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The Liberal Party of Australia held a leadership spill on 7 November 1969, following the party's poor performance at the federal election on 25 October. Prime Minister John Gorton was re-elected as the party's leader, defeating challengers William McMahon and David Fairbairn.
The Liberal–Country coalition lost a combined 16 seats at the 1969 federal election, and the Labor Party (under Gough Whitlam) won the two-party-preferred vote. On 2 November, National Development Minister David Fairbairn announced his intention to challenge Gorton for the leadership of the Liberal Party. [1] He was joined the following day by Treasurer William McMahon, who had been deputy leader since 1966. [2] Deputy Prime Minister John McEwen, the leader of the Country Party, announced that his party was willing to work with any of the three candidates; this lifted the veto he had applied to McMahon at the previous leadership ballot in January 1968. [3]
The election on 7 November was set for 10 a.m., but delayed by an hour as five MPs travelling from Melbourne were delayed by a faulty aircraft. With Speaker William Aston presiding, the 65 members of the Liberal partyroom took 49 minutes to elect a leader. Gorton won an absolute majority on the first ballot, but the final results were kept secret, with the ballot papers burnt immediately after being tallied. [4] Alan Reid of The Daily Telegraph estimated Gorton had won 34 votes, [3] while The Canberra Times estimated 38 votes; [4] Gorton's supporters claimed up to 40 votes. [3] The deputy leadership was also declared vacant, and McMahon was re-elected over Immigration Minister Billy Snedden and Postmaster-General Alan Hulme with about 35 votes, with Snedden receiving the majority of the rest. [4]
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The following table gives the ballot result:
| Name | Votes | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Gorton | 34–40 (est.) | ||
| William McMahon | 20–25 (est.) | ||
| David Fairbairn | 5–6 (est.) | ||
| Name | Final ballot | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| William McMahon | >33 | ||
| Billy Snedden | <33 | ||
| Alan Hulme | <33 | ||
After the challenge, Fairbairn resigned from cabinet and McMahon was demoted to Minister for External Affairs. Gorton resigned in March 1971 after a vote of confidence in his leadership was tied 33-33, and McMahon won the subsequent leadership contest against Billy Snedden. [3]
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