1973 New South Wales Labor Party leadership spill

1973 New South Wales Labor Party leadership spill

← 1971 3 December 1973 1976 →

Leadership spill

Candidate Neville Wran Pat Hills Kevin Stewart Caucus vote 18 17 9 After preferences 22 22 eliminated Electorate Bass Hill Phillip Canterbury Faction Unaligned Right Right

Leader before election Pat Hills Elected Leader Neville Wran

Deputy leadership spill

Candidate Jack Ferguson Syd Einfeld Peter Cox Caucus vote unknown unknown unknown After preferences 23 21 eliminated Electorate Bass Hill Waverley Auburn Faction Left

Deputy before election Syd Einfeld Elected Deputy Jack Ferguson

The 1973 New South Wales Labor Party leadership spill was held on 3 December 1973 to elect the leader of the New South Wales Labor Party and, ex officio, Leader of the Opposition.^[1][2]

Incumbent leader Pat Hills, who had led Labor to a defeat at the state election on 17 November 1973, was defeated by Neville Wran.^[3] Wran had been elected to the seat of Bass Hill at the state election, having previously served as a member of the Legislative Council.^[4]

Wran tied with Hills on 22 votes each after the supporters of third-placed candidate Kevin Stewart had their preferences distributed.^[5] However, as Wran had won the most first preference votes, he was elected leader.^[6][7] He was factionally unaligned, with his support coming from MPs in both the Left and Right factions.^[8]

At the next state election in 1976, Wran led Labor to a narrow victory over the Liberal-National Coalition government.^[9] He led the party to further victories in 1978, 1981 and 1984, before resigning as premier in 1986.^[10]