Beazley, the party's leader since 1996, announced his resignation on the night of 10 November 2001, when it became clear that his party had lost the election to John Howard's Coalition. The following day, Crean announced that he would contest the leadership. Shadow Health Minister Jenny Macklin, Shadow Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner, Shadow Industry Minister Carmen Lawrence, and Manager of Opposition Business Bob McMullan were also seen as possible contenders.[1][2] On 12 November, Macklin announced her intention to stand for the deputy leadership. She and Crean were reported to be running as a ticket, representing the Labor Left and Labor Right factions, respectively.[3] No other MPs declared themselves candidates for either position over the following week, and Crean and Macklin were consequently elected unopposed when the Labor caucus met on 22 November.[4] Macklin became the first woman to hold a leadership position in the Labor Party.[5]
Candidates
Simon Crean, incumbent Deputy Leader, Shadow Treasurer, Member for Hotham
