View source for 1969 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox election
|election_name = [[Liberal Party of Australia]]<br />leadership spill, 1969
|flag_image = Liberal-Party-of-Australia-stub.svg
|type = presidential
|vote_type = Caucus
|ongoing = no
|previous_election = 1968 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election
|previous_year = 1968
|next_election = Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill, 1971
|next_year = 1971
|election_date = 7 November 1969
|1blank = First&nbsp;Ballot
|2blank = Seat
|image1 = [[File:JohnGorton1968.jpg|150x150px]]
|candidate1 = [[John Gorton]]
|colour1 = 0047AB
|popular_vote1 = 
|percentage1 = 
|1data1 = '''34–40 (est.)'''
|2data1 = [[Division of Higgins|Higgins]] (Vic.)
|image2 = [[File:William McMahon 1966.jpg|150x150px]]
|candidate2 = [[William McMahon]]
|colour2 = 0047AB
|popular_vote2 = 
|percentage2 = 
|1data2 = 20–25 (est.)
|2data2 = [[Division of Lowe|Lowe]] (NSW)
|image3 = [[File:David_Fairbairn_1969.jpg|150x150px]]
|candidate3 = [[David Fairbairn (politician)|David Fairbairn]]
|colour3 = 0047AB
|popular_vote3 = 
|percentage3 = 
|1data3 = 5–6 (est.)
|2data3 = [[Division of Farrer|Farrer]] (NSW)
|title = Leader
|before_election = [[John Gorton]]
|after_election = [[John Gorton]]
}}

The [[Liberal Party of Australia]] held a [[leadership spill]] on 7 November 1969, following the party's poor performance at [[1969 Australian federal election|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 (politician)|David Fairbairn]].

==Background==
The [[Coalition (Australia)|Liberal–Country coalition]] lost a combined 16 seats at the [[1969 Australian federal election|1969 federal election]], and the [[Australian Labor Party|Labor Party]] (under [[Gough Whitlam]]) won the [[two-party-preferred vote]]. On 2 November, National Development Minister [[David Fairbairn (politician)|David Fairbairn]] announced his intention to challenge Gorton for the leadership of the Liberal Party.<ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107901451 Struggle for PM's post sharpens], ''The Canberra Times'', 3 November 1969.</ref> He was joined the following day by Treasurer [[William McMahon]], who had been deputy leader [[1966 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election|since 1966]].<ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107901606 McMahon in race for P.M.], ''The Canberra Times'', 4 November 1969.</ref> Deputy Prime Minister [[John McEwen]], the leader of the [[National Party of Australia|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 [[1968 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election|the previous leadership ballot]] in January 1968.<ref name=crikey>[https://www.crikey.com.au/2015/02/11/summer-of-69-lessons-from-a-liberal-spill/ Summer of ’69: lessons from a Liberal spill], Crikey, 2 February 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2017.</ref>

==Candidates==
* [[David Fairbairn (politician)|David Fairbairn]], [[Department of National Development (1950–72)|Minister for National Development]], Member for [[Division of Farrer|Farrer]]
* [[John Gorton]], incumbent Leader, [[Prime Minister of Australia]], Member for [[Division of Higgins|Higgins]]
* [[William McMahon]], incumbent Deputy Leader, [[Treasurer of Australia]], Member for [[Division of Lowe|Lowe]]

==Election==
[[File:Gorton_and_McMahon.jpg|thumb|left|Gorton with [[William McMahon]] shortly after the unsuccessful leadership challenge.]]
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.<ref name=sec>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107902446 Result a secret], ''The Canberra Times'', 8 November 1969.</ref> [[Alan Reid (journalist)|Alan Reid]] of ''[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]]'' estimated Gorton had won 34 votes,<ref name=crikey/> while ''[[The Canberra Times]]'' estimated 38 votes;<ref name=sec/> Gorton's supporters claimed up to 40 votes.<ref name=crikey/> 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.<ref name=sec/>

==Results==
{{Infobox election
|election_name = [[Liberal Party of Australia]] <br /> [[Leadership spill|deputy leadership ballot]], 1969
|flag_image = Liberal-Party-of-Australia-stub.svg
|type = presidential
|vote_type = Caucus
|ongoing = no
|previous_election = 1966 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election
|previous_year = 1966
|next_election = 1971 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill
|next_year = 1971 (Mar)
|election_date = 
|image1 = [[File:William McMahon 1966.jpg|150x150px]]
|candidate1 = '''[[William McMahon]]'''
|colour1 = 0047AB
|popular_vote1 = '''>33'''
|percentage1 = 
|image2 = [[File:BillySnedden.jpeg|150x150px]]
|candidate2 = [[Billy Snedden]]
|colour2 = 0047AB
|popular_vote2 = <33
|percentage2 = 
|image3 = [[File:Alan Hulme 1960s.png|150x150px]]
|candidate3 = [[Alan Hulme]]
|colour3 = 0047AB
|popular_vote3 = <33
|percentage3 = 
|title = Deputy Leader
|before_election = [[William McMahon]]
|after_election = [[William McMahon]]
}}

The following table gives the ballot result:

===Leadership ballot===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" | Name
! Votes
! Percentage
|-
| style="background:#0047AB"|
| '''[[John Gorton]]'''
| '''34–40 (est.)'''
| 
|-
| style="background:#0047AB"|
| [[William McMahon]]
| 20–25 (est.)
| 
|-
| style="background:#0047AB"|
| [[David Fairbairn (politician)|David Fairbairn]]
| 5–6 (est.)
| 
|}

===Deputy leadership ballot===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" | Name
! Final ballot
! Percentage
|-
| style="background:#0047AB"|
| '''[[William McMahon]]'''
| '''>33'''
| 
|-
| style="background:#0047AB"|
| [[Billy Snedden]]
| <33
| 
|-
| style="background:#0047AB"|
| [[Alan Hulme]]
| <33
| 
|}

==Aftermath==
After the challenge, Fairbairn resigned from cabinet and McMahon was demoted to [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Australia)|Minister for External Affairs]]. Gorton resigned in March 1971 after a vote of confidence in his leadership was tied [[Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill, 1971|33-33]], and McMahon won the subsequent leadership contest against [[Billy Snedden]].<ref name=crikey/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107902630 Interview with John Gorton the day after the leadership challenge]

{{Liberal Party of Australia}}
{{Leadership spills in Australia}}

[[Category:Liberal Party of Australia leadership spills]]
[[Category:November 1969 events in Australia]]
[[Category:1969 elections in Australia]]
[[Category:1969 political party leadership elections|Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill]]