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{{Short description|Australian federal election}}{{Use Australian English|date=April 2024}}{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}

factoids

{{small>3.90%}}Turnout in contested seats}}({{decrease}}1.31 pp)The Division of 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.}} seats of the Australian House of Representatives>House of Representatives 38 seats were needed for a majority in the House 19 (of the 36) seats of the Senate| election_date = 21 September 1940Image:Robert Menzies in 1939.jpg>200x200px| leader1 = Robert Menzies1939 United Australia Party leadership election>26 April 1939| party1 = UAP/Country coalitionDivision of Kooyong>Kooyong (Vic.)| last_election1 = 44 seats| seats1 = 36| seat_change1 = {{decrease}}8| popular_vote1 =| percentage1 = 43.93%| swing1 = {{decrease}} 4.65| 1data1 = 49.70%| 2data1 = {{decrease}} 0.90Image:JohnCurtin.jpg>200x200px| leader2 = John Curtin1935 Australian Labor Party leadership election>1 October 1935| party2 = Australian Labor PartyDivision of Fremantle>Fremantle (WA)| last_election2 = 29 seats| seats2 = 32| seat_change2 = {{increase}}3| popular_vote2 =| percentage2 = 40.16%| swing2 = {{decrease}} 3.01| 1data2 = 50.30%| 2data2 = {{increase}} 0.90Two-party-preferred>TPP| 2blank = TPP swingPrime Minister of Australia>Prime Minister| before_election = Robert Menzies| before_party = UAP/Country coalition| posttitle = Subsequent Prime Minister| after_election = Robert Menzies| after_party = UAP/Country coalition| map_image = 1940_Australian_federal_election.svg| map_size =| map_caption = Results by division for the House of Representatives, shaded by winning party’s margin of victory.}}The 1940 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 21 September 1940. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Coalition, consisting of the United Australia Party led by Prime Minister Robert Menzies and the Country Party led by Archie Cameron, defeated the opposition Labor Party under John Curtin despite losing the overall popular vote.The Coalition won 36 seats, two short of a majority, but formed a government on 28 October 1940 with the support of both independent crossbenchers, Alexander Wilson and Arthur Coles. The four MPs elected to Lang Labor’s successor, the Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist), officially re-joined the ALP just months after the election in February 1941, bringing the ALP to 36 seats. The UAP–Country minority government lasted only until October 1941, when the two independents crossed the floor and allowed the ALP to form a minority government with Curtin as prime minister. It remains the only time since the 1910 introduction of the two-party system where the government has changed as the result of a parliamentary confidence vote.Future opposition leaders H.V. Evatt and Arthur Calwell both entered parliament at this election.

Background

The 15th parliament elected in the 1937 election first sat on 30 November 1937.WEB,trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2445259, Parliament, 16 November 1937, The Canberra Times, Trove, 15 October 2020, Under the constitution, the parliament would expire in November 1940 and a general election would have to held by January 1941.WEB,trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/78530254, War Time Elections, 19 August 1940, The Daily News, Trove, 15 October 2020, WEB,trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/78532273, Election during the war, 9 July 1940, The Daily News, Trove, 15 October 2020, Throughout 1940, there were debates on whether the general election should be held or postponed in the midst of a world war.WEB,trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/68369099, Federal Election Question, 10 July 1940, The Advocate, Trove, 15 October 2020, Throughout July and August 1940, Prime Minister Robert Menzies contemplated the prospect of an early election.WEB,trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/74457507, A forced election, 12 August 1940, The Advertiser, Adelaide, Trove, 15 October 2020, The loss of three Cabinet ministers in the 1940 Canberra air disaster on 13 August also meant that three by-elections would have been required, followed within a few short months by a general election.Both the Coalition and Labor supported Australia’s ongoing participation in World War II. The Coalition’s advertisements asked Australians to “Cast Your Vote for Unity and an All-in War Effort / Back the Government that’s Backing Churchill”, with a large picture of the British Prime Minister. Labor promised “A New Deal / for the Soldier / for the Soldier’s wife / Widows, the Aged and Infirm / the Taxpayer / the Working Man / the Primary Producer”.BOOK, Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 4 – Civil – Volume 1, The Government and the People, 1939–1941, Australian War Memorial, Hasluck, Paul, 1965, Canberra,www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/volume.asp?levelID=67916, 256–263,

Results

House of Representatives

(File:Australian Federal Election, 1940.svg|thumb|Australian Federal Election, 1940){| class=“wikitable”Instant-runoff voting>IRV) — 1940–43—Turnout 94.82% (CV) — Informal 2.56%(File:1940 Australian House.svg|alt=|center|300x300px)! colspan=3 style="width:180px” | Party! style="width:70px“| Votes! style="width:40px“| %! style="width:40px“| Swing! style="width:40px“| Seats! style="width:40px“| Change   UAP–Country coalition 1,703,185 43.93 –4.65 36 –8UAP}}|  United Australia Party>United Australia{{Pad|100px}} 1,171,788 30.22 –3.49 23 –5Country}}|  National Party of Australia>Country{{Pad|100px}} 531,397 13.71 –1.84 13 –3Labor}}|   Labor 1,556,941 40.16 −3.01 32 +3Labor (Non-Communist)}}|   Labor (Non-Communist) 202,721 5.23 +5.23 4 +4State Labor}}|   State Labor 101,191 2.61 +2.61 0 0Defence Movement}}|   Defence Movement 15,313 0.40 +0.40 0 0Protestant Labor}}|   Protestant Labor 8,300 0.21 +0.21 0 0Independent}}|   Independents 289,335 7.46 +1.90 3{{efnDivision of Northern Territory>Northern Territory}} 0|  Total 3,876,986     75! colspan=8 align=center| Two-party-preferred {{Nobold|(estimated)}}UAP}}|   UAP–Country coalition 49.70 −0.90 36 −8Labor}}|   Labor 50.30 +0.90 32 +3

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;Notes

• Independents: Arthur Coles (Henty, Vic) (see below), Alexander Wilson (Wimmera, Vic)
• The Country Party in Victoria was split over membership of the Coalition, with the state party opposing its members taking office. The official United Country Party elected two members, one of whom, George Rankin, sat in the federal Country Party room and the other, Alexander Wilson, sat as an Independent. A breakaway faction, the Liberal Country Party, was formed to support sitting ministers and elected two members, John McEwen and Thomas Paterson, who both sat in the federal Country Party room.

{{bar box| title=Popular vote| titlebar=#ddd| width=600px| barwidth=410px| bars={{bar percent|Labor|{{party color|Australian Labor Party}}|40.16}}{{bar percent|United Australia|#00008B|30.22}}{{bar percent|Country|{{party color|National Party of Australia}}|13.71}}{{bar percent|Lang Labor|#E2725B|5.23}}{{bar percent|State Labor|#800000|2.61}}{{bar percent|Independent/Other|{{party color|Independent (politician)}}|8.07}}}}{{bar box| title=Two-party-preferred vote| titlebar=#ddd| width=600px| barwidth=410px| bars={{bar percent|Labor|{{party color|Australian Labor Party}}|50.30}}{{bar percent|Coalition|#00008B|49.70}}}}{{bar box| title=Parliament seats| titlebar=#ddd| width=600px| barwidth=410px| bars={{bar percent|Coalition|#00008B|48.64}}{{bar percent|Labor|{{party color|Australian Labor Party}}|43.24}}{{bar percent|Lang Labor|#E2725B|5.41}}{{bar percent|Independent|{{party color|Independent (politician)}}|2.70}}}}

Senate{| class“wikitable”Ranked voting systems>P BV) — 1940–43—Turnout 94.75% (CV) — Informal 9.56%(File:1940 Australian Senate.svg|alt|center|300x300px)

! colspan=3 style="width:180px” | Party! style="width:70px“| Votes! style="width:40px“| %! style="width:40px“| Swing! style="width:40px“| Seats won! style="width:40px“| Seats held! style="width:40px“| Change   UAP–Country coalition 1,831,138 50.41 +3.70 16 19 –1|  | UAP–Country joint ticket 1,649,241 45.40 +16.72 10 N/A N/AUAP}} |  United Australia Party>United Australia{{Pad|100px}} 181,897 5.01 –11.12 6 15 –1Country}} |  National Party of Australia>Country N/A N/A N/A 0 4 0Labor}} |   Labor 1,363,072 37.52 –10.96 3 17 +1Labor (Non-Communist)}} |   Non-Communist Labor 274,861 7.57 +7.57 0 0 0State Labor}} |   State Labor 70,091 1.93 +1.93 0 0 0Defence Movement}} |   Defence Movement 9,536 0.26 +0.26 0 0 0Independent}} |   Independents 84,119 2.32 –1.07 0 0 0|   Total 3,632,817     19 36

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;Notes

• Of the ten senators elected on UAP–Country joint tickets, seven were UAP members and three were Country Party members.

Seats changing hands{|class“wikitable”

! rowspan=“2“| Seat! colspan=“4“| Pre-1940! rowspan=“2“| Swing! colspan=“4“| Post-1940! colspan=“2“| Party! Member! Margin! Margin! Member! colspan=“2“| PartyDivision of Barton>Barton, NSWUAP}}| | United AustraliaAlbert Lane (politician)>Albert Lane 1.8 13.9 12.1| H. V. Evatt| LaborLabor}}| Division of Calare>Calare, NSWNationals}}| | Country| Harold Thorby 2.2 5.6 3.4John Breen (Australian politician)>John Breen| LaborLabor}}| Division of Cook (1906-55)>Cook, NSWLabor}}| | LaborTom Sheehan (politician)>Tom Sheehan N/A 33.9 13.6Tom Sheehan (politician)>Tom Sheehan| Labor (N-C)Lang Labor}}| Division of Dalley>Dalley, NSWLabor}}| | Labor| Sol Rosevear N/A 14.9 7.2| Sol Rosevear| Labor (N-C)Lang Labor}}| Division of Denison>Denison, TasLabor}}| | Labor| Gerald Mahoney 3.9 5.0 1.1| Arthur Beck| United AustraliaUAP}}| Division of Henty>Henty, VicUAP}}| | United Australia| Henry Gullett N/A 3.2 13.5| Arthur Coles| IndependentIndependent}}| Division of Lang>Lang, NSWLabor}}| | Labor| Dan Mulcahy N/A 13.4 16.0| Dan Mulcahy| Labor (N-C)Lang Labor}}| Division of Macquarie>Macquarie, NSWUAP}}| | United AustraliaJohn Lawson (Australian politician)>John Lawson 2.1 10.2 8.1| Ben Chifley| LaborLabor}}| Division of Maranoa>Maranoa, QldNationals}}| | CountryJames Hunter (politician)>James Hunter 4.3 5.9 1.6Francis Patrick Baker>Frank Baker| LaborLabor}}| Division of Riverina>Riverina, NSWNationals}}| | Country| Horace Nock 7.2 8.8 1.6| Joe Langtry| LaborLabor}}| Division of Wakefield>Wakefield, SALabor}}| | Labor| Sydney McHugh 6.7 10.0 3.4| Jack Duncan-Hughes| United AustraliaUAP}}| Division of Wannon>Wannon, VicUAP}}| | United Australia| Thomas Scholfield 1.3 5.0 3.7Don McLeod (politician)>Don McLeod| LaborLabor}}| Division of Warringah>Warringah, NSWIndependent}}| | Independent| Percy Spender 1.9 23.6 25.5| Percy Spender| United AustraliaUAP}}| Division of Watson>Watson, NSWUAP}}| | United AustraliaJohn Jennings (Australian politician)>John Jennings 3.8 5.8 2.0| Max Falstein| LaborLabor}}| Division of West Sydney>West Sydney, NSWLabor}}| | Labor| Jack Beasley 100.0 64.3 14.3| Jack Beasley| Labor (N-C)Lang Labor}}| Division of Wilmot>Wilmot, TasLabor}}| | Labor| Lancelot Spurr 0.2 5.2 5.0| Allan Guy| United AustraliaUAP}}| 

• Members listed in italics did not contest their seat at this election.

See also

• Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1940
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1940–1943
• Members of the Australian Senate, 1941–1944

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

• University of WA {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118085343elections.uwa.edu.au/ |date=18 January 2015 }} election results in Australia since 1890
• Two-party-preferred vote since 1937

{{Australian elections}}