Editing Andrew Fisher (section)

=== Party leader ===
At the 1906 election, Deakin remained prime minister even though Labour gained considerably more seats than the Protectionists. When Watson resigned in 1907, Fisher succeeded him as Labour leader, although Hughes and [[William Spence]] also stood for the position. Fisher was considered to have a better understanding of economic matters, was better at handling caucus, had better relations with the party organisation and the unions, and was more in touch with party opinion. He did not share Hughes' passion for free trade or that of Watson and Hughes for defence (and later conscription). In political terms he was a radical, on the left-wing of his party, with a strong sense of Labour's part in British working-class history.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

At the 1908 Labour Federal Conference, Fisher argued for female representation in parliament:

{{cquote|I trust that not another Federal election will take place without there being a woman endorsed as a Labour candidate for the Senate.<ref name=adb />}}

With a majority of seats in the Labour-Protectionist government, Labour caucus by early 1908 had become restive as to the future of the Deakin minority government. With the Deakin ministry in trouble, Deakin spoke to Fisher and Watson about a possible coalition, and following a report agreed to it providing Labour had a majority in cabinet, that there was immediate legislation for old-age [[pension]]s, that New Protection was carried and that at the following election the government would promise a progressive [[land tax]]. No coalition was formed, however the pressure from Labour brought about productive change by Deakin: he agreed to a [[royal commission]] into the post office, old-age pensions were to be provided from the surplus revenue fund and £250,000 set aside for ships for an [[Australian Navy]]. New Protection was declared invalid by the High Court in June, Fisher found the tariff proposals of Deakin unsatisfactory, while caucus was also dissatisfied with the old-age pension proposals. Without Labour support the Deakin government collapsed in November 1908.<ref name=adb/>

During the parliamentary ballots that selected Yass-Canberra as the site of the national capital, in October 1908, Fisher voted consistently for [[Dalgety, New South Wales|Dalgety]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=9 October 1908|title=Capital Site |work=Argus|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10169204|access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref>