‹ 1990  1996 › |
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| Australian federal election, 1993 All 147 seats in the Australian House of Representatives and 40 (of the 76) seats in the Australian Senate |
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| 13 March 1993 | ||||
| First Party | Second Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Leader | Paul Keating | John Hewson | ||
| Party | Labor | Liberal/National coalition | ||
| Leader since | 20 December 1991 | 3 April 1990 | ||
| Leader's seat | Blaxland | Wentworth | ||
| Last election | 78 seats | 69 seats | ||
| Seats won | 80 | 65 | ||
| Seat change | +2 | -4 | ||
| Popular vote | 5,436,421 | 5,133,033 | ||
| Percentage | 51.44% | 48.56% | ||
| Swing | +1.54% | -1.54% | ||
Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 March 1993. All 147 seats in the House of Representatives, and 40 seats in the 76-member Senate, were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister of Australia Paul Keating defeated the opposition Liberal Party of Australia led by John Hewson with coalition partner the National Party of Australia led by Tim Fischer.
| Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | |
| Australian Labor Party | 4,751,390 | 44.92 | +5.49 | 80 | +2 | |
| Liberal Party of Australia | 3,923,786 | 37.10 | +2.06 | 49 | -6 | |
| National Party of Australia | 758,036 | 7.17 | -1.25 | 16 | +2 | |
| Australian Democrats | 397,060 | 3.75 | -7.51 | 0 | 0 | |
| Australian Greens | 196,702 | 1.86 | * | 0 | 0 | |
| Independents | 328,084 | 3.10 | +0.56 | 2 | +1 | |
| Other | 221,721 | 2.10 | -1.21 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 10,576,779 | 147 | -1 | |||
| Australian Labor Party | WIN | 51.44 | +1.54 | 80 | +2 | |
| Liberal/National coalition | 48.56 | -1.54 | 65 | -4 |
Independents: Ted Mack, Phil Cleary
| Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats Won | Seats Held | |
| Australian Labor Party | 4,643,871 | 43.50 | +5.10 | 17 | 30 | |
| Liberal/National (Joint Ticket) | 2,605,157 | 24.40 | -0.06 | 6 | ||
| Liberal Party of Australia | 1,664,204 | 15.59 | +1.03 | 11 | 29 | |
| Australian Democrats | 566,944 | 5.31 | -7.32 | 2 | 7 | |
| National Party of Australia | 290,382 | 2.72 | +0.12 | 1 | 6 | |
| Australian Greens | 263,106 | 2.46 | +0.43 | 0 | 0 | |
| WA Greens | 53,757 | 0.50 | -0.27 | 1 | 2 | |
| Country Liberal Party | 35,405 | 0.33 | +0.04 | 1 | 1 | |
| Harradine Group | 32,202 | 0.30 | -0.10 | 1 | 1 | |
| Other | 519,777 | 4.87 | +0.62 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 10,674,805 | 40 | 76 |
This was the first election after the full totality of the late 80s/early 90s recession. The opposition Liberal Party, under John Hewson, launched Fightback!, a radical prescription of tough, economically "dry" measures, including a radical overhaul of Medicare and Industrial Relations. But the contentious 15% Goods and Services Tax was the centrepiece of the campaign. Hewson had been forced by pressure group activity and public opinion to exempt food from the proposed GST, but this was not enough against the formidable campaigning skills of Paul Keating. The complexity surrounding what food was and wasn't to be exempt from the GST, and John Hewson's subsequent difficulty in explaining this to the Australian electorate was exemplified in the famous Birthday Cake Interview, considered by some as a turning point in the whole campaign.
For the first time since 1966, this election saw the incumbent government obtain both an increased share of the vote and an increased majority in the House of Representatives.
There was an unusual circumstance in the seat of Dickson. One of the candidates, an independent, died very shortly before the election, making it necessary to hold a unique 'special election' on 17 April. Following the return of the Labor Party to government, Keating announced the makeup of his new ministry to be sworn in on 24 March, but kept the portfolio of Attorney-General open for Michael Lavarch subject to him winning Dickson on 17 April. He won the seat, and was appointed to the ministry on 27 April.
See also
- Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1993
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1993-1996
- Members of the Australian Senate, 1993-1996
Notes
References
- University of WA election results in Australia since 1890
- AEC 2PP vote
- AustralianPolitics.com election details
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