The Lyons Forum was a
ginger group
The Ginger Group was not a formal political party in Canada, but a faction of radical Progressive and Labour Members of Parliament who advocated socialism. The term ginger group also refers to a small group with new, radical ideas trying to ...
or informal
political faction
A political faction is a group of people with a common political purpose, especially a subgroup of a political party that has interests or opinions different from the rest of the political party. Intragroup conflict between factions can lead to ...
comprising some federal members of
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
Australian parliamentary parties. It was formed in the early 1990s and was active both in
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia (LP) is the prominent centre-right political party in Australia. It is considered one of the two major parties in Australian politics, the other being the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The Liberal Party was fo ...
parliamentary leadership conflict and on family policy issues. The faction was sometimes disparagingly called "The God Squad". In 2004, it was described as "defunct" by
Michelle Grattan
Michelle Grattan (born 30 June 1944) is an Australian journalist who was the first woman to become editor of an Australian metropolitan daily newspaper. Specialising in political journalism, she has written for and edited many significant List ...
.
Formation
The Lyons Forum was formed in 1992 by a group of
Coalition
A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces.
Formation
According to ''A G ...
members of parliament, including
Senator John Herron,
Senator Eric Abetz,
Senator John Tierney,
Alan Cadman
Alan Glyndwr Cadman (born 26 July 1937) is an Australian politician who served as a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives for over 30 years, from 1974 to 2007, representing the Division of Mitchell, New South Wales.
Biogr ...
,
John Bradford
John Bradford (1510–1555) was an English English Reformation, Reformer, prebendary of Old St Paul's Cathedral, St. Paul's, and martyr. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for alleged crimes against Queen Mary I. He was burned at the stak ...
,
Chris Miles,
Kevin Andrews and
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister in ...
.
The group's name was a reference to a slogan used by former member of parliament Dame
Enid Lyons
Dame Enid Muriel Lyons (; 9 July 1897 – 2 September 1981) was an Australian politician. She was notable as the being the first woman to be elected to the House of Representatives and to serve in the federal cabinet. Prior to her own politic ...
: "The foundation of a nation's greatness is in the homes of its people". The organisation had many active Christian members, and had been described as the "Coalition's fundamentalist Christian faction". However, while its observers have noted close relationships between its members and conservative Christian groups and theology, no formal relationship existed.
Role
The Lyons Forum was reported to have played a role in supporting the rise of
John Howard
John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...
to the Liberal leadership in the mid-1990s. It was also prominent in debates about tax policy in relation to families, as well as other policy issues in relation to families, marriage, and sexuality.
See also
*
National Right (Liberal Party of Australia)
The National Right, also known as the Conservatives, or the Hard Right, is one of four factions within the federal Liberal Party of Australia. Reportedly concerned more with social issues, the faction is the most organised and the furthest ...
References
{{Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia factions