1959 Australian Labor Party leadership spill

1959 Australian Labor Party
Leadership spill

* * *

| <- 1956 | 16 February 1959 | 1960 ->

|
|

|  |  |

|
|

Candidate  | H. V. Evatt | Eddie Ward
Caucus vote  | 46 (59.0%) | 32 (41.0%)

* * *

| Leader before election

H. V. Evatt

| Elected Leader

H. V. Evatt

|

A leadership spill of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), then the opposition party in the Parliament of Australia, was held on 16 February 1959.

## Background

[edit]

Senior Labor left-winger Eddie Ward unsuccessfully challenged ALP leader H. V. Evatt following Evatt's third defeat at the polls in the 1958 election. Evatt was re-elected by a lower than expected margin of only 14 votes.[1] The closeness of the ballot further highlighted the dissatisfaction with Evatt's leadership.

At the same caucus, Arthur Calwell was re-elected as deputy leader unopposed.

## Results

[edit]

The following table gives the ballot results:

Name  | Votes  | Percentage

|
|

| H. V. Evatt | 46 | 58.97
| Eddie Ward | 32  | 41.03

## See also

[edit]

* 1958 Australian federal election

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Dr. Evatt Back as Party Leader". The Canberra Times. 17 February 1959. p. 1.

* v
* t
* e

Australian Labor Party

Leaders|

* Chris Watson
* Andrew Fisher
* Billy Hughes
* Frank Tudor
* Matthew Charlton
* James Scullin
* John Curtin
* Ben Chifley
* H. V. Evatt
* Arthur Calwell
* Gough Whitlam
* Bill Hayden
* Bob Hawke
* Paul Keating
* Kim Beazley
* Simon Crean
* Mark Latham
* Kim Beazley
* Kevin Rudd
* Julia Gillard
* Kevin Rudd
* Bill Shorten
* Anthony Albanese

Deputy leaders|

* Gregor McGregor
* Billy Hughes
* George Pearce
* Albert Gardiner
* James Scullin
* Arthur Blakeley
* Ted Theodore
* Frank Forde
* H. V. Evatt
* Arthur Calwell
* Gough Whitlam
* Lance Barnard
* Jim Cairns
* Frank Crean
* Tom Uren
* Lionel Bowen
* Paul Keating
* Brian Howe
* Kim Beazley
* Gareth Evans
* Simon Crean
* Jenny Macklin
* Julia Gillard
* Wayne Swan
* Anthony Albanese
* Tanya Plibersek
* Richard Marles

Governments|

* Watson
* Fisher I
* II
* III
* Hughes
* Scullin
* Curtin
* Forde
* Chifley
* Whitlam
* Hawke
* Keating
* Rudd I
* Gillard
* Rudd II
* Albanese

Ministries|

* Watson
* Fisher 1
* 2
* 3
* Hughes
* Scullin
* Curtin 1
* 2
* Forde
* Chifley 1
* 2
* Whitlam 1
* 2
* 3
* Hawke 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* Keating 1
* 2
* Rudd 1
* Gillard 1
* 2
* Rudd 2
* Albanese

Shadow cabinets|

* Whitlam (1967–72)
* Whitlam (1975–77)
* Hayden
* Hawke
* Beazley (1996–2001)
* Crean
* Latham
* Beazley (2005–06)
* Rudd
* Shorten
* Albanese

State branches|

* Australian Capital Territory
* New South Wales
* Northern Territory
* Queensland
* South Australia
* Tasmania
* Victoria
* Western Australia

Party institutions|

* National Conference
* National Executive
* Australian Young Labor
* Australian Fabian Society
* Chifley Research Centre
* Federal Caucus
* John Curtin House

Factions|

| Current|

* Labor Right
* Labor Left
* Independent Labor

|

Historical|

* Ferguson Left
* Lang Labor

History|

* History of the Australian Labor Party
* 1916 split
* 1931 split
* 1955 split
* 1975 Australian constitutional crisis
* Faceless men
* Federal Labor (NSW)
* Gang of Four
* Industrial Groups
* Norfolk Island Labor Party
* The light on the hill
* Tree of Knowledge

Leadership votes|

* 1901
* 1907
* 1913
* 1915
* 1916
* 1920
* 1922
* 1928
* 1931
* 1935
* 1945
* 1951
* 1954
* 1956
* 1959
* 1960
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1976
* 1977 (May)
* 1977 (Dec)
* 1982
* 1983
* 1991 (Jun)
* 1991 (Dec)
* 1996
* 2001
* 2003 (Jun)
* 2003 (Dec)
* 2005
* 2006
* 2010
* 2012
* 2013 (Mar)
* 2013 (Jun)
* 2013 (Oct)
* 2019

* v
* t
* e

Leadership spills and elections in Australia

Labor Party|

* 1901
* 1907
* 1913
* 1915
* 1916
* 1920
* 1922
* 1928
* 1931
* 1935
* 1945
* 1951
* 1954
* 1956
* 1959
* 1960
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1976
* 1977 (May)
* 1977 (Dec)
* 1982
* 1983
* 1991 (Jun)
* 1991 (Dec)
* 1996
* 2001
* 2003 (Jun)
* 2003 (Dec)
* 2005
* 2006
* 2010
* 2012
* 2013 (Mar)
* 2013 (Jun)
* 2013 (Oct)
* 2019

Liberal Party|

| UAP|

* 1931
* 1939
* 1941
* 1943

|

Liberal|

* 1966
* 1968
* 1969
* 1971
* 1972
* 1975
* 1982
* 1983
* 1985
* 1987
* 1989
* 1990
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2015 (Feb)
* 2015 (Sep)
* 2018
* 2022

National Party|

* 1921
* 1939
* 1941
* 1958
* 1971
* 1984
* 1989
* 1990
* 1999
* 2005
* 2007
* 2016
* 2018
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022

Greens|

* 2005
* 2012
* 2015
* 2020

See spills of: New South Wales • Victoria
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template