December 13, 1975
The 1975 Federal Election occurred after one of the most dramatic periods in Australia’s political history. The twice-elected Whitlam Government was dismissed by the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, on 11th November 1975, after a constitutional confrontation that followed the refusal by the Opposition Liberal and National Country Parties in the Senate to pass the annual budget.
Following his dismissal, Gough Whitlam entered the election as the “elected Prime Minister” and Malcolm Fraser was designated the “caretaker Prime Minister”.
The conservative coalition secured one of the largest majorities in Australian electoral history.
State of the Parties
This is the state of the parties in the House of Representatives, following the 1975 Federal Election.
| House of Representatives Elections 1975 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALP | LIB | NPA | IND | Total | |
Election Statistics
- Federal Election Results 1901-2014 – a Parliamentary Library research paper with detailed statistics on elections since 1901.
Policy Speeches
- Nov 24, 1975: Whitlam’s ALP Policy Speech
- Nov 27, 1975: Malcolm Fraser’s Liberal Party Policy Speech
Election Literature
- “Australian Labor Prison” – a widely-circulated leaflet produced by the Liberal Party.
- Turn on the Lights – audio and video of Renee Geyer singing the Liberal Party’s 1975 jingle.
Archived Posts
- Nov 11, 1975: The 1975 Constitutional Crisis: Audio Clips
- Nov 12, 1975: Il Dismissale: Max Gillies On The Dismissal
- Nov 24, 1975: Gough Whitlam’s 1975 Election Policy Speech
- Nov 25, 1975: Turn On The Lights – Renee Geyer Sings Liberal Party 1975 Campaign Jingle
- Nov 26, 1975: Doug Anthony: Country Party 1975 Federal Election Policy Speech
- Nov 27, 1975: Malcolm Fraser’s 1975 Federal Election Policy Speech
- Dec 01, 1975: “Australian Labor Prison” – Liberal Party 1975 Election Leaflet
- Dec 11, 1975: 1975 Federal Election: Audio Clips From The Campaign
- Dec 13, 1975: 1975 Federal Election: The Count And Leaders’ Speeches
- Feb 27, 1976: Richard Carleton: Politics In The Wake Of The Dismissal
- Dec 05, 2001: The Opposition Leader As A Factor Influencing Voting Behaviour
- Dec 13, 2012: Today’s Electoral Anniversaries: Hughes And Fraser
- Jan 06, 2014: The Malcolm Mackerras Six And The Question Of How To Define A Landslide
- Jul 17, 2014: Federal Election Results 1901-2014
- Apr 01, 2017: Who’s Left – The Surviving Members Of Every House Of Representatives Since 1949
