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Higinbotham — Australian Federal Election Results

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

Higinbotham was won by Donald Chipp (Liberal) at the 1966 federal election, with a margin of 11,830 votes over Reginald Butler after preferences. This page covers every federal election in Higinbotham from 1949 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), 1949–1966

Election Winner Party Final Votes Final Share Runner-up Margin
1949 Frank Timson Liberal 22,832 53.6% Francis Field (Labor) 3,072 (7.2 pts)
1951 Frank Timson Liberal 25,493 54.4% Geoffrey Sowerbutts (Labor) 4,125 (8.8 pts)
1954 Frank Timson Liberal 30,579 54.5% Geoffrey Sowerbutts (Labor) 5,042 (9.0 pts)
1955 Frank Timson Liberal 21,251 56.4% Leslie Coates (Labor) 4,832 (12.8 pts)
1958 Frank Timson Liberal 29,920 59.8% Edwin Lamb (Labor) 9,805 (19.6 pts)
1961 Donald Chipp Liberal 32,453 57.8% Henry Fowler (Labor) 8,802 (15.7 pts)
1963 Donald Chipp Liberal 30,406 57.5% Reginald Butler (Labor) 7,949 (15.0 pts)
1966 Donald Chipp Liberal 30,497 62.0% Reginald Butler (Labor) 11,830 (24.1 pts)

First-Preference Result by Election

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

1949

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Frank TimsonLiberal22,83253.6%
Francis FieldLabor19,76046.4%

1951

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Frank TimsonLiberal25,49354.4%
Geoffrey SowerbuttsLabor21,36845.6%

1954

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Frank TimsonLiberal30,57954.5%
Geoffrey SowerbuttsLabor25,53745.5%

1955

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Frank TimsonLiberal21,25150.8%
Leslie CoatesLabor16,41939.2%
Francis GaffyLabor (Anti-Communist)4,17610.0%

1958

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Frank TimsonLiberal24,77049.5%
Edwin LambLabor19,60039.2%
Desmond WardDemocratic Labor Party5,66511.3%

1961

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Donald ChippLiberal24,52543.7%
Henry FowlerLabor22,99141.0%
William CameronDemocratic Labor Party8,58815.3%

1963

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Donald ChippLiberal30,40651.7%
Reginald ButlerLabor22,45738.2%
William CameronDemocratic Labor Party5,96510.1%

1966

CandidatePartyFirst-Pref. VotesShare
Donald ChippLiberal30,49751.3%
Reginald ButlerLabor18,66731.4%
William CameronDemocratic Labor Party5,4639.2%
John LittleLRG3,2515.5%
John A'murrayIndependent1,5612.6%

Margin Over Time

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

1949: Liberal margin 7.2 pts 1951: Liberal margin 8.8 pts 1954: Liberal margin 9.0 pts 1955: Liberal margin 12.8 pts 1958: Liberal margin 19.6 pts 1961: Liberal margin 15.7 pts 1963: Liberal margin 15.0 pts 1966: Liberal margin 24.1 pts 1949 1951 1954 1955 1958 1961 1963 1966

Trend

Higinbotham has been contested at 8 federal elections on record since 1949. Winning party over that span: Liberal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Higinbotham in the 1966 federal election?

Donald Chipp (Liberal) won Higinbotham in 1966 after preferences, with 30,497 votes (62.0%) to Reginald Butler's 18,667.

Which parties have won Higinbotham since 1949?

Since 1949, Higinbotham has been won by: Liberal.

What was the closest result in Higinbotham?

The closest result on record for Higinbotham was 1949, when Frank Timson (Liberal) beat Francis Field by 3,072 votes (7.2 percentage points) after preferences.

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