The McEwen ministry (Country–Liberal Coalition) was the 43rd ministry of the Government of Australia. It was led by the country's 18th prime minister, John McEwen. The McEwen ministry succeeded the Second Holt ministry, which dissolved on 19 December 1967 following the disappearance of former prime minister Harold Holt – the third and most recent occasion where a sitting prime minister died in office. Since McEwen was the head of the Country Party, it was a caretaker ministry until the senior partner in the Coalition, the Liberal Party, could elect a new leader. John Gorton was ultimately elected on 9 January 1968, and he was sworn in as prime minister along with his ministry the following day.[1]
McEwen ministry | |
|---|---|
 43rd Ministry of Australia | |
 Governor-General Lord Casey with the newly sworn in McEwen ministry | |
| Date formed | 19 December 1967 |
| Date dissolved | 10 January 1968 |
| People and organisations | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | Lord Casey |
| Prime Minister | John McEwen |
| No. of ministers | 25 |
| Member party | Country–Liberal coalition |
| Status in legislature | Coalition majority government |
| Opposition party | Labor |
| Opposition leader | Gough Whitlam |
| History | |
| Legislature term(s) | 26th |
| Predecessor | Second Holt ministry |
| Successor | First Gorton ministry |
As of 20 December 2020, Ian Sinclair and Peter Nixon are the last surviving members of the McEwen ministry. James Forbes, who died in 2019, was the last surviving Liberal minister, and Allen Fairhall, who died in 2006, was the last surviving Liberal Cabinet minister.
Cabinet
| Party | Minister | Portrait | Portfolio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Rt Hon John McEwen (1900–1980) |  | ||
| Liberal | Rt Hon William McMahon (1908–1988) |  | ||
| Liberal | Rt Hon Paul Hasluck (1905–1993) |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon Allen Fairhall (1909–2006) |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon Denham Henty (1903–1978) |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon Alan Hulme (1907–1989) |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon David Fairbairn DFC (1917–1994) |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon John Gorton (1911–2002) |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon Les Bury (1913–1986) |  | ||
| Country | Hon Doug Anthony (1929–2020) |  | ||
| Country | Hon Ian Sinclair (1929–) MP for New England |  |
| |
Outer ministry
| Party | Minister | Portrait | Portfolio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Hon Charles Barnes (1901–1998) |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon Gordon Freeth (1914–2001) |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon Reginald Swartz MBE (1911–2006) MP for Darling Downs |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon Billy Snedden QC (1926–1987) |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon Dr James Forbes MC (1923–2019) |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon Peter Howson (1919–2009) | .jpg) |
| |
| Liberal | Hon Ken Anderson (1909–1985) Senator for New South Wales |  | ||
| Country | Hon Colin McKellar (1903–1970) Senator for New South Wales |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon Dame Annabelle Rankin DBE (1908–1986) Senator for Queensland |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon Malcolm Fraser (1930–2015) |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon Nigel Bowen QC (1911–1994) MP for Parramatta |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon Don Chipp (1925–2006) MP for Higinbotham |  | ||
| Liberal | Hon Bert Kelly (1912–1997) |  | ||
| Country | Hon Peter Nixon (1928–) |  | ||