Liberal and Country League (Western Australia)
The Liberal and Country League of Western Australia was a major conservative political party of Western Australia from 1949 to 1968. It operated as the state division of the Liberal Party throughout its existence, forming government from 1947 to 1953, and again from 1959 to 1971.
Background
After the defeat of the Mitchell Government in the 1933 election, the Nationalist Party became the junior partner of the conservative coalition opposing the Labor government, having less seats than the Country party. This remained so until 1947.
The Nationalist party renamed itself the Liberal Party in 1944-45, bringing it in line with conservative parties in most other states and federally.
Return to government
Following 14 years in opposition, the Liberal/Country coalition narrowly defeated the Wise Labor Government at the 1947 election, winning 25 seats to Labor's 23 in the 50 seat assembly. It formed a majority with the support of Independent MPs Harry Shearn and William Read. With the Liberal party winning 13 seats, while the Country party won 12 seats, the Liberals narrowly became the senior party of the coalition again, and the Liberal leader Ross McLarty became Premier.[1]
The Country party meanwhile was undergoing significant structural change when in 1944, the Primary Producers' Association passed a motion that ceased funding of the party, forcing the party to set up its own support and renamed itself the Country and Democratic League. It retained a significant amount of support at the 1947 election, winning 16.2% of the vote and 12 seats (up 2 from 1943).
Name change
With the balance in seats within the Coalition so narrow, the Liberal party sought to gain a larger majority of seats to remain the senior coalition partner. This was made easier by the defection of the MLA for Beverley, James Mann, who left the Country party to sit as an Independent, reducing the Country-held seats to 11.
Following this, at a public meeting in May 1949, after a similar move had been made for the Liberals in Victoria that renamed their party to the Liberal and Country Party in March, the party of Western Australia renamed itself the Liberal and Country League.[2] Mann joined this party, bringing the Coalition party balance up to 14-11.
Unlike the party of the same name in South Australia, the Country party did not merge with the LCL and still contested elections in its own name. But unlike in Victoria, the LCL and Country parties still ran as a coalition throughout its existence.
Years as LCL
The move proved to be effective, with the party making further gains from its coalition partner at the 1950 election. The LCL gained another seat to number a total of 15, and the Country party lost 2 more for a total of 9. However, the coalition was not able to form a majority in their own right, and still required the support of independents.
The coalition was defeated by the Albert Hawke-led Labor opposition at the 1953 election, but the LCL remained the senior coalition partner, retaining 15 seats to the Country party's 9. Hawke won a second term in 1956, winning a larger majority and reducing the coalition to 19 seats (11 LCL and 8 CP). Ross McLarty retired and was replaced by David Brand in 1957.
The LCL-CP coalition returned to government at the 1959 election, albeit narrowly. The LCL won a net 6 seats from Labor, with the coalition holding 25 of 50 seats with the Labor party holding 23, and the remaining 2 won by Independents. However, the LCL still had a clear lead over the Country party, with a balance of 17-8 seats. The coalition formed a majority with the support of Independent Bill Grayden, who joined the LCL in 1960 to give the government a majority in its own right, while the other independent Edward Oldfield joined the Labor party.
The Brand coalition government remained in power continuously until 1971, with the LCL remaining the senior coalition partner in this time.
In 1968, after the election, the LCL renamed itself the Liberal Party of Australia (Western Australia division), bringing it in line with other such states across Australia apart from South Australia.
See also
- Ross McLarty
- David Brand
- Coalition (Australia)
- Liberal Party of Australia
- National Party of Western Australia
References
- ^ Hughes, Colin A.; Graham, B.D. (1976). Voting for the South Australian, Western Australian and Tasmanian Lower Houses, 1890-1964. Canberra: Dept. of Political Science, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University. ISBN 0708113346.
- ^ "Details of WA 1950 Election". Australian Politics and Elections Database. Retrieved 2 September 2014.