Western Australian Party

The Western Australian Party (or West Australian Party; WAP) was a short-lived Australian political party that operated in 1906. It was intended as a liberal party to protect the rights of Western Australians and to oppose the increasingly successful Labor Party, and drew its supporters from the Protectionist Party and the Anti-Socialist Party. John Forrest, a minister in Alfred Deakin's government, accepted the leadership of the party. Candidates were endorsed for all electorates in the 1906 federal election, including Forrest, but by the time of the election enthusiasm for the venture had diffused. The party elected Forrest in Swan and William Hedges in Fremantle.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Forrest and Hedges did not sit together in federal parliament; Forrest continued to serve as a minister in the Protectionist government of Alfred Deakin while Hedges sat on the opposition benches as an Anti-Socialist.^[5]

Background

[edit]

The 1903 federal election saw the Australian Labor Party (ALP) win all three Senate seats in Western Australia and every House of Representatives seat except that held by federal government minister and former premier John Forrest.^[6]

In the lead-up to the next federal election, there were calls for an anti-Labor organisation to be created. In September 1906, the Senate rejected a bill authorising a survey of the route for the planned Trans-Australian Railway, which would connect Western Australia to the eastern states and had been a major reason for Western Australians voting to federate in 1901. The rejection of the bill prompted "a wave of anti-federal feeling" in Western Australia,^[6] with liberals seeking to capitalise on this sentiment to organise a new anti-Labor party.^[7]

References

[edit]

^ Murdoch 1967, pp. 247–50.
^ John Forrest - Biographical Register: Parliament of Western Australia
^ 1906 House of Reps WA: Adam Carr
^ The Candidates: The West Australian 12 December 1906
^ Murdoch 1967, p. 250.
^ ^a ^b Murdoch 1967, p. 247.
^ Murdoch 1967, p. 248.

Crowley, Frank (2000). Big John Forrest 1847–1918: A Founding Father of the Commonwealth of Australia. University of Western Australia Press. ISBN 1-876268-44-1.
Murdoch, J. R. M. (August 1967). "The Western Australian Party in the 1906 Federal Elections: A Comment on Early Federal Feeling in the West". Australian Journal of Politics and History. 13 (2). University of Queensland Press: 247–250. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8497.1967.tb00805.x.

v t e Defunct political parties in Australia
Major parties	Country and Progressive National Democratic (1940s) Emergency Committee Free Trade Fusion Liberal Liberal (WA, 1910s) Liberal and Country League Liberal and Democratic Union Liberal Federation Liberal Reform (NSW) Liberal Union National Labor Nationalist Progressive (NSW, 1900s) Protectionist United Australia
Other parties represented in federal or state parliaments	A Better Future For Our Children Abolish Self Government Coalition Australia Party Australian Conservatives Australian Family Movement Australian Liberal Australian Motoring Enthusiasts Australian Party Australian Progressive Alliance Blackburn-Mutton Labor Centre (Tas.) City Country Alliance Communist Country-National Organisation Country Progressive Conservative National Democratic (1920s) Executive Country (WA) Family First Glenn Lazarus Team Hare-Clark Independent Illawarra Workers Independent Labor Group Independents Group Industrial Socialist Labor Labor (Non-Communist) Lang Labor Lang Labor (SA) Liberal (1922) Liberal Country Liberal Movement Liberals for Forests Majority Labor National Alliance National Liberal New Conservative Group New Country New Liberal Movement No Self Government North Australia North Queensland Labor Northern Country Northern Territory Nationals Nuclear Disarmament Progress Progressive (NSW, 1920s) Progressive Labor (Vic.) Protestant Labor Queensland Labor Redistribution Liberals Reform the Legal System Residents Rally Revenue Tariff SA First Single Tax Socialist Labor Unite Australia Unity Victorian Farmers' Union Victorian Liberal Western Australian
Parties without representation in any parliaments	21st Century Australia Advance Australia Affordable Housing Aged and Disability Pensioners All for Australia League Arts Aus. First Nations Aus. Antipaedophile Aus. Better Families Aus. Commonwealth Aus. Defence Veterans Aus. Fishing and Lifestyle Aus. Independents Aus. National Alliance Aus. National Socialist Aus. Patriotic Aus. People's Australian Sports Aus. Workers Australians Against Further Immigration Bill of Rights Bullet Train Carers Alliance Centre (NSW) Climate Change Coalition Combined New Australia Commonwealth Commonwealth Centre Communist Alliance Confederate Action Conservative Conservative Nationalist CountryMinded Curtin Labor Deadly Serious Defence and Ex-Services Defence of Government Schools Defence Movement Democratic Democratic Association of Victoria Democratic Socialist Douglas Social Credit Drew Pavlou Democratic Alliance Drug Law Reform Earthsave Engineered Australia Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy Family Law Reform Federal Fishing Freedom and Prosperity Great Australians Grey Power Hear Our Voice Henry George Justice Hope Imperial British Conservative Independent Democratic Independent EFF Indigenous Peoples Liberal Democratic (1940s) Liberal Reform Libertarian Lower Excise Fuel and Beer Marijuana Marriage Equality Mature Australia Mental Health Middle Class Mutual National Front National Humanitarian National Socialist Nationalist (1958) Natural Law No Aircraft Noise No GST One Australia Movement One Australia Party One Parliament for Australia Online Direct Democracy Party! Party! Party! Pauline's United Australia Pensioner and Citizen Initiated Referendum Pensioner Power People Power People's (Vic.) Pirate Progressive Conservative Progressive Labour Progressive Nationalist Party Protestant People's Party Reclaim Australia: Reduce Immigration Referendum First Reform Renewable Energy Restore the Workers' Rights Rise Up Australia Republican Save the ADI Site Seniors United Services Services and Citizens Smokers' Rights Social Democratic State Labor Stop CSG Sun Ripened Warm Tomato Tasmania First Tasmania Senate Team Taxi Operators Political Service Together United Australia (SA) United Christian United Tasmania Group Uniting Australia Victorian Socialist Party Voluntary Euthanasia What Women Want WikiLeaks Women's Party (1995) Women's Party (2020) Yellow Vest Young Australia National
Current Parties Politics of Australia Politics portal List of political parties

This political party- and liberalism-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article about an Australian political party is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Background

References

Further reading