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.
Documents
- Sep 30: Malcolm Fraser’s policy speech
- Oct 01: Bill Hayden’s policy speech
- Oct 18: Fraser’s election night victory speech
- The 1980 Federal Election – Jean Holmes
State of the Parties
| House of Representatives Elections 1980 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALP | LIB | NPA | IND | Total | |
Audio
- Hinch Breaks Election Blackout – On October 16, Melbourne broadcaster Derryn Hinch deliberately broke the ban on broadcasting election material in the last two days of an election campaign. The ban came into effect at midnight on October 16. At 8.30am, Hinch went on air at radio station 3AW. The broadcast had a 7-second delay. Click the PLAY button to listen:
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