| Free Trade Party |
Article Index for Free Trade |
Articles about Free Trade Party |
Website Links For Free Trade |
Information AboutFree Trade Party |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT FREE TRADE PARTY | |
| defunct liberal political parties | |
| australia 1880s | |
| defunct political parties in australia | |
|
In the elections for the first Commonwealth Parliament , the Free Traders formed the second largest group in the House Of Representatives , with 25 seats. Reid became the Parliament's first Opposition Leader , later becoming Prime Minister in 1904 - 05 . After the question of tarriffs had largely been settled, Reid cast around for another cause to justify his party's existence. He settled on opposition to Socialism , criticising both the Australian Labor Party and the support offered to it by the Protectionist Party , led by Alfred Deakin . The Free Trade party eventually was renamed the Anti-Socialist Party. The Labor party nonetheless continued to grow in electoral strength, and Reid gained the support of several Protectionists who were antipathetic to Labor. Eventually Reid convinced Deakin that their two parties' future lay in a merger, and the Free Trade Party merged with the Protectionists to become the Commonwealth Liberal Party in 1909 . SEE ALSO
|
|
|