Liberal Party of Australia leadership election, 1968

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Liberal Party of Australia
leadership election, 1968
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←  1966 9 January 1968 1969  →

  JohnGorton.jpg Paul Hasluck 1960.jpg
Candidate John Gorton Paul Hasluck
First Ballot35 24
Second Ballot51 30
  Les Bury.jpg BillySnedden.jpeg
Candidate Les Bury Billy Snedden
First Ballot 16 6
Second BallotEliminatedEliminated
Leader before election

Harold Holt

Elected Leader

John Gorton

A leadership election in the Liberal Party of Australia, the party of government in the Parliament of Australia, was held on 9 January 1968. It followed the disappearance and presumed drowning of previous leader Harold Holt, who had been declared dead on 19 December 1967. The contest was won by Senator John Gorton in a party room ballot; he was sworn in as prime minister the following day, replacing caretaker John McEwen. [1] [2]

A leadership election is a political contest held in various countries by which the members of a political party determine who will be the leader of their party.

Liberal Party of Australia Australian political party

The Liberal Party of Australia is a major centre-right political party in Australia, one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-left Australian Labor Party (ALP). It was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United Australia Party (UAP).

Parliament of Australia legislative branch of the Commonwealth of Australia

The Parliament of Australia is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the Crown, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The combination of two elected chambers, in which the members of the Senate represent the states and territories while the members of the House represent electoral divisions according to population, is modelled on the United States Congress. Through both chambers, however, there is a fused executive, drawn from the Westminster system.

Contents

Background

Incumbent party leader Harold Holt sensationally disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea on the Mornington Peninsula of Victoria on 17 December 1967. William McMahon, the incumbent Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party was assumed to be his probable successor, however, John McEwen, the interim Prime Minister and leader of the Country Party (the junior Coalition partner), announced that he and his party would not serve in a government led by McMahon. McMahon subsequently withdrew.

Disappearance of Harold Holt

On 17 December 1967, Harold Holt, the Prime Minister of Australia, disappeared while swimming in the sea near Portsea, Victoria. A massive search operation was mounted in and around Cheviot Beach, but his body was never recovered. Holt was eventually declared dead in absentia, and his memorial service five days later was attended by many world leaders. It is generally agreed that his disappearance was a simple case of an accidental drowning, but a number of conspiracy theories still surfaced, most famously the suggestion that he had been collected by a Chinese submarine. Holt was the third Australian prime minister to die in office, after Joseph Lyons in 1939 and John Curtin in 1945. He was initially replaced in a caretaker capacity by John McEwen, and then by John Gorton following a Liberal Party leadership election. Holt's death has entered Australian folklore, and was commemorated by, among other things, the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre.

Cheviot Beach beach in Victoria, Australia

Cheviot Beach is a beach near Point Nepean in Victoria, Australia. It was named after the SS Cheviot, which broke up and sank nearby with the loss of 35 lives on 20 October 1887.

Portsea, Victoria Suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Portsea is a town in the outer south-east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) south of the Melbourne CBD, on the opposite side of Port Phillip Bay. The townsite is located on the bay itself, but the locality boundaries stretch as far west as Point Nepean and incorporate a section of Bass Strait coastline. Portsea is the westernmost town on the Mornington Peninsula, and lies adjacent to the town of Sorrento. It has one of the highest average incomes in Australia.

Results

The following table gives the ballot results:

Candidate 1st ballot 2nd ballot
John Gorton 3551
Paul Hasluck 24 30
Les Bury 16 Eliminated
Billy Snedden 6 Eliminated

To date, Gorton is the only Australian Senator to be sworn in as Prime Minister. He later won Holt's vacant seat of Higgins at a by-election. Hasluck was later nominated and accepted the position of Governor-General from Gorton in 1969 and Snedden became party leader in December 1972. Bury later served as Treasurer of Australia under both Gorton and McMahon respectively.

Australian Senate upper house of the Australian Parliament

The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. There are a total of 76 Senators: 12 are elected from each of the six states regardless of population and 2 from each of the two autonomous internal territories. Senators are popularly elected under the single transferable vote system of proportional representation.

Division of Higgins Australian federal electoral division

The Division of Higgins is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria for the Australian House of Representatives. The division covers 40 km2 (15 sq mi) in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs. The main suburbs include Armadale, Ashburton, Kooyong, Malvern, Malvern East, Prahran and Toorak along with parts of Carnegie, Glen Iris, Hughesdale, Murrumbeena, South Yarra and Windsor.

See also

Gorton Government government of Australian prime minister John Gorton

The Gorton Government was the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Gorton. It was made up of members of a Liberal-Country Party coalition in the Australian Parliament from January 1968 to March 1971.

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John Gorton Australian politician, 19th Prime Minister of Australia

Sir John Grey Gorton was the 19th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1968 to 1971. He led the Liberal Party during that time, having previously been a long-serving government minister.

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McEwen Ministry

The McEwen Ministry was the 44th ministry of the Government of Australia. It was led by the country's 18th Prime Minister, John McEwen. The McEwen Ministry succeeded the Second Holt Ministry, which dissolved on 19 December 1967 following the disappearance of former Prime Minister Harold Holt. Since McEwen was the head of the Country Party, it was a caretaker ministry until the senior partner in the Coalition, the Liberal Party, could elect a new leader. John Gorton was ultimately elected on 9 January 1968, and he was sworn in as Prime Minister along with his ministry the following day.

First Gorton Ministry

The First Gorton Ministry was the 45th ministry of the Government of Australia. It was led by the country's 19th Prime Minister, John Gorton. The First Gorton Ministry succeeded the McEwen Ministry, which dissolved on 10 January 1968 following the election of Gorton as Liberal leader after the disappearance of former Prime Minister Harold Holt. The ministry was replaced by the Second Gorton Ministry on 12 November 1969.

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Les Bury Australian politician

Leslie Harry Ernest Bury CMG was an Australian politician who served in the House of Representatives between 1956 and 1974, representing the Liberal Party. He served in cabinet under Robert Menzies, Harold Holt, John McEwen, and John Gorton, most notably as Treasurer from 1969 to 1971 and Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1971.

A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Higgins on 24 February 1968. It was triggered by the presumed drowning death of the Prime Minister and Liberal Party MP Harold Holt on 17 December 1967.

Holt Government

The Holt Government was the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister Harold Holt. It was made up of members of a Liberal-Country Party coalition in the Australian Parliament from 26 January 1966 – 19 December 1967.

McMahon Government

The McMahon Government was the period of federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister William McMahon of the Liberal Party. It was made up of members of a coalition between the Liberal Party and the Country Party, led by Doug Anthony as Deputy Prime Minister. The McMahon Government lasted from March 1971 to December 1972, being defeated at the 1972 federal election. Writing for the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Julian Leeser describes McMahon's prime ministership as "a blend of cautious innovation and fundamental orthodoxy".

1966 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election

The Liberal Party of Australia held a leadership election on 20 January 1966, following the resignation of Robert Menzies. Harold Holt was elected unopposed as his successor, and was sworn in as prime minister on 26 January.

1972 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election

An election for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Australia took place on 20 December 1972, following former Prime Minister William McMahon's resignation after his defeat at the 1972 federal election. Billy Snedden was successful in winning the leadership, narrowly beating Nigel Bowen by 30 votes to 29 on the fifth ballot. The previous ballot was tied at 29 each, with one MP not voting. James Killen, John Gorton, and Malcolm Fraser had earlier been eliminated from contention, in that order.

1969 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill

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.

1971 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill

The Liberal Party of Australia held a leadership spill on 10 March 1971. Prime Minister John Gorton called for a vote of confidence in his leadership, which was tied; he then declared his position vacant. William McMahon subsequently defeated Billy Snedden for the leadership, and was sworn in as prime minister on the same day. Gorton was elected as his deputy, defeating Malcolm Fraser and David Fairbairn.

References

  1. ↑ Gaul, Jonathan (10 January 1968). "Gorton's Sweeping Victory". The Canberra Times. p. 1.
  2. ↑ "The 'devilish race' for leadership of the country". The Canberra Times. 3 June 1984. p. 7.
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