See also: 1966 Australian federal election.
| Country: | Australia |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Election Date: | 26 November 1966 |
| Previous Election: | 1964 Australian Senate election |
| Previous Year: | 1964 |
| Next Election: | 1967 Australian Senate election |
| Next Year: | 1967 |
| Seats For Election: | 6 of the 54 seats in the Senate |
| Majority Seats: | 27 |
| Image1: | DenhamHenty1967.jpg |
| Leader1: | Denham Henty |
| Party1: | Coalition (Australia) |
| Leaders Seat1: | Tasmania |
| Seats Before1: | 30 |
| Seats1: | 4 |
| Seats After1: | 29 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| Popular Vote1: | 2,406,768 |
| Percentage1: | 50.04% |
| Swing1: | 4.30pp |
| Leader2: | Don Willesee |
| Party2: | Australian Labor Party |
| Leaders Seat2: | Western Australia |
| Seats Before2: | 27 |
| Seats2: | 2 |
| Seats After2: | 28 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,897,049 |
| Percentage2: | 39.45% |
| Swing2: | 5.21pp |
| Image3: | Queensland State Archives 4750 Hon VC Gair Premier of Queensland c 1953.png |
| Leader3: | Vince Gair |
| Party3: | DLP |
| Leaders Seat3: | Queensland |
| Seats Before3: | 2 |
| Seats3: | 0 |
| Seats After3: | 2 |
| Popular Vote3: | 421,959 |
| Percentage3: | 8.77% |
| Swing3: | 0.38pp |
Special Senate elections were held on 26 November 1966 to elect members to fill casual vacancies in the Australian Senate for the states of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.
Prior to 29 July 1977, the filing of casual vacancies was complex. While senators were elected for a six-year term, people appointed to a casual vacancy only held office until the earlier of the next election for the House of Representatives or the Senate, at which the vacancy would be filled by the electors of the relevant state.[1]
This was one of the few occasions in which there was a special election for the Senate, as the House of Representatives and Senate elections had got out of synchronisation as a result of Robert Menzies calling an early House-only election in 1963.
Because of the loss of a seat in Western Australia, the Coalition held less than half of the seats in the chamber; the Democratic Labor Party and independent senator Reg Turnbull held the balance of power.
| Votes | % | Swing | Seats won | Seats held | Change | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,645,319 | 34.21 | 3 | 22 | 1 | |||||
| 761,449 | 15.83 | 1 | 7 | ||||||
| Coalition total | 2,406,768 | 50.040 | 4 | 29 | 1 | ||||
| 1,897,049 | 39.45 | 2 | 28 | 1 | |||||
| 421,959 | 8.77 | − | 2 | ||||||
| 43,716 | 0.91 | ||||||||
| 39,799 | 0.83 | 1 | |||||||
| Total | 4,809,291 | 6 | 54 | ||||||
| State | 1963 election | Appointment | 1966 Election | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Member | Term | Party | Member | Date | Member | Party | |||||||
| New South Wales | Bill Spooner | 1963-1968 | Bob Cotton | 4 August 1965 | Bob Cotton | |||||||||
| Victoria | Charles Sandford | 1963-1968 | George Poyser | 26 October 1966 | George Poyser | |||||||||
| Harrie Wade | 1963-1968 | 9 December 1964 | ||||||||||||
| Queensland | 1963-1968 | Bill Heatley | 14 April 1966 | Bill Heatley | ||||||||||
| Western Australia | Sir Shane Paltridge | 1963-1968 | Reg Withers | 17 February 1966 | Laurie Wilkinson | |||||||||
| Seddon Vincent | 1963-1968 | Peter Sim | 26 November 1964 | Peter Sim | ||||||||||