23 October 1937 1940 → 42 seats 18 seats 1 11 | 7 May 1931 1 October 1935 43 seats 29 seats 50.60% 49.40% | |
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Federal elections were held in Australia on 23 October 1937. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent United Australia Party led by Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons with coalition partner the Country Party led by Earle Page defeated the opposition Australian Labor Party led by John Curtin.
Contents
The election is notable in that the Country Party (later the National Party) achieved its highest-ever primary vote in the lower house, thereby winning nearly a quarter of all lower house seats. At the 1934 election nine seats in New South Wales had been won by Lang Labor. Following the reunion of the two Labor parties in February 1936, these were held by their members as ALP seats at the 1937 election. With the party's win in Ballaarat and Gwydir (initially at a by-election on 8 March 1937), the ALP had a net gain of 11 seats compared with the previous election.
Results
Independent: Alexander Wilson (Wimmera, Vic)
The member for Northern Territory, Adair Blain (Independent), had voting rights only for issues relating to the Territory, and so is not included in the table.