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In this case, Evatt’s gaffe mattered...

Following a closely fought election in 1954, it provided an opening for Robert Menzies to call an early election in 1955, which he won in a landslide. It paved the way for another 17 years of Coalition rule.

"Closely fought election" is an amusingly undetailed way to describe an election where the Evatt led Labor Party won not only the plurality and two-party preferred vote, but in fact won more than 50% of the first preference votes, clearly demonstrating who the majority of Australians wanted in power. The Senate election the previous year had produced the same result. In 1954 our idiotic region-based electoral system handed the Tories an illegitimate five seat majority and gave Menzies' infant Liberal party their second term in government, because democracy. Just to be clear.