Electoral results for the Division of Watson (1934–1969)

This is a list of electoral results for the Division of Watson (1934–69) in Australian federal elections from the division's creation in 1934 until its abolition in 1969.

Members

	Party	Term
John Jennings	United Australia	1934–1940
Max Falstein	Labor	1940–1949
Max Falstein	Independent Labor	1949–1949
Dan Curtin	Labor	1949–1955
Jim Cope	Labor	1955–1969

Election results

Elections in the 1960s

1966

1966 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Jim Cope	21,492	62.1	−6.0
	Liberal	Peter Lowe	10,476	30.2	+6.9
	Democratic Labor	Thomas Colman	2,664	7.7	+1.7
Total formal votes			34,632	95.6
Informal votes			1,608	4.4
Turnout			36,240	94.0
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Jim Cope		64.4	−8.1
	Liberal	Peter Lowe		35.6	+8.1
	Labor hold		Swing	−8.1

1963

1963 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Jim Cope	24,280	68.1	−12.0
	Liberal	Louis Mamo	8,302	23.3	+6.4
	Democratic Labor	Bernard Atkinson	2,136	6.0	+3.0
	Communist	Harry Hatfield	951	2.7	+2.7
Total formal votes			35,669	96.9
Informal votes			1,143	3.1
Turnout			36,812	93.9
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Jim Cope		72.5	−8.2
	Liberal	Louis Mamo		27.5	+8.2
	Labor hold		Swing	−8.2

1961

1961 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Jim Cope	29,079	80.1	+9.1
	Liberal	Sidney Pitkethly	6,134	16.9	−8.2
	Democratic Labor	Mary Nappa	1,081	3.0	−0.9
Total formal votes			36,294	97.0
Informal votes			1,141	3.0
Turnout			37,435	94.7
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Jim Cope		80.7	+8.9
	Liberal	Sidney Pitkethly		19.3	−8.9
	Labor hold		Swing	+8.9

Elections in the 1950s

1958

1958 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Jim Cope	27,232	71.0	−3.4
	Liberal	John Bampton	9,628	25.1	+4.6
	Democratic Labor	Kenneth Collins	1,503	3.9	+3.9
Total formal votes			38,363	96.5
Informal votes			1,397	3.5
Turnout			39,760	95.5
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Jim Cope		71.8	−7.1
	Liberal	John Bampton		28.2	+7.1
	Labor hold		Swing	−7.1

1955

1955 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Jim Cope	30,129	74.4	−3.8
	Liberal	Jill Huxtable	8,316	20.5	+2.1
	Communist	Harry Hatfield	2,025	5.0	+2.4
Total formal votes			40,470	96.1
Informal votes			1,649	3.9
Turnout			42,119	95.4
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Jim Cope		78.9	−2.1
	Liberal	Jill Huxtable		21.1	+2.1
	Labor hold		Swing	−2.1

1954

1954 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Dan Curtin	25,507	63.2	+6.5
	Liberal	Hubert O'Connell	14,846	36.8	−6.5
Total formal votes			40,353	98.2
Informal votes			728	1.8
Turnout			41,081	96.2
	Labor hold		Swing	+6.5

1951

1951 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Dan Curtin	22,510	56.7	+7.3
	Liberal	Donald Clark	17,158	43.3	+5.0
Total formal votes			39,668	97.4
Informal votes			1,051	2.6
Turnout			40,719	95.6
	Labor hold		Swing	−2.3

Elections in the 1940s

1949

1949 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Dan Curtin	19,515	49.4	−5.9
	Liberal	Stanley Card	15,147	38.3	+12.5
	Independent Labor	Max Falstein	3,656	9.2	+9.2
	Lang Labor	Harold O'Reilly	1,210	3.1	−3.1
Total formal votes			39,528	97.3
Informal votes			1,079	2.7
Turnout			40,607	96.5
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Dan Curtin		59.0	−3.5
	Liberal	Stanley Card		41.0	+3.5
	Labor hold		Swing	−3.5

1946

1946 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Max Falstein	38,025	53.7	+1.4
	Liberal	Charles de Monchaux	24,246	34.2	+6.7
	Protestant People	Charles Wilson	6,177	8.7	+8.7
	Services	Wallace Knox	2,364	3.3	+3.3
Total formal votes			70,812	97.5
Informal votes			1,809	2.5
Turnout			72,621	94.8
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Max Falstein		56.7	−5.4
	Liberal	Charles de Monchaux		45.3	+5.4
	Labor hold		Swing	−5.4

1943

1943 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Max Falstein	35,400	52.3	+18.0
	United Australia	Norman Whitfield	18,588	27.5	−17.5
	State Labor	Richard Wilson	5,662	8.4	−1.2
	Ind. United Australia	Les Fingleton	2,304	3.4	+3.4
	Liberal Democratic	Arthur Dudley	2,218	3.3	+3.3
	Independent	Harry Yates	1,942	2.9	+2.9
	Ind. United Australia	Hubert O'Connell	1,579	2.3	+2.3
Total formal votes			67,693	95.9
Informal votes			2,873	4.1
Turnout			70,566	98.0
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Max Falstein		62.1	+10.1
	United Australia	Norman Whitfield		37.9	−10.1
	Labor hold		Swing	+10.1

1940

1940 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Australia	John Jennings	27,586	45.0	−8.8
	Labor	Max Falstein	21,101	34.5	−11.7
	Labor (N-C)	Cecil Irwin	6,693	10.9	+10.9
	State Labor	Richard Wilson	5,868	9.6	+9.6
Total formal votes			61,248	97.9
Informal votes			1,290	2.1
Turnout			62,538	94.7
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Max Falstein	31,831	52.0	+5.8
	United Australia	John Jennings	29,417	48.0	−5.8
	Labor gain from United Australia		Swing	+5.8

Elections in the 1930s

1937

1937 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Australia	John Jennings	31,187	53.8	−1.1
	Labor	William Dignam	26,788	46.2	+39.7
Total formal votes			57,975	98.0
Informal votes			1,157	2.0
Turnout			59,132	96.5
	United Australia hold		Swing	−4.9

1934

1934 Australian federal election: Watson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Australia	John Jennings	28,758	54.9	−1.4
	Labor (NSW)	Joe Lamaro	17,817	34.0	+13.4
	Labor	William Murphy	3,398	6.5	−10.9
	Social Credit	Vincent Murtagh	2,371	4.5	+4.5
Total formal votes			52,344	97.1
Informal votes			1,537	2.9
Turnout			53,881	95.4
Two-party-preferred result
	United Australia	John Jennings		58.7	−5.8
	Labor (NSW)	Joe Lamaro		41.3	+5.8
	United Australia notional hold		Swing	−5.8

References

Australian Electoral Commission. Federal election results
Carr, Adam. Psephos