2001 Australian Democrats leadership spill
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| Registered | 3,000[1] | ||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 75%[1] | ||||||||||||
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Leadership election | |||||||||||||
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Deputy leadership election | |||||||||||||
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The 2001 Australian Democrats leadership spill was held in April 2001 to elect the leader of the Australian Democrats.[2]
Incumbent leader Meg Lees was defeated by deputy leader Natasha Stott Despoja after a vote of the party's rank-and-file membership, becoming the youngest-ever person to lead a federal parliamentary political party in Australia.[1] Aden Ridgeway replaced Stott Despoja as deputy leader.[3]
Background
[edit]In 1999, after negotiations with Liberal prime minister John Howard, the Democrats party room agreed to support the passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).[4] Two dissident senators on the party's left, Natasha Stott Despoja and Andrew Bartlett, voted against the GST legislation.[5]
The decision to pass the GST was opposed by the majority of Democrats rank-and-file members, and led to internal conflict and tensions surrounding the leadership of Meg Lees.[6] Under the party's constitution, a petition signed by 100 members can trigger a leadership spill.[7] Stott Despoja announced on 27 February 2001 that she would challenge Lees, and after voting took place via post, she emerged victorious on 6 April 2001.[8] Stott Despoja won 69% of the vote, as well as the support of membership in every state.[9]
Endorsements
[edit]Natasha Stott Despoja
[edit]Aftermath
[edit]Throughout 2002, Stott Despoja struggled to keep the Democrats together as senators publicly strayed from party positions and privately expressed a lack of confidence in her leadership.[11] In March 2002, Ridgeway publicly stated that the party was wrong to replace Lees.[12]
After the party opened an investigation into Lees for allegedly damaging party unity, which Lees and her allies saw as part of a campaign by Stott Despoja to silence her, Lees left the Democrats in July 2002 and formed the Australian Progressive Alliance. Her departure was followed by a stand-off with Andrew Murray, who threatened to follow her.[9]
After deciding to stay, Murray proposed a ten-point package to reform party structures and address the issues raised by Lees, designed to shift power from the leader.[9] At a party room meeting on 21 August 2002, all ten measures were passed four votes to three: Murray, Ridgeway, Lyn Allison and John Cherry in favour, with Stott Despoja and her allies Andrew Bartlett and Brian Greig against.[9] Understanding her position to be untenable after this defeat, Stott Despoja announced her resignation as Democrats leader to the Senate after 16-and-a-half months in the role.[13][14]
Support for the Democrats fell significantly at the 2004 federal election in which it achieved only 2.1% of the national Senate vote.[15] Its remaining Senate seats were lost at the 2007 federal election.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Stott Despoja Defeats Lees To Take Democrats Leadership; Youngest Ever Party Leader In Australia". AustralianPolitics.com. 7 April 2001. Archived from the original on 5 November 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ Bray, Hillary (30 June 2002). "The Democrats letters – a series of Crikey exclusives". Crikey. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ "Aden Ridgeway Named New Deputy Leader". Torres News. 13 April 2001. p. 3. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ "GST deal sparks Democrat crisis". abc.net.au. The 7.30 Report. 7 June 1999. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
- ^ Kehoe, John (30 June 2010). "Lees has no regrets Democrats gave their support". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ "Where to for the life of the party?". The Age. 11 September 2004. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ "Democrats manager pushes for leadership spill". ABC News. 16 December 2003. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ "Chronology: demise of the Democrats". Sydney Morning Herald. 26 July 2002. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d Smith, Tony (14 March 2005). "On the use and abuse of power: A snapshot of 'an extraordinary woman in an extraordinary time'". Australian Review of Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ "Democrats' Leadership Contest Causing Bitterness". AustralianPolitics.com. 12 March 2001. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ "Honestly, who are the bastards now?". The Age. 24 August 2002. Archived from the original on 22 February 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ "We were wrong on Lees, says Democrats deputy Ridgeway". The Age. 30 March 2002. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ McGrath, Catherine (21 August 2002). "Senator Cherry speaks about Natasha Stott Despoja". abc.net.au. PM. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
- ^ "Stott Despoja resigns leadership". abc.net.au. Lateline. 21 August 2002. Archived from the original on 3 February 2007. Retrieved 3 February 2007.
- ^ MacCallum, Mungo (9 December 2013). "Dining with the devil: Milne's risky power play". ABC News. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ "So long, it's been good to see you". Sydney Morning Herald. 21 June 2008. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.