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Australian Citizens Party

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Australian Citizens Party
AbbreviationACP, Citizens Party
National LeaderCraig Isherwood
National ChairmanAnn Lawler
Founder
  • Craig Isherwood
  • Maurice Hetherington
Founded1988; 36 years ago (1988)[1]
HeadquartersCoburg, Victoria, Australia
NewspaperThe New Citizen
Ideology
Political positionSyncretic[2] [3]
International affiliationLaRouche movement
Colours  Green-Brown
House of Representatives
0 / 151
Senate
0 / 76
Website
citizensparty.org.au

The Australian Citizens Party (ACP), formerly the Citizens Electoral Council of Australia (CEC), is a political party in Australia.

The Australian Citizens Party's international outlook has regard to the international LaRouche Movement which was led by American political activist and physical economist Lyndon LaRouche.

Founded in 1988, the party has been led by Craig Isherwood ever since.[4]

History

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The original CEC was established in 1988 by residents of the Kingaroy region of Queensland.[citation needed]

By 1992, the CEC adopted international physical economic theories espoused by the LaRouche movement. National Secretary Craig Isherwood moved the headquarters from rural Queensland to a Melbourne suburb, with direct communications links to LaRouche's US headquarters established.[5]

In 2004, the CEC received the largest contribution of any political party, $862,000 from a central Queensland cattle farmer and former CEC candidate named Ray Gillham.[6][7] The party collected $2.3 million in donations in 2020-21.[8] The party’s leader is National Secretary and National Treasurer Craig Isherwood of Melbourne, who has been an election candidate for the party numerous times.

Platform

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The ACP has lobbied for the establishment of a national bank to continue banking services in rural communities where other banks have closed, increase the profitability of post offices, and provide loans to agriculture (family farms), industry and for infrastructure development, launching a petition in 2002 to drive support with a full page advertisement in The Australian newspaper.[9]

The CEC's policies have included introducing a national Glass-Steagall Act to "break up the banks", establishing a national bank, introducing a moratorium on home & farm foreclosures, constructing high speed rail and the Bradfield Scheme, joining China's Belt and Road Initiative, and shutting down Pine Gap among others.[10]

Criticism

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The Anti-Defamation Commission of the Australian branch of B'nai B'rith (an international Jewish organisation) has published a Briefing Paper with details of the CEC's alleged antisemitic, anti-gay, anti-Aboriginal and racist underpinnings. The document cites CEC publications and quotes former CEC members.[11] The CEC in turn published a response to the ADC's stating that, on the contrary, the CEC was an anti-racist organisation.[12]

Electoral results

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CEC members demonstrate outside an election meeting organised by the Australian Jewish News in Melbourne, September 2004. Aaron Isherwood (second from right) was the CEC candidate in the seat of Melbourne Ports at the 2004 federal election.

Despite running in "almost every election of the past two decades", in no election has the CEC ever garnered more than 2% of the vote.[13]

At the 2007 federal election, the CEC's previous form continued. Its first preference votes in the lower house was 27,879 (0.22%), and 8,677 (0.07%) in the upper house, both results were 0.14% down from 2004.[14]

At the 2016 federal election, CEC fielded senate candidates in every state and the Northern Territory and seven candidates for seats in the House of Representatives.[15] Nationally, the party received 5,175 votes (0.04%) in the lower house and 9,850 votes (0.07%) in the upper house.[16]

In the 2025 elections the Citizens Party will be fielding candidates for the Senate and the House of Representatives.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Citizens Electoral Council of Australia's Submission to the Parliament of Victoria's Electoral Matters Committee" (PDF). parliament.vic.gov.au. Parliament of Victoria. 14 July 2008.
  2. ^ "Fringe party making more than $2m from small donors". Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Our Policies". Citizens Electoral Council. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Laughing all the way to the postal bank: The LaRouchites in the 2022 Election". 17 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "Fed: Latham gone but the money flowed to ALP, AAP General News Wire. Sydney: 1 February 2005. pg. 1
  7. ^ "Ex-defence chief shies from 'cult' petition" By Martin Daly The Age 16 June 2004
  8. ^ "Election 2022: Minor parties running for the Victorian Senate".
  9. ^ "Community leaders launch bid for new national bank". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 September 2002. Retrieved 15 July 2010.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "Our Policies". Citizens Electoral Council. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  11. ^ The LaRouche Cult: The Citizens Electoral Council (PDF), B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission Inc., 2001
  12. ^ "LaRouche's Record on Fighting Racism". Citizens Electoral Council of Australia. Archived from the original on 13 July 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  13. ^ "Sex, socialism and shooting lead the charge in microparty race". Sydney Morning Heralddate=20 August 2010. 20 August 2010. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  14. ^ "First Preferences by Party". Results.aec.gov.au. Archived from the original on 23 July 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  15. ^ "Candidates for the 2016 federal election". Australian Electoral Commission. 11 June 2016. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  16. ^ First Preferences by Party – National Archived 19 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine, AEC
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