Liberal Party factional history — baseline

Gorton–McMahon instability (1960s–1972)

Factional and ideological chaos before Whitlam. Legacy: Party values "discipline" rhetoric; leadership spills still framed as exceptional.

Fraser restoration (1975–1983)

Coalition rebuild after Dismissal; agrarian liberals and urban moderates in uneasy coalition with Nationals.

Howard settlement (1996–2007)

Hard-right and moderates united under Howard's transactional leadership; economic liberalism + social conservatism synthesis. Legacy: "Howard battlers" template; moderates subordinated but represented in cabinet.

Post-2013 drift

Abbott (hard-right) → Turnbull (moderate) → Morrison (managerial right) → Dutton (hard-right) destroyed 2022–2025. 2025 election: Dutton lost seat; party repudiated hard-right campaign strategy.

Ley–Taylor sequence (2025–2026)

Ley (first female leader, moderate presentation) → Taylor spill (Feb 2026, National Right). Legacy: Moderates weakened; hard-right reasserted without electoral proof point yet.

How to use this file

Pre-selection battles in Wets vs Dries seats predict climate and social policy. See Liberal faction map and liberal internal network.