1954 Australian Labor Party leadership spill
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A leadership spill of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), then the opposition party in the Parliament of Australia, was rejected on 21 October 1954.
Background
On 5 October 1954 Evatt gave an aggressive speech against 'disloyal elements' within the Labor Party, which aimed "to deflect the Labor Movement from the pursuit of established Labor objectives and ideals."[1] The speech caused ructions within the ALP leading many to question Evatt's position.
Labor's caucus rejected by 52 to 28 votes a motion for a
George Cole and James Fraser. Deputy leader Arthur Calwell and Allan Fraser would have stood for election as Leader and deputy leader respectively in the event of a spill occurring.[2] After the ballot, Evatt insisted on counting the names for and against, which only furthered his opponents animosity.[1]
See also
References
- ^ ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- ^ "Dr. Evatt retains leadership". Illawarra Mercury. 21 October 1954. p. 1.