Current First-Preference Vote Count HOR (almost finished)

When Julia Gillard went to the Governor General this week she
took a list of names of MHRs who had promised to support her in parliament. Together they represented a collection of parties and independents which attracted a certain number of first-preference votes across the country. How many people voted with their first preference for one of those parties or independents, those that support the government?

Government supporters: ALP+Green+Wilkie+Oakeshott+Windsor
6,280,629 first preference votes (50.6% of all formal votes)

Supporters of Abbott: Lib+LNP+Nat+CLP+Katter
5,446,806 first preference votes (43.9% of all formal votes)

Margin: 833,823 votes to the current Government

How does that compare with the number of first-preference votes represented at previous elections?

2010: Gillard ALP supported by Green Party + Independents ... 50.6% of first-preference votes

2007: Rudd ALP ... 43.38% of first-preference votes

2004: Howard Liberal/National Coalition (incl CLP) ... 46.7% of first-preference votes

2001: Howard Liberal/National Coalition (incl CLP) ... 43.0% of first-preference votes

1998: Howard Liberal/National Coalition (incl CLP) ... 39.5% of first-preference votes

1996: Howard Liberal/National Coalition (incl CLP) ... 47.3% of first-preference votes

1993: Keating ALP ... 44.9%

1990: Hawke ALP ... 39.4%

1987: Hawke ALP 45.8%

1984: Hawke ALP 47.6%

1983: Hawke ALP 49.4%

1980: Fraser Coalition 46.4%

1977: Fraser Coalition 48.1%

1975: Fraser Coalition 53.1%

1974: Whitlam ALP 49.3%

1972: Whitlam ALP 49.6%

1969: Gorton Coalition 43.3%

1966: Holt Coalition 49.98%

1963: Menzies Coalition 46.0%

1961: Menzies Coalition 42.1%

1958: Menzies Coalition 46.6%

1955: Menzies Coalition 47.6% *

1954: Menzies Coalition 46.8% *

1951: Menzies Coalition 50.3% *

1949: Menzies Coalition 50.3%

1946: Chifley ALP 49.7%

1943: Curtin ALP 49.9% *

1941 October re-alignment: Curtin ALP supported by Independents 40.2%* plus ?

1941: Menzies UAP+CP supported by Independents 43.9%* plus ?

1937: Lyons UAP+CP 49.3% *

1934: Lyons UAP+CP 45.6% *

1931: Lyons UAP+CP 48.4% *

1929: Scullin ALP 48.8% *

1928: Bruce Nationalist/CP 49.6% *

1925: Bruce Nationalist/CP 53.2% *

1922: Bruce Nationalist/CP 47.8% *

1919: Hughes Nationalist 45.1% *

1917: Hughes Nationalist 54.2% *

1914: Fisher ALP 50.9% *

1913: Cook CLP 48.9%*

1910: Fisher ALP 49.97% *

1906: Deakin Protectionist+Labour 53.08%*

1903: Deakin Protectionist+Labour 60.7%*

1901: Barton Protectionist+Labour 52.5%*

*= some MHRs were elected unopposed in these elections and so
we do not include any votes for them

SO 2010 is the first time, in 35 years, that the Government has the first-preference support of more than half the population. It is only the tenth time in Australian Federal Government history that a Government commands support of a majority of first-preference votes. It is only the second time ever that an ALP Prime Minister has governed with a majority of first-preference votes behind him or her (the only other time was Andrew Fisher after the 1914 election).