Australia Party
Australia Party | |
---|---|
Anti-conscription Social liberalism | |
Political position | Centre |
ACT Advisory Council | 1 / 8 (1970)
|
ACT House of Assembly | 2 / 8 (1975–1977)
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Australia_Party_poster_1972.jpg/170px-Australia_Party_poster_1972.jpg)
The Australia Party was a minor political party established initially in 1966 as the Liberal Reform Group. As the Australia Party, it became influential, particularly in the landmark 1972 federal election when its preferences assisted the Australian Labor Party to victory—ending 23 years of Liberal/Country Coalition government.
The Australia Party grew out of the
In 22 October 1966, when
The "Australia Party" name was adopted in 1969, by which time it was also attracting disaffected Australian Labor Party (ALP) supporters. The party contested state and federal elections, achieving its best results in 1972. Though failing to win any seats, by directing its preferences to the ALP, it greatly assisted that party to win government for the first time since 1949. The Australia Party poll performance declined a little in 1974 and again in the 1975 federal election; however, by this stage it had replaced the Democratic Labor Party as the fourth party after Labor, Liberal and Country parties.
Subsequently, the party allied itself with the
Significant figures in the Australia Party were Senator Reg Turnbull (elected as an independent, but Australia Party leader in 1969–1970), and journalist Alan Fitzgerald, then an elected member of the Australian Capital Territory Advisory Council. Two Australia Party members were elected to the newly formed Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly in 1975: Ivor Vivian and Maureen Worsley. Vivian joined the Australian Democrats, and was re-elected in 1979, but Worsley sat as an Independent from 1977 to the end of her term in 1979. Australia Party members who later entered federal parliament as Australian Democrats senators included Colin Mason (NSW), John Siddons (Vic), Sid Spindler (Vic)[3] and Jean Jenkins (WA).
An important aspect of the Australia Party and later Australian Democrats is that they nullified and then overtook the minority influence of the Democratic Labor Party, which had wielded much influence in post-war federal and state politics.[
Election results
House of Representatives
Election | Votes | % | Swing | Seats won | Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1969 | 53,646 | 0.88 | ![]() |
0 / 125
|
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1972 | 159,916 | 2.42 | ![]() |
0 / 125
|
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1974 | 172,176 | 2.33 | ![]() |
0 / 127
|
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1975 | 33,630 | 0.43 | ![]() |
0 / 127
|
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No candidates stood at the 1977 election. | ||||||
1980 | 701 | 0.01 | ![]() |
0 / 125
|
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1983 | 844 | 0.01 | ![]() |
0 / 125
|
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Senate
Election | Votes | % | Swing | Seats won | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1970 | 163,343 | 2.90 | ![]() |
0 / 60
|
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1974 | 92,107 | 1.39 | ![]() |
0 / 60
|
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1975 | 34,632 | 0.48 | ![]() |
0 / 64
|
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1977 | 8,283 | 0.11 | ![]() |
0 / 64
|
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1980 | 27,404 | 0.36 | ![]() |
0 / 64
|
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See also
- List of liberal parties
- Liberalism in Australia
References
- ^ ABC PM report 2005: The life and death of Gordon Barton
- ^ "Siddons finds a new party". The Canberra Times. 16 December 1986.
- ^ Spindler S Gordon Barton—electoral impacts (Speech at Sydney University, 3 Sep 2005)