 He was joined by fellow MPs Sol Rosevear, Joe Gander, Dan Mulcahy, and Tom Sheehan, as well as senators Stan Amour and John Armstrong.In the Parliament of New South Wales, fifteen ALP members defected – nine in the Legislative Assembly (including Lang) and six in the Legislative Council.Federal opposition leader John Curtin reacted angrily to the news, declaring the defectors had "wrecked the solidarity of Labor at a time of great crisis".