Electoral results for the Division of Watson (1934–1969)

This is a list of electoral results for the Division of Watson (1934–69) in Australian federal elections from the division's creation in 1934 until its abolition in 1969.

Members[edit]

	Party	Term
John Jennings	United Australia	1934–1940
Max Falstein	Labor	1940–1949
Max Falstein	Independent Labor	1949–1949
Dan Curtin	Labor	1949–1955
Jim Cope	Labor	1955–1969

Election results[edit]

Elections in the 1960s[edit]

1966[edit]

1966 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Jim Cope	21,492	62.1	-6.0
	Liberal	Peter Lowe	10,476	30.2	+6.9
	Democratic Labor	Thomas Colman	2,664	7.7	+1.7
Total formal votes			34,632	95.6
Informal votes			1,608	4.4
Turnout			36,240	94.0
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Jim Cope		64.4	-8.1
	Liberal	Peter Lowe		35.6	+8.1
	Labor hold		Swing	-8.1

1963[edit]

1963 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Jim Cope	24,280	68.1	-12.0
	Liberal	Louis Mamo	8,302	23.3	+6.4
	Democratic Labor	Bernard Atkinson	2,136	6.0	+3.0
	Communist	Harry Hatfield	951	2.7	+2.7
Total formal votes			35,669	96.9
Informal votes			1,143	3.1
Turnout			36,812	93.9
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Jim Cope		72.5	-8.2
	Liberal	Louis Mamo		27.5	+8.2
	Labor hold		Swing	-8.2

1961[edit]

1961 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Jim Cope	29,079	80.1	+9.1
	Liberal	Sidney Pitkethly	6,134	16.9	-8.2
	Democratic Labor	Mary Nappa	1,081	3.0	-0.9
Total formal votes			36,294	97.0
Informal votes			1,141	3.0
Turnout			37,435	94.7
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Jim Cope		80.7	+8.9
	Liberal	Sidney Pitkethly		19.3	-8.9
	Labor hold		Swing	+8.9

Elections in the 1950s[edit]

1958[edit]

1958 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Jim Cope	27,232	71.0	-3.4
	Liberal	John Bampton	9,628	25.1	+4.6
	Democratic Labor	Kenneth Collins	1,503	3.9	+3.9
Total formal votes			38,363	96.5
Informal votes			1,397	3.5
Turnout			39,760	95.5
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Jim Cope		71.8	-7.1
	Liberal	John Bampton		28.2	+7.1
	Labor hold		Swing	-7.1

1955[edit]

1955 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Jim Cope	30,129	74.4	-3.8
	Liberal	Jill Huxtable	8,316	20.5	+2.1
	Communist	Harry Hatfield	2,025	5.0	+2.4
Total formal votes			40,470	96.1
Informal votes			1,649	3.9
Turnout			42,119	95.4
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Jim Cope		78.9	-2.1
	Liberal	Jill Huxtable		21.1	+2.1
	Labor hold		Swing	-2.1

1954[edit]

1954 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Dan Curtin	25,507	63.2	+6.5
	Liberal	Hubert O'Connell	14,846	36.8	-6.5
Total formal votes			40,353	98.2
Informal votes			728	1.8
Turnout			41,081	96.2
	Labor hold		Swing	+6.5

1951[edit]

1951 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Dan Curtin	22,510	56.7	+7.3
	Liberal	Donald Clark	17,158	43.3	+5.0
Total formal votes			39,668	97.4
Informal votes			1,051	2.6
Turnout			40,719	95.6
	Labor hold		Swing	-2.3

Elections in the 1940s[edit]

1949[edit]

1949 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Dan Curtin	19,515	49.4	-5.9
	Liberal	Stanley Card	15,147	38.3	+12.5
	Independent Labor	Max Falstein	3,656	9.2	+9.2
	Lang Labor	Harold O'Reilly	1,210	3.1	-3.1
Total formal votes			39,528	97.3
Informal votes			1,079	2.7
Turnout			40,607	96.5
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Dan Curtin		59.0	-3.5
	Liberal	Stanley Card		41.0	+3.5
	Labor hold		Swing	-3.5

1946[edit]

1946 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Max Falstein	38,025	53.7	+1.4
	Liberal	Charles de Monchaux	24,246	34.2	+6.7
	Protestant People	Charles Wilson	6,177	8.7	+8.7
	Services	Wallace Knox	2,364	3.3	+3.3
Total formal votes			70,812	97.5
Informal votes			1,809	2.5
Turnout			72,621	94.8
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Max Falstein		56.7	-5.4
	Liberal	Charles de Monchaux		45.3	+5.4
	Labor hold		Swing	-5.4

1943[edit]

1943 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Max Falstein	35,400	52.3	+18.0
	United Australia	Norman Whitfield	18,588	27.5	-17.5
	State Labor	Richard Wilson	5,662	8.4	-1.2
	Ind. United Australia	Les Fingleton	2,304	3.4	+3.4
	Liberal Democratic	Arthur Dudley	2,218	3.3	+3.3
	Independent	Harry Yates	1,942	2.9	+2.9
	Ind. United Australia	Hubert O'Connell	1,579	2.3	+2.3
Total formal votes			67,693	95.9
Informal votes			2,873	4.1
Turnout			70,566	98.0
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Max Falstein		62.1	+10.1
	United Australia	Norman Whitfield		37.9	-10.1
	Labor hold		Swing	+10.1

1940[edit]

1940 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Australia	John Jennings	27,586	45.0	-8.8
	Labor	Max Falstein	21,101	34.5	-11.7
	Labor (N-C)	Cecil Irwin	6,693	10.9	+10.9
	State Labor	Richard Wilson	5,868	9.6	+9.6
Total formal votes			61,248	97.9
Informal votes			1,290	2.1
Turnout			62,538	94.7
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Max Falstein	31,831	52.0	+5.8
	United Australia	John Jennings	29,417	48.0	-5.8
	Labor gain from United Australia		Swing	+5.8

Elections in the 1930s[edit]

1937[edit]

1937 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Australia	John Jennings	31,187	53.8	-1.1
	Labor	William Dignam	26,788	46.2	+39.7
Total formal votes			57,975	98.0
Informal votes			1,157	2.0
Turnout			59,132	96.5
	United Australia hold		Swing	-4.9

1934[edit]

1934 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Australia	John Jennings	28,758	54.9	-1.4
	Labor (NSW)	Joe Lamaro	17,817	34.0	+13.4
	Labor	William Murphy	3,398	6.5	-10.9
	Social Credit	Vincent Murtagh	2,371	4.5	+4.5
Total formal votes			52,344	97.1
Informal votes			1,537	2.9
Turnout			53,881	95.4
Two-party-preferred result
	United Australia	John Jennings		58.7	-5.8
	Labor (NSW)	Joe Lamaro		41.3	+5.8
	United Australia notional hold		Swing	-5.8

References[edit]

Australian Electoral Commission. Federal election results
Carr, Adam. Psephos