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Australian capital territory — Australian Federal Election Results

Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30

Australian capital territory was won by Keppel Enderby (Labor) at the 1972 federal election, with a margin of 22,591 votes over Peter Hughes after preferences. This page covers every federal election in Australian capital territory from 1949 to 1972.

Australia uses instant-runoff (preferential) voting: voters rank candidates in order of preference, and if no one has a majority of first-preference votes, the lowest-placed candidate is eliminated and their votes redistributed to voters' next preference, repeating until one candidate has a majority. The "Winner" and "Margin" below reflect the final result after preferences (equivalent to the AEC's own two-candidate-preferred figure) — not simply whoever led on first preferences, which can occasionally be a different candidate.

Full Election History (After Preferences), 1949–1972

Election Winner Party Final Votes Final Share Runner-up Margin
1949 Lewis Nott Independent 6,013 53.8% Sidney Rhodes (Labor) 852 (7.6 pts)
1951 James Fraser Labor 6,026 63.8% Lewis Nott (Independent) 2,610 (27.6 pts)
1954 James Fraser Labor 8,762 64.6% Mary Stevenson (Liberal) 3,963 (29.2 pts)
1955 James Fraser Labor 9,588 64.6% Robert Greenish (Liberal) 4,325 (29.1 pts)
1958 James Fraser Labor 11,980 73.2% Ann Dalgarno (Liberal) 7,597 (46.4 pts)
1961 James Fraser Labor 17,114 64.9% Geoffrey Small (Liberal) 7,851 (29.8 pts)
1963 James Fraser Labor 17,984 54.9% Elizabeth Calvert (Liberal) 3,236 (9.9 pts)
1966 James Fraser Labor 22,721 57.7% Robert Rowell (Liberal) 6,036 (15.3 pts)
1969 James Fraser Labor 39,070 71.6% Robert Maher (Liberal) 23,578 (43.2 pts)
1972 Keppel Enderby Labor 40,147 69.6% Peter Hughes (Liberal) 22,591 (39.2 pts)

First-Preference Result by Election

Every candidate's first-preference votes, before any preference redistribution.

1949

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Sidney RhodesLabor4,82343.2%
Lewis NottIndependent3,47531.1%
Malcolm MoirLiberal2,51022.5%
Jessie AshtonIndependent3663.3%

1951

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
James FraserLabor5,90549.9%
Lewis NottIndependent3,26527.6%
Clyde GreenwoodLiberal2,28719.3%
Jessie AshtonIndependent3733.2%

1954

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
James FraserLabor8,76262.7%
Mary StevensonLiberal4,79934.4%
John CusackIndependent4052.9%

1955

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
James FraserLabor9,58864.6%
Robert GreenishLiberal5,26335.4%

1958

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
James FraserLabor11,98063.4%
Ann DalgarnoLiberal4,38323.2%
Philip DayIndependent2,53413.4%

1961

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
James FraserLabor17,11464.9%
Geoffrey SmallLiberal9,26335.1%

1963

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
James FraserLabor17,98454.9%
Elizabeth CalvertLiberal14,74845.1%

1966

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
James FraserLabor22,72151.6%
Robert RowellLiberal16,68537.9%
John DonohueDemocratic Labor Party2,1935.0%
Ann DelgarnoIndependent1,4583.3%
Robert GreenishIndependent9382.1%

1969

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
James FraserLabor39,07067.7%
Robert MaherLiberal15,49226.9%
Thomas McdermottAP2,6514.6%
Donald MchughCommunist Party of Australia4770.8%

1972

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Keppel EnderbyLabor40,14752.1%
Peter HughesLiberal17,55622.8%
Alan FitzgeraldAP10,52913.7%
Arthur BurnsIndependent3,1334.1%
Terence ChristieDemocratic Labor Party2,7583.6%
June EatockIndependent2,0032.6%
Barry BlairIndependent6700.9%
Michael SalvadorIndependent1400.2%
Harry MarshIndependent670.1%

Margin Over Time

Final (after-preferences) winning margin, percentage points, coloured by the winning party.

1949: Independent margin 7.6 pts 1951: Labor margin 27.6 pts 1954: Labor margin 29.2 pts 1955: Labor margin 29.1 pts 1958: Labor margin 46.4 pts 1961: Labor margin 29.8 pts 1963: Labor margin 9.9 pts 1966: Labor margin 15.3 pts 1969: Labor margin 43.2 pts 1972: Labor margin 39.2 pts 1949 1951 1954 1955 1958 1961 1963 1966 1969 1972

Trend

Australian capital territory has been contested at 10 federal elections on record since 1949. Winning parties over that span: Independent, Labor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Australian capital territory in the 1972 federal election?

Keppel Enderby (Labor) won Australian capital territory in 1972 after preferences, with 40,147 votes (69.6%) to Peter Hughes's 17,556.

Which parties have won Australian capital territory since 1949?

Since 1949, Australian capital territory has been won by: Independent, Labor.

What was the closest result in Australian capital territory?

The closest result on record for Australian capital territory was 1949, when Lewis Nott (Independent) beat Sidney Rhodes by 852 votes (7.6 percentage points) after preferences.

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