Editing Liberal Party of Australia (section)

===Gorton government===
{{Main|Gorton government}}
[[File:JohnGorton1968.jpg|left|100px|thumb|[[John Gorton]], Prime Minister 1968–71]]
[[File:John_Gorton_Swearing_In.jpg|thumb|right|[[John Gorton]] being sworn in as prime minister by [[Richard Casey, Baron Casey|Lord Casey]] on 10 January 1968. Gorton led Australia into the tumultuous decade of the 1970s. Gorton declared himself "Australian to the bootheels" and increased funding for [[Australian cinema]] and arts to project a newly assertive Australian nationalism.]]
The Liberals chose [[John Gorton]] to replace Holt. Gorton, a former [[World War II]] [[Royal Australian Air Force]] pilot, with a battle scarred face, said he was "Australian to the bootheels" and had a personal style which often affronted some conservatives.

The [[Gorton government]] increased funding for the arts, setting up the [[Australian Council for the Arts]], the Australian Film Development Corporation and the National Film and Television Training School. The Gorton government passed legislation establishing equal pay for men and women and increased pensions, allowances and education scholarships, as well as providing free health care to 250,000 of the nation's poor (but not universal health care). Gorton's government kept Australia in the [[Vietnam War]] but stopped replacing troops at the end of 1970.<ref name="Primeministers.naa.gov.au">{{cite web |url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/gorton/in-office.aspx |title=In office – John Gorton – Australia's PMs – Australia's Prime Ministers |publisher=Primeministers.naa.gov.au |access-date=21 June 2012 |archive-date=26 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026155747/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/gorton/in-office.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Gorton maintained good relations with the United States and Britain, but pursued closer ties with Asia. The Gorton government experienced a decline in voter support at the [[1969 Australian federal election|1969 election]]. State Liberal leaders saw his policies as too centralist, while other Liberals didn't like his personal behaviour. In 1971, Defence Minister [[Malcolm Fraser]], resigned and said Gorton was "not fit to hold the great office of Prime Minister". In a vote on the leadership the Liberal Party split 50/50, and although this was insufficient to remove him as the leader, Gorton decided this was also insufficient support for him, and he resigned.<ref name="Primeministers.naa.gov.au"/>