ALP senators. Lionel Murphy, who had resigned to take up an appointment to the High Court, was replaced by independent Cleaver Bunton; and Bertie Milliner, who had died, was replaced by Albert Field, an ALP member who was opposed to Whitlam. Bunton (along with Hall) refused to vote against supply, but Field was prepared to. Field took his seat in the Senate as an Independent on 9 September. Due to a High Court challenge to his appointment, he was on leave from the Senate, unable to exercise a vote, from 1 October 1975, which reduced the number of sitting senators to 59. This gave the Coalition an effective majority, holding 30 of the 59, allowing them to block supply in the Senate to pave the way for the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis. See also Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1974 Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1974–1975 Members of the Australian Senate, 1974–1975 References Bibliography AustralianPolitics.com 1974 election details University of WA election results in Australia since 1890 AEC 2PP vote Federal elections in Australia 1974 elections in Australia Gough Whitlam May 1974 events in Australia