1903 Australian federal election

16 December 1903 (1903-12-16)
All 75 seats in the House of Representatives 38 seats were needed for a majority in the House 19 (of the 36) seats in the Senate
Registered	1,893,586 93.62%
Turnout	739,402 (39.05%)[lower-alpha 1] (12.34 pp)
First party Second party   Leader Alfred Deakin George Reid Party Protectionist Free Trade Leader since 24 September 1903 (1903-09-24) 11 May 1901 Leader's seat Ballaarat (Vic.) East Sydney (NSW) Last election 32 seats 25 seats Seats won 26 seats 24 seats Seat change 6 1 Popular vote 210,738 228,721 Percentage 29.23% 31.73 Swing 1.71% 1.48%   Third party Fourth party   Leader Chris Watson William McWilliams Party Labor Revenue Tariff Leader since 20 May 1901 1903 Leader's seat Bland (NSW) Franklin (Tas.) Last election 16 seats New party Seats won 22 seats 1 seat Seat change 6 1 Popular vote 214,713 3,546 Percentage 29.78% 0.49% Swing 11.53% 0.49%
Results by division for the House of Representatives, shaded by winning party's margin of victory.
Prime Minister before election Alfred Deakin Protectionist Subsequent Prime Minister Alfred Deakin Protectionist

The 1903 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 16 December 1903. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Protectionist Party minority government led by Prime Minister Alfred Deakin retained the most House of Representatives seats of the three parties and retained government with the parliamentary support of the Labour Party led by Chris Watson. The Free Trade Party led by George Reid remained in opposition.

The election outcome saw a finely balanced House of Representatives, with the three parties each holding around a third of seats − the Protectionists on 26, the Free Traders on 24 and Labour on 22. This term of parliament saw no changes in any party leadership but did see very significant and prolonged debates on contentious issues − the Protectionist minority government fell in April 1904 to Labour, while the Labour minority government fell in August 1904 to the Free Traders, while the Free Trader minority government fell in July 1905 back to the Protectionists, which continued until the 1906 election and beyond. The Free Traders remained in opposition throughout this eventful period with the exception of Labour forming the opposition for the first time during the period of the Free Trader minority government. Additionally, the Watson government was the world's first Labour Party government at a national level.

Despite a break in prime ministerships in 1904-1905 and 1908–1909, this is the first of three consecutive elections in which Deakin was the sitting prime minister.

Issues

The wreck of SS Petriana outside Port Phillip Bay in late November prompted the government's handling of the White Australia policy to become a campaign issue. Shipwrecked Asian sailors were denied entry to Australia and forced to stay on a crowded tugboat for several days, leading The Argus, Daily Telegraph and The Sydney Morning Herald to accuse the government of cruelty and harming Australia's international reputation. The Age and The Bulletin sided with the government. The issue was "constantly raised" at election meetings, particularly in Victoria and Tasmania.^[1]

Results

  Protectionist : 24 seats

  Labour: 22 seats

  Free Trade: 24 seats

  Independent: 2 seats

  Liberal : 2 seats

  Revenue Tariff Party: 1 seat

House of Representatives

Further information: Results of the Australian federal election, 1903 (House of Representatives)

1903 Australian federal election: House of Representatives (Non-CV)^[2]

Party		Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Free Trade	228,721	31.73	−1.48	24	1
	Labour	214,713	29.78	+11.53	22	6
	Protectionist	166,176	23.05	−4.47	24	8
	Liberal	44,562	6.18	+6.18	2	2
	Revenue Tariff	3,546	0.49	+0.49	1	1
	Independents/Other[lower-alpha 2]	63,218	8.77	−12.24	2
Formal votes		720,936	97.50
Informal votes		18,466	2.50
Total				75[lower-alpha 3]
Registered voters / turnout		1,893,586	39.05	−12.34

Popular vote Free Trade   31.73% Labour   29.78% Protectionist   23.05% Liberal   6.18% Revenue Tariff   0.49% Independent   8.77%

Parliament seats Protectionist   34.67% Free Trade   32.00% Labour   29.33% Revenue Tariff   1.33% Others   2.67%

Senate

1903 Australian federal election: Senate (FPTP BV)

Party		Votes	%	±	Seats
					Seats won	Seats held	Seat change
	Free Trade	986,030	34.33	−5.11	4	12	5
	Labour	784,859	27.33	+13.83	3	8	5
	Protectionist	503,586	17.53	−27.33	3	8	3
	Liberal	136,727	4.76	+4.76	0	0
	Socialist Labor	69,769	2.43	+1.41	0	0
	Revenue Tariff	25,310	0.88	+0.88	1	1	1
	Independent	365,851	12.74	−8.60	1	1	1
Formal votes		2,872,132
Total
Registered voters / turnout		1,893,586	46.86

Significance

The election saw the Labour party make significant gains outside New South Wales and Victoria.

As a result of Labour's gains, the numbers of the three parties in Parliament were very close to equal, leading to unstable governments: Alfred Deakin would describe it as a parliament of "three elevens" (three cricket teams). Although the Protectionists were able to retain their minority government with the qualified support of the Labour Party, the equal numbers would see a record three changes of government over the course of the Parliamentary term, with each of the three parties holding office at least once during the term of the Parliament.

The three parties that contested the 1901 election also contested the 1903 election, with only the Protectionists changing leaders: Alfred Deakin was chosen as a result of Edmund Barton's appointment as an inaugural judge of the newly constituted High Court of Australia. The Free Trade Party was again led by George Reid, with the only significant difference in policy between the parties on trade issues: the Protectionists sought to protect Australian industry and agriculture by placing tariffs on imports.

The Free Traders downgraded the view they had last election of having no tariffs to campaigning on minimal tariffs, while the other major party contesting the election was the Labour Party.

This election also saw a minor party, the Tasmanian Revenue Tariff Party, gain an MHR and one Senator. Prior to the 1901 election, the Free Trade Party had been known as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states. However, in 1903 a separate Revenue Tariff Party competed against the FTP in Tasmania. Nevertheless, both of the Revenue Tariff Party members elected joined the Free Trade Party, when the new parliament began sitting.

Like the 1901 election, voting was voluntary and candidates were elected by the first-past-the-post system. The Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 gave women the vote and the right to stand for federal Parliament, leading to a significant increase in the number of votes cast in the 1903 federal election. Four women stood at the 1903 election – Selina Anderson (Dalley) in the House of Representatives and Vida Goldstein (Victoria), Nellie Martel (New South Wales), and Mary Moore-Bentley (New South Wales) in the Senate.^[4] All four stood as independents and all were unsuccessful.

Electorates

Candidates were contesting all 75 House of Representatives and 19 of the 36 Senate seats, a number unchanged from the 1901 election. The House of Representative seats were determined by the population of each state, giving 26 seats to New South Wales, 23 to Victoria, nine to Queensland, seven to South Australia and five to both Western Australia and Tasmania. In 1901, the South Australian and Tasmanian colonial parliaments had not legislated for single member electorates, so their House of Representative members were elected from a single statewide electorate. This had since changed and there were now single member electorates in both states. The newly created seats were Adelaide, Angas, Barker, Boothby, Grey, Hindmarsh and Wakefield (South Australia) and Bass, Darwin, Denison, Franklin and Wilmot (Tasmania).

Each state elected six Senators regardless of population. The Senate was elected by bloc voting rather than the current single transferable vote system. Half the Senators retired as their terms expired, and there was one casual vacancy.

See also

• Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1903
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1903–1906
• Members of the Australian Senate, 1904–1906
• First Deakin Government

Notes

References