page_title: Gorton Government
section_title: Gorton resignation
hierarchical_section_title: Gorton Government / Gorton resignation
caption_attribution_description: English: Studio portrait of Malcolm Fraser in 1968
context_page_description: The Gorton Government was the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Gorton. It was made up of members of a Liberal-Country Party coalition in the Australian Parliament from January 1968 to March 1971.
context_section_description: Tensions within the government came to a point when David Fairbairn, the Minister for National Development, announced a refusal to serve in a Gorton Cabinet. Fairbairn and Treausurer William McMahon, unsuccessfully challenged Gorton for leadership of the Liberal Party. McMahon was removed from Treasury to External Affairs and Leslie Bury was appointed Treasurer.
  The Government performed poorly in the 1970 half senate election adding to pressures on Gorton's leadership. Defence minister Malcolm Fraser developed an uneasy relationship with Gorton and in early 1971, Fraser accused Gorton of being disloyal to him in a conflict with Army officials over progress in South Vietnam. Fraser was engaged in a struggle over authority with service chiefs, when in 1971, journalist Alan Ramsay published an article quoting Defence Chief Sir Thomas Daly as having described Fraser as extremely disloyal to the army and to its junior minister, Andrew Peacock. Ramsay had conferred with Gorton prior to publishing the article, but Gorton had not repudiated its contents. Fraser seized upon the report, resigned and accused Gorton of intolerable disloyalty. On 9 March Fraser told Parliament that Gorton was "not fit to hold the great office of Prime Minister". Fraser accused Gorton of obstinacy and a dangerous reluctance to take advice from Cabinet or the Public Service.
  John Howard wrote of Gorton-Fraser relationship that Fraser had been one of Gorton's key backers in 1968, when Gorton secured the leadership after the death of Holt, yet "it was Fraser quitting the Government, followed by a searing resignation speech, which triggered the events producing Gorton's removal".
  On 10 March, the Liberal party room moved to debate and vote on a motion of confidence in Gorton as party leader, resulting in a 33–33 tie. Under Liberal rules of the time, this meant Gorton retained the leadership.  However, Gorton declared that a tie vote was not a true vote of confidence, and resigned the leadership.  Former treasurer, William McMahon, replaced Gorton as Prime Minister.
caption: Defence Minister Malcolm Fraser resigned in March 1971, precipitating a leadership crisis.
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