It was founded by Gordon Barton, transport entrepreneur Ken Thomas, shark meshing contractor Nickolai Gorshenin, writer Kenneth Cook and a number of disaffected members of the Liberal Party, alienated by the Liberals' support for conscription in the Vietnam War.
The Liberal Reform Group originated from a newspaper advertisement placed by IPEC managing director Gordon Barton on 3 November 1966, calling for "independent Liberal" candidates to contest the upcoming federal election on a platform of opposition to conscription and the Vietnam War.
[2] The new group was immediately attacked by Prime Minister Harold Holt and Treasurer William McMahon as pro-socialist and a front for the Australian Labor Party (ALP).
[5] The party's policy speech was delivered by journalist Francis James, who stood against McMahon in the seat of Lowe.
[6] At the 1966 federal election, the Liberal Reform Group nominated Senate candidates only in New South Wales and Victoria, and for Lower House primarily in government-held seats.