The Liberal Reform Group, later known as the Australian Reform Movement, was a minor Australian political party and predecessor to the

Australia Party The Australia Party was a minor political party established initially in 1966 as the Liberal Reform Group. As the Australia Party, it became influential, particularly in the landmark 1972 federal election when its preferences assisted the Austr ...

, which in turn was a predecessor to the

Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party dissenting splinter groups, it was Australi ...

. It was founded by Gordon Barton, transport entrepreneur Ken Thomas, shark meshing contractor Nickolai Gorshenin, writer

Kenneth Cook Kenneth Bernard Cook (5 May 1929 – 18 April 1987) was an Australian journalist, television documentary maker, and novelist best known for his works ''Wake in Fright'', which is still in print five decades after its first publication, and the hu ...

and a number of disaffected members of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a l ...

, alienated by the Liberals' support for conscription in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. 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

The Liberal Reform Group originated from a newspaper advertisement placed by IPEC managing director Gordon Barton on 3 November 1966, calling for "independent Liberal" candidates to contest the upcoming federal election on a platform of opposition to conscription and the

. The new group was immediately attacked by Prime Minister

Harold Holt Harold Edward Holt (5 August 190817 December 1967) was an Australian politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party. Holt was born in ...

and Treasurer

William McMahon Sir William McMahon (23 February 190831 March 1988) was an Australian politician who served as the 20th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1971 to 1972 as leader of the Liberal Party. He was a government minister for over 21 years, ...

as pro-socialist and a front for the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms ...

(ALP). However, the president of its Victorian branch subsequently announced that it would support the Coalition government on domestic issues. The party's policy speech was delivered by journalist Francis James, who stood against McMahon in the seat of Lowe. At the 1966 federal election, the Liberal Reform Group nominated candidates only 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 , es ...

and Victoria, primarily in government-held seats. The Liberal Party unsuccessfully took out an injunction against the group's

how-to-vote card How-to-vote cards (HTV) are small leaflets that are handed out by party supporters during elections in Australia. Voting in the Australian lower house uses a preferential voting system. Voters must rank every candidate on the ballot in order fo ...

s, claiming they were misleading as the word "Reform" was less visible than the word "Liberal". By October 1967, the Liberal Reform Group was using the name "Australian Reform Movement" (ARM). A Canberra branch of the movement was formed in April 1969. 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 Reginald John David "Spot" Turnbull (21 February 1908 – 17 July 2006) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1946 to 1961 (1946–1959 for the Labor Party, 1959–1961 as an Independent), then a ...

to form a new political party, the

, with Turnbull as its leader and sole parliamentary representative.

References

Defunct political parties in Australia Political parties established in 1966 1966 establishments in Australia Political parties disestablished in 1969 1969 disestablishments in Australia {{liberalparty-stub