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In the main, the Protectionists formed government with the support of the Labor Party, on the understanding that they would implement social reforms desired by Labor. Labor's program, however, was frequently too radical for the Protectionists, and compromises had to be made. Several changes of minority governments occurred. The Protectionist vote had declined considerably by the 1906 federal election, and with Labor already having formed a minority government in 1904 under Chris Watson, Labor had formed another in 1908 under Andrew Fisher. A scandalised establishment pressured the two non-Labor parties to form an anti-socialist alliance, which saw Deakin and Free Trade leader Joseph Cook believe a merger was needed to counter Labor's increasing electoral dominance. The Protectionist Party ended up splitting, with the more liberal Protectionists, such as Isaac Isaacs and H. B. Higgins, supporting Labor while Deakin and his supporters merged with the Anti-Socialist Party (formerly Free Trade Party) to become the Commonwealth Liberal Party, who would form another minority government, before Fisher and Labor achieved Australia's first federal majority government, and the first Senate majority, at the 1910 election. In 2007, a new political party was set up under the same name. |
