Editing Frank Forde (section)

===Election to federal parliament===
In 1921, the state Labor government of [[Ted Theodore]] passed controversial legislation that allowed state MPs to run for federal parliament and automatically return to their seat in state parliament if they lost, without having to face a by-election. It was widely reported that Forde was intended to be the primary beneficiary of the new legislation. However, the federal Nationalist government responded by amending the ''[[Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918]]'' to overrule the state law. In October 1922, Forde resigned from state parliament to run in the [[Division of Capricornia]] at the [[1922 Australian federal election|1922 federal election]]. He was successful, defeating [[Nationalist Party of Australia|Nationalist]] incumbent and Labor defector [[William Higgs (politician)|William Higgs]].{{sfn|Brown|2000|p=241}} Forde's successful foray into federal politics triggered the [[1923 Rockhampton state by-election|1923 Rockhampton by-election]]. The bitterly fought by-election was successfully contested by Labor's [[George Farrell (politician)|George Farrell]], who had worked on Forde's federal campaign.<ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/54014349 Rockhampton Election: Mr Farrell's Campaign], ''The Morning Bulletin'', 25 January 1923. Retrieved from National Library of Australia 13 November 2017.</ref><ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/54015702 The By-Election: Victory for Mr. Farrell], ''The Morning Bulletin'', 19 February 1923. Retrieved from National Library of Australia 13 November 2017.</ref><ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/53989231 Labour Gatherings: New Branch Formed], ''The Morning Bulletin'', 4 November 1921. Retrieved from National Library of Australia 13 November 2017.</ref>

Forde took his seat in the House of Representatives at the age of 32, becoming one of the youngest members of the new parliament.{{sfn|Brown|2000|p=241}} He soon became known as a champion of the sugar and cotton industries. Despite the party's dominance in state politics, he was the only Labor MP in Queensland to be re-elected at the [[1925 Australian federal election|1925 federal election]].<ref name=adb/> He remained the only Queenslander in the ALP caucus until August 1928, when [[John MacDonald (Australian politician)|John MacDonald]] was appointed to a casual vacancy in the Senate. In 1927, Forde was appointed as his Labor Party's representative to the Royal Commission on the Moving Picture Industry. He and the other commissioners travelled around Australia interviewing 250 witnesses.{{sfn|Brown|2000|p=242}} The royal commission recommended the establishment of a national film censorship board, with films able to be refused registration on morality grounds.{{sfn|Darby|2013|p=182}}