The Liberal Movement was a minor Australian political party that flourished in the 1970s.

The formation of the Liberal Movement (LM) emerged from the long time dissatisfaction by members of the progressive wing of the Liberal and Country League (LCL) in South Australia, who believed that the LCL had remained philosophically trapped in the late nineteenth century. Led by LCL leader and one time South Australian premier Steele Hall and his deputy Robin Millhouse, these members sought to bring about progressive change into the LCL and through that, South Australia. The conservatism of the LCL proved too entrenched to change at the speed sought and by the early 1970s the LCL had become highly factionalised. The Liberal and Country League (LCL) was a major political party in South Australia throughout its forty year existence. ... Emblems: Hairy Nosed Wombat (faunal); Sturts Desert Pea (floral); Opal (gemstone); Leafy Seadragon (marine) Motto: United for the Common Wealth Slogan or Nickname: Festival State Other Australian states and territories Capital Adelaide Government Governor Premier Const. ... This is a list of Premiers of South Australia. ... Raymond Steele Hall was Premier of South Australia from 1968 to 1970, Senator for South Australia from 1975 to 1977 and federal member for Boothby constituency from 1981 to 1996. ... Robin Rhodes Millhouse QC (b. ...

In frustration at the lack of change in the LCL, Hall resigned as leader and formed the Liberal Movement, initially as a faction within the LCL and then as a separate party. While still a faction of the LCL, the LM could count six members of the South Australian Legislative Assembly (including Hall, Millhouse and future Premier Dean Brown), three members of the South Australian Legislative Council and one member of the Australian House of Representatives (Ian Wilson) but following the decision by Hall to resign from the LCL to form the LM as a separate party, the parliamentary membership had fallen to three; Hall, Millhouse and Martin Cameron MLC. The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of South Australia. ... Dean Craig Brown was the Liberal Premier of South Australia between December 14, 1993 and November 28, 1996. ... The Legislative Council chamber circa 1939 The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of South Australia. ... Australian House of Representatives chamber Entrance to the House of Representatives The Australian House of Representatives is one of the two houses (chambers) of the Parliament of Australia. ... Ian Bonython Cameron Wilson (born 2 May 1932), Australian politician, was born in Adelaide, South Australia, the son of Sir Keith Wilson, a prominent United Australia Party and Liberal Party politician. ...

In order to give the LM national exposure, Hall decided to stand for the Australian Senate at the 1974 election. The LM polled better than expected in South Australia (9.8% of the vote [1]) and Hall was comfortably elected as a Senator; and he was re-elected (LM receiving 6.4% of the vote [2]) at the 1975 election. Unfortunately, the hoped for nationwide support had not eventuated and by 1976, it was reported that only one third of LM members had renewed their membership that year, leading to a decision by the Liberal Movement South Australian State Convention of 1 May that year that the party would rejoin the Liberal Party. A faction of the LM, led by Millhouse, decided to remain a separate party and formed the New LM, which would in turn form the nucleus of the Australian Democrats. Australian Senate chamber Entrance to the Senate The Australian Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian liberal conservative political party. ... The New LM was an Australian political party that flourished during the mid 1970s. ... The Australian Democrats (in regular parlance, just the Democrats), is an Australian social liberal party formed in 1977 from the earlier Australia Party by Don Chipp, who left the Liberal Party of Australia to do so. ...

While the Liberal Movement was short lived, it was successful in providing a mouthpiece for the small-l liberal constituency in Australia. This constituency later formed the base for the more successful Australian Democrats. The term small-l liberal is used, particularly in reference to Australian and Canadian politics, to distinguish between holders of an ideology of liberalism and adherents to either the Liberal Party of Australia or the Liberal Party of Canada (capital L). ...