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Aleadership spill of theAustralian Labor Party (ALP), the party of government in theParliament of Australia, was held on 19 December 1991, the second spill in a year. Backbencher and formertreasurerPaul Keating defeatedPrime MinisterBob Hawke, who had led Labor for eight and a half years.
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Bob Hawke had been leader of the Labor Party since 3 February 1983, andprime minister since the1983 election, with Labor winning a record four elections under his leadership. The unexpectedly close win at the1990 election, coupled with the deepeningeconomic recession, fuelled tensions within the government over economic policy, resulting in a breakdown of Hawke and Keating's previous "close cooperation".[1] A re-energisedLiberal opposition led byJohn Hewson, a qualified economist, gained ground in the opinion polls. Hawke had alienated key NSW Right powerbrokerGraham Richardson in late 1990 by denying him the transport and communications portfolio, causing Richardson to support Keating as a leadership alternative, before bluntly telling Hawke he no longer had the support of the Right.[2] He also reneged on an agreement with Paul Keating, known as theKirribilli agreement, that he would hand over the leadership to him following the 1990 election.[1] On 3 June 1991, Keatingchallenged for the leadership, but lost in a 66-44 vote and moved to thebackbench.
By late 1991, Hawke's public support continued to decline as the Australian economy showed no signs of recovering from the recession and the oppositionLiberals launched theirFightback! economic policy, without strong response from Hawke.[3] The final straw was when Hawke sacked Keating's successor as treasurer,John Kerin for his perceived communication weaknesses in early December.[citation needed] Keating supporters began a campaign to undermine Hawke's leadership.[2]
The following table gives the ballot results:
| Name | Votes | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Keating | 56 | 52.3 | |
| Bob Hawke | 51 | 47.7 | |
Keating's second challenge was a success: he defeated Hawke by 56 votes to 51. Keating said Hawke had gone missing for four of his eight years as prime minister and had to be propped up by him.[4]
Foreign MinisterGareth Evans was unable to attend the second ballot as he was overseas.[5]
Evans, a Hawke supporter, was one of three Caucus members who could not vote on this spill.The others were another Hawke supporterCon Sciacca, as he was with his dying son, and Keating supporterJim Snow.[6][7]
Therefore if all three were in attendance Keating would still have won but with a vote of 57-53.
Hawke resigned from Parliament shortly after losing the leadership, which resulted in Labor losing his seat to an Independent at the followingby-election.
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