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1966 Federal Election: Harold Holt Liberal Party Policy Speech

Last updated on February 11, 2024

This is the Liberal Party policy speech for the 1966 Federal Election, delivered by the Prime Minister, Harold Holt.

The speech was delivered on November 8.

This was Harold Holt’s first election as leader, following the retirement of the party’s founder, Sir Robert Menzies, in January. It was the first time the Liberal Party had contested an election with a leader other than Menzies.

The chief campaign issue was the Vietnam War. The President of the United States, Lyndon Johnson, had visited Australia just prior to the election campaign.

Holt secured a 4.3% swing to the coalition. It won a landslide victory with 56.9% of the two-party-preferred vote and 82 seats in the House of Representatives to the ALP’s 41.

It was Holt’s only election as Liberal leader. He drowned a year later in December 1967.

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