1971 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill

none April 2022 1971 Liberal Party of Australialeadership spill Liberal-Party-of-Australia-stub.svg presidential Caucus no 10 March 1971 1969 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill 1969 1972 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election 1972 No-confidence motion Caucus yes Seat JohnGorton1968.jpg 130 120 160 0 0 John Gorton liberal 33 50.0% Higgins (Vic) NOTA Option Logo 3x4.svg 120 120 160 0 0 No-confidence 000000 33 50.0% – Leadership election Caucus yes Seat William McMahon 1972 b&w.jpg 135 120 160 0 7 William McMahon liberal 40 60.6% Lowe (NSW) Billy Snedden 1973 (1).jpg 140 120 160 7 11 Billy Snedden liberal 26 39.4% Bruce (Vic.) Leader John Gorton William McMahon The 1971 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill was held on 10 March 1971 to elect the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and, ex officio, Prime Minister of Australia. Sitting prime minister John Gorton called for a vote of confidence in his leadership, which was tied, prompting Gorton to resign. 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. Background On 8 March 1971, Defence Minister Malcolm Fraser resigned from cabinet, supposedly over Gorton's failure to support him in a dispute with Chief of the General Staff Thomas Daly. The following day, Fraser gave a statement to the House of Representatives in which he excoriated Gorton and called him "not fit to hold the great office of prime minister". Fraser's actions brought to a head tensions over Gorton's leadership style, particularly what his opponents viewed as his lack of consultation with cabinet. In response, Gorton called a partyroom meeting for 10 a.m. on 10 March.P.M. Faces Vote of Confidence, The Canberra Times, 10 March 1971.Hughes's wintry blast for the undertaker PM, The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 June 2002. Meeting The partyroom meeting began with an open debate on the leadership. Gorton, who was chairing the meeting, then called for a vote of confidence in his leadership, which was tied at 33 votes in favour and 33 votes opposed. Gorton supporter Duke Bonnett was the only absentee (due to illness); had he been present, Gorton would have received 34 votes. Under party rules of the time, Gorton could have retained the leadership. However, Gorton resigned, saying a tie vote was not a vote of confidence. He turned to Foreign Affairs Minister William McMahon and nominated him for the leadership, to the applause of his colleagues; Billy Snedden, the Minister for Labour and National Service, was the only other nominee. McMahon – who had been deputy leader of the Liberal Party since 1966 – defeated Snedden with what The Canberra Times called "a comparatively small majority".McMahon Becomes P.M., The Canberra Times, 11 March 2017. The exact result was kept secret, as was the party's practice at the time, but has been estimated to have been 40 votes for McMahon to 26 for Snedden.Colin Hughes (1976), Mr Prime Minister: Australian Prime Ministers, 1901–1972, Oxford University Press, p. 194. After McMahon was elected as leader, there was a second ballot to elect his successor as deputy leader. Somewhat unexpectedly, Gorton put himself forward as a candidate and was elected, defeating Malcolm Fraser and backbencher David Fairbairn. McMahon was sworn in as prime minister by Governor-General Paul Hasluck later that afternoon; his full ministry was not sworn in until 22 March. Candidates William McMahon, incumbent Deputy Leader, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Member for Lowe Billy Snedden, Minister for Labour and National Service, Member for Bruce Results Liberal Party of Australia deputy leadership ballot, March 1971 Liberal-Party-of-Australia-stub.svg presidential Caucus no 1969 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill 1969 1971 (Aug) 150x150px John Gorton 0047AB >33 150x150px Malcolm Fraser 0047AB <33 150x150px David Fairbairn 0047AB <33 Seat Higgins (VIC) Wannon (VIC) Farrer (NSW) Deputy Leader William McMahon John Gorton The following table gives the ballot result:https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110342177/11953419 I don't feel the slightest bit excited or emotional... I have seen Prime Ministers come and go' 'I am a very great believer in the system of Cabinet government, of full discussion in Cabinet' Mr McMAHON BECOMES P.M Mr Gorton goes to Defence Canberra Times 11 March 1971 Leadership ballot Name Votes Percentage William McMahon 40 (est.) Billy Snedden 26 (est.) Deputy leadership ballot Name Final ballot Percentage John Gorton >33 Malcolm Fraser <33 David Fairbairn <33 Aftermath Gorton was sacked from cabinet for disloyalty in August 1971, and subsequently resigned the deputy leadership and was replaced by Snedden.https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110674381 Liberal Party Post Canberra Times 19 August 1971 McMahon lost the December 1972 federal election to the Labor Party, led by Gough Whitlam.Australia's PMs > William McMahon > In office https://web.archive.org/web/20110315154636/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/mcmahon/in-office.aspx 15 March 2011 , National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 5 November 2017. Liberal Party of Australia deputy leadership ballot, August 1971 Liberal-Party-of-Australia-stub.svg presidential Caucus no 1971 (Mar) 1972 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election 1972 18 August 1971 Fourth ballot Seat 150x150px Billy Snedden 0047AB Majority Bruce (VIC) 150x150px Reginald Swartz 0047AB Minority Darling Downs (QLD) Deputy Leader John Gorton Billy Snedden See also McMahon government References Category:Liberal Party of Australia leadership spills Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill