House of Representatives Members – 16th Parliament 1940-1943

This is the full list of members who served in the Sixteenth House of Representatives from 1940 until 1943.

The United Australia Party government, now led by Prime Minister Robert Menzies, won its fourth term as a minority government at the September 21, 1940 election. In a 74-member House, the UAP won 25 seats (-3) and its coalition partner, the Country Party, won 11 seats (-5). The Australian Labor Party won 32 seats (+3) and the Lang Labor group in NSW won 4 seats. There were two independents, plus a member with limited voting rights from the Northern Territory.

The UAP polled 30.22% of the primary vote, down 3.48%. The Country Party secured 13.71% (-1.84%). The ALP polled 40.16% (-3.02%). Independent candidates polled 8.07% (+3.89%).

On a two-party-preferred basis, the UAP polled 49.70% (-0.90%) to the ALP’s 50.30%.

His support eroded, and with threats to destroy his parliamentary majority, Robert Menzies resigned as prime minister on August 29, 1941. He had been prime minister for 2 years, 4 months and 4 days. It would be another 8 years, 3 months and 21 days before he would return for his record-breaking second term.

The Country Party’s Arthur Fadden became prime minister, surviving in office for 40 days, until the independents voted in the House to bring down the government. The move to defeat the government came in an amendment to decrease the first item in the Budget by one pound. The ALP’s John Curtin became prime minister on October 7, 1941, two months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.

Following Menzies’ resignation, the United Australia Party elected William Morris Hughes as its leader. It was over 18 years since Hughes had last served as prime minister. He was now 78, the last member of the First Parliament still serving.

The two Country Party members from South Australia – Archie Cameron (Barker-SA) and Oliver Badman (Grey-SA) – both defected to the UAP at the 1940 election. The Country Party effectively ceased to exist in South Australia.

There were three by-elections in the Sixteenth Parliament. The UAP, Country Party and ALP each retained one seat.

• 1940: Kalgoorlie (WA) – Albert Green (ALP) died; replaced by Herbert Johnson (ALP).
• 1940: Swan (WA) – Henry Gregory (Country Party) died; replaced by Thomas Marwick (Country Party).
• 1941: Boothby (SA) – John Price (UAP) died; replaced by Archibald Grenfell Price (UAP).

The first table shows the state-by-state breakdown of the House following the 1940 election.

The second table lists the 78 members who served in the 16th House of Representatives, 75 elected in 1940 and three who entered via by-elections. *The Northern Territory member (Adair Blain-Ind) had voting rights only for matters affecting the territory and is therefore excluded from the calculations of party strength in the House.