Note: As this was a double-dissolution election, all Senate seats were contested.
Seats changing hands
Members in italics did not contest their seat at this election.
The 1987 federal election was called 6 months early by Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke to capitalise on disunity in the opposition. The trigger for the double dissolution was legislation for the Australia Card, although it did not figure prominently in the campaign. Opposition Leader John Howard had dismissed his predecessor Andrew Peacock from the shadow ministry in March, following unfortunate remarks by Peacock to Victorian state opposition leader Jeff Kennett in an infamous car phone conversation. Howard, who had succeeded Peacock in 1985, was fighting a war on two fronts – the origin of his oft-repeated remark that, in politics, "disunity is death".
Part IV of Chapter 1 of the Australian Constitution briefly deals with eligibility for voting and election to the federal Australian Parliament. It does not prescribe how elections should be conducted. Election campaigns and associated political advertisements have some regulation. Public election funding and party registration was introduced in 1983.
Voting is almost entirely conducted by paper ballot and is compulsory for adults. The informal vote is not usually significant, but a donkey vote is more common. They may, however, have a deciding impact in marginal seats.
Despite winning almost 51 percent of the two-party-preferred vote and regaining much of what it had lost in its severe defeat of two years earlier, Labor fell short of forming government. The government was re-elected with 49.02% of the two-party-preferred vote, compared to 50.98% for the Australian Labor Party, the largest difference of six election results where the winner did not gain a two-party preferred majority, since 2PP results first estimated from 1937.
1987 Australian Federal Election Campaign: "Let's Stick Together" 60s - Australian Labor Party
published: 29 Mar 2023
1987 Australian Federal Election: Howard's Consumption Tax - Australian Labor Ad
published: 30 Mar 2023
The Australian Election of 1987: (S. 3, Ep. 5, All Australian Elections)
This video gives a brief overview of the 35th federal Australian election.
After preforming worst than expected in 1984 the Labor party looked doomed to end up as another 2 term government. That was until a certain Queensland Premier got involved with aspirations of becoming PM himself. Can Labor break there electoral Curse?
All Australian Elections is a informative series that is meant to give an entertaining overview of the history of Australian politics by looking into each federal election from 1901 to today. Mistakes are likely present in these videos and I DO NOT recommend the use of these videos for any non-fictional works and recommend people look to the original sources.
I do not claim ownership of the images of videos used in this series and credit goes to there original sou...
published: 05 Aug 2020
1987 Australian Federal Election: Whinging Wendy - Australian Labor Party
High-profile ad man John Singleton created this one for Labor prime minister Bob Hawke during the 1987 campaign against John Howard.
Wendy Wood was a suburban housewife with a broad accent who questioned Mr Howard from her kitchen about his $8-billion proposed tax cut.
Grahame Morris said despite being irritating, the Wendy ads worked.
"I don't think there's any doubt that the most annoying commercial, but it cut through," he said.
Bob Hawke went on to win the 1987 election.
published: 29 Mar 2023
1987 Federal Election Campaign: "Let's Stick Together" 30s Bob Hawke Australian Labor Advertisement
published: 18 Aug 2010
Australian federal election 1987 | Labor | 3 cents in a dollar
published: 10 Jun 2012
1987 Australian Federal Election: "Get in front again" Liberal Ad
published: 23 May 2023
1987 Australian Federal Election Coverage Early in the Count - ABC - Labor Liberal Nationals psephs
1987 Australian Federal Election Coverage Early in the Count - ABC - Labor Liberal Nationals psephs
published: 21 Apr 2023
Flashback: 1966 federal election
The ABC's Russell Barton looks back on the 1966 federal election when Labor lost to the Harold Holt led Liberal Party.
published: 13 Aug 2010
Australian federal election 1987 | Labor | One leader
This video gives a brief overview of the 35th federal Australian election.
After preforming worst than expected in 1984 the Labor party looked doomed to end u...
This video gives a brief overview of the 35th federal Australian election.
After preforming worst than expected in 1984 the Labor party looked doomed to end up as another 2 term government. That was until a certain Queensland Premier got involved with aspirations of becoming PM himself. Can Labor break there electoral Curse?
All Australian Elections is a informative series that is meant to give an entertaining overview of the history of Australian politics by looking into each federal election from 1901 to today. Mistakes are likely present in these videos and I DO NOT recommend the use of these videos for any non-fictional works and recommend people look to the original sources.
I do not claim ownership of the images of videos used in this series and credit goes to there original sources.
Title done by James Finlay. Link to his channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/mrHeywire
This video gives a brief overview of the 35th federal Australian election.
After preforming worst than expected in 1984 the Labor party looked doomed to end up as another 2 term government. That was until a certain Queensland Premier got involved with aspirations of becoming PM himself. Can Labor break there electoral Curse?
All Australian Elections is a informative series that is meant to give an entertaining overview of the history of Australian politics by looking into each federal election from 1901 to today. Mistakes are likely present in these videos and I DO NOT recommend the use of these videos for any non-fictional works and recommend people look to the original sources.
I do not claim ownership of the images of videos used in this series and credit goes to there original sources.
Title done by James Finlay. Link to his channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/mrHeywire
High-profile ad man John Singleton created this one for Labor prime minister Bob Hawke during the 1987 campaign against John Howard.
Wendy Wood was a suburban ...
High-profile ad man John Singleton created this one for Labor prime minister Bob Hawke during the 1987 campaign against John Howard.
Wendy Wood was a suburban housewife with a broad accent who questioned Mr Howard from her kitchen about his $8-billion proposed tax cut.
Grahame Morris said despite being irritating, the Wendy ads worked.
"I don't think there's any doubt that the most annoying commercial, but it cut through," he said.
Bob Hawke went on to win the 1987 election.
High-profile ad man John Singleton created this one for Labor prime minister Bob Hawke during the 1987 campaign against John Howard.
Wendy Wood was a suburban housewife with a broad accent who questioned Mr Howard from her kitchen about his $8-billion proposed tax cut.
Grahame Morris said despite being irritating, the Wendy ads worked.
"I don't think there's any doubt that the most annoying commercial, but it cut through," he said.
Bob Hawke went on to win the 1987 election.
This video gives a brief overview of the 35th federal Australian election.
After preforming worst than expected in 1984 the Labor party looked doomed to end up as another 2 term government. That was until a certain Queensland Premier got involved with aspirations of becoming PM himself. Can Labor break there electoral Curse?
All Australian Elections is a informative series that is meant to give an entertaining overview of the history of Australian politics by looking into each federal election from 1901 to today. Mistakes are likely present in these videos and I DO NOT recommend the use of these videos for any non-fictional works and recommend people look to the original sources.
I do not claim ownership of the images of videos used in this series and credit goes to there original sources.
Title done by James Finlay. Link to his channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/mrHeywire
High-profile ad man John Singleton created this one for Labor prime minister Bob Hawke during the 1987 campaign against John Howard.
Wendy Wood was a suburban housewife with a broad accent who questioned Mr Howard from her kitchen about his $8-billion proposed tax cut.
Grahame Morris said despite being irritating, the Wendy ads worked.
"I don't think there's any doubt that the most annoying commercial, but it cut through," he said.
Bob Hawke went on to win the 1987 election.
Note: As this was a double-dissolution election, all Senate seats were contested.
Seats changing hands
Members in italics did not contest their seat at this election.
The 1987 federal election was called 6 months early by Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke to capitalise on disunity in the opposition. The trigger for the double dissolution was legislation for the Australia Card, although it did not figure prominently in the campaign. Opposition Leader John Howard had dismissed his predecessor Andrew Peacock from the shadow ministry in March, following unfortunate remarks by Peacock to Victorian state opposition leader Jeff Kennett in an infamous car phone conversation. Howard, who had succeeded Peacock in 1985, was fighting a war on two fronts – the origin of his oft-repeated remark that, in politics, "disunity is death".