[4][5] The Labor Party, led by John Cain, won 31 seats and formed government with the support of two independents.

[13][14] On 10 September 1943, the Dunstan government was defeated on the floor of parliament after Labor Party MPs voted for a motion of no confidence brought forward by UAP leader Thomas Hollway on the issue of electoral redistribution.

[26] Instead of resigning, Dunstan persuaded governor Winston Dugan to grant him a dissolution of parliament, on the condition that the budget was passed.

When it became clear that the Assembly would not grant supply, Dugan commissioned deputy Liberal leader Ian Macfarlan to serve as premier with written assurances from Labor and other non-Country MPs.

[36][37] In Toorak, four different Liberal candidates stood without official party endorsement, in what The Argus described as "probably the most complicated and bewildering [contest] in the history of the electorate".

[42][43] Labor announced it would establish a Minister for Employment if elected, with Cain promising a "sane and stable government for the grave years ahead".