Australia First Party Australia First Party (NSW) Incorporated | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | AFP |
| President | Jim Saleam |
| Deputy Leader | Peter Schuback |
| Founder | Graeme Campbell |
| Founded | June 1996; 28 years ago (June 1996) |
| Registered | |
| Headquarters | Tempe,New South Wales, Australia |
| Newspaper |
|
| Youth wing | Eureka Youth League |
| Ideology | Neo-fascism[10][5] |
| Political position | Right-wing[11][12] tofar-right[4][13] |
| National affiliation | Australian Coalition of Nationalists(since 2016) |
| International affiliation | Alliance for Peace and Freedom[14] |
| Colours | Blue,Red andBlack |
| Slogan | "Identity. Independence. Freedom." |
| House of Representatives | 0 / 151 |
| Senate | 0 / 76 |
| Eureka flag[15] | |
![Eureka flag[15]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aEureka_Flag.svg) | |
| Website | |
| australiafirstparty | |
TheAustralia First Party (AFP), officially known as theAustralia First Party (NSW) Incorporated, is anAustralian nationalist political party founded in 1996 byGraeme Campbell, a former member of theAustralian Labor Party. The policies of the party have been described asnationalist,anti-multicultural andeconomically protectionist, advocating for strict immigration controls, the prioritization of Australian citizens in employment, and the promotion of Australian culture and values. The party's logo includes theSouthern Cross of theEureka Flag.
The AFP's current leader,Jim Saleam, is aLebanese Australian, a convictedarsonist, a former member of theNational Socialist Party of Australia and founder of the militant Australianwhite nationalist groupNational Action. The party has been accused of having ties withfascism[10] andneo-Nazism.[16] In October 2022, the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) released a report in which it classified the AFP as a "white nationalist" and "anti-immigrant" group.[7]
As of July 2024, the party is only registered forlocal government elections with theNew South Wales Electoral Commission (NSWEC) as "Australia First Party (NSW) Incorporated (Councils)".[17]
The Australia First Party was established in June 1996 byGraeme Campbell, and registered as a political party by theAustralian Electoral Commission (AEC) on 13 September 1996. Campbell had been the federalLabor member forKalgoorlie since 1980. However, he was disendorsed by Labor in 1995, and continued to sit in parliament as an independent. He was reelected as an independent at the1996 Australian federal election, and formed AFP soon after. However, AFP was not successful at the1998 federal election and Campbell lost his seat, blaming his loss on Australia First being eclipsed byOne Nation. In 2009, he claimed that, if not for the presence of a One Nation candidate, he would have picked up an additional 8.5% of the vote, which would have been enough to keep him in the race.
Campbell remained Australia First's leader until June 2001, when he left the party to stand (unsuccessfully) as a One NationSenate candidate inWestern Australia. At the2004 federal election, Campbell attempted unsuccessfully to regain his old federal seat as an independent. He again stood for the Senate in Western Australia at the2007 federal election as an independent, but only achieved 0.13% of the vote.[18]
Saleam has served two jail terms, one for property offences andfraud in 1984 and one for being anaccessory before the fact in 1989 for his involvement in theshotgun attack on the home ofAfrican National Congress representative Eddie Funde.[19]
In 2002,Jim Saleam ran as an AFP candidate for a seat onMarrickville council, New South Wales, claiming "to oppose Marrickville being a Refugee Welcome Zone". Later that year the party formed its youth wing, thePatriotic Youth League. AFP was deregistered by the AEC on 13 August 2004 for failing to nominate candidates at elections for four years. By 2007, Saleam had reestablished AFP, and in July 2009, Saleam claimed that the party had 500 members, and announced that he was registering its New South Wales branch, Australia First Party (NSW) Incorporated, with the AEC. The branch was registered by AEC on 13 June 2010, in time for the2010 federal election.[20]
At the2013 federal election, AFP was involved inGlenn Druery'sMinor Party Alliance. Saleam stood in theseat of Cook on a platform to end refugee intakes, running againstScott Morrison, and received 617 votes, or 0.67% of the vote.[21]
On 14 July 2015, the AEC de-registered the AFP due to its failure to demonstrate the required 500 members. It was re-registered on 1 March 2016 as "Australia First Party (NSW) Incorporated".[22]
AFP contested the2016 federal election, without any success. Saleam stood in theseat of Lindsay, New South Wales, receiving 1068 votes or 1.2% of the vote. In October 2016, the Australia First Party joined with theAustralian Protectionist Party, Nationalist Alternative, Eureka Youth League, and Hellenic Nationalists of Australia to form the Australian Coalition of Nationalists, as a framework for cooperation between these entities.[23]
Saleam also stood for AFP in the2018 Longman by-election, receiving 709 votes or 0.8% of the vote.[24]
Saleam stood in the seat ofCootamundra, New South Wales, in the2017 by-election as an independent, though still a member of Australia First, as the party was not registered for NSW elections. He received 453 votes, 1% of the total. He again stood in the seat at the2019 New South Wales state election as an independent. Saleam's platform included the reintroduction of theWhite Australia policy and opposition to Chinese immigration.[25]
On 2 May 2014, the party aligned itself with theGolden Dawn party of Greece, anultranationalist organisation, and on 24 July 2016, the party endorsed formerGrand Wizard of theKu Klux KlanDavid Duke for the 2016 Louisiana election viaTwitter.[26]
On 12 January 2022, the party was de-registered by theAustralian Electoral Commission for failing to meet the increased requirement of 1,500 members.[27]
The party stands on a nationalist, anti-multicultural and economic protectionist platform. It advocates for strict immigration controls, the prioritization of Australian citizens in employment, and the protection of national sovereignty.[28] The party follows eight core policies in their programme:[29]
The Australia First Party has been largely unsuccessful electorally. It has been elected to two local council seats, one inCity of Penrith and one inCity of Prospect. Saleam ran as a candidate in the2018 Longman by-election, receiving 684 votes or 0.8% of the vote.[30]
In the2019 Australian federal election, the party put up three candidates: Susan Jakobi inLalor, Peter Schubeck forLongman, and Michael Chehoff forSwan.[31]
| House of Representatives | |||||
| Election year | # of overall votes | % of overall vote | # of overall seats won | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 28,069 | 0.25 (#8) | 0 / 150 |  0 | |
| 2010 | 3,670 | 0.03 (#16) | 0 / 150 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 7,412 | 0.06 (#15) | 0 / 150 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 6,895 | 0.05 (#24) | 0 / 150 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 6,786 | 0.05 (#23) | 0 / 150 | 0 | |
| Senate | ||||||
| Election year | # of overall votes | % of overall vote | # of overall seats won | # of overall seats | +/– | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 46,765 | 0.41 (#8) | 0 / 40 | 0 / 76 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 9,680 | 0.08 (#21) | 0 / 40 | 0 / 76 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 10,157 | 0.08 (#32) | 0 / 40 | 0 / 76 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 3,027 | 0.02 (#47) | 0 / 40 | 0 / 76 | 0 | |
| Election year | # of overall votes | % of overall vote | # of overall seats | +/– | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9,560 | 0.49 (#6) | 0 / 89 | 0 |
| Election year | # of overall votes | % of overall vote | # of overall seats | +/– | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 4,709 | 0.13 (#44) | 0 / 21 | 0 |
| Election year | # of overall votes | % of overall vote | # of overall seats | +/– | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 9,150 | 1.02 (#10) | 0 / 22 | 0 |
| Election year | # of overall votes | % of overall vote | # of overall seats | +/– | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 5,856 | 0.60 (#7) | 0 / 36 | 0 |
The Australia First Party's activities have mainly consisted of distributing anti-immigration and racist pamphlets and protesting,[32] although they denied involvement in some highly racist leaflets dropped in mailboxes in 2010 Campbelltown.[33]
The group played a large role in the2005 Cronulla riots. In the week prior to the riots, the AFP encouraged members to go to the seaside suburb ofCronulla. Its website called for "patriots" to show solidarity with victims of "anti-Australian race and hate and violence".[34] AFP claim that 120 members and supporters attended the riots, and both members of the AFP and their youth wing the Patriotic Youth League were seen handing out anti-immigration leaflets and supplying alcohol there.[35] Their website later described the riots as a "civil uprising of the Australian people".[32]
On 20 March 2019, Australia First member Nathan Sykes, described as a "prolific online troll and a lieutenant of Australia's most prominent white supremacist Jim Saleam", was charged with at least eight offences, after allegations that he made repeated and detailed violent threats to Melbourne journalist and lawyer Luke McMahon. He had previously made numerous racist and intimidating online comments targeting high-profile Australians, including ex-Racial Discrimination CommissionerTim Soutphommasane, activistMariam Veiszadeh and Guardian journalistVan Badham.[36]
The Patriotic Youth League was formed in 2002 by formerOne Nation activist Stuart McBeth as the youth wing of the Australia First Party. It was described by numerous media commentators and academics as afar right,white nationalist youth organisation that has been linked toneo-Nazism, including the now-disbanded US-basedVolksfront, andhate crimes.[34][37]
The group was mainly active in the northern suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne, and played a large role in the2005 Cronulla riots.[38] They distributedwhite power leaflets in the days prior to the riots, displayed banners saying "Aussies fighting back" at the riots,[38] and also distributed pamphlets and alcohol during the riots.[35]
The league disbanded in 2006, but was reincarnated as the Eureka Youth League in 2010[38][39] (not to be confused with the historicalEureka Youth League). As of April 2021[update], the Eureka Youth League has a website[40] andFacebook group; however, the last post on the latter was in October 2017.[41]
Australia First Party is as of March 2019[update] led by convicted criminal and far-right activistJim Saleam. Saleam was a member of the short-livedNational Socialist Party of Australia as a teenager during the early 1970s and the founder of the militant Australianwhite nationalist groupNational Action.[42][28]
Australia First also endorsed independent candidate John Moffat, who was later criticised byB'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Michael Lipshutz,Cronulla Liberal MLAMalcolm Kerr andLebanese Muslim Association spokesmanJihad Dib for "inciting racial hatred".[43]
On 10 July 2009, theSydney Morning Herald reported that David Palmer, theImperial Wizard of theKu Klux Klan in Australia, said several Klan members had secretly joined Australia First. Palmer said Australia First had been identified as anAryan party and would prove useful "in case the ethnics get out of hand and they need sorting out." The Australia First Party later endorsed formerGrand Wizard of the Ku Klux KlanDavid Duke for the 2016 Louisiana election viaTwitter.[44]
In July 2010, it was reported that Australia First was distributing leaflets comparing Africans to monkeys, and "blaming Africans for the social problems in Sydney's west". Australia First denied responsibility for the leaflets, claiming that they had been distributed in an attempt to discredit the party.[45]
The Australia First Party usedSinophobia and fear ofAfrican Australians in their campaign during the 2019 election.[31][46]
The head of the right-wing Australia First party has told news.com.au that far from being annoyed at Labor borrowing its name, Mr Shorten could actually have "done us a favour" by "legitimising" his party.
Recently the Australian Electoral Commission approved the use of the Eureka flag - which features the Southern Cross - on the logo of right wing party Australia First in NSW.
Right-wing Australia First Party leader James Saleam claims innocence, court.
The right-wing Australia First Party says it is unfazed by threats of a private members' bill that would protect the Eureka flag from improper use.
On 24 October 1998 the Greek right-wing extremist organisationChrisi Avgi (Golden Dawn) was the host for the 5th European Youth Congress in Thessaloniki.
| Federalparliamentary parties |
|
|---|---|
| State and territory parliaments (parties not represented federally) |
|
| OtherAEC-registered parties | |
