Malcolm Fraser Liberal/National coalition Bob Hawke Labor The 1983 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 5 March 1983.

Hawke became the second Labor leader after World War II to lead the party to victory from opposition, after Gough Whitlam in 1972 and before Kevin Rudd in 2007 and Anthony Albanese in 2022.

Hawke had entered Parliament at the 1980 federal election following a decade as leader of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU).

Labor factions began to push for the deposition of Bill Hayden from the party leadership in favour of Hawke.

On 3 February 1983 at a meeting in Brisbane held in conjunction with the state funeral of former Labor Prime Minister Frank Forde, Hayden resigned on the advice of his closest supporters such as Senator John Button.

[2] Fraser also hoped to gain control of the Senate, where the Australian Democrats had held the balance of power since 1 July 1981.

In response to his abrupt removal, Hayden made his famous claim that a "drover's dog" could lead the ALP to victory.