Victorian National Party
National Party of Australia – Victoria | |
---|---|
Leader | Peter Walsh |
Deputy Leader | Steph Ryan |
Youth wing | Young Nationals |
Ideology | Conservatism Agrarianism |
Political position | Centre-right |
Colours | Green and Yellow |
Legislative Assembly | 8 / 88
|
Legislative Council | 2 / 40
|
VIC Seats in the House of Representatives | 3 / 37
|
VIC Seats in the Senate | 1 / 12
|
Website | |
vic.nationals.org.au | |
The National Party of Australia – Victoria[1], commonly known as the Victorian Nationals, is a political party in Victoria, which forms the state branch of the federal Nationals. Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally. The Victorian Farmer's Union formed in 1914 was the precursor to the Victorian Country Party, later the Nationals.
The party, commonly referred to as "The Nationals," is presently the junior partner in a centre-right Coalition with the Liberal Party, forming a joint Opposition bench. During periods of conservative government, the leader also serves as Deputy Premier of Victoria.
Name
The candidates sponsored by the Victorian Farmers' Union initially used the same name but in parliament also called themselves the Country Party.[2] In 1927 the VFU was reorganised and renamed as the Victorian Country Party.[3] A separate party, the Country Progressive Party, had been formed in April 1926 but merged with the Victorian Country Party in September 1930, with the combined party now named the United Country Party.[4] "United" was dropped from the name in March 1947.[5] On 24 July 1975 the party changed its name to the National Party, following the Queensland branch who had made the change the previous year.[6] From 1999 to 2003, it was popularly known as the VicNats. In 2003, in tandem with the national party, it adopted the short name The Nationals.
Relationship with Liberals
The party has had a strained relationship with the Liberals for most of the time since the end of World War II. While its federal counterpart has been in Coalition with the Liberals and their predecessors for all but a few years since 1923, the Victorian branch fought elections separately from the Liberals from 1952 to 1989. Even the presence of Victorian John McEwen as federal Country Party leader and the number-two man in the government from 1958 to 1971 didn't heal the breach.[citation needed]
Pat McNamara became leader of the Victorian Nationals in 1988, and two years later reached a new Coalition agreement with the Liberals. The Liberals and Nationals fought the 1992, 1996 and 1999 elections as a Coalition under Jeff Kennett. The Liberals actually won majorities in their own right in 1992 and 1996. Although Kennett thus had no need for the support of the Nationals, he retained the Coalition, with McNamara as Deputy Premier.[citation needed]
However, after the Kennett government's shock defeat in 1999, McNamara's successor as Nationals leader, Peter Ryan, tore up the Coalition agreement. The Nationals stayed on the crossbench until 2008, when they formed a Coalition with the Liberals under Ted Baillieu. The renewed Coalition narrowly won the 2010 state election, but was ousted after one term in 2014.[citation needed]
Leaders of the Victorian National Party
This is a list of the Leaders of the National Party of Australia in Victoria.
Party Leader | Start of Term | End of Term | Premier | Deputy Premier |
---|---|---|---|---|
John Allan | 1917 | 1933 | 1924 -1927 | |
Murray Bourchier | 1933 | 1935 | ||
Sir Albert Dunstan | 1935 | 1945 | 1935 -1943,1943 -1945 | 1932 |
Sir John McDonald | 1945 | 1955 | 1950 - 1952, 1952 | 1947 - 1948 |
Sir Herbert Hyland | 1955 | 1964 | ||
George Moss | 1964 | 1970 | ||
Peter Ross-Edwards | 1970 | 1988 | ||
Pat McNamara | 1988 | 1999 | 1992 - 1999 | |
Peter Ryan | 1999 | 2014 | 2010 - 2014 | |
Peter Walsh | 3 December 2014 | incumbent |
Election results
Note that until the 1960s some seats were uncontested, which can distort the vote shares.
Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1917 | none | 21,183 | 6.13 | 4 / 65
|
4 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1920 | John Allan | 64,500 | 14.41 | 13 / 65
|
9 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1921 | John Allan | 45,348 | 14.01 | 12 / 65
|
1 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1924 | John Allan | 43,961 | 11.97 | 13 / 65
|
1 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1927 | John Allan | 62,218 | 8.13 | 10 / 65
|
3 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1929 | John Allan | 55,876 | 8.83 | 11 / 65
|
1 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1932 | John Allan | 83,519 | 12.33 | 14 / 65
|
1 | 3rd | Coalition |
1935 | Murray Bourchier | 115,064 | 13.71 | 20 / 65
|
6 | 2nd | Coalition |
1937 | Albert Dunstan | 89,286 | 11.35 | 20 / 65
|
0 | 2nd | Minority government |
1940 | Albert Dunstan | 109,626 | 14.06 | 22 / 65
|
2 | 1st | Minority government |
1943 | Albert Dunstan | 123,902[1] | 14.39 | 25 / 65
|
5 | 1st | Minority government |
1945 | Albert Dunstan | 163,940 | 18.67 | 18 / 65
|
7 | 2nd | Opposition |
1947 | John McDonald | 177,698 | 14.92 | 20 / 65
|
2 | 2nd | Coalition |
1950 | John McDonald | 128,537 | 10.64 | 13 / 65
|
7 | 3rd | Coalition |
1952 | John McDonald | 85,843 | 8.34 | 12 / 65
|
1 | 2nd | Opposition |
1955 | Herbert Hyland | 122,999 | 9.53 | 10 / 66
|
2 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1958 | Herbert Hyland | 127,228 | 9.30 | 9 / 66
|
1 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1961 | Herbert Hyland | 102,184 | 17.14 | 9 / 66
|
0 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1964 | Herbert Hyland | 132,067 | 8.76 | 10 / 66
|
1 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1967 | George Moss | 136,126 | 8.65 | 12 / 73
|
2 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1970 | George Moss | 107,011 | 6.40 | 8 / 73
|
4 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1973 | Peter Ross-Edwards | 113,029 | 5.96 | 8 / 73
|
0 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1976 | Peter Ross-Edwards | 144,818 | 7.10 | 7 / 81
|
1 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1979 | Peter Ross-Edwards | 119,385 | 5.61 | 8 / 81
|
1 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1982 | Peter Ross-Edwards | 111,579 | 4.97 | 8 / 81
|
0 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1985 | Peter Ross-Edwards | 174,727 | 7.29 | 10 / 88
|
2 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1988 | Pat McNamara | 188,776 | 7.76 | 9 / 88
|
1 | 3rd | Crossbench |
1992 | Pat McNamara | 204,525 | 7.83 | 9 / 88
|
0 | 3rd | Coalition |
1996 | Pat McNamara | 184,419 | 6.69 | 9 / 88
|
0 | 3rd | Coalition |
1999 | Pat McNamara | 135,930 | 4.80 | 7 / 88
|
2 | 3rd | Crossbench |
2002 | Peter Ryan | 125,003 | 4.30 | 7 / 88
|
0 | 3rd | Crossbench |
2006 | Peter Ryan | 153,299 | 5.17 | 9 / 88
|
2 | 3rd | Crossbench |
2010 | Peter Ryan | 213,492 | 6.75 | 10 / 88
|
1 | 3rd | Coalition |
2014 | Peter Ryan | 185,619 | 5.53 | 8 / 88
|
2 | 3rd | Crossbench |
- 1 In 1943 the party reconciled with the breakaway Liberal Country Party. The two parties notionally fielded separate candidates but formed a single block; the table shows the combined result for the parties. The Country Party received 112,164 votes (13.03%) and 18 seats, the Liberal Country Party, standing as the Victorian Country Party, 11,738 votes (1.36%) and 7 seats, 6 of them unopposed.
See also
References
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Date_validation at line 986: bad argument #3 to 'format' (string expected, got nil).
- ^ Costar, Brian (2006). "John Allan: The first agrarian". In Strangio, Paul; Costar, Brian (eds.). The Victorian Premiers, 1856-2006. The Federation Press. p. 196n. ISBN 9781862876019.
- ^ "THE NEW FOR THE OLD V.F.U. BECOMES V.C.P." Wodonga and Towong Sentinel. Vic. 25 March 1927. p. 2. Retrieved 13 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ J. B. Paul, 'Dunstan, Sir Albert Arthur (1882–1950)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dunstan-sir-albert-arthur-6055/text10357, published first in hardcopy 1981, accessed online 7 July 2018.
- ^ "26 Mar 1947 - LIBERAL-CP POLL TALKS - Trove". Trove.nla.gov.au. 26 March 1947. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- ^ Davey, Paul (2006). The Nationals: The Progressive, Country and National Party in New South Wales 1919 to 2006. The Federation Press. p. 453. ISBN 9781862875265.