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Australian Citizens Party

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Australian Citizens Party
AbbreviationACP
National LeaderCraig Isherwood
National ChairmanAnn Lawler
Founded1988; 37 years ago (1988)
Preceded byCitizens Electoral Council
Headquarters595 Sydney Road, Coburg, Victoria, 3058, Australia
NewspaperAustralian Alert Service (weekly publication)
Ideology
Political positionSyncretic
International affiliationLaRouche movement
Colours  Blue   Yellow
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 minor political party in Australia, founded in 1988 and registered with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). Affiliated with the international LaRouche movement which was founded by the late American activist and controversial figure Lyndon LaRouche, the ACP promotes policies focused on banking reform, economic sovereignty, and an independent foreign policy. Its key proposals include a Glass-Steagall-style separation of commercial and investment banking, protection of bank deposits against "bail-ins," and the establishment of a government-owned bank operating through post offices. Despite contesting numerous federal and state elections, the ACP has never secured a parliamentary seat and typically receives less than 0.5% of the vote.

The ACP publishes a newspaper called The New Citizen, edited by Craig Isherwood, and a weekly publication called the Australian Alert Service, which covers policy discussions and campaigns.[1] They have approximately 60,000 individuals on their mailing list.[2] The party has published eleven pamphlets, further outlining their beliefs. The party also maintains an active online presence, including a YouTube channel featuring videos on banking reform, economic policies, and election campaigns, such as the Citizens Report and Citizens Insight series.[3]

History

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The ACP was established in 1988 in Queensland as the Citizens Electoral Council, initially focused on promoting binding voter-initiated referendums. In the 1988 Barambah state by-election, ACP candidate Trevor Perrett won a seat in the Queensland Legislative Assembly but later defected to the National Party.[4] By 1989, the party aligned with the LaRouche movement, becoming its Australian branch by 1992.[5] National Leader Craig Isherwood relocated the headquarters to Coburg, Victoria, establishing direct communication with LaRouche’s U.S. operations. In 2019, the party rebranded as the Australian Citizens Party to reflect its broader policy platform.[6]

The ACP emphasizes its grassroots funding model, relying on donations from individual supporters, primarily small donors. In 2004, the ACP received the largest contribution of any political party in that time period, $862,000 from a central Queensland cattle farmer and former ACP candidate named Ray Gillham.[7][8] It reported raising $2.3 million in the 2020–21 financial year, more than any other minor party, according to AEC records.[9] In the 2022–23 financial year, it raised approximately $1.4 million from 336 donations.[10] The party frequently outstrips other minor parties without parliamentary representation in terms of funds raised, which some view as unusual for its limited electoral success.[11]

During the 1990s, the Australian Citizens Party (ACP), then called the Citizens Electoral Council (CEC), was linked to the LaRouche movement, which has been associated with conspiracy theories. This connection led to criticism from some Jewish organizations, who described the ACP as a prominent source of antisemitic rhetoric in Australia at the time. In 1995, Liberal Party MP Ken Aldred faced disendorsement by the Liberal Party after using parliamentary privilege to make allegations of espionage and drug trafficking against a Jewish lawyer and a senior foreign affairs official. Aldred made the claims using documents that were later found to be forged. He allegedly stated that his claims were based on documents provided by the ACP.[12][13][14][15]

Robert Barwick (left) and Glen Isherwood (right) testifying at the Australian Senate hearing on 1 December 2023, during the inquiry into bank closures in regional Australia.

On 1 December 2023, Robert Barwick, Research Director of the Australian Citizens Party, and Glen Isherwood, a party representative, testified before the Australian Senate's Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee in Canberra during a public hearing for the inquiry into bank closures in regional Australia.[16][17] The senators present in the committee were Matthew Canavan, Gerard Rennick, Malcolm Roberts and Glenn Sterle. The inquiry addressed the economic and social impacts of widespread bank branch closures, particularly in rural communities. During their testimony, Barwick and Isherwood advocated for the establishment of a government-owned public post office bank to counteract the effects of regional bank closures. Barwick highlighted the success of New Zealand's Kiwibank, established in 2002, which halted branch closures for seven years, as a model for Australia. He argued that a public bank could prevent the Big Four banks from further reducing services in regional areas. Isherwood referenced historical figures like Jim Anderton and King O’Malley, who championed public banking initiatives. Their participation in the hearing contributed to the inquiry's broader discussions, which culminated in a final report on 24 May 2024, recommending guaranteed cash access and the establishment of a public bank.[18][19][20]

Platform

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The ACP’s platform, as outlined in its 2025 election policy document, emphasizes economic and national sovereignty, public ownership, and opposition to globalist frameworks.[21] Key policies include:

  • National Sovereignty: Pursuing an independent foreign policy, opposing the AUKUS pact, withdrawing from the Five Eyes alliance, closing the Pine Gap facility, and supporting China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The party also advocates for war powers reform and a two-state solution for Israel-Palestine.
  • Economic Sovereignty: Establishing an "Aussie Post Bank" using 4,200+ post offices to provide banking services, guaranteeing 100% deposit security, and funding infrastructure like the Bradfield water scheme and high-speed rail. The party proposes amending the Banking Act 1959 to remove bail-in provisions, enacting a Glass-Steagall-style Banking System Reform Bill, and declaring a foreclosure moratorium for 1.6 million mortgage-stressed households (30.3% as of June 2024).[22][23]
  • Public Governance: Abolishing the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), replacing it with a new regulator, banning corporate political donations, and strengthening whistleblower protections. The party also proposes a 0.1% tax on financial speculation to replace GST and addresses trust issues with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), citing 900 robodebt complaints.
  • Affordable Housing: Creating a National Housing Authority to fund state housing at economic rent, abolishing negative gearing for properties below a regionally determined threshold, and halving the capital gains tax discount from 50% to 25%.
  • Healthcare: Expanding medical and nursing training to address a shortage of 2,460 general practitioners (projected to reach 5,560 by 2033) and supporting a Royal Commission into the COVID-19 response with public hearings.
  • Energy Security: Returning electricity to public ownership, repealing the nuclear power ban, and exploring nuclear fusion as a green energy source, referencing EU classifications.
  • Food and Fuel Security: Increasing fuel stockholding (currently 27 days petrol, 32 days diesel, 27 days jet fuel), reviving the 1974-76 Petroleum and Minerals Authority, and supporting family farmers with cheap credit and tariff protections to end water speculation and the Coles-Woolworths duopoly.

Electoral performance

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The ACP has contested federal and state elections since 1988 but has consistently received low vote shares. In the 2022 Australian federal election, it garnered 4,886 first preference votes (0.03%) in the House of Representatives and 12,275 votes (0.08%) in the Senate.[24] The party has never won a parliamentary seat.

Australian Citizens Party Federal Election Results
Election Year House Votes House Vote % Senate Votes Senate Vote %
2016 5,175 0.04 9,850 0.07
2019 3,936 0.03 10,345 0.07
2022 4,886 0.03 12,275 0.08

For the 2025 federal election, the ACP plans to field 14 Senate candidates and 19 House candidates.[25]

Reception

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The ACP claims to have influenced Australian policy through advocacy.[26][27] Reported achievements include:

  • Senate Inquiries: Contributing to nine Senate inquiries since 2017, including the 2021 inquiry into the Sterling Income Trust, which investigated ASIC’s oversight failures affecting 140 elderly tenants, and the 2023-24 inquiry into regional bank branch closures, which recommended a public bank.[28][29]
  • Legislation: Drafting four bills introduced in Parliament, notably the Banking System Reform (Separation of Banks) Bill 2018, introduced by Bob Katter and reintroduced by Pauline Hanson in 2019.[30]
  • Policy Campaigns: Successfully campaigning against a 2019 cash transaction ban, contributing to its withdrawal, and advocating for a public postal bank, influencing 2024 government discussions on regional banking access.[31]
  • Other Advocacy: Supporting a 2020 Senate inquiry that cleared Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate and exposing bail-in provisions in 2017, leading to a Senate inquiry and a 2020 repeal bill.[32]

While the ACP’s role in initiating inquiries is supported by its submissions and campaigns, independent sources primarily confirm the existence of these inquiries and bills rather than the party’s direct influence.[28]

The party has advocated for the creation of a people’s postal bank. The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council accused it of promoting conspiracy theories and supporting Chinese and Russian foreign policies, including the Belt and Road Initiative.[33]


See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Publications". Australian Citizens Party. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  2. ^ "Why this PwC and big bank agitator is running for the Senate". AFR. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  3. ^ "Australian Citizens Party YouTube Channel". YouTube. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  4. ^ Queensland Legislative Assembly (6 March 1990). Details of polling at general election held on 2 December 1989.
  5. ^ "History of the Citizens Party". Australian Citizens Party. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  6. ^ "Party Registration – Australian Citizens Party". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  7. ^ "Fed: Latham gone but the money flowed to ALP, AAP General News Wire. Sydney: 1 February 2005. pg. 1
  8. ^ "Ex-defence chief shies from 'cult' petition" By Martin Daly The Age 16 June 2004
  9. ^ "Annual Financial Disclosure Return – Australian Citizens Party 2020-21". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  10. ^ "Annual Financial Disclosure Return – Australian Citizens Party 2022-23". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  11. ^ "Fringe party making more than $2m from small donors". Australian Financial Review. 2 February 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  12. ^ "Cash ban brings out the conspiracy theorists". Australian Financial Review. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  13. ^ Antisemitic claims in parliament (including HANSARD transcript):
  14. ^ "AJN | Latest Nicotine News". www.ajn.com.au. Archived from the original on 3 October 2007.
  15. ^ "The Larouchites' Heart China". Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC). Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  16. ^ "Bank closures in regional Australia - Official Committee Hansard". Parliament of Australia. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  17. ^ "Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee ParlView: Video". Australian Parliament House. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  18. ^ "Bank closures in regional Australia". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  19. ^ "Big Four banks' worst nightmare dominates Senate hearing". The Bugle Newspaper. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  20. ^ Butler, Ben (24 May 2024). "Bank closures in regional Australia: final report calls for guaranteed cash access, establishing a public bank". ABC News. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  21. ^ "2025 Election Platform". Australian Citizens Party. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  22. ^ "Westpac closure leaves SA's Coober Pedy 'high and dry'". ABC News. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  23. ^ "Regional bank closures prompt senate inquiry". Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  24. ^ "2022 Federal Election Results". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  25. ^ "Candidates". Australian Citizens Party. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  26. ^ "History of Achievements". Australian Citizens Party. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  27. ^ "Get The Word Out". Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  28. ^ a b "Senate Inquiry into Sterling Income Trust". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  29. ^ "Senate Inquiry into Bank Closures". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  30. ^ "Banking System Reform Bill 2018". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  31. ^ "Government considers postal bank options". ABC News. 10 March 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  32. ^ "Senate Inquiry into Australia Post". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  33. ^ "Laughing all the way to the postal bank: The LaRouchites in the 2022 election". AIJAC. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
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