2001 Australian Democrats leadership spill

2001 Australian Democrats leadership spill

← 1997 April 2001 2002 →
Registered	3,000 [1]
Turnout	75% [1]
Leadership election
DEM Candidate Natasha Stott Despoja Meg Lees Members' vote 69% 31% State South Australia South Australia
Leader before election Meg Lees Elected Leader Natasha Stott Despoja
Deputy leadership election
DEM Candidate Aden Ridgeway Members' vote Won State New South Wales
Deputy Leader before election Natasha Stott Despoja Elected Deputy Leader Aden Ridgeway

The 2001 Australian Democrats leadership spill was held in April 2001 to elect the leader of the Australian Democrats. ^[2]

Incumbent leader Meg Lees was defeated by deputy leader Natasha Stott Despoja after a vote of the party's rank-and-file membership, becoming the youngest-ever person to lead a federal parliamentary political party in Australia. ^[1] Aden Ridgeway replaced Stott Despoja as deputy leader. ^[3]

Background

In 1999, after negotiations with Liberal prime minister John Howard, the Democrats party room agreed to support the passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). ^[4] Two dissident senators on the party's left, Natasha Stott Despoja and Andrew Bartlett, voted against the GST legislation. ^[5]

The decision to pass the GST was opposed by the majority of Democrats rank-and-file members, and led to internal conflict and tensions surrounding the leadership of Meg Lees. ^[6] Under the party's constitution, a petition signed by 100 members can trigger a leadership spill. ^[7] Stott Despoja announced on 27 February 2001 that she would challenge Lees, and after voting took place via post, she emerged victorious on 6 April 2001. ^[8] Stott Despoja won 69% of the vote, as well as the support of membership in every state. ^[9]

Endorsements

Natasha Stott Despoja

List of Natasha Stott Despoja endorsements

Former Democrats leaders

• Don Chipp – Leader of the Australian Democrats (1977–1986) ^[10]

Aftermath

Main article: Australian Democrats § History

Throughout 2002, Stott Despoja struggled to keep the Democrats together as senators publicly strayed from party positions and privately expressed a lack of confidence in her leadership. ^[11] In March 2002, Ridgeway publicly stated that the party was wrong to replace Lees. ^[12]

After the party opened an investigation into Lees for allegedly damaging party unity, which Lees and her allies saw as part of a campaign by Stott Despoja to silence her, Lees left the Democrats in July 2002 and formed the Australian Progressive Alliance. Her departure was followed by a stand-off with Andrew Murray, who threatened to follow her. ^[9]

After deciding to stay, Murray proposed a ten-point package to reform party structures and address the issues raised by Lees, designed to shift power from the leader. ^[9] At a party room meeting on 21 August 2002, all ten measures were passed four votes to three: Murray, Ridgeway, Lyn Allison and John Cherry in favour, with Stott Despoja and her allies Andrew Bartlett and Brian Greig against. ^[9] Understanding her position to be untenable after this defeat, Stott Despoja announced her resignation as Democrats leader to the Senate after 16-and-a-half months in the role. ^{[13] [14]}

Support for the Democrats fell significantly at the 2004 federal election in which it achieved only 2.1% of the national Senate vote. ^[15] Its remaining Senate seats were lost at the 2007 federal election. ^[16]

References

1. "Stott Despoja Defeats Lees To Take Democrats Leadership; Youngest Ever Party Leader In Australia". AustralianPolitics.com. 7 April 2001. Archived from the original on 5 November 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
2. Bray, Hillary (30 June 2002). "The Democrats letters – a series of Crikey exclusives". Crikey. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
3. "Aden Ridgeway Named New Deputy Leader". Torres News. 13 April 2001. p. 3. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
4. "GST deal sparks Democrat crisis". abc.net.au. The 7.30 Report. 7 June 1999. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
5. Kehoe, John (30 June 2010). "Lees has no regrets Democrats gave their support". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
6. "Where to for the life of the party?". The Age. 11 September 2004. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
7. "Democrats manager pushes for leadership spill". ABC News. 16 December 2003. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
8. "Chronology: demise of the Democrats". Sydney Morning Herald. 26 July 2002. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
9. Smith, Tony (14 March 2005). "On the use and abuse of power: A snapshot of 'an extraordinary woman in an extraordinary time'". Australian Review of Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
10. "Democrats' Leadership Contest Causing Bitterness". AustralianPolitics.com. 12 March 2001. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
11. "Honestly, who are the bastards now?". The Age. 24 August 2002. Archived from the original on 22 February 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
12. "We were wrong on Lees, says Democrats deputy Ridgeway". The Age. 30 March 2002. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
13. McGrath, Catherine (21 August 2002). "Senator Cherry speaks about Natasha Stott Despoja". abc.net.au. PM. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
14. "Stott Despoja resigns leadership". abc.net.au. Lateline. 21 August 2002. Archived from the original on 3 February 2007. Retrieved 3 February 2007.
15. MacCallum, Mungo (9 December 2013). "Dining with the devil: Milne's risky power play". ABC News. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
16. "So long, it's been good to see you". Sydney Morning Herald. 21 June 2008. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.