Australia Party | |
|---|---|
 Party logo c. 1972 | |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Dissolved | 1986 |
| Preceded by | Australian Reform Movement |
| Merged into | Australian Democrats (1977) Unite Australia Party (1986) |
| Ideology | Anti-conscription Social liberalism |
| Political position | Centre |
| International affiliation | Liberal International |
The Australia Party was a minor centrist political party in Australia from 1969 to 1986. It was most influential in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The party was established in 1969 under the leadership of Senator Reg Turnbull, as a merger of Turnbull's supporters and Gordon Barton's Australian Reform Movement. Turnbull's involvement was short-lived and he resigned from the party in 1970. At federal level, the party achieved its best result at the 1970 Senate election, with nearly three percent of the national vote. Its preference allocations were also influential at the 1972 and 1974 federal elections, while two candidates were elected to the Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly in 1975. Most members of the party joined the newly formed Australian Democrats in 1977, with former Australia Party national convenors John Siddons and Colin Mason later elected as Democrats senators.