The Liberal Union, also known as the Liberal Party, the Liberal Union Party or the Progressive Liberals, was a short-lived political party in Australia that operated in Victoria, mainly in 1922.
Liberal Union | |
|---|---|
| President | Charles Merrett |
| Founder | Thomas Ashworth Charles Merrett |
| Founded | 1922 |
| Dissolved | 1925 |
| Split from | Nationalist Party |
| Preceded by | Liberal Party |
| Merged into | Nationalist Party |
| Succeeded by | Australian Liberal Party |
| House of Representatives | 2 / 75 (1922−1925)
|
History
The Liberal Union was formed by disaffected Nationalists, principally Thomas Ashworth and Charles Merrett, who opposed the leadership of Prime Minister Billy Hughes.[1]
In October 1922, Merrett met with delegates from the Country Party and Australian Legion and agreed to co-operate at the 1922 federal election. Positions agreed upon by the three parties included "[maintaining] the unity of the British Empire" and "the preservation of a white Australia". Candidates in Melbourne would stand as 'Progressive Liberals,' while the Liberals would back Country Party candidate in regional Victoria.[2]
At the 1922 election, William Watt (Balaclava) and John Latham (Kooyong) were elected as Independent Liberal Union MPs.[3] Other candidates for the party included Eleanor Glencross and Henry Gullett, both in Henty, and Merrett who ran in the Senate.[4]
The party disbanded in 1925, after Watt re-joined and Latham joined the Nationalists. Merrett later formed the Australian Liberal Party.[5]
References
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