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Fawkner — Australian Federal Election Results

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

Fawkner was won by Peter Howson (Liberal) at the 1966 federal election, with a margin of 9,072 votes over Robert Vernon after preferences. This page covers every federal election in Fawkner from 1906 to 1966.

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), 1906–1966

Election Winner Party Final Votes Final Share Runner-up Margin
1906 George Fairbairn AS 12,212 64.8% Thomas Smith (Labor) 5,591 (29.7 pts)
1910 George Fairbairn Liberal 14,544 58.9% Joseph Hannan (Labor) 4,383 (17.7 pts)
1913 Joseph Hannan Labor 16,643 53.3% George Fairbairn (Liberal) 2,033 (6.5 pts)
1914 Joseph Hannan Labor 17,483 59.3% Frank Carse (Liberal) 5,502 (18.7 pts)
1917 George Maxwell National 16,907 51.4% Joseph Hannan (Labor) 931 (2.8 pts)
1919 George Maxwell National 15,819 51.5% Joseph Hannan (Labor) 892 (2.9 pts)
1922 George Maxwell National 12,472 55.8% Alfred Foster (Labor) 2,591 (11.6 pts)
1925 George Maxwell National 26,028 59.4% Alfred Foster (Labor) 8,219 (18.7 pts)
1928 George Maxwell National 25,388 61.7% Nicholas Roberts (Labor) 9,657 (23.5 pts)
1929 George Maxwell Independent 25,564 60.7% Arthur Robinson (National) 9,017 (21.4 pts)
1931 George Maxwell United Australia Party 28,586 71.3% John Mckenna (Labor) 17,078 (42.6 pts)
1934 George Maxwell United Australia Party 30,029 70.6% William Smith (Labor) 17,514 (41.2 pts)
1937 Harold Holt United Australia Party 33,277 66.0% William Doran (Labor) 16,153 (32.0 pts)
1940 Harold Holt United Australia Party 38,387 63.0% Arthur Fraser (Labor) 15,829 (26.0 pts)
1943 Harold Holt United Australia Party 41,602 58.0% Thomas Jude (Labor) 11,493 (16.0 pts)
1946 Harold Holt Liberal 39,047 55.9% William Bourke (Labor) 8,212 (11.8 pts)
1949 William Bourke Labor 20,228 50.0% Magnus Cormack (Liberal) 27 (0.1 pts)
1951 William Bourke Labor 20,158 52.0% Peter Howson (Liberal) 1,572 (4.1 pts)
1954 William Bourke Labor 18,038 50.2% Peter Howson (Liberal) 118 (0.3 pts)
1955 Peter Howson Liberal 19,992 52.3% William Bourke (Labor (Anti-Communist)) 1,757 (4.6 pts)
1958 Peter Howson Liberal 23,198 64.8% George Smart (Labor) 10,578 (29.5 pts)
1961 Peter Howson Liberal 21,438 62.8% Gwendolyn Noad (Labor) 8,737 (25.6 pts)
1963 Peter Howson Liberal 18,614 61.3% Gwendolyn Noad (Labor) 6,840 (22.5 pts)
1966 Peter Howson Liberal 17,955 66.9% Robert Vernon (Labor) 9,072 (33.8 pts)

First-Preference Result by Election

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

1906

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
George FairbairnAS12,21260.5%
Thomas SmithLabor6,62132.8%
John MillerProt1,3606.7%

1910

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
George FairbairnLiberal14,54458.9%
Joseph HannanLabor10,16141.1%

1913

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Joseph HannanLabor16,64353.3%
George FairbairnLiberal14,61046.7%

1914

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Joseph HannanLabor17,48359.3%
Frank CarseLiberal11,98140.7%

1917

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
George MaxwellNational16,90751.1%
Joseph HannanLabor15,97648.3%
Frank HentyIndependent2030.6%

1919

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
George MaxwellNational15,81951.5%
Joseph HannanLabor14,92748.5%

1922

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
George MaxwellNational12,47252.2%
Alfred FosterLabor9,88141.4%
John MurphyLiberal1,5336.4%

1925

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
George MaxwellNational26,02859.4%
Alfred FosterLabor17,80940.6%

1928

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
George MaxwellNational25,38861.7%
Nicholas RobertsLabor15,73138.3%

1929

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
George MaxwellIndependent25,56459.4%
Arthur RobinsonNational16,54738.4%
James RonaldIndependent9502.2%

1931

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
George MaxwellUnited Australia Party28,58667.7%
John MckennaLabor11,50827.2%
David RobertsonIndependent2,1595.1%

1934

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
George MaxwellUnited Australia Party30,02966.5%
William SmithLabor12,51527.7%
Frederick PaiceSC2,5925.7%

1937

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Harold HoltUnited Australia Party33,27755.1%
William DoranLabor17,12428.4%
William BottomleyIndependent9,94116.5%

1940

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Harold HoltUnited Australia Party38,38760.8%
Arthur FraserLabor22,55835.8%
Alexander MillsIndependent2,1523.4%

1943

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Harold HoltUnited Australia Party23,93133.4%
Thomas JudeLabor23,50832.8%
William CremorIndependent15,95822.3%
Vernon MargettsIndependent3,4374.8%
Malcolm GoodCommunist Party of Australia3,3004.6%
Charles KennettIndependent1,1961.7%
Ruth RavenscroftIndependent3810.5%

1946

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Harold HoltLiberal39,04753.5%
William BourkeLabor30,83542.2%
Coralie BrownIndependent2,1212.9%
Harold RettigIndependent1,0421.4%

1949

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
William BourkeLabor20,22850.0%
Magnus CormackLiberal20,20150.0%

1951

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
William BourkeLabor20,15851.6%
Peter HowsonLiberal18,58647.6%
Colin KennedyIndependent3320.8%

1954

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
William BourkeLabor18,03850.2%
Peter HowsonLiberal17,92049.8%

1955

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Peter HowsonLiberal17,64546.2%
William BourkeLabor (Anti-Communist)10,45027.3%
Patrick ThompsonLabor10,13226.5%

1958

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Peter HowsonLiberal17,31248.3%
George SmartLabor11,79732.9%
William BourkeDemocratic Labor Party6,70918.7%

1961

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Peter HowsonLiberal16,58048.6%
Gwendolyn NoadLabor12,22335.8%
Richard CoyneDemocratic Labor Party5,33615.6%

1963

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Peter HowsonLiberal18,61454.5%
Gwendolyn NoadLabor11,77434.5%
John SpeedDemocratic Labor Party2,8188.2%
George GabrielIndependent9662.8%

1966

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Peter HowsonLiberal17,95555.4%
Robert VernonLabor8,88327.4%
Yvonne AbolinsDemocratic Labor Party3,51110.8%
George GabrielLRG1,6995.2%
Anthony SandersIndependent3671.1%

Margin Over Time

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

1906: AS margin 29.7 pts 1910: Liberal margin 17.7 pts 1913: Labor margin 6.5 pts 1914: Labor margin 18.7 pts 1917: National margin 2.8 pts 1919: National margin 2.9 pts 1922: National margin 11.6 pts 1925: National margin 18.7 pts 1928: National margin 23.5 pts 1929: Independent margin 21.4 pts 1931: United Australia Party margin 42.6 pts 1934: United Australia Party margin 41.2 pts 1937: United Australia Party margin 32.0 pts 1940: United Australia Party margin 26.0 pts 1943: United Australia Party margin 16.0 pts 1946: Liberal margin 11.8 pts 1949: Labor margin 0.1 pts 1951: Labor margin 4.1 pts 1954: Labor margin 0.3 pts 1955: Liberal margin 4.6 pts 1958: Liberal margin 29.5 pts 1961: Liberal margin 25.6 pts 1963: Liberal margin 22.5 pts 1966: Liberal margin 33.8 pts 1906 1910 1913 1914 1917 1919 1922 1925 1928 1929 1931 1934 1937 1940 1943 1946 1949 1951 1954 1955 1958 1961 1963 1966

Trend

Fawkner has been contested at 24 federal elections on record since 1906. Winning parties over that span: AS, Liberal, Labor, National, Independent, United Australia Party.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Fawkner in the 1966 federal election?

Peter Howson (Liberal) won Fawkner in 1966 after preferences, with 17,955 votes (66.9%) to Robert Vernon's 8,883.

Which parties have won Fawkner since 1906?

Since 1906, Fawkner has been won by: AS, Independent, Labor, Liberal, National, United Australia Party.

What was the closest result in Fawkner?

The closest result on record for Fawkner was 1949, when William Bourke (Labor) beat Magnus Cormack by 27 votes (0.1 percentage points) after preferences.

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