1970 Australian Senate election

{{Infobox election

| country = Australia

| type = parliamentary

| ongoing = no

| election_date = 21 November 1970

| previous_election = 1967 Australian Senate election

| previous_year = 1967

| next_election = 1974 Australian federal election

| next_year = 1974

| seats_for_election = 32 of the 60 seats in the Senate

| majority_seats = 16

| image1 = Lionel Murphy 1970.jpg

| leader1 = Lionel Murphy

| party1 = Australian Labor Party

| seats1 = 14

| seats_after1 = 26

| seat_change1 = {{decrease}}1

| popular_vote1 = 2,376,215

| percentage1 = 42.22%

| swing1 = {{decrease}}2.81pp

| image2 = Ken Anderson 1970.jpg

| leader2 = Ken Anderson

| party2 = Coalition

| seats2 = 13

| seats_after2 = 26

| seat_change2 = {{decrease}}2

| popular_vote2 = 2,149,023

| percentage2 = 38.18%

| swing2 = {{decrease}}4.59pp

| image3 = Queensland State Archives 4750 Hon VC Gair Premier of Queensland c 1953.png

| leader3 = Vince Gair

| party3 = Democratic Labor Party (Australia, 1955)

| seats3 = 3

| seats_after3 = 5

| seat_change3 = {{increase}}1

| popular_vote3 = 625,142

| percentage3 = 11.11%

| swing3 = {{increase}}1.34pp

}}

An election was held on 21 November 1970 to elect 32 of the 60 seats in the Australian Senate. As of 2025, this is the most recent occasion on which a Senate election has been held with no accompanying election to the House of Representatives; the two election cycles had been out of synchronisation since 1963.

Key dates

class="wikitable"
Date ! Event
16 October 1970 \| Writs were issued by the respective State Governors to proceed with an election.* {{Gazette WA \| title = Election of Senators Act, 1903. Proclamation. \| page = 3117 \| date = 7 October 1970 \| url = https://www.slp.wa.gov.au/gazette/gazette.nsf/searchgazette/E091A86954E8ADBCC82574B80002D2EA/$file/Gg090.pdf }}{{Gazette VIC \| title = Senate Elections Act 1958 (No. 6365) \| file = 9145/70 \| page = 3309 \| date = 7 October 1970 \| url = http://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/view.cgi?year=1970&class=general&page_num=3309 }}{{Gazette NSW \| title = Senators' Elections Act 1903: Order under Section 3 \| issue = 136 \| page = 4142 \| date = 14 October 1970 \| url = https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/220043854? \| access-date = 10 October 2020 }}
29 October 1970 \| Close of nominations, at 12pm.
21 November 1970 \| Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm.
17 December 1970 \| Declaration of the poll for South Australia.{{Gazette SA \| title = Election of Senators for the State of South Australia (Proclamation) \| issue = 44 \| page = 1501 \| date = 6 October 1970 \| url = http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/other/sa_gazette/1970/44.pdf \| access-date = 10 October 2020 }}
7 January 1971 \| Return of the writs.

class="wikitable"

Date

! Event

16 October 1970

| Writs were issued by the respective State Governors to proceed with an election.* {{Gazette WA | title = Election of Senators Act, 1903. Proclamation. | page = 3117 | date = 7 October 1970 | url = https://www.slp.wa.gov.au/gazette/gazette.nsf/searchgazette/E091A86954E8ADBCC82574B80002D2EA/$file/Gg090.pdf }}{{Gazette VIC | title = Senate Elections Act 1958 (No. 6365) | file = 9145/70 | page = 3309 | date = 7 October 1970 | url = http://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/view.cgi?year=1970&class=general&page_num=3309 }}{{Gazette NSW | title = Senators' Elections Act 1903: Order under Section 3 | issue = 136 | page = 4142 | date = 14 October 1970 | url = https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/220043854? | access-date = 10 October 2020 }}

29 October 1970

| Close of nominations, at 12pm.

21 November 1970

| Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm.

17 December 1970

| Declaration of the poll for South Australia.{{Gazette SA | title = Election of Senators for the State of South Australia (Proclamation) | issue = 44 | page = 1501 | date = 6 October 1970 | url = http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/other/sa_gazette/1970/44.pdf | access-date = 10 October 2020 }}

7 January 1971

| Return of the writs.

Results

The governing Coalition and the opposition Australian Labor Party won 13 and 14 seats respectively, resulting in a total of 26 seats each, while the Democratic Labor Party and three independents (two newly elected) held the remaining seats.

class="wikitable"

|+ Senate (STV) — 1970–74—Turnout 93.98% (CV) — Informal 9.41%File:1970 Australian Senate.svg

! 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

{{Australian party style|Labor}} |

| colspan=2| Labor

| align=right| 2,376,215

| align=right| 42.22

| align=right| –2.81

| align=right| 14

| align=right| 26

| align=right| –1

rowspan=4|

| colspan=2| Liberal–Country coalition (total)

| align=right| 2,149,023

| align=right| 38.18

| align=right| –4.59

| align=right| 13

| align=right| 26

| align=right| –2

| Liberal–Country joint ticket

| align=right| 1,098,134

| align=right| 19.51

| align=right| {{nowrap|–14.31}}

| align=right| 4

| align=right| *

{{Australian party style|Liberal}} |

| Liberal

| align=right| 991,473

| align=right| 17.61

| align=right| +9.47

| align=right| 8

| align=right| 21

| align=right| 0

{{Australian party style|Country}} |

| Country

| align=right| 59,416

| align=right| 1.06

| align=right| +0.24

| align=right| 1

| align=right| 5

| align=right| –2

{{Australian party style|dlp}} |

| colspan=2| Democratic Labor

| align=right| 625,142

| align=right| 11.11

| align=right| +1.34

| align=right| 3

| align=right| 5

| align=right| +1

{{Australian party style|Australia}} |

| colspan=2| Australia

| align=right| 163,343

| align=right| 2.90

| align=right| +2.90

| align=right| 0

{{Australian party style|public education}} |

| colspan=2| Better Education Committee

| align=right| 59,813

| align=right| 1.06

| align=right| +1.06

| align=right| 0

{{Australian party style|conservative}} |

| colspan=2| Democratic

| align=right| 52,799

| align=right| 0.94

| align=right| +0.94

| align=right| 0

{{Australian party style|Pensioner Power}} |

| colspan=2| Pensioner Power

| align=right| 28,983

| align=right| 0.51

| align=right| +0.51

| align=right| 0

{{Australian party style|Defence of Government Schools}} |

| colspan=2| Defence of Government Schools

| align=right| 27,796

| align=right| 0.49

| align=right| +0.49

| align=right| 0

{{Australian party style|National Socialist}} |

| colspan=2| National Socialist

| align=right| 24,017

| align=right| 0.43

| align=right| +0.43

| align=right| 0

{{Australian party style|aafi}} |

| colspan=2| Conservative Immigration Movement

| align=right| 4,864

| align=right| 0.08

| align=right| +0.08

| align=right| 0

{{Australian party style|Independent}} |

| colspan=2| Independent

| align=right| 116,838

| align=right| 2.07

| align=right| +0.37

| align=right| 2

| align=right| 3

| align=right| +2

| colspan=2| Total

| align=right| 5,628,833

| align=right|

| align=right| 32

| align=right| 60

| align=right|

;Notes

In New South Wales and Queensland, the coalition parties ran a joint ticket. Of the four senators elected on a joint ticket, three were members of the Liberal Party and one was a member of the Country Party. In Western Australia, the coalition parties ran on separate tickets. In South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria, only the Liberal Party ran a ticket.
Two independents were elected – Michael Townley of Tasmania and Syd Negus of Western Australia. This brought the total number of independents in the Senate to three, the other being Reg Turnbull of Tasmania.[http://www.aph.gov.au/library/handbook/historical/senate/index.htm Parliamentary Handbook – Members of the Senate since 1901] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725081044/http://www.aph.gov.au/library/handbook/historical/senate/index.htm |date=25 July 2008}}

References

External links

[http://elections.uwa.edu.au/ University of WA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118085343/http://elections.uwa.edu.au/ |date=18 January 2015 }} election results in Australia since 1890
[http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1970/1970senate.shtml Adam Carr's Election Archive - Senate 1970]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Australian Federal Election, 1970 Senate Election}}

1970

Category:1970 elections in Australia

Category:November 1970 in Australia

1970 Australian Senate election

Key dates

Results

See also

References

External links