1985 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill

Liberal Party of Australia
Leadership spill, 1985

←  1983 5 September 1985 1987  →

LIB Candidate John Howard Jim Carlton Caucus vote 57 6 Percentage 81.4% 8.6% Seat Bennelong (NSW) Mackellar (NSW)

Leader before election Andrew Peacock Elected Leader John Howard

There was a change of leadership of the Liberal Party of Australia on 5 September 1985 with John Howard replacing Andrew Peacock.

A spill of the deputy leadership of the party took place on that day, Peacock attempting to replace John Howard with his preferred candidate John Moore. The spill was won by Howard over Moore by 38 votes to 31 with 7 members abstaining. ^[1]

Upon rejection of his candidate for the deputy leadership, Andrew Peacock resigned and was replaced by John Howard as leader defeating Jim Carlton 57 votes to 6. ^[1] The Deputy leadership was then filled by Neil Brown defeating 11 others (including Moore) for the position.

Background

There had been feelings within the Liberal Party that the parties parliamentary wing had been ignoring the organisational wing. The leader of the orginisational wing, John Valder, asserted that this could have contributed to the recent electoral losses. ^[2] These feelings were linked to the spill, although Valder kept his distance from assertions that he was directly involved in instigating the spill. ^[3]

Initial deputy candidates

• John Howard, incumbent Deputy Leader, Shadow Treasurer, Member for Bennelong
• John Moore, Shadow Minister for Communications, Member for Ryan

Withdrawn candidates

• Michael Hodgman, Shadow Minister for Housing and Construction, Member for Denison ^[4]

Initial results

Liberal Party of Australia
deputy leadership ballot, 1985

←  1983

Candidate John Howard John Moore Caucus vote 38 (50.0%) 31 (40.8%)

Deputy Leader before election John Howard Elected Deputy Leader John Howard

Spill motion to vacate deputy leadership

Spill motion to vacate deputy leadership

Support	Votes
Yes	35
No	34

Deputy leadership ballot

Name		Final ballot	Percentage
	John Howard	38	50.0
	John Moore	31	40.8
Informal		7	9.2

Final candidates

• Jim Carlton, former Shadow Minister for Health, Member for Mackellar
• John Howard, incumbent Deputy Leader, Member for Bennelong

Results

Liberal Party of Australia
deputy leadership ballot, 1985

1987  →

Candidate Neil Brown Ian Macphee Caucus vote 36 15 Percentage 51.4% 21.4% Seat Menzies (Vic.) Goldstein (Vic.)   Candidate John Moore Peter Shack Caucus vote 11 8 Percentage 15.7% 11.4% Seat Ryan (Qld.) Tangney (WA)

Deputy Leader before election John Howard Elected Deputy Leader Neil Brown

The following tables gives the ballot results:

Leadership ballot

Name		Votes	Percentage
	John Howard	57	81.4
	Jim Carlton	6	8.6
Informal		7	10.0

Deputy leadership ballot

Candidate		Final ballot	%
	Neil Brown	36	51.4
	Ian Macphee	15	21.4
	John Moore	11	15.7
	Peter Shack	8	11.4

Other candidates in order of elimination:

• Julian Beale and Roger Shipton
• David Connolly
• Steele Hall
• Michael MacKellar
• Wilson Tuckey
• Michael Hodgman
• Jim Carlton

Aftermath

Howard would remain party leader until 1989, surviving a spill in 1987 triggered by the 1987 election loss. Peacock would stand both times. ^[5]

References

1. "Howard Leads the Liberals". The Canberra Times . 6 September 1985. p. 1.
2. "Party president wants more say Valder hints at Liberal friction". Canberra Times. 22 July 1985. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
3. "Community opinion 'reflected in spill'". Canberra Times. 6 September 1985. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
4. "Peacock's Bouncer Goes for Six". Canberra Times (Act : 1926 - 1995). 6 September 1985. p. 9.
5. corporateName=Commonwealth Parliament; address=Parliament House, Canberra. "Party leadership changes and challenges: a quick guide". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 8 May 2025.