Australian Commonwealth Party

The Australian Commonwealth Party was formed in Sydney to contest the 1972 federal election, on a platform of wide social and administrative reform. The sole candidate, Max Fabre, tried to stand against William McMahon in the seat of Lowe but his nomination was refused over a deposit technicality. A dramatic eleventh-hour action in the High Court went against Mr Fabre and the party. [ [http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/1972/65.html Fabre v Ley [1972] HCA 65] [ "A New Party Goes into First Gear", Ideation Pty Limited press release, Sydney, 27 May, 1974] The party's campaign manifesto was written and authorised by celebrity poet Les Murray whose unabashed departure from the mundane goals and language of conventional politics generated widespread publicity and prefigured the later emergence of visionary, environment-oriented parties like the Australian Democrats and Greens. The manifesto announced:

"The Australian Commonwealth Party is an entirely new political association, non-authoritarian, non-elitist, bound together by the mutual loyalty and common commitment of members. [The party] represents a rising of sensitivity and a restoration of grace. It seeks to reinstate qualitative values in the world in order to counter and, in the end, overcome the entrenched tyranny of quantity. It is thus the sworn enemy alike of divisive political techniques, of the mass solutions of doctrinaire economics and of rule by threat. As against all these, it espouses the higher pragmatism of vision." ["A Focus for Vision", 1972 Australian Commonwealth Party Manifesto ]

The party went on to make a public declaration that "statecraft, not politics [is] the proper function of government" and urged that Australia "achieve true sovereignty and secure the constitutional appointment by universal franchise of an independent Australian head of state." [ Advertisement in "The Australian", Page 6, Sat. 11 May, 1974 ] Though never formally disbanded, the Australian Commonwealth Party has not contested any further election nor pursued party registration under legislation which was later enacted.

1972 Manifesto

"(click to enlarge each page)"

References