South Pacific Mandate
The campaign primarily focused on Hughes and Ryan and their respective records. "The Round Table" observed that "the prominence given to them made genuine political discussion impossible". The Nationalists accused Ryan of disloyalty to the war effort and fostering left-wing extremism, while Labor accused Hughes of mismanaging the war and failing to deal with profiteering. Tudor was "barely considered" in the campaign due to poor health, and twice had to withdraw from campaigning due to "attacks of hemorrhage". The Nationalists claimed Hughes had safeguarded the White Australia policy at the Paris Peace Conference, while the ALP said he had endangered it by failing to stop the Japanese from acquiring the South Pacific Mandate. Issues relating to returned soldiers were also prominent, and the 1919 election has been classed as a wartime or "khaki" election, despite it taking place over a year after the Armistice.