October 18, 1980
The 1980 election was Malcolm Fraser’s third successive victory as coalition Prime Minister, although it was also the beginning of the end of his government. Fraser’s Liberal-National Party government suffered a loss of 12 seats, 7 of them in Victoria. Not for the first time did Victoria anticipate the nationwide trend to come over the next few years.
The ALP campaign in this election was notable for the positioning of ACTU President, Bob Hawke, and NSW Premier, Neville Wran, alongside the Federal leader, Bill Hayden. This was widely seen as a reflection on the poor electoral prospects of Hayden. Hawke, who was to succeed Hayden within two and a half years, entered Parliament as the member for Wills at this election.
State of the Parties
This is the state of the parties in the House of Representatives following the 1980 Federal Election.
| House of Representatives Elections 1980 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALP | LIB | NPA | IND | Total | |
Election Statistics
- Federal Election Results 1901-2014 – a Parliamentary Library research paper with detailed statistics on elections since 1901.
Election Moments
- Sep 30, 1980: Malcolm Fraser’s Liberal Party policy speech
- Oct 01, 1980: Bill Hayden’s ALP policy speech
- Oct 16, 1980: Derryn Hinch Suspended By 3AW For Breaking Election Blackout – Melbourne broadcaster Derryn Hinch deliberately broke the ban on broadcasting election material in the last two days of an election campaign. Listen to the broadcast here.
- Oct 18, 1980: Fraser’s election night victory speech
Election Analysis
- Mar 15, 1981: The 1980 Federal Election – Dr. Jean Holmes
Archived Posts
- Malcolm Fraser Announces Date Of 1980 Federal Election September 11, 1980
- 1980 Federal Election: Channel 7 News Melbourne September 18, 1980
- Donald Horne And David Kemp On The State Of The Nation In 1980 September 20, 1980
- 1980 Election News: Channel 7 And 9 September 22, 1980
- ALP 1980 Federal Election Advertisement: Mick Young On Jobs And Unemployment September 23, 1980
- Bill Hayden Profiled By 60 Minutes September 28, 1980
- Phillip Adams And John Singleton On Political Advertising In 1980 September 29, 1980
- Malcolm Fraser’s 1980 Liberal Party Policy Speech September 30, 1980
- 1980 ALP Campaign Advertisement: Raise The Standard October 1, 1980
- Bill Hayden’s 1980 Federal Election ALP Policy Speech October 1, 1980
- Derryn Hinch Suspended By 3AW After Breaking Election Blackout October 16, 1980
- 1980 Federal Election: Malcolm Fraser’s Victory Speech October 18, 1980
- The 1980 Federal Election: Analysis By Dr. Jean Holmes March 15, 1981
- The Opposition Leader As A Factor Influencing Voting Behaviour December 5, 2001
- Federal Election Results 1901-2014 July 17, 2014
- Who’s Left – The Surviving Members Of Every House Of Representatives Since 1949 April 1, 2017
