1983 Australian Senate election

1983 Australian Senate elections

5 March 1983

All 64 seats in the Australian Senate
33 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader John Button John Carrick Don Chipp
Party Labor Liberal–National Coalition Democrats
Leader since 7 November 1980 7 August 1978 9 May 1977
Leader's seat Victoria New South Wales Victoria
Seats before 27 31 5
Seats after 30 28 5
Seat change 3 3 0
Popular vote 3,637,316 3,195,397 764,911
Percentage 45.49% 39.97 % 9.57%
Swing 3.24% 3.51% 0.31%

Senators elected in the 1983 federal election

Leader of the Senate before election

John Carrick
Liberal/National coalition

Elected Leader of the Senate

John Button
Labor

The following tables show state-by-state results in the Australian Senate at the 1983 Australian federal election. Senators total 25 coalition (23 Liberal, one coalition National, one CLP), 30 Labor, three non-coalition National, five Democrats, and one Independent. Senate terms are six years (three for territories). As the election was the result of a double dissolution, all 64 senate seats were vacant. All elected senators took their seats immediately with a backdated starting date of 1 July 1982, except for the territorial senators who took their seats at the election. Half of the senators elected in each state were allocated 3-year terms (from 1 July 1982) to restore the rotation. It is the most recent federal Senate election won by the Labor Party.