2 March 1996

The Labor Government of Paul Keating lost office when John Howard led the Liberal Party in a landslide win with 75 House of Representatives seats. Labor won 49 seats, the National Party 19, and there were 5 seats held by Independents. Among the unsuccessful Labor candidates was Kevin Michael Rudd, standing for election for the first time, in the seat of Griffith in Queensland, after the retirement of Ben Humphreys who had held the seat for Labor since 1977.

In the Senate, Labor won 14 seats, the Liberal Party won 17 seats and the National Party 2, with 1 Northern Territory Country Liberal Party Senator. The Australian Democrats won 5 seats and the Tasmanian Greens 1.

3 October 1998

The Labor Party won 67 seats in the House of Representatives, one of them the seat of Griffith in Queensland, won by Rudd with a 2% swing against the sitting Liberal Graeme McDougall, who had defeated him in 1996. The Liberal-National Coalition elected in 1996 retained government with a reduced majority in the House of Representatives where the Liberal Party won 64 and the National Party 16 seats. Only one Independent won a seat at this election, the Member for Calare, Peter Andren. In the Senate, Labor won 17 seats, the Liberal Party 15 seats and the National Party 1, with 1 Northern Territory Country Liberal Party senator. The Australian Democrats won 4 seats, the One Nation Party won one of the Queensland Senate seats, and Brian Harradine, the sole Independent, one of the Tasmanian seats.

10 November 2001

The Liberal Party increased its House of Representatives seats to 68, the National Party won 13 seats, and the Country Liberal Party (Northern Territory) won 1 seat. The Labor Party won 65 seats, and 3 Independents were elected. While Labor was reduced to 65 seats and in Queensland, the swing against Labor was 1.7%, in Griffith Kevin Rudd increased his hold on his seat with a 3.2% swing.

In the Senate, Labor won 14 seats, the Liberal Party 17 seats and the National Party 2, with 1 Northern Territory Country Liberal Party senator. The Australian Democrats won 4 seats, and the Australian Greens 2.

9 October 2004

The Coalition again increased its majority in the House of Representatives. The Liberal Party won 74 seats, the National Party 12 seats and the Country Liberal Party (Northern Territory) won 1 seat. The Labor Party won 60 seats, and 3 Independents were elected.

In the Senate the Coalition parties won 21 seats (17 Liberal Party, 3 National Party and 1 Country Liberal Party). The Labor Party won 16 seats, the Australian Greens won 2 seats and the Family First Party won 1 seat in Victoria. When the new Senators took their seats in July 2005 the government parties had a majority in the Senate for the first time since 1981.

24 November 2007

The Australian Labor Party won government at Australia’s 42nd federal election with a clear majority in the House of Representatives, winning 83 of the 150 seats. The Liberal Party won 55 seats, the National Party 10, and 2 Independents were elected. Of the 40 Senate seats contested, the Labor Party won 18, the Liberal Party 15, the National Party 2 and the Greens 3. One of the 2 Territory seats went to the Country-Liberal Party and there was one successful non-affiliated candidate.

21 August 2010

The Labor Party led by Julia Gillard won 72 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives, failing to secure the majority necessary to form a government. Coalition seats totalled 73 – comprising the Liberal Party’s 44, the National Party’s 7, a seat won by the Country Liberal Party (Northern Territory), and 21 seats won by Queensland’s Liberal National Party (formed in July 2008). Also elected were 4 Independents and 1 Greens (the first ever elected to the House of Representatives).

As neither the ALP nor the Coalition had the necessary majority, the 4 Independents and the Greens MP had a key role in determining who would be able to form a government. Queensland Independent Bob Katter, a former member of the National Party, decided to support the Coalition while the other 3 Independents, Rob Oakeshott, Tony Windsor and Andrew Wilkie, and the Greens’ Adam Bandt all gave their support to the Labor Party, which then formed a minority government.

Of the 40 seats contested at this half-Senate election, Labor won 15; the Australian Greens 6; the Liberal Party 12; the National Party 2; Queensland’s Liberal National Party 3; Democratic Labor Party 1 and the Country Liberal Party (Northern Territory) 1. This result meant that from 1 July 2011, when with the new senators who commenced service, the Coalition held 34 seats to the Government’s 31. The Australian Greens held 9 seats, with the remaining 2 occupied by the new Democratic Labor Party’s John Madigan and Independent Nick Xenophon.

7 September 2013

The Australian Labor Party, again led by Rudd after the parliamentary party had voted to replace Gillard as leader, was defeated decisively, winning only 55 of 150 seats. The Coalition won 90 seats, with the Liberal Party winning 58, the Liberal National Party 22, The National Party 9 and the Country Liberal Party in the Northern Territory 1. The remaining 5 seats were divided between three minor parties (the Greens, Katter's Australian Party and the Palmer United Party) and two independents.

Labor lost ground in the Senate too, but not to the Liberal–National Coalition. Instead, votes went to the Greens and a diverse selection of minor parties and independents. Of the 40 seats contested, Labour won 12, the Greens 4, the Liberal Party 8, the Nationals 5, the Liberal National Party 3 and the Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory 1. The Palmer United Party won 1 seat and the remaining 5 seats were divided evenly between several minor parties (the Nick Xenophon Group, Family First, the Liberal Democrats, the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party and the Australian Sports Party). The numbers of minor party senators gave neither major party an absolute majority and required the new Coalition government to gain the support of at least six non-Coalition Senators to pass legislation.

Sources

These brief election results relate only to this Prime Minister. They are drawn from the online sources below, where further information can be found.

Australian Electoral Commission: Election results

University of Western Australia: Australian Government and Politics Database