The McEwen ministry (Country–Liberal Coalition) was the 43rd ministry of the Government of Australia. It was led by the country's 18th prime minister, John McEwen. The McEwen ministry succeeded the Second Holt ministry, which dissolved on 19 December 1967 following the disappearance of former prime minister Harold Holt – the third and most recent occasion where a sitting prime minister died in office. Since McEwen was the head of the Country Party, it was a caretaker ministry until the senior partner in the Coalition, the Liberal Party, could elect a new leader. John Gorton was ultimately elected on 9 January 1968, and he was sworn in as prime minister along with his ministry the following day.

As of 1 May 2025, Ian Sinclair is the last surviving member of the McEwen ministry; Sinclair is also the last surviving minister of the Menzies, Holt, Gorton, and McMahon governments, as well as the First Fraser ministry. James Forbes, who died in 2019, was the last surviving Liberal minister, and Allen Fairhall, who died in 2006, was the last surviving Liberal Cabinet minister.

Cabinet

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!colspan="2"|Party

!Minister

!Portrait

!Portfolio

|-

| | ||Country

| John McEwen <br />

for Murray <br />

| 100px

|

  • Prime Minister
  • Leader of the Country Party
  • Minister for Trade and Industry

|-

| | ||Liberal

| William McMahon <br />

for Lowe <br />

| 100px

|

  • Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
  • Treasurer

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Paul Hasluck <br />

for Curtin <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for External Affairs

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Allen Fairhall <br />

for Paterson <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for Defence

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Denham Henty <br />

Senator for Tasmania <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for Supply

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Alan Hulme <br />

for Petrie <br />

| 100px

|

  • Postmaster-General
  • Vice-President of the Executive Council

|-

| | ||Liberal

| David Fairbairn <br />

for Farrer <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for National Development

|-

| | ||Liberal

| John Gorton <br />

Senator for Victoria <br />

| 100px

|

  • Leader of the Liberal Party <small>(from 9 January 1968)</small>
  • Leader of the Government in the Senate
  • Minister for Education and Science

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Les Bury <br />

for Wentworth <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for Labour and National Service

|-

| | ||Country

| Doug Anthony <br />

for Richmond <br />

| 100px

|

  • Deputy Leader of the Country Party
  • Minister for Primary Industry

|-

| | ||Country

| Ian Sinclair <br />

for New England <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for Social Services
  • Minister assisting the Minister for Trade and Industry

|}

Outer ministry

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!colspan="2"|Party

!Minister

!Portrait

!Portfolio

|-

| | ||Country

| Charles Barnes <br />

for McPherson <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for Territories

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Gordon Freeth <br />

for Forrest <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for Shipping and Transport

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Reginald Swartz <br />

for Darling Downs <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for Civil Aviation

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Billy Snedden <br />

for Bruce <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for Immigration
  • Leader of the House

|-

| | ||Liberal

| James Forbes <br />

for Barker <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for Health

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Peter Howson <br />

for Fawkner <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for Air
  • Minister assisting the Treasurer

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Ken Anderson <br />

Senator for New South Wales <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for Customs and Excise

|-

| | ||Country

| Colin McKellar <br />

Senator for New South Wales <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for Repatriation

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Dame Annabelle Rankin <br />

Senator for Queensland <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for Housing

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Malcolm Fraser <br />

for Wannon <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for the Army

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Nigel Bowen <br />

for Parramatta <br />

| 100px

|

  • Attorney-General

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Don Chipp <br />

for Higinbotham <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for the Navy
  • Minister in charge of Tourist Activities under the Minister for Trade and Industry

|-

| | ||Liberal

| Bert Kelly <br />

for Wakefield <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for Works

|-

| | ||Country

| Peter Nixon <br />

for Gippsland <br />

| 100px

|

  • Minister for the Interior

|}

See also

  • Page Ministry
  • Forde Ministry

Notes