Saturday 10 November 2001
The 2001 Federal election occurred in the centenary of Federation and was the 40th election for the House of Representatives since 1901. For the first time, the House was increased in size to 150 seats, exactly twice the number elected in 1901.
The election saw the return of the coalition Liberal and National Party government led by John Howard. In winning a third term, Howard confounded his critics and opponents, setting himself on the path to becoming Australia's third longest-serving Prime Minister.
The election campaign was fought in the context of a tide of support for the Australian Labor Party over the preceding three years. The ALP had won office in Tasmania in 1998, won a majority of the votes in the 1998 federal election (although not a majority of the seats), was re-elected in NSW in 1999, snatched government from the coalition in Victoria in 1999, was re-elected in a landslide in Queensland in February 2001, and won office in Western Australia, also in February 2001. Subsequently, the ALP won a traditional Liberal Party electorate, Ryan in Queensland, in a by-election. Whilst retaining the Victorian electorate of Aston in a July 2001 by-election, the coalition suffered a 4% swing against it. In August 2001, the ALP unexpectedly won office for the first time ever in the Northern Territory. During the federal campaign, the ALP won office in the Australian Capital Territory.
That John Howard was able to take his government to victory in these circumstances will be the subject of much discussion in the years ahead, but two events stand out as being vital to the outcome.
The first of these was the controversy over refugees and asylum-seekers. The rescue of distressed asylum-seekers by the Norwegian cargo ship, the Tampa, in late August 2001, fuelled a frenzy of debate over refugee policy, led to a parliamentary confrontation between the Government and the Opposition, and remained the dominant campaign issue right up until the day of the election. The centrepiece of the coalition campaign was an emphasis on the leadership of John Howard and the assertion that "We will decide who comes to this country and under what circumstances".
The second event was the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon in the United States on September 11, 2001. Throughout the campaign, the US-led attacks on the Taliban regime in Afghanistan dominated the news and was often linked to the refugee issue.
Some people argue that the ALP had no hope of winning this election because of the international events, whereas others argue that the ALP lost because of its strategy of making itself a "small target" in the preceding years.
The outcome of the election was a 2% two-party-preferred swing to the coalition and an increase in its parliamentary majority. The ALP recorded its lowest primary vote since 1934. The Australian Greens recorded a big increase in their vote and Senate representation.
Kim Beazley resigned the Labor leadership on election night and was replaced by Simon Crean. Rumblings in the Australian Democrats highlighted ongoing divisions caused by Senator Natasha Stott Despoja's ousting of Senator Meg Lees as leader at Easter 2001. The National Party lost two seats to independents and another to the Liberal Party and had its representation in the Howard ministry reduced.
Choose from the following list for more detailed election information. This index will appear on the right of your screen at all times.
Election Mechanics
The election timetable, details on candidates and electoral procedures.
Policies
Details of the major policies put forward by the various parties during the election campaign.
Commentary
Commentary on the election before and after (still being updated).
Electoral Pendulum
The pendulum following the 1998 election and redistributions in New South Wales, Tasmania, Northern Territory and Western Australia.
House of Representatives Seats
A seat-by-seat look at the House of Representatives.
Candidate Update
Complete listings of all candidates in the election.
Candidate Web-Sites
A listing of candidate web-sites.
Election Statistics
Complete election results for both houses and all manner of electoral data. (Still being updated).
Election Advertisements
A comprehensive collection of radio and television advertisements from the political parties. Watch or listen and remember!
Pressure Group Campaigns
Aside from the political parties, a host of pressure groups conducted campaigns on particular issues or campaigned for or against parties and candidates.
Quotes
An eclectic collection of quotes from the election campaign.
The Sharp End
Ari Sharp, the Australian Democrats candidate for Kooyong in Victoria, wrote a weekly column sharing his experiences on the campaign trail.
Opinion Polls
The ACNielson poll, published in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, was the most accurate poll in this election, followed by The Australian's Newspoll. After being the only poll to predict the Victorian election in 1999, the Morgan Poll in The Bulletin got it dramatically wrong this time.
Memories
Relive some earlier election jingles, commercials and speeches.
Paraphernalia
A selection of campaign leaflets, letters and how-to-vote cards. (Still being updated).
Editorial Opinions
Aside from The Age, most Australian newspapers supported the return of the coalition. Read their opinions here.
Predictions
Compare the actual results with the predictions of some of Australia's journalists and political operatives.
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