The Liberal Reform Party was an Australian
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or po ...
, active in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, e ...
state politics between 1901 and 1916. It drew much of its support from
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to ...
and
Temperance groups.
History
The question of tariff policy which, had created and divided the
Free Trade Party
The Free Trade Party which was officially known as the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states, was an Australian political party, formally organised in 1887 in New South Wales ...
and
Protectionist Party
The Protectionist Party or Liberal Protectionist Party was an Australian political party, formally organised from 1887 until 1909, with policies centred on protectionism. The party advocated protective tariffs, arguing it would allow Australi ...
in New South Wales in the 1890s, became a federal issue at the time of
federation
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing ...
. Deprived of their main ideological difference, the two parties were recreated as the Liberal Reform Party, aligned with the federal Free Trade Party, and the
Progressive Party, aligned with the federal Protectionist Party. The Progressive Party's vote collapsed at the
1904 election and many of its members then joined the Liberal Reform Party.
By 1907, the Liberal Reform Party was left as the main centre-right party in New South Wales.
In 1916, the Liberal Reform Party formed a coalition with the pro-conscription elements of the state Labor Party under Premier
William Holman. In 1917, Liberal Reform merged with the pro-conscription elements of Labor to form the New South Wales branch of the
Nationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party, also known as the National Party, was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the latter formed by Prime Min ...
. As was the case with the federal Nationalists, the new party was dominated by former Liberal Reformers, but Holman was the merged party's leader.
Leaders
State election results
References
{{New South Wales political parties
Defunct liberal political parties
Defunct political parties in New South Wales
Political parties established in 1901
Political parties disestablished in 1916
1901 establishments in Australia
1916 disestablishments in Australia