Australia Party
Encyclopedia
The Australia Party was the name of a minor political party
in Australia
(not to be confused with the Australian Party
, which was set up by Billy Hughes
in 1930).
The Australia Party grew out of the Liberal Reform Group
, a group of members of the Liberal Party of Australia
who opposed the party's policy of conscription and military involvement in the Vietnam War
. The leading figure in this group was a businessman, Gordon Barton
.
The "Australia Party" name was adopted in 1969 by which time it was also attracting disaffected ALP
supporters. The party contested state and federal elections, achieving its best results in 1972, but failing to win any seats. Its poll performance declined in 1974 and again in the 1975 federal election
. Subsequently, the party allied itself with the New Liberal Movement
in the formation of the Australian Democrats
for the 1977 federal election
. Significant figures in the Australia Party were Senator Reg Turnbull (elected as an independent but Australia Party leader from 1969–1970), and journalist Alan Fitzgerald, then a member of the elected Australian Capital Territory Advisory Council.
Australia Party members who later entered federal parliament as Australian Democrats senators included Colin Mason
(NSW), John Siddons
(Vic), Sid Spindler
(Vic) and Jean Jenkins
(WA).
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(not to be confused with the Australian Party
Australian Party
The Australian Party can refer to a number of political parties in Australia's history, most recently to the party started by Queensland independent MP Bob Katter known as Katter's Australian Party...
, which was set up by Billy Hughes
Billy Hughes
William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
in 1930).
The Australia Party grew out of the Liberal Reform Group
Liberal Reform Group
The Liberal Reform Group, later known as the Australian Reform Movement, was a minor Australian political party and predecessor to the Australia Party, which in turn was a predecessor to the Australian Democrats...
, a group of members of the Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
who opposed the party's policy of conscription and military involvement in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. The leading figure in this group was a businessman, Gordon Barton
Gordon Barton
Gordon Page Barton was a quixotic Australian businessman and political activist.He was born in Surabaya, Java, Dutch East Indies of a Dutch mother and Australian father...
.
The "Australia Party" name was adopted in 1969 by which time it was also attracting disaffected ALP
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
supporters. The party contested state and federal elections, achieving its best results in 1972, but failing to win any seats. Its poll performance declined in 1974 and again in the 1975 federal election
Australian federal election, 1975
Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 December 1975. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate were up for election following a double dissolution of both Houses....
. Subsequently, the party allied itself with the New Liberal Movement
New LM
The New Liberal Movement was a South Australian political party that had parliamentary representation during the mid-1970s.Formed by Robin Millhouse on 6 May 1976 following the dissolution of the Liberal Movement, the New LM sought to be the true liberal party in South Australia, arguing that the...
in the formation of the Australian Democrats
Australian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader...
for the 1977 federal election
Australian federal election, 1977
Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1977. All 124 seats in the House of Representatives, and 34 of the 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election....
. Significant figures in the Australia Party were Senator Reg Turnbull (elected as an independent but Australia Party leader from 1969–1970), and journalist Alan Fitzgerald, then a member of the elected Australian Capital Territory Advisory Council.
Australia Party members who later entered federal parliament as Australian Democrats senators included Colin Mason
Colin Mason
Colin Victor James Mason is a New Zealand-born Australian journalist, author and former politician.Mason worked for 14 years as the first foreign correspondent of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and became deeply involved in Asian affairs...
(NSW), John Siddons
John Siddons
John Royston Siddons was an Australian politician. He was a businessman and the executive chairman of Siddons Industries Ltd. before entering politics. In 1980, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Democrats senator for Victoria...
(Vic), Sid Spindler
Sid Spindler
Siegfried Emil "Sid" Spindler was an Australian politician representing the Australian Democrats in the Australian Senate for one term from 1990 to 1996....
(Vic) and Jean Jenkins
Jean Jenkins
Jean Alice Jenkins is an Australian educator in languages and served as an Australian Democrats senator for Western Australia from 1987 to 1990. She is also noted as an originator in Western Australia of NAATI-accredited level 2 courses in translation and interpreting, and as a campaigner for...
(WA).
See also
- LiberalismLiberalismLiberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
- Contributions to liberal theoryContributions to liberal theoryIndividual contributors to classical liberalism and political liberalism are associated with philosophers of the Enlightenment. Liberalism as a specifically named ideology begins in the late 18th century as a movement towards self-government and away from aristocracy...
- Liberalism worldwideLiberalism worldwideThis article gives information on liberalism in diverse countries around the world. It is an overview of parties that adhere more or less to the ideas of political liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world....
- List of liberal parties
- Liberal democracyLiberal democracyLiberal democracy, also known as constitutional democracy, is a common form of representative democracy. According to the principles of liberal democracy, elections should be free and fair, and the political process should be competitive...
- Liberalism in AustraliaLiberalism in AustraliaLiberalism in Australia dates back to the earliest pioneers of the area, and has maintained a strong foothold to this day.-Introduction:The earliest pioneers of the federation movement, men such as Alfred Deakin and Samuel Griffith, were generally self-described "liberals"...