2013 Australian Senate election explained

The following tables show state-by-state results in the Australian Senate at the 2013 Australian federal election.

Following a dispute of the results, the Western Australian results were declared void. The Western Australian senators were elected at the 2014 special election in Western Australia.

New senators took their places from 1 July 2014. This gave a Senate with the Coalition government on 33 seats, the Australian Labor Party opposition on 25 seats, and a record crossbench of 18: ten Australian Greens, three Palmer United, and single seats to David Leyonhjelm of the Liberal Democratic Party, Bob Day of the Family First Party, Ricky Muir of the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party, John Madigan of the Democratic Labour Party and Nick Xenophon.^{[1] [2]}

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Australia

This table includes votes and percentage from the 2013 election and the seat allocation is based on the void election in Western Australia. The 2014 Australian Senate special election in Western Australia includes the revised national totals after that election.

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats won	Total seats	Change
			/ joint ticket	align=right	3,938,204	align=right	29.36	align=right	–0.04	align=right	8	align=right	16	align=right	1
				align=right	1,006,710	align=right	7.51	align=right	+1.08	align=right	8	align=right	16	align=right
				align=right	69,523	align=right	0.52	align=right	–0.19	align=right	0	align=right	0	align=right
			Country Liberal (NT)	align=right	42,781	align=right	0.32	align=right	–0.01	align=right	1	align=right	1	align=right
	Coalition total	5,057,218	37.70	–0.92	17	33	1
				4,038,591	30.11	–5.02	12	25	6
				1,159,588	8.65	–4.46	4	10	1
				658,976	4.91	+4.91	2	2	2
		Liberal Democratic Party		523,831	3.91	+2.10	1	1	1
		Xenophon Group		258,376	1.93	+1.93	1	1
				183,731	1.37	–0.67
				149,306	1.11	–0.99	1	1	1
		Shooters and Fishers Party		127,397	0.95	–0.73
				119,920	0.89	+0.89
				112,549	0.84	–0.22	0	1
		Help End Marijuana Prohibition		95,430	0.71	+0.71
				93,820	0.70	+0.70
				88,092	0.66	+0.66
		Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group)		72,544	0.54	–0.47
				70,851	0.53	–0.03
				67,560	0.50	+0.50	1	1	1
				59,907	0.45	+0.07
		Australian Christians		54,154	0.40	+0.40
				49,341	0.37	+0.37
		Australian Independents		45,441	0.34	+0.34
				42,102	0.31	+0.31
				33,907	0.25	–0.38
				25,123	0.19	+0.19
				21,854	0.16	+0.16
				19,377	0.14	+0.14
		Outdoor Recreation Party (Stop the Greens)		19,013	0.14	+0.14
		No Carbon Tax Climate Sceptics		17,959	0.13	–0.07
				12,704	0.09	+0.00
				12,671	0.09	+0.09
				10,189	0.08	+0.08
				10,157	0.08	–0.00
				10,057	0.07	+0.07
				9,774	0.07	–0.04
				9,625	0.07	–0.07
				7,990	0.06	+0.06
				7,890	0.06	–0.08
				6,440	0.05	+0.05
				5,498	0.04	–0.18
				5,423	0.04	+0.04
				4,243	0.03	+0.03
				3,379	0.03	+0.03
				2,997	0.02	+0.02
				2,997	0.02	+0.02	1	1	1
				2,728	0.02	–0.24
		Bank Reform Party		1,828	0.01	+0.01
				1,708	0.01	–0.09
				1,495	0.01	+0.01
				1,357	0.01	–0.02
		Unendorsed/ungrouped		15,489	0.12	–0.32
	Others		align=right	1,499,570	align=right	11.18	align=right		align=right		align=right		align=right
Total			align=right	13,413,016	align=right		align=right		align=right	40	align=right	76
Invalid/blank votes			align=right	409,149	align=right	2.96	align=right	–0.79
Registered voters/turnout			align=right	14,086,869	align=right	93.71
Source: Commonwealth Election 2013

The Senate has 76 seats. Forty seats were up for election; six in each of the six states, two for the ACT and two for the Northern Territory. The terms of the four senators from the territories commenced on election day. The terms of the six longest-serving state senators ended on 30 June 2014; the terms of the new state senators commenced on 1 July 2014, and were originally supposed to end on 30 June 2020—however, the entire Senate was dissolved at the double-dissolution 2016 election.^{[3] [4]}

The Senate saw the Coalition government on 33 seats with the Labor opposition on 25 seats, the Greens on 10 seats and a crossbench of eight—Palmer United on three seats, with other minor parties and independents on five seats (the LDP's David Leyonhjelm, Family First's Bob Day, Motoring's Ricky Muir and incumbents Nick Xenophon and the DLP's John Madigan). Muir announced he would vote in line with Palmer United.^[5] The initial election saw Wayne Dropulich of the Australian Sports Party win a seat in Western Australia, but the subsequent voiding of the result and ensuing special election saw the Palmer United Party gain a third seat. The Coalition government required the support of at least six non-coalition senators to pass legislation.

A record number of candidates stood at the election.^[6] Group voting tickets came under scrutiny because multiple candidates were provisionally elected with the vast majority of their 14.3 per cent quotas coming from the preferences of other parties across the political spectrum. "Preference whisperer" Glenn Druery organised tight cross-preferencing between over 30 minor parties as part of his Minor Party Alliance.^{[7] [8] [9]} Sports' Wayne Dropulich won a Senate seat on a record-low primary vote of 0.2 per cent in Western Australia, his party placing 21st out of 28 groups on primary votes.^{[10] [11] [12]} Motoring's Ricky Muir won a senate seat on a record-low primary vote of 0.5 per cent in Victoria.^{[13] [14]} Family First's Bob Day won a seat on a primary vote of 3.8 per cent in South Australia.^{[14] [15]} All three were involved with the Minor Party Alliance.^[16] Previous examples of winning with low vote shares include Family First's Steve Fielding in 2004 on 1.9 per cent in Victoria,^[17] the Nuclear Disarmament Party's Robert Wood in 1987 on 1.5 per cent in New South Wales, and the DLP's John Madigan won his seat in 2010 on a primary vote of 2.3 per cent in Victoria.^[18] Xenophon and larger parties including the incoming government announced they would look at changes to the GVT system.^{[19] [20] [21]}

New South Wales

align=right

Elected Senator Party 2013 1 Marise Payne   Liberal 2013 2 Bob Carr   Labor 2013 3 John Williams   National 2013 4 Doug Cameron   Labor 2013 5 David Leyonhjelm   LDP 2013 6 Arthur Sinodinos   Liberal 2010 2010 1 Concetta Fierravanti-Wells   Liberal 2010 2 John Faulkner   Labor 2010 3 Bill Heffernan   Liberal 2010 4 Matt Thistlethwaite   Labor 2010 5 Fiona Nash   National 2010 6 Lee Rhiannon   Greens

Victoria

align=right

Elected Senator Party 2013 1 Mitch Fifield   Liberal 2013 2 Gavin Marshall   Labor 2013 3 Scott Ryan   Liberal 2013 4 Jacinta Collins   Labor 2013 5 Janet Rice   Greens 2013 6 Ricky Muir   Motoring 2010 2010 1 Kim Carr   Labor 2010 2 Michael Ronaldson   Liberal 2010 3 Richard Di Natale   Greens 2010 4 Stephen Conroy   Labor 2010 5 Bridget McKenzie   National 2010 6 John Madigan   DLP

Queensland

align=right

Elected Senator Party 2013 1 Ian Macdonald   LNP 2013 2 Chris Ketter   Labor 2013 3 James McGrath   LNP 2013 4 Claire Moore   Labor 2013 5 Glenn Lazarus   Palmer 2013 6 Matt Canavan   LNP 2010 2010 1 George Brandis   LNP 2010 2 Joe Ludwig   Labor 2010 3 Barnaby Joyce   LNP 2010 4 Jan McLucas   Labor 2010 5 Larissa Waters   Greens 2010 6 Brett Mason   LNP

Western Australia

align=right

Elected Senator Party 2013 1 David Johnston   Liberal 2013 2 Joe Bullock   Labor 2013 3 Michaelia Cash   Liberal 2013 4 Linda Reynolds   Liberal 2013 5 Wayne Dropulich   Sports 2013 6 Scott Ludlam   Greens 2010 2010 1 Mathias Cormann   Liberal 2010 2 Chris Evans   Labor 2010 3 Chris Back   Liberal 2010 4 Glenn Sterle   Labor 2010 5 Judith Adams   Liberal 2010 6 Rachel Siewert   Greens

South Australia

align=right

Elected Senator Party 2013 1 Cory Bernardi   Liberal 2013 2 Nick Xenophon   Independent 2013 3 Penny Wong   Labor 2013 4 Sarah Hanson-Young   Greens 2013 5 Bob Day   Family First 2013 6 Simon Birmingham   Liberal 2010 2010 1 Alex Gallacher   Labor 2010 2 Mary Jo Fisher   Liberal 2010 3 Anne McEwen   Labor 2010 4 Sean Edwards   Liberal 2010 5 Penny Wright   Greens 2010 6 David Fawcett   Liberal

Tasmania

align=right

Elected Senator Party 2013 1 Richard Colbeck   Liberal 2013 2 Carol Brown   Labor 2013 3 David Bushby   Liberal 2013 4 Catryna Bilyk   Labor 2013 5 Peter Whish-Wilson   Greens 2013 6 Jacqui Lambie   Palmer 2010 2010 1 Helen Polley   Labor 2010 2 Eric Abetz   Liberal 2010 3 Christine Milne   Greens 2010 4 Anne Urquhart   Labor 2010 5 Stephen Parry   Liberal 2010 6 Lisa Singh   Labor

Territories

Australian Capital Territory

align=right

Elected Senator Party 2013 1 Kate Lundy   Labor 2013 2 Zed Seselja   Liberal

Northern Territory

align=right

Elected Senator Party 2013 1 Nigel Scullion   CLP 2013 2 Nova Peris   Labor

See also

• 2013 Australian federal election
• Results of the 2013 Australian federal election (House of Representatives)
• Post-election pendulum for the 2013 Australian federal election
• Members of the Australian Senate, 2014–2016

Notes and References

1. http://results.aec.gov.au/17496/Website/SenateResultsMenu-17496.htm 2013 election Senate results by vote: AEC
2. Web site: 2013 election Senate results by seat: ABC. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
3. Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, Section 13. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
4. Senate (Representation of Territories) Act 1973, Section 6. Retrieved August 2010.
5. Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party Consolidates Support . . 10 October 2013 . 13 November 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131102230843/http://www.australianmotoringenthusiastparty.org.au/australian_motoring_enthusiast_party_consolidates_support . 2 November 2013 . dead .
6. News: Record Number of Candidates to Contest 2013 Election . Antony Green . Green, Antony . . 16 August 2013 . 13 November 2013.
7. Web site: Bormann . Trevor . Bitter dispute erupts over Senate preferences in Queensland: ABC 5 September 2013 . Abc.net.au . 5 September 2013 . 19 March 2018.
8. Web site: Glen Druery – the 'preference whisperer': ABC 21 August 2013 . 29 September 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131002051453/http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2013/08/glen-dreuery-the-preference-whisperer.html . 2 October 2013 . dead .
9. Web site: Bridie Jabour . 'Preference whisperer' defends role in minor parties' Senate success: The Guardian 13 September 2013 . The Guardian. 13 September 2013 . 19 March 2018.
10. Web site: Western Australia 2013 Senate results and preference flows . ABC . 19 March 2018.
11. News: The Preference Deals behind the Strange Election of Ricky Muir and Wayne Dropulich . Antony Green . Green, Antony . . 13 September 2013 . 13 November 2013 .
12. Web site: Australian Sports Party 'pleasantly surprised' by potential Senate seat: ABC 9 September 2013 . Abc.net.au . 9 September 2013 . 19 March 2018.
13. Web site: Victorian 2013 Senate results and preference flows . ABC . 19 March 2018.
14. Web site: Motoring Enthusiasts Party member Ricky Muir wins Senate seat: ABC 1 October 2013 . Abc.net.au . 1 October 2013 . 19 March 2018.
15. Web site: South Australia 2013 Senate results and preference flows . ABC . 19 March 2018.
16. Web site: Micro-manager behind independents: SMH 10 September 2013 . Sydney Morning Herald . 10 September 2013 . 19 March 2018.
17. Web site: A ballot crammed with choice: SMH Tim Colebatch 5 August 2013 . Sydney Morning Herald . 5 August 2013 . 19 March 2018.
18. Web site: Single-issue groups set to take balance of power: Canberra Times 9 September 2013 . Canberratimes.com.au . 9 September 2013 . 19 March 2018.
19. Web site: Coalition shy of Senate majority: Business Spectator 9 September 2013 . Businessspectator.com.au . 19 March 2018.
20. Web site: Tony Abbott fires a warning shot at micro parties in the Senate . Watoday.com.au . 9 September 2013 . 19 March 2018.
21. Web site: Xenophon wants voting reform: NineMSN 9 September 2013 . 9 September 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140117062411/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/09/09/08/50/xenophon-wants-voting-reform . 17 January 2014 . dead .