The election at which the seat was created, held on 3 October 1911, swept Labor to power in Western Australia, and Scaddan was shortly thereafter sworn in as Premier.
His replacement as Premier, the Liberal Party's Frank Wilson, appointed a six-member ministry who, having accepted an office of profit under the crown, were obliged to resign their seats and stand for ministerial by-elections.
A plebiscite held on the question at the initiative of Prime Minister Billy Hughes showed Western Australia as a whole to be strongly supportive of conscription, with almost 70% voting yes as against 48% nationally.
A very hostile campaign followed, led by the Westralian Worker newspaper and by McCallum himself, and on 21 July 1917, Scaddan was defeated by John Lutey, who claimed the victory as a triumph of principles over men.
This was only the second occasion in Western Australia's parliamentary history—the first having been the defeat of half of the Morgans Ministry in December 1901—that a Minister had failed to retain his seat at a ministerial by-election resulting from his appointment.