Joseph Lyons: elections

Joseph Lyons was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1932 to 1939.

13 December 1919

In his first federal election after holding his seat in 5 successive state elections, Joseph Aloysius (Joe) Lyons stood unsuccessfully as Labor candidate for the House of Representatives seat of Darwin. The Nationalist government of William Hughes was returned with 37 seats, although 8 seats were lost to the 11 new members who formed the Country Party, and 4 were lost to give Labor 26 seats. There was 1 ‘Independent National Party’ and 1 Independent.

12 October 1929

Lyons won the seat of Wilmot in this ‘landslide’ victory for Labor in the House of Representatives. Labor won 46 seats, to 14 Nationalist and 10 Country Party seats, with 3 ‘Independent National Party’ and 1 Independent. James Scullin became Prime Minister.

19 December 1931

Lyons’ new United Australia Party swept into government winning 34 seats in the House of Representatives to 16 Country Party, 14 Labor and 4 Lang Labor. There were also 6 South Australia ‘Emergency Committee’ seats and 1 Independent. In the Senate, the United Australia Party won 15 seats and Labor 3. This was the first federal election contested by the Communist Party. Dubbed the ‘radio election’, both Scullin and Lyons made use of the medium to broadcast their messages to voters.

15 September 1934

The United Australia Party won 28 seats to Labor’s 18, Lang Labor’s 9, and the Country Party’s 14, with 5 seats won by South Australia’s Liberal and Country League. The United Australia Party won 16 Senate seats, and the Country Party 2.

Front cover of handbook titled 'The Record of the Lyon Government 1932-1937'.

A comprehensive account of Lyons’ government was compiled as a speakers’ handbook for United Australia Party candidates at the 1937 election – Lyons’ last. NAA: A518, BB112/1, p.4

23 October 1937

The Lyons government was returned with 28 seats plus 1 ‘Independent UAP’ seat. The Country Party won 16 seats and the Labor Party, led by John Curtin, won 29 seats in the House of Representatives. Labor also made gains in the Senate winning 16 seats, while the United Australia Party won only 3. Lyons was returned for Wilmot in this, his fifth and final, federal election.

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