Liberal Reform Group

Political party in Australia

Liberal Reform Group

Spokesperson| Gordon Barton
Founded| November 1966
Dissolved| July 1969
Merged into| Australia Party
Ideology| Anti-conscription
Anti-war

* Politics of Australia
* Political parties
* Elections

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. It was founded by Gordon Barton, transport entrepreneur Ken Thomas, shark meshing contractor Nickolai Gorshenin, writer Kenneth Cook and a number of disaffected members of the Liberal Party, alienated by the Liberals' support for conscription in the Vietnam War.[1] After contesting the 1966 federal election as the Liberal Reform Group, the party contested the 1967 Senate election as the Australian Reform Movement, but had become the Australia Party by 1969.

## History

[edit]

The Liberal Reform Group originated from a newspaper advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald placed by IPEC managing director Gordon Barton on 3 November 1966, as an open letter to President Lyndon B.Johnson, then visiting Australia. The President was visiting at the height of the Vietnam War and was seeking to consolidate Australia's co-operation in the war.[2] In a climate of anti-war protest, at least in Sydney, the open letter drew such strong support that Barton established Liberal Reform and called for "independent Liberal" candidates to contest the upcoming federal election on a platform of opposition to conscription and the Vietnam War.[3] Funding for this advertisement and public campaigning is detailed on Australia Party page.

The new group was immediately attacked by Prime Minister Harold Holt and Treasurer William McMahon as pro-socialist and a front for the Australian Labor Party (ALP).[4][5] However, the president of its Victorian branch subsequently announced that it would support the Coalition government on domestic issues.[6] The party's policy speech was delivered by journalist Francis James, who stood against McMahon in the seat of Lowe.[7]

For the 1966 federal election, the Liberal Reform Group nominated Senate candidates only in New South Wales and Victoria, and for Lower House primarily in government-held seats.[8] For NSW there were five candidates including Gordon Barton, Peter Mason and Harry Seidler. Seidler was already prominent in public affairs, notably Joern Utzon plans for the Sydney Opera House, and Peter Mason was a public figure opposed to conscription and war. On Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War, Seidler declared "There is a time when one is so utterly appalled by the role the government plays in foreign policy and in Vietnam in particular that one decides to do what one can to present a saner approach to people. I think the course we are following is the worst possible one for us, situated as we are in Asia. What we are doing is barbarous."[2]

The Liberal Party unsuccessfully took out an injunction against the group's how-to-vote cards, claiming they were misleading as the word "Reform" was less visible than the word "Liberal".[9]

At the 1967 election, the Liberal Reform NSW Senate candidates had polled just over two percent of the vote. By October 1967, the Liberal Reform Group was using the name "Australian Reform Movement" (ARM).[10][11] A Canberra branch of the movement was formed in April 1969.[12] On 20 July 1969, following discussions which had begun the previous month, it was announced that the ARM would merge with the supporters of independent senator Reg Turnbull to form a new political party, the Australia Party, with Turnbull as its leader and sole parliamentary representative.[13] Extending the earlier aims of the Liberal Reform Group to end conscription and withdraw from Vietnam the new party's platform was "to liberalise abortion laws, end conscription, eliminate censorship, protect the environment and improve city planning."[2]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Townsend, Ian (7 April 2005). "The life and death of Gordon Barton". PM. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
2. ^ a b c Spigelman, Alice (2001). Almost full circle: Harry Seidler: a biography. Rose Bay, N.S.W: Brandl & Schlesinger. pp. 247–248\. ISBN 978-1-876040-15-4.247-248&rft.pub=Brandl+&+Schlesinger&rft.date=2001&rft.isbn=978-1-876040-15-4&rft.aulast=Spigelman&rft.aufirst=Alice&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Liberal+Reform+Group" class="Z3988">
3. ^ "Anti-war group to fight elections". The Canberra Times. 4 November 1966.
4. ^ "New Liberals attacked by McMahon". The Canberra Times. 5 November 1966.
5. ^ "Holt hits 'so-called Liberals'". The Canberra Times. 8 November 1966.
6. ^ "Reform Group to back Govt. on domestic issues". The Canberra Times. 14 November 1966.
7. ^ "Call-up for men, and women". The Canberra Times. 11 November 1966.
8. ^ "Record 454 nominate for Federal election". The Canberra Times. 8 November 1966.
9. ^ "Liberals lose to Reform Group". The Canberra Times. 26 November 1966.
10. ^ "Liberal Reform Group endorses candidates". The Canberra Times. 9 October 1967.
11. ^ "Candidate plans meeting in Cooma". The Canberra Times. 25 October 1967.
12. ^ "Movement forms a branch". The Canberra Times. 18 April 1969.
13. ^ "New political party formed in Australia". Papua New Guinea Post-Courier. 21 July 1969.

* v
* t
* e

Defunct political parties in Australia

Major parties|

* Country and Progressive National
* Democratic (1940s)
* Emergency Committee
* Free Trade
* Fusion Liberal
* Liberal (WA, 1910s)
* Liberal and Country League
* Liberal and Democratic Union
* Liberal Federation
* Liberal Reform (NSW)
* Liberal Union
* National Labor
* Nationalist
* Progressive (NSW, 1900s)
* Protectionist
* United Australia

Other parties represented
in federal or state parliaments|

* A Better Future For Our Children
* Abolish Self Government Coalition
* Australia Party
* Australian Conservatives
* Australian Family Movement
* Australian Liberal
* Australian Motoring Enthusiasts
* Australian Party
* Australian Progressive Alliance
* Blackburn-Mutton Labor
* Centre (Tas.)
* City Country Alliance
* Communist
* Country-National Organisation
* Country Progressive
* Conservative National
* Democratic (1920s)
* Executive Country (WA)
* Family First
* Glenn Lazarus Team
* Hare-Clark Independent
* Illawarra Workers
* Independent Labor Group
* Independents Group
* Industrial Socialist Labor
* Labor (Non-Communist)
* Lang Labor
* Lang Labor (SA)
* Liberal (1922)
* Liberal Country
* Liberal Movement
* Liberals for Forests
* Majority Labor
* National Alliance
* National Liberal
* New Conservative Group
* New Country
* New Liberal Movement
* No Self Government
* North Australia
* North Queensland Labor
* Northern Country
* Northern Territory Nationals
* Nuclear Disarmament
* Progress
* Progressive (NSW, 1920s)
* Progressive Labor (Vic.)
* Protestant Labor
* Queensland Labor
* Redistribution Liberals
* Reform the Legal System
* Residents Rally
* Revenue Tariff
* SA First
* Single Tax
* Socialist Labor
* Unite Australia
* Unity
* Victorian Farmers' Union
* Victorian Liberal
* Western Australian

Parties without representation
in any parliaments|

* 21st Century Australia
* Advance Australia
* Affordable Housing
* Aged and Disability Pensioners
* All for Australia League
* Arts
* Aus. First Nations
* Aus. Antipaedophile
* Aus. Better Families
* Aus. Commonwealth
* Aus. Defence Veterans
* Aus. Fishing and Lifestyle
* Aus. Independents
* Aus. National Alliance
* Aus. National Socialist
* Aus. Patriotic
* Aus. People's
* Australian Sports
* Aus. Workers
* Australians Against Further Immigration
* Bill of Rights
* Bullet Train
* Carers Alliance
* Centre (NSW)
* Climate Change Coalition
* Combined New Australia
* Commonwealth
* Commonwealth Centre
* Communist Alliance
* Confederate Action
* Conservative
* Conservative Nationalist
* CountryMinded
* Curtin Labor
* Deadly Serious
* Defence and Ex-Services
* Defence of Government Schools
* Defence Movement
* Democratic
* Democratic Association of Victoria
* Democratic Socialist
* Douglas Social Credit
* Drew Pavlou Democratic Alliance
* Drug Law Reform
* Earthsave
* Engineered Australia
* Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy
* Family Law Reform
* Fair Elections Coalition
* Federal
* Fishing
* Freedom and Prosperity
* Great Australians
* Grey Power
* Hear Our Voice
* Henry George Justice
* Hope
* Imperial British Conservative
* Independent Democratic
* Independent EFF
* Indigenous Peoples
* Liberal Democratic (1940s)
* Liberal Reform
* Libertarian
* Lower Excise Fuel and Beer
* Marijuana
* Marriage Equality
* Mature Australia
* Mental Health
* Middle Class
* Mutual
* National Front
* National Humanitarian
* National Socialist
* Nationalist (1958)
* Natural Law
* No Aircraft Noise
* No GST
* One Australia Movement
* One Australia Party
* One Parliament for Australia
* Online Direct Democracy
* Party! Party! Party!
* Pauline's United Australia
* Pensioner and Citizen Initiated Referendum
* Pensioner Power
* People Power
* People's (Vic.)
* Pirate
* Progressive Conservative
* Progressive Labour
* Progressive Nationalist Party
* Protestant People's Party
* Reclaim Australia: Reduce Immigration
* Referendum First
* Reform
* Renewable Energy
* Restore the Workers' Rights
* Rise Up Australia
* Republican
* Save the ADI Site
* Seniors United
* Services
* Services and Citizens
* Smokers' Rights
* Social Democratic
* State Labor
* Stop CSG
* Sun Ripened Warm Tomato
* Tasmania First
* Tasmania Senate Team
* Taxi Operators Political Service
* Together
* United Australia (SA)
* United Christian
* United Tasmania Group
* Uniting Australia
* Victorian Socialist Party
* Voluntary Euthanasia
* What Women Want
* WikiLeaks
* Women's Party (1995)
* Women's Party (2020)
* Yellow Vest
* Young Australia National

* Current Parties
* Politics of Australia
* Politics portal
* List of political parties

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template