March 13, 1993
The 1993 election win for the ALP was described by Prime Minister Paul Keating as “the sweetest victory of all”. The Labor Government had now won 5 elections in a row and the party’s faith in Keating following his coup against Bob Hawke on December 19, 1991 had been rewarded.
The Opposition was led by Dr. John Hewson, an economic conservative who had entered Parliament in 1987. Hewson had campaigned strongly in the 1990 election and had succeeded Peacock following the coalition loss.
Hewson had launched Fightback!, a radical prescription of tough, economically “dry” measures, including a radical overhaul of Medicare and Industrial Relations. But the contentious 15% Goods and Services Tax was the centrepiece of the campaign. Hewson had been forced by pressure group activity and public opinion to exempt food from the proposed GST, but this was not enough against the formidable campaigning skills of Paul Keating.
The election saw a substantial lift in the ALP primary vote and an increased majority for the Labor Government which now entered its eleventh year in office.
Video & Audio Archive
- Fightback! – Liberal Party video (Jan 1993) – features Hewson, Howard, Reith, Bishop & Chaney:
- Listen to the audio track of the Fightback! video (13m)
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- Listen to Paul Keating’s policy speech (24m)
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- John Hewson’s ‘kind-of’ concession speech:
- Paul Keating’s Victory Speech – “The Sweetest Victory of All”:
- Listen to Keating’s victory speech:
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Election Results
| House of Representatives Elections 1993 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALP | LIB | NPA | IND | Total | |
- Primary Votes in House of Representatives 1993-98
- Two-Party Preferred Statistics
- Election Pendulum following the 1993 Election
Archived Posts
- Dec 02, 1998: Enrolment Statistics State-By-State 1984-98
- Feb 01, 1996: 1996 Federal Election Pendulum
- May 01, 1993: 1993 Federal Election: Two-Party-Preferred Statistics
- Apr 01, 1993: Andrew Robb: The 1993 Federal Election
- Mar 13, 1993: 1993 Election Night Counting: Call Of The Board
- Mar 13, 1993: John Hewson’s Election Night Concession Speech
- Mar 13, 1993: Keating Wins 1993 Federal Election: ‘This Is The Sweetest Victory Of All’
- Mar 12, 1993: 1993 Federal Election: Final Day Video
- Mar 11, 1993: As Election Day Nears, Paul Keating Addresses The National Press Club
- Mar 09, 1993: Keating Still Confident In Final Week Of Election Campaign
- Jan 15, 1993: Liberal Party Video: Fightback!
- Dec 16, 1992: In Final Question Time Before 1993 Election, Keating Lashes Hewson On Fightback!
- Feb 23, 1992: Paul Keating: 60 Minutes Profile
