What is Liberal Party (1922)?
[[File:Johnlatham.jpg|thumb|John Latham, Liberal Party politician]] The '''Liberal Party''', '''Liberal Union''' or the '''Liberal Union Party''', was a political party in [[Australia]]. It was based in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and [[South Australia]]. Active mainly in 1922, the party was formed by members of the [[Nationalist Party of Australia]] who did not support the leader, [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[Billy Hughes]]. The party was begun by two Victorian men, [[Thomas Ashworth]] and [[Charles Merrett]]. Two federal Nationalist MPs, Victorian [[William Watt (Australian politician)|William Watt]] and South Australian [[Richard Foster (Australian politician)|Richard Foster]], joined the Liberal Party. In the 1922 federal election three more MPs ([[John Latham (jurist)|John Latham]] from Victoria, and [[Malcolm Cameron (Australian politician)|Malcolm Cameron]] and [[Jack Duncan-Hughes]] from South Australia) were elected. When the new [[National Party of Australia|Country Party]] refused to support Hughes, he decided to retire and leave the Prime Ministership to [[Stanley Bruce]]. All five Liberals rejoined the Nationalist Party, although they remained officially Liberals until 1925.<ref>{{cite web | title = Historical Information on the Australian Parliament | work = Parliamentary Handbook | publisher = [[Parliament of Australia]] | url = http://www.aph.gov.au/library/handbook/historical/representatives/index.htm | access-date = 2008-06-14 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071225104355/http://www.aph.gov.au/library/handbook/historical/representatives/index.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-12-25}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:Political parties in Australia]] [[Category:1925 disestablishments]] [[Category:1920s disestablishments in Australia]]