On 29 March 1901, Australia held its first federal election.*
This election came three months after the six colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania agreed to federate and form the Commonwealth of Australia from 1 January 1901 under our new Constitution.
In the interim, the ‘Protectionist Party’ and its leader (Edmund Barton) were appointed caretaker government and Prime Minister respectively – although not before the “Hopetoun Blunder” – giving this party of high tariffs the advantage of incumbency during the election campaign with no past to live down.
Barring a few teething problems, our first federal election was seen as a success, both politically (average turnout of 60%) and logistically (given technology at the time and the vastness of many electorates). Voting was voluntary with a “first past the post” system.
While no party won sufficient votes or seats to have a majority in either House of our new Parliament (75 seats in the Reps, 36 in the Senate), Barton’s Protectionist Party (31 seats) got the most votes and seats in the lower house. The main opposition was the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association (Free Trade Party), which won 28 seats, with 14 state-based Labour members and two Queensland independents.
