Federal elections were held in Australia on 16 December 1903. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Protectionist Party led by Prime Minister of Australia Alfred Deakin defeated the opposition Free Trade Party led by George Reid. Independent: Frederick Holder, James Wilkinson Independent: William Trenwith (Vic) The election saw the Labour party made significant gains outside New South Wales and Victoria.

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  • Federal elections were held in Australia on 16 December 1903. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Protectionist Party led by Prime Minister of Australia Alfred Deakin defeated the opposition Free Trade Party led by George Reid. Independent: Frederick Holder, James Wilkinson Independent: William Trenwith (Vic) The election saw the Labour party made significant gains outside New South Wales and Victoria. As a result of Labour's gains, the numbers of the three parties in Parliament were very close to equal, leading to unstable governments. Alfred Deakin would describe it as a parliament of "three elevens". Although the Protectionists were able to retain their minority government with the qualified support of the Labour Party, the equal numbers would see a record three changes of government over the course of the Parliamentary term, with each of the three parties holding office at least once during the term of the Parliament. The three parties that contested the 1901 election also contested the 1903 election, with only the Protectionists changing leaders to Alfred Deakin as a result of Edmund Barton's appointment as an inaugural judge of the newly constituted High Court of Australia. The Free Trade Party was again lead by George Reid. The only significant difference in policy between these parties was on trade issues. The Protectionists sought to protect Australian industry and agriculture by placing tariffs on imports. The Free Traders downgraded the view they had last election of having no tariffs to campaigning on minimal tariffs. The other major party contesting the election was the Labour Party. This election also saw the debut of Australia's first of many minor parties, the Revenue Tariff Party, whose sole elected member joined the Free Trade Party at the start of the first sitting of the new parliament. Following a federal government act in 1902, women were given the vote in all states, leading to a significant increase in the number of votes cast in the 1903 election. Like the 1901 election, voting was voluntary and candidates were elected by the First-past-the-post system.
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  • Federal elections were held in Australia on 16 December 1903. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Protectionist Party led by Prime Minister of Australia Alfred Deakin defeated the opposition Free Trade Party led by George Reid. Independent: Frederick Holder, James Wilkinson Independent: William Trenwith (Vic) The election saw the Labour party made significant gains outside New South Wales and Victoria.
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  • Australian federal election, 1903
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