1983 Australian federal election

Australian federal election, 1983

March 5, 1983 (1983-03-05)
All 125 seats in the Australian House of Representatives and all 64 seats in the Australian Senate
First party Second party   Leader Bob Hawke Malcolm Fraser Party Labor Liberal/National coalition Leader since February 3, 1983 (1983-02-03) March 21, 1975 (1975-03-21) Leader's seat Wills Wannon Last election 51 seats 74 seats Seats won 75 50 Seat change +24 -24 Percentage 53.23% 46.77% Swing +3.6% -3.6%
Prime Minister before election Malcolm Fraser Liberal/National coalition Elected Prime Minister Bob Hawke Labor

Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 March 1983. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election, in a double dissolution. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia government in power since 1975 led by Malcolm Fraser with coalition partner the National Party of Australia led by Doug Anthony was defeated by the opposition Australian Labor Party led by Bob Hawke.

Results

House of Reps (IRV) — 1983-84 — Turnout 94.64% (CV) — Informal 2.09%

	Party	Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Australian Labor Party	4,297,392	49.48	+4.34	75	+24
	Liberal Party of Australia	2,983,986	34.36	-3.07	33	-21
	National Party of Australia	799,609	9.21	+0.24	17	-3
	Australian Democrats	437,265	5.03	-1.54	0	0
	Other	166,611	1.92	+0.04	0	0
	Total	8,684,863			125
	Australian Labor Party	WIN	53.23	+3.6	75	+24
	Liberal/National coalition		46.77	-3.6	50	-24

Senate (STV) — 1983-84 — Turnout 94.64% (CV) — Informal 9.87%

	Party	Votes	%	Swing	Seats Won	Seats Held
	Australian Labor Party	3,637,316	45.49	+3.24	30	30
	Liberal/National (Joint Ticket)	1,861,618	23.28	-2.35	8
	Liberal Party of Australia	923,571	11.55	-1.59	16	23
	Australian Democrats	764,911	9.57	+0.31	5	5
	National Party of Australia	388,802	4.86	+0.41	3	4
	Country Liberal Party	21,406	0.27	+0.02	1	1
	Independents	193,454	2.42	+1.29	1	1
	Other	203,967	2.55	-1.34	0	0
	Total	7,995,045			64	64

Independent: Brian Harradine

Background

At the time of the election, the economy suffered from high inflation and high unemployment, alongside increases in industrial disputation and drought across much of the rural areas. The coalition government was led by Malcolm Fraser, Prime Minister since 1975. Fraser had fought off a leadership challenge from Andrew Peacock, who had resigned from the Cabinet citing Fraser's "manic determination to get his own way", a phrase Fraser had himself used when he resigned from the Gorton ministry in 1971. A by-election in Flinders in December 1982 following the resignation of Phillip Lynch, resulted in an unexpected victory by the Liberal candidate, Peter Reith.

Bob Hawke had entered Parliament at the 1980 federal election following a decade as leader of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). Labor factions began to push for the deposition of Bill Hayden from the party leadership in favour of Hawke. On 3 February 1983 meeting in Brisbane, Hayden resigned on the advice of his closest supporters. Hawke was elected leader unopposed. Later that morning, emboldened by the December by-election but unaware of the events in Brisbane, Fraser in Canberra called an election for 5 March. In response to his removal, Hayden claimed that a "drover's dog" could lead the ALP to victory.

Fraser's campaign did not inspire the electorate and used the slogan ("We're Not Waiting For The World"). Hawke's campaign theme was based around his favoured leadership philosophy of consensus. Labor's slogan "Bringing Australia Together" promised an end to the bitterness that surrounded Fraser's election after the Whitlam government's dismissal in November 1975. The Ash Wednesday bushfires that devastated areas of Victoria and South Australia on 16 February disrupted the Prime Minister’s re-election campaign which was unofficially put on hold while he toured the affected areas. In response to an attack from Fraser on the security of the banking system to protect people's savings in which he asserted that ordinary people's money was safer under their beds than in a bank under Labor, Hawke said "you can't keep your money under the bed because that's where the Commies are!"

As counting progressed that on election night and the landslide win to the ALP became clear early, Hawke with wife Hazel claimed victory and a tearful Fraser conceded defeat. Fraser soon resigned from Parliament, leaving the Liberal leadership to one-time foe Andrew Peacock, who would later form a fierce leadership rivalry himself with future Prime Minister John Howard.

References

• University of WA election results in Australia since 1890
• AustralianPolitics.com election details
• AEC 2PP vote
• Prior to 1984 the AEC did not undertake a full distribution of preferences for statistical purposes. The stored ballot papers for the 1983 election were put through this process prior to their destruction. Therefore the figures from 1983 onwards show the actual result based on full distribution of preferences. The 1983 swing of approximately 3.6% is based on a pure deduction of one result from the other.