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Elections

29 March 1901

Deakin was elected member for Ballaarat, one of 31 Protectionists returned to the 75-member House of Representatives, with 28 Free Trade, 14 Labor, and 2 ‘others’. In the Senate the Protectionists were outnumbered, with 11 seats to 17 Free Trade and 8 Labor seats.

At this first federal election, 56.68 per cent of those enrolled cast their votes, with women voting only in Western Australia and South Australia.

16 December 1903

This general election was Deakin’s first as Prime Minister, an office he had held only three months. He was unopposed in his Ballaarat seat. The Protectionists won 26 seats, the Free Trade Party 25 and Labor 23, so the three parties were nearly equal. At this election, the first where women throughout the Commonwealth had the same legal right to vote as men, the proportion of voters dropped to 50.27 per cent.

12 December 1906

At the House of Representatives election 51.48 per cent of enrolled voters returned 16 Protectionists, 4 Independent Protectionists, 26 Labor Party candidates, 2 from a ‘West Australian’ party, and 27 from an Anti-Socialist Party led by George Reid. Deakin retained Ballaarat, contested for Labor by James Scullin.

13 April 1910

With an increase in voter turnout to 62.80 per cent, the election returned 31 members of Deakin’s Liberal Party, 43 Labor members and 1 Independent to the House of Representatives.

Sources

These brief election results relate only to this Prime Minister. They are drawn from the online sources below, where further information can be found.

Australian Electoral Commission:
Election results

University of Western Australia:
Australian Government and Politics Database