General Election, 13 March 1993

Labor won its fifth successive general election for the House of Representatives on 13 March 1993, the first with Paul Keating as prime minister. Indeed there was a swing to Labor of 1.5% in the two-party preferred vote and Labor's majority increased from nine seats in 1990 to 15 in 1993. There were, however, marked variations in the swing between states with Tasmania showing most gains for Labor and South Australia most for the Liberal Party. The National Party, meanwhile, made gains in Queensland, recovering somewhat from its setback there in 1990.The half-Senate election was a debacle for the Labor Party and the Democrats, resulting in the need for Labor to gain the support of all seven Democrats and both Western Australian Green senators to put together a majority (39–37) for parties of the left. Thus a situation of ‘gridlock’ has resulted. While Paul Keating won ‘the' sweetest victory of all’ for the House of Representatives the failure of his Senate strategy (if there was one) may well live to haunt his remaining months in the office of prime minister

Democracy · Economic history · Economics · General election · Gridlock · House of Representatives · Lower house · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Primary election · Prime minister · Setback · Victory · Commonwealth, Australian Politics and Federalism · Law · Public Administration

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