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Articles on Issues that swung elections

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Joh Bjelke-Petersen with his wife, Flo, on their wedding day in 1952. Bjelke-Petersen made an ill-fated bid for PM in 1987 that ripped the Coalition apart. Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd/Wikimedia Commons

Issues that swung elections: the dramatic and inglorious fall of Joh Bjelke-Petersen

Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen was Queensland’s longest-serving premier, but an inquiry into corruption brought his hopes of becoming the next prime minister of Australia to a sudden end.
Arthur Caldwell almost defeated Robert Menzies in the 1961 federal election, dominated by debate over the economy and unemployment. National Archives, National Library of Australia, Wikimedia

Issues that swung elections: the ‘credit squeeze’ that nearly swept Menzies from power in 1961

In 1960, Harold Holt, the then-treasurer, urged the government to abolish import restrictions, resulting in a minor recession. This nearly swung the election in the ALP’s favour.

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