Editing William McMahon (section)

==Prime Minister (1971–1972)==
{{Main|McMahon government}}
[[File:Rt Hon William McMahon.jpg|thumb|left|McMahon in 1971]]
McMahon came into office at a bad time for the Coalition, which was increasingly seen as tired and unfocused after more than 21 years in power.  His first problem was Gorton. Since Gorton had been elected as Liberal deputy leader, McMahon was all but forced to name him Defence Minister. This farcical situation came to a head when Gorton published two articles detailing the problems he had with ministers leaking information from cabinet. McMahon forced Gorton's resignation.<ref name=1971archives>Hancock, Ian. "[http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/cabinet/by-year/1971-events-issues.aspx Events and issues that made the news in 1971] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109165050/http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/cabinet/by-year/1971-events-issues.aspx |date=9 November 2014 }}". [[National Archives of Australia]]. Retrieved 2 November 2014.</ref> [[Billy Snedden]] was chosen as the new deputy Liberal leader.
[[File:Head of State visit by Prime Minister of Australia William McMahan - NARA - 194388.tif|right|thumb|McMahon visiting US President [[Richard Nixon]] at the [[White House]] in 1971]]
McMahon found himself dealing with a resurgent [[Australian Labor Party|Labor Party]] under [[Gough Whitlam]]. Labor had come within four seats of winning government in 1969, and since then had positioned itself as a credible government-in-waiting. Over the next year-and-a-half, McMahon was unable to get the better of Whitlam. McMahon was no match in parliamentary debates for Whitlam, a witty and powerful orator. He frequently found himself on the defensive as Whitlam attacked the increasingly unpopular Vietnam War and advocated radical new policies such as universal health insurance. In a typical instance, McMahon attacked Whitlam for his demands that Australia recognise the [[People's Republic of China]], only to have to back down when U.S President [[Richard Nixon]] announced his [[1972 Nixon visit to China|visit to China]]. He was not helped by rising inflation, which hurt his reputation as a sound economic manager. Additionally, the Liberal Party was showing severe schisms, which came at an especially bad time since McMahon had, at most, two years before the next election.<ref name=1971archives/> His voice and appearance also came across badly on television.

In June 1971, McMahon cancelled Gorton's planned nuclear power program, which had included a reactor capable of generating weapons-grade plutonium. He considered it inconsistent with the goals of the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons|Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty]], signed under Gorton in 1970 and ratified under Whitlam in 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/nation-given-n-bomb-warning/story-e6frg6nf-1225809977267|access-date=8 November 2012|title=Nation given N-bomb warning|author=Christian Kerr|work=TheAustralian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613035642/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/nation-given-n-bomb-warning/story-e6frg6nf-1225809977267|archive-date=13 June 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:McMahon and Reporters (2).jpg|thumb|left|McMahon confronted by reporters in 1972]]
McMahon went into 1972 facing a statutory general election. By then, Labor had established a clear lead in the polls and McMahon's approval ratings had dwindled to 28 percent. The press had turned on him so violently that the British psephologist [[David Butler (psephologist)|David Butler]] recalled on a visit to Australia that he could not recall a prime minister in any country being "so comprehensively panned" as McMahon. By then, it was widely perceived that McMahon simply "did not look or sound like a Prime Minister". He waited for as long as he could, but finally called [[1972 Australian federal election|a federal election for 2 December]]. During the campaign, McMahon was abandoned by some of his own ministers, unheard of in a Westminster system.<ref>Hancock, Ian. "[http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/cabinet/by-year/1972-events-issues.aspx Events and issues that made the news in 1972] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109160225/http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/cabinet/by-year/1972-events-issues.aspx |date=9 November 2014 }}". [[National Archives of Australia]]. Retrieved 2 November 2014.</ref> The Coalition was swept from power on an eight-seat swing. Late on election night, with the result beyond doubt, McMahon conceded defeat, ending the longest unbroken run in government in Australian history.
[[File:McMahon Springvale Election Rally (2).jpg|thumb|right|McMahon at a campaign rally in [[Springvale, Victoria]] during the 1972 federal election]]
McMahon had been a minister continuously for 21 years and 6 months, a record in the Australian Government that has never been threatened. Only Sir [[George Pearce]] and Sir John McEwen had longer overall ministerial service, but their terms were not continuous.

Political journalist [[Laurie Oakes]] described McMahon as "devious, nasty, dishonest - he lied all the time and stole things" before describing an incident where McMahon attempted to steal a tape recorder from his radio station by claiming ownership of the device despite it having the radio station's name engraved on it. He concludes by saying that McMahon was a "totally unworthy individual and the fact that he was Prime Minister of this country was a disgrace".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theconversationtv.com.au/episodes/laurie-oakes-episode-one|access-date=16 March 2016|title=The Conversation with Alex Malley - Ep 1 - Laurie Oakes|author=Alex Malley|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316131337/http://www.theconversationtv.com.au/episodes/laurie-oakes-episode-one|archive-date=16 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>