|
Lopsided
Senate elections before proportional
representation began in 1949:
Percentage of votes for largest
party, versus percentage of seats
|
The 2 most fatal
flaws of the two non-PR
systems used before 1949, as
indicated by shading below,
were:
|
|
(a)
6 majorities of seats won with
minorities of the national vote
(1903, 1906, 1910, 1913, 1922 & 1937), &
|
|
(b)
5 cases where a single party won
all Senate vacancies
Australia-wide, but never gained
more than 56% of the national
vote, shown in bold italics.
|
|
Electoral
system
|
Year
|
Area
|
Largest
party or group
|
%
of
first pref. vote
|
%
of Senate seats
|
Senate
seats out
of total
|
Non-ALP
strength in full Senate of 36
senators
|
|
Mixed
(State electoral laws
applied)
|
1901
|
Australia
|
Non-ALP
|
89.4%
|
83%
|
30/36
|
30
|
|
MULTI-MEMBER
PLURALITY
(first-past-the-post)
bloc vote
|
1903
|
Australia
|
ALP
|
33.0%
|
56%
|
10/18
|
20
|
|
1906
|
Australia
|
Anti-socialist
|
47.4%
|
61%
|
11/18
|
21
|
|
1910
|
Australia
|
ALP
|
50.3%
|
100%
|
18/18
|
13
|
|
1910
|
VICTORIA
|
ALP
|
48.4%
|
100%
|
3/3
|
-
|
|
1913
|
Australia
|
ALP
|
48.7%
|
61%
|
11/18
|
7
|
|
1914
|
Australia
|
ALP
|
52.1%
|
86%
|
31/36
|
5
|
|
1917
|
Australia
|
Nationalist
|
55.4%
|
100%
|
18/18
|
24
|
|
|
|
MULTI-MEMBER
MAJORITY-PREFERENTIAL
bloc vote
|
1919
|
Australia
|
Nationalist
|
46.5%
|
95%
|
17/18
|
35*
|
|
1922
|
Australia
|
ALP
|
45.7%
|
61%
|
11/18
|
24
|
|
1925
|
Australia
|
Non-ALP
|
54.8%
|
100%
|
18/18
|
27
|
|
1928
|
Australia
|
Non-ALP
|
51.0%
|
63%
|
12/19
|
29
|
|
1931
|
Australia
|
Non-ALP
|
55.4%
|
83%
|
15/18
|
26
|
|
1934
|
Australia
|
Non-ALP
|
58.7%
|
100%
|
18/18
|
33
|
|
1937
|
Australia
|
ALP
|
48.5%
|
84%
|
16/19
|
20
|
|
1940
|
Australia
|
Non-ALP
|
50.4%
|
83%
|
15/18
|
19
|
|
1943
|
Australia
|
ALP
|
55.1%
|
100%
|
18/18
|
14
|
|
1946
|
Australia
|
ALP
|
52.1%
|
83%
|
15/18
|
3
|
*
The
only ALP senator during 1920-23 was Senator Hon.
Albert Gardiner, senator
for New South Wales.
All the other 35 senators
belonged to the Nationalist Party, led by
the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable William
Hughes KC MHR.
|
