The 1974 ACT Liberal Party leadership election was held on 30 October 1974.
In 1966, Jim Leedman became president of the ACT Liberal Party's Canberra branch, and also served as the party's Electoral Conference president.[1][2] He became president of the newly-formed Woden Valley branch later that year.[3][4]
After the election, in which the Liberals won seven seats, a leadership election was held.[12] Newly-elected Canberra MLA Peter Hughes was elected as leader, while Leedman became deputy leader.[13][14][15][16]
The 1977 ACT Liberal Party leadership election was held on 20 January 1977.
On 3 January 1977, Peter Hughes resigned as leader and from the Liberal Party to sit as an independent.[17] Hughes stated he felt he could better serve the ACT if he was not a member of a political party.[18][19]
Deputy leader Jim Leedman and Fraser MLA Trevor Kaine both sought the leadership.[20] Leedman was successful, returning to the leadership, while Kaine was elected to the position of deputy leader.[21]
Kaine was asked he believed more Liberals wanted Humphries as leader, and told The Canberra Times that "the candidates themselves — the people who are going to be presenting the policies and presenting the party as a potential creditable government — have decided they can sell themselves better having me as their leader than they could have done by having Gary [Humphries]."[25]
On 13 December, Kaine announced the portfolios for the Liberal candidates:[26]
Trevor Kaine – Finance, economic development and ageing
Gary Humphries – Police and justice, education and youth affairs
However, Humphries did not immediately become Leader of the Opposition.[35] Kaine said on 14 June that he did not intend to step down from the position, despite Humphries saying he believed Kaine would resign.[36] One week later at 2:30pm on 21 June, Kaine resigned as opposition leader, the Liberal Party did not have enough votes to elect Humphries to the position.[37] Residents Rally leader Bernard Collaery nominated Independents Group MLA Craig Duby, and after two vote (the first one having being tied at six votes each), Duby became opposition leader after independent MLA Michael Moore abstained from the second ballot.[37][38] 6-and-a-half hours later, Labor voted with the Liberals (as well as Moore) to elect Humphries to the position.[37][39]
The July 1991 ACT Liberal Party leadership election was held on 22 July 1991.[40]
During preselection on Saturday, 20 July, the Liberal Party relegated Gary Humphries to the fifth position on the party's ticket at the next ACT election.[34] Humphries announced he would resign as leader on Monday, 22 July, allowing for former leader Trevor Kaine to return to the position after just one month.[34][41]
Opinion polling from The Canberra Times showed the Liberals were likely to win five seats, meaning Humphries would remain an MLA (which did eventuate at the 1992 election, where the Liberals won six seats and Humphries was re-elected).[41][42]
Bill Stefaniak, who had been moved to the unwinnable eighth position on the Liberal ticket, resigned as deputy leader because he believed the position should be held by someone "in a winnable position".[43] Humphries was elected to the deputy leadership.[43]
Following his return to the leadership, Kaine signalled to fellow Liberal MLAs Robyn Nolan and David Prowse – who were both not preselected for the next election – that they should resign from the Legislative Assembly in order to make way for the party's preselected candidates.[43] Prowse chose not to leave the party, while Nolan resigned several months later in October to form the New Conservative Group.[44][45]
The 1993 ACT Liberal Party leadership spill was held on 21 April 1993.[46][47]
During the evening of Tuesday, 20 April, Liberal MLA Tony De Domenico agreed to support Carnell over incumbent leader Trevor Kaine, ending a 3–3 stalemate that had existed within the Liberal partyroom since the July 1991 spill.[48][49] At 10:30am the following day, a spill motion was moved.[48][50] Kaine and Greg Cornwell, a strong Kaine supporter, learned of the spill only moments before it occured.[48][51][52] Kaine did not contest the spill, and Carnell was elected unopposed, becoming the ACT Liberal Party's first female leader.[48][51][53]
De Domenico was elected unopposed as deputy leader, replacing Gary Humphries.[48] Humphries, a longtime supporter of Carnell, said he was happy to assist the new leadership team "if that's what's involved".[48]
The spill came just one month after a federal Liberal Party spill, where incumbent John Hewson defeated former leader John Howard.[54] Writing in The Canberra Times, journalist Matthew Abraham wrote that "Kaine and De Domenico are fast becoming the John Howard
and Andrew Peacock of the ACT Liberals", Howard and Peacock having infamously fought for the federal Liberal leadership throughout the 1980s.[50][55]
The 2000 ACT Liberal Party leadership election was held on 18 October 2000.
On 25 September 2000, an ACT auditor-general's report into the Bruce Stadium redevelopment project was released, which found that the project's $27.3 million cost estimate had not undergone proper assessment, review or analysis.[56][57] On 11 October, the Labor Party moved a no-confidence motion, which was scheduled to be debated on 18 October.[56][57]
Although Carnell considered a number of options – including resigning as chief minister but remaining Liberal leader, calling an early election or allowing Labor to govern – it became clear that independent crossbenchers Dave Rugendyke and Paul Osborne would support the motion.[57] She ultimately chose to resign as both chief minister and Liberal leader on 17 October, one day before the motion was scheduled to be debated.[56][57][58]
A leadership election took place the following day, which saw deputy chief minister Gary Humphries elected as leader (and by extension, Chief Minister of the ACT) unopposed.[56][57]
The 2012 Canberra Liberals leadership election was held on 29 October 2012.
Following the 2012 ACT election, neither the Liberals nor the Labor Party had won the sufficient number of seats to form government in their own right, meaning they required the support of Shane Rattenbury, the sole Greens MLA.[59]
While negotiations were taking place, Zed Seselja was re-elected unopposed as Liberal leader and Brendan Smyth was re-elected as deputy leader.[60]
The Liberals would ultimately remain in opposition after Rattenbury chose to support Labor on 2 November.[61][62]
The 2020 Canberra Liberals leadership election was held on 27 October 2020.
Following the Liberal Party's sixth consecutive loss at the 2020 ACT election, Alistair Coe stepped down as leader.[72] Coe did not immediately confirm whether he would seek to retain the leadership, but ultimately chose not to.[72][73]
Giulia Jones won the deputy leadership unopposed after Nicole Lawder stepped down.[74][80] This created the first all-female political leadership team in the ACT.[81][82]
The 2022 Canberra Liberals deputy leadership election was held on 1 February 2022.
On 31 February 2022, Giulia Jones announced her resignation as deputy leader.[82] Jones cited the personal toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with a desire to spend more time with her family.[84][85]
One day after Jones resigned, former Liberal leader Jeremy Hanson was elected unopposed as the new deputy leader.[86][87]
Hanson contested the spill, although the Liberal Party did not release the caucus vote numbers.[94]
Following the spill, Hanson said he was "disappointed" but would "continue to work hard for our community as a loyal and passionate member of the Canberra Liberals team".[95] A shadow cabinet reshuffle three days later on 7 December saw Hanson moved to the backbench.[96]
However, one day before the vote, Hanson withdrew from the leadership contest and agreed to support deputy leader Leanne Castley instead. Castley won the leadership election 5 votes to 4 votes, while Hanson was elected deputy leader against Parton (also 5−4).[101]
^The Canberra Times wrote on 13 June 1991 that "there were no dissenting votes to Mr Humphries being elected leader, although Mr Kaine abstained", however they later reported on 21 July 1991 that "it is understood that Mr Kaine
received only one vote: his own".[33][34]
^"2004 Week 10 Hansard". ACT Legislative Assembly. 26 August 2004. Retrieved 22 October 2024. In 1974 he was elected as a member of Jim Leedman's Liberal team to the newly-created ACT Assembly
^Giannini, Dominic; Shteyman, Jacob (21 October 2024). "Fight over Libs leadership after record election loss". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 21 October 2024. A member of the conservative faction of the Liberal Party, Mr Hanson campaigned against the 2023 referendum for an Indigenous voice to parliament.
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