First Gorton ministry
First Gorton ministry | |
|---|---|
44th Ministry of Australia | |
Governor-General Lord Casey with first arrangement of newly appointed ministers to the Gorton ministry | |
| Date formed | 10 January 1968 |
| Date dissolved | 12 November 1969 |
| People and organisations | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | Lord Casey Sir Paul Hasluck |
| Prime Minister | John Gorton |
| Deputy Prime Minister | John McEwen |
| No. of ministers | 30 |
| Member party | Liberal–Country coalition |
| Status in legislature | Coalition majority government |
| Opposition party | Labor |
| Opposition leader | Gough Whitlam |
| History | |
| Outgoing election | 25 October 1969 |
| Legislature term | 26th |
| Predecessor | McEwen ministry |
| Successor | Second Gorton ministry |
The First Gorton ministry (Liberal–Country Coalition) was the 44th ministry of the Government of Australia. It was led by the country's 19th Prime Minister, John Gorton. The First Gorton ministry succeeded the McEwen ministry, which dissolved on 10 January 1968 following the election of Gorton as Liberal leader after the disappearance of former Prime Minister Harold Holt. The ministry was replaced by the Second Gorton ministry on 12 November 1969 following the 1969 federal election.
As of 1 May 2025, Ian Sinclair is the last surviving member of the First Gorton ministry; Sinclair is also the last surviving minister of the Menzies, Holt, McEwen, and McMahon governments, as well as the Second Gorton and the First Fraser ministries. James Forbes was the last surviving Liberal minister, and Malcolm Fraser was the last surviving Liberal Cabinet minister.