HAROLD HOLT

Party

The 1966 federal election held ten months after Holt became prime minister was dominated by the issue of Australia's commitment to the Vietnam War. The commitment was denounced by the Labor leader Arthur Calwell, establishing Labor as the anti-war party.

The Australian public confirmed their support of the action taken by the Holt Government, with the Coalition returning with a majority of 41 seats. Holt now had a very large and ambitious backbench, but did not take the opportunity for significant renewal in Cabinet. Holt did not have the authority of Menzies and was considered by some colleagues to be too loyal and nice. With party mavericks, he appealed to their sense of fair play, rather than taking tougher action against them.

Holt experienced a revolt by a number of backbenchers, over what they viewed as the inadequacy of the Spicer Royal Commission into the HMAS Voyager disaster. Holt bowed to the pressure and announced a second royal commission, without consulting his Attorney-General or his Cabinet. 

Partnerships

During his visit to the United States in June 1966, Holt formed a close personal relationship with U.S. President Lyndon Johnson. In a speech at the White House, Holt departed from the prepared text and enthusiastically declared that Australia will be ’all the way with LBJ’ in relation to the Vietnam War.

The remark created a furore in Australia, where it was variously described as servile, cringe-worthy and trivial. Holt was surprised by the reaction to the comment and stated that it ‘doesn’t mean, certainly, that Australia has any lack of independence of mind…’ On hearing of the criticism, Johnson sent Holt a personal letter of support. In October 1966, in the lead-up to the federal election, Johnson became the first American president to visit Australia. Holt returned again to the United States in June 1967.

The disappearance of Holt in December 1967 greatly shocked Johnson, who came to Australia for his memorial service. In an address to the Cabinet, Johnson compared the impact of Holt’s death to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  

People

During the 1966 federal election campaign Holt faced some of the most disorderly crowds witnessed in Australian politics. In part this was sparked by the arrest of the first conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, the young teacher William White. At an election rally in Sydney on 24 November 1966, Holt was abused, spat on and punched by members of a crowd that contained up to 1000 anti-Vietnam War demonstrators.

Holt was reported in newspapers as saying that  ‘the meeting was stimulating, but I must confess the last 20 yards outside were the most rugged I have encountered in 31 years of campaigning.’ He had been hit on the head and shoulder with a placard as he was escorted to his car. The Rockdale demonstration followed an earlier incident on 21 June 1966, where Labor leader Arthur Calwell was shot at while sitting in his car at the end of a rowdy election meeting in Mosman Town Hall.

There were now calls for political leaders to have permanent security protection, and Holt called for legislative changes that would curb ‘excesses which stifle democratic processes.’ 

Publications

Geoffrey Bolton, Paul Hasluck: a life, UWA Publishing, Crawley, 2014

Troy Bramston, All the way, and beyond, The Australian, 4 November, 2013

Tom Frame, The life and death of Harold Holt, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, 2005

Ian Hancock, Harold Edward Holt, 26 January 1966 – 19 December 1967, in Michelle Grattan (ed.), Australian Prime Ministers, New Holland Publishers, Sydney, 2000   

Ian Hancock, Holt, Harold Edward (1908–1967), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University,http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/holt-harold-edward-10530 published first in hardcopy 1988 

The Canberra Times, Holt to act on violence at meetings, 25 November, 1966