March 2, 1996
The 1996 election brought to an end 13 years of Labor Government under Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, and ushered in nearly 12 years of coalition government under John Howard.
The ALP lost 31 seats to the coalition and lost 6.1% of its primary vote from 1993. Its 38.8% primary vote was the lowest recorded by the ALP since 1934.
The Liberal Party leader, John Howard, had resumed the leadership of his party in January 1995, following a disastrous 8 months under the leadership of Alexander Downer. Downer and Peter Costello had succeeded Dr. John Hewson early in 1994 and were touted as the leaders of the new-generation Liberals. In the end, the party opted for the seasoned Howard, perhaps an acknowledgement that he was the only one left standing after a decade of party infighting.
Howard approached the campaign with a determination to present as small a target as possible. Throughout 1995, he refused to detail specific policy proposals. By 1996, however, it was clear that the electorate had tired of the Labor government and Paul Keating in particular. “The recession we had to have” line resonated with deadly force throughout the electorate, although Keating also attracted much support and adoration from supporters attracted by his republicanism and internationalist approach to Australia’s future.
The election saw the entry of Pauline Hanson into the Parliament as the member for the Queensland seat of Oxley. Hanson was the endorsed Liberal candidate until she made controversial statements about aborigines. She was disendorsed by the Liberal Party during the campaign, but remained on the ballot paper as a Liberal. During the next 12 months she was to establish Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party.
State of the Parties
| House of Representatives Elections 1996 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALP | LIB | NPA | IND | Total | |
Election News Commentary
VCEpolitics.com maintained an irregular daily news commentary during this election. These reports are archived here. They have been redesigned to fit the current look of the site, but the text is the original.
- VCEpolitics.com Reports: January 27 – February 23, 1996
- Feb 14, 1996: Paul Keating’s Speech Launching the ALP Campaign
- Feb 18, 1996: John Howard’s Speech Launching the Liberal Campaign
- Mar 02, 1996: John Howard’s Election Night Victory Speech
- Mar 02, 1996: Paul Keating’s Election Night Concession Speech
Election Statistics
- Primary Votes in House of Representatives 1993-98
- Two-Party-Preferred Results 1996
- Primary Vote Leads Overturned After Preferences
- Individual Seat Margins Following the 1996 Election
- Primary Votes in House and Senate 1996
- Enrolment Figures 1996
- Federal Election Timetable 1996
- Election Costs 1996
- Election Funding 1996
- Early Opinion Polls (Jan 29, 1996)
- Federal Election Results 1901-2014 – a Parliamentary Library research paper with detailed statistics on elections since 1901.
Election Analysis
- Mar 13, 1996: Liberal Party Federal Director Andrew Robb’s Analysis of the 1996 Election Result
- March 21, 1996: ALP National Secretary Gary Gray’s Analysis of the 1996 Election Result
- Jun 10, 1996: Gary Gray’s Speech to the Queensland ALP Conference
- Jun 18, 1996: Gary Gray Speech on Political Funding
Election Advertisements & Leaflets
- ALP Family Payments Leaflet
- Enough is Enough – Liberal Leaflet
- Jackie Weaver ALP advertisement on John Howard and acting
Archived Posts
- Paul Keating Announces March 2, 1996 Federal Election January 27, 1996
- 1996 Federal Election News: Jan 27-Feb 23 January 27, 1996
- Paul Keating: Young Australia Policy Statement January 29, 1996
- Early Opinion Polls For 1996 Federal Election January 29, 1996
- 1996 Federal Election Pendulum February 1, 1996
- 1996 Federal Election Timetable February 1, 1996
- 1996 Federal Election: Keating-Howard Television Debate February 11, 1996
- Paul Keating’s 1996 ALP Campaign Launch Speech February 14, 1996
- ALP Election Ad: Jackie Weaver On John Howard And Acting February 15, 1996
- John Howard’s 1996 Federal Election Policy Speech February 18, 1996
- John Howard: Comfortable And Relaxed, And Enjoying Bob Dylan’s Music February 19, 1996
- Keep The Bastards Honest: Australian Democrats Leaflet (1996) February 25, 1996
- Family Payments: ALP 1996 Federal Election Leaflet March 1, 1996
- Clyde Holding (ALP-Melbourne Ports) How-To-Vote Card 1996 March 2, 1996
- Paul Keating’s 1996 Election Concession Speech March 2, 1996
- John Howard Claims Victory In 1996 Federal Election March 2, 1996
- The First Howard Ministry 1996 March 11, 1996
- Andrew Robb: The 1996 Federal Election March 13, 1996
- Kim Beazley’s ALP Shadow Ministry 1996 March 19, 1996
- Enough: Liberal Party Election Leaflet March 19, 1996
- Gary Gray: The 1996 Federal Election March 21, 1996
- Independent Members – House – 1996 April 1, 1996
- House Of Representatives Members – 1996 April 1, 1996
- National Party Members – House – 1996 April 1, 1996
- ALP Members – House – 1996 April 1, 1996
- Liberal Party Members – House – 1996 April 1, 1996
- 1996 Federal Election Enrolment Figures April 15, 1996
- 1996 Federal Election House And Senate Primary Vote Statistics April 15, 1996
- 1996 Primary Vote Winners, Preference Vote Losers April 16, 1996
- Paul Keating Resigns From Parliament April 23, 1996
- Electoral Margins Following The 1996 Federal Election May 1, 1996
- 1996 Federal Election: Two-Party-Preferred Statistics May 1, 1996
- ALP National Secretary Gary Gray’s Address to the Queensland ALP Conference June 10, 1996
- Gary Gray: The Funding Of Political Parties June 18, 1996
- 1996 Federal Election Costs November 7, 1996
- 1996 Federal Election Funding November 7, 1996
- Background Information On Pauline Hanson March 1, 1998
- Enrolment Statistics State-By-State 1984-98 December 2, 1998
- The Opposition Leader As A Factor Influencing Voting Behaviour December 5, 2001
- John Howard’s Formula For Winning Elections June 10, 2002
- The Malcolm Mackerras Six And The Question Of How To Define A Landslide January 6, 2014
- Federal Election Results 1901-2014 July 17, 2014
- Who’s Left – The Surviving Members Of Every House Of Representatives Since 1949 April 1, 2017
- 1996 Federal Election Count – 27 Years Ago March 2, 2023
