since 16 May 1922 14 November 1916 5 April 1921
Leader's seat Hunter (NSW) won North Sydney (NSW)[lower-alpha 3] Cowper (NSW)
Last election 26 seats 37 seats 11 seats
Seats won 29 + NT 26 14 seats
Seat change Increase4 Decrease11 Increase 3
Popular vote 665,145 553,920 197,513
Percentage 48.80% 51.20%
Swing Increase2.90% Decrease2.90%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
LU
LIB
Leader N/A N/A James Catts
Party Liberal Union Liberal Majority Labor
Leader since N/A N/A April 1922
Leader's seat N/A N/A Cook (lost seat)
Last election Did not contest Did not exist Did not exist
Seats before 0 seats 0 seats 1 seat
Seats won 3 2 0
Seat change Increase 3 Increase 2 Decrease 1
Popular vote 37,904 32,167 10,303
Percentage 2.41% 2.04% 0.66%
Swing Increase 2.41 Increase 2.04 Increase 0.66
Results by division for the House of Representatives, shaded by winning party's margin of victory.
Prime Minister before election

Billy Hughes
Nationalist

 Subsequent Prime Minister

Stanley Bruce
Nationalist/Country coalition

Future Prime Minister Frank Forde and future opposition leader John Latham both entered parliament at this election.

At this election, Hughes as the sitting prime minister made his second seat transfer, in this case, from Bendigo to North Sydney. Hughes had held Bendigo since transferring there from West Sydney at the 1917 election also as the sitting prime minister.

Hughes remains the only sitting Prime Minister to transfer to another seat, not once but twice.

Aside from the 1917 and 1922 elections, all other elections have seen the sitting prime minister recontest the seat that they held prior to the election.

Results

House of Representatives
  Labor: 29 seats
  Nationalist: 26 seats
  Country: 14 seats
  Independent: 1 seat
  Liberal: 5 seats
House of Reps (IRV) – 1922–25—Turnout 59.36% (Non-CV) – Informal 4.51%
Party Votes  % Swing Seats Change
  Labor 665,145 42.30 −0.19 30[lower-alpha 4] Increase 4
  Nationalist 553,920 35.23 −9.85 26 Decrease 11
  Country 197,513 12.56 +3.30 14 Increase 3
  Liberal Union 37,904 2.41 +2.41 3 Increase 3
  Liberal 32,167 2.04 +2.04 2 Increase 2
  Constitutionalist 11,812 0.75 +0.75 0 Steady
  Majority Labor 10,303 0.66 +0.66 0 Steady
  Industrial Labor 4,331 0.28 +0.09 0 Steady
  Protestant Labor 3,631 0.23 +0.23 0 Steady
  NT Representation League 362 0.02 +0.02 0 Steady
  Independents 51,538 3.28 +1.86 1 Steady
  Total 1,572,514     76 Increase 1
Two-party-preferred (estimated)
  Nationalist Win 51.20 −2.90 40 +3
  Labor 48.80 +2.90 29 0
Notes
  • Independents: William Watson (Fremantle, WA)
  • Five members were elected unopposed – one Labor, two Nationalist, one Country, and one Liberal.
Popular vote
Labor
 
 42.30%
Nationalist
 
 35.23%
Country
 
 12.56%
Liberal
 
 4.70%
Independent/Others
 
 5.22%
Two-party-preferred vote
Coalition
 
 51.20%
Labor
 
 48.80%
Parliament seats
Coalition
 
 53.33%
Labor
 
 38.67%
Liberal
 
 6.67%
Independent
 
 1.33%

Senate
Senate (P BV) – 1922–1925—Turnout 57.99% (Non-CV) – Informal 9.44%
Party Votes  % Swing Seats won Seats held Change
  Labor 715,219 45.70 +2.86 11 12 +11
  Nationalist 567,084 36.23 −10.16 8 24 −11
  Country 203,267 12.99 +4.20 0 0 0
  Liberal Union 43,706 2.79 +2.79 0 0 0
  Socialist Labor 8,551 0.55 +0.55 0 0 0
  Majority Labor 3,813 0.24 +0.24 0 0 0
  Independents 23,447 1.50 +0.08 0 0 0
  Total 1,565,087     19 36

Seats changing hands
Seat Pre-1922 Swing Post-1922
Party Member Margin Margin Member Party
Adelaide, SA   Nationalist Reginald Blundell 0.8 8.0 3.6 George Edwin Yates Labor  
Balaclava, Vic   Nationalist William Watt N/A 100.0 100.0 William Watt Liberal  
Barker, SA   Nationalist John Livingston N/A N/A 2.3 Malcolm Cameron Liberal Union  
Barton, NSW   Nationalist notional – new seat N/A 13.8 7.6 Frederick McDonald Labor  
Boothby, SA   Nationalist William Story N/A N/A 4.7 Jack Duncan-Hughes Liberal Union  
Calare, NSW   Labor Thomas Lavelle 2.3 8.5 5.3 Neville Howse Nationalist  
Darwin, Tas   Nationalist George Bell 4.0 N/A 0.4 Joshua Whitsitt Country  
Denison, Tas   Nationalist William Laird Smith 3.9 4.3 0.4 David O'Keefe Labor  
Fremantle, WA   Nationalist Reginald Burchell N/A 56.9 6.9 William Watson Independent  
Gippsland, Vic   Nationalist George Wise 5.2 18.1 12.9 Thomas Paterson Country  
Grey, SA   Nationalist Alexander Poynton 1.8 5.5 3.7 Andrew Lacey Labor  
Henty, Vic   Independent Frederick Francis 2.9 8.7 5.8 Frederick Francis Nationalist  
Kalgoorlie, WA   Nationalist George Foley 1.4 7.1 7.4 Albert Green Labor  
Kooyong, Vic   Nationalist Robert Best 14.3 14.9 0.6 John Latham Liberal  
Macquarie, NSW   Labor Samuel Nicholls 3.2 0.6 0.2 Arthur Manning Nationalist  
New England, NSW   Nationalist Alexander Hay* 7.3 N/A 8.5 Victor Thompson Country  
Northern Territory, NT new division 0.4 H. G. Nelson Labor  
Richmond, NSW   Nationalist Walter Massy-Greene 22.5 24.0 3.3 Roland Green Country  
Riverina, NSW   Nationalist John Chanter N/A 54.3 4.3 William Killen Country  
Wakefield, SA   Nationalist Richard Foster N/A N/A 5.3 Richard Foster Liberal Union  
Wannon, Vic   Nationalist Arthur Rodgers 4.1 4.9 0.8 John McNeill Labor  
Wilmot, Tas   Nationalist Llewellyn Atkinson 10.2 N/A 11.2 Llewellyn Atkinson Country  
  • Members listed in italics did not contest their seat at this election.
  • *Alexander Hay contested his seat as an independent

Post-election pendulum
Government seats
Nationalist/Country coalition
Marginal
Macquarie (NSW) Neville Howse NAT 00.2
Darwin (Tas) Joshua Whitsitt CP 00.4 v NAT
Corio (Vic) John Lister NAT 00.8
Bendigo (Vic) Geoffry Hurry NAT 01.7
Herbert (Qld) Fred Bamford NAT 01.7
Brisbane (Qld) Donald Cameron NAT 02.0
Richmond (NSW) Roland Green CP 03.3
Oxley (Qld) James Bayley NAT 03.3
Bass (Tas) Syd Jackson NAT 03.6
Corangamite (Vic) William Gibson CP 03.9
Riverina (NSW) William Killen CP 04.3
Lang (NSW) Elliot Johnson NAT 04.4
Maranoa (Qld) James Hunter CP 04.4
Calare (NSW) Neville Howse NAT 05.3
Flinders (Vic) Stanley Bruce NAT 05.6 v LIB
Henty (Vic) Frederick Francis NAT 05.8 v NAT
Fairly safe
Franklin (Tas) Alfred Seabrook NAT 06.3
Fawkner (Vic) George Maxwell NAT 08.0
North Sydney (NSW) Billy Hughes NAT 08.2 v Const.
New England (NSW) Victor Thompson CP 08.5
Darling Downs (Qld) Littleton Groom NAT 08.6
Perth (WA) Edward Mann NAT 08.9
Moreton (Qld) Josiah Francis NAT 09.5
Safe
Wide Bay (Qld) Edward Corser NAT 10.5
Eden-Monaro (NSW) Austin Chapman NAT 11.1
Wilmot (Tas) Llewellyn Atkinson CP 11.2
Robertson (NSW) Sydney Gardner NAT 11.8
Parkes (NSW) Charles Marr NAT 11.8
Wentworth (NSW) Walter Marks NAT 11.9
Gippsland (Vic) Thomas Paterson CP 12.9 v NAT
Indi (Vic) Robert Cook CP 13.2
Lilley (Qld) George Mackay NAT 15.2 v IND
Parramatta (NSW) Eric Bowden NAT 15.4
Cowper (NSW) Earle Page CP 17.3 v NAT
Very safe
Echuca (Vic) William Hill CP 20.3 v NAT
Wimmera (Vic) Percy Stewart CP 21.2 v IND
Forrest (WA) John Prowse CP 29.5 v NAT
Martin (NSW) Herbert Pratten NAT unopposed
Swan (WA) Henry Gregory CP unopposed
Warringah (NSW) Granville Ryrie NAT unopposed
Non-government seats
Australian Labor Party and Liberal Party
Marginal
Gwydir (NSW) Lou Cunningham ALP 00.1 v CP
Northern Territory (NT) H. G. Nelson ALP 00.4 v IND
Denison (Tas) David O'Keefe ALP 00.4
Kooyong (Vic) John Latham LIB 00.6 v NAT
Wannon (Vic) John McNeill ALP 00.8
Ballaarat (Vic) Charles McGrath ALP 01.7
Barker (SA) Malcolm Cameron LIB 02.3 v ALP
Capricornia (Qld) Frank Forde ALP 02.5
Batman (Vic) Frank Brennan ALP 03.3
Adelaide (SA) George Edwin Yates ALP 03.6 v LIB
Grey (SA) Andrew Lacey ALP 03.7
Werriwa (NSW) Bert Lazzarini ALP 03.9
Boothby (SA) Jack Duncan-Hughes LIB 04.7 v ALP
Hume (NSW) Parker Moloney ALP 04.9
Wakefield (SA) Richard Foster LIB 05.3 v ALP
Fairly safe
Kalgoorlie (WA) Albert Green ALP 07.4
Barton (NSW) Frederick McDonald ALP 07.6
Angas (SA) Moses Gabb ALP 08.0 v LIB
Reid (NSW) Percy Coleman ALP 08.6
East Sydney (NSW) John West ALP 09.1
Safe
Kennedy (Qld) Charles McDonald ALP 11.6
South Sydney (NSW) Edward Riley ALP 11.7
Maribyrnong (Vic) James Fenton ALP 13.2
Darling (NSW) Arthur Blakeley ALP 15.1
Hindmarsh (SA) Norman Makin ALP 18.6
Newcastle (NSW) David Watkins ALP 19.4
Very safe
Bourke (Vic) Frank Anstey ALP 20.1
Dalley (NSW) William Mahony ALP 20.9
Melbourne Ports (Vic) James Mathews ALP 23.1
Cook (NSW) Edward Charles Riley ALP 24.9
West Sydney (NSW) William Lambert ALP 25.4 v IND
Melbourne (Vic) William Maloney ALP 27.2
Yarra (Vic) James Scullin ALP 28.0
Balaclava (Vic) William Watt LIB unopposed
Hunter (NSW) Matthew Charlton ALP unopposed
Independents
Fremantle (WA) William Watson IND 06.9 v ALP

See also
  • Candidates of the 1922 Australian federal election
  • Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1922–1925
  • Members of the Australian Senate, 1923–1926

Notes
  1. The Northern Territory had one seat, but members for the territories did not have full voting rights until 1966 and did not count toward government formation.
  2. Turnout in contested seats
  3. Hughes' seat prior to the election was Bendigo (Vic.). He ran for the New South Wales seat of North Sydney and won.
  4. Including Northern Territory

References
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