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.
Background
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]
Candidates
- David Fairbairn, Minister for National Development, Member for Farrer
- John Gorton, incumbent Leader, Prime Minister of Australia, Member for Higgins
- William McMahon, incumbent Deputy Leader, Treasurer of Australia, Member for Lowe
Election
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]
Results
The following table gives the ballot result:
Leadership ballot
| Name | Votes | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Gorton | 34–40 (est.) | ||
| William McMahon | 20–25 (est.) | ||
| David Fairbairn | 5–6 (est.) | ||
Deputy leadership ballot
| Name | Final ballot | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| William McMahon | >33 | ||
| Billy Snedden | <33 | ||
| Alan Hulme | <33 | ||
Aftermath
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]
References
- ^ Struggle for PM's post sharpens, The Canberra Times, 3 November 1969.
- ^ McMahon in race for P.M., The Canberra Times, 4 November 1969.
- ^ a b c d Summer of ’69: lessons from a Liberal spill, Crikey, 2 February 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ a b c Result a secret, The Canberra Times, 8 November 1969.
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