- Country Alliance
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The Country Alliance is a minor political party in the state of Victoria, Australia[1] with a focus on "anti-green but pro-environment" policies.[2]
Contents
Founding
It was founded in early 2004 by six rural Victorians concerned with the policies of the existing parties. It contested its first election at the 2006 Victorian State Election. It was officially registered on 15 August 2005, and now has over 1500 members.
The party was launched in August 2005, after which Russell Bate, one of the party founders, stated that "The thing that first caused us to gather around the kitchen table and say, 'We'd better do something', was the prospect of the Greens holding the balance of power. At this stage that's the saga we're trying to avoid." [3]
Policies
The party purposely has few policies, as its elected representatives are expected to act independently in their constituents interests. Its policies include support for some logging in water catchments, recreational shooting and hunting, and limitation of poker machines to casinos and racing venues. The party is opposed to the sale of publicly owned assets and advocates the decentralisation of government bureaucracies.[4]
It opposes Green policies like catching and sterilizing feral animals as impractical, and their influence in matters like the reserve rules around Lake Mokoan, where "children cannot throw stones and you are not even allowed to put up an umbrella."[2]
The party is supported by a range of groups with regional interests including motorbike riding, hunting, angling and the timber industry. It was founded by four people; among them former Mansfield councillor Russell Bate. The party opposes negative portrayals of rural people by the Greens.[5]
Others[who?] say it has declared its principles to be similar to the National Party of Australia, Outdoor Recreation Party, Fishing Party and the Family First Party. It also had the in-principle support of former moderate conservative independent MLAs Craig Ingram and Russell Savage.
2006 Victorian Election
In the 2006 Victorian election the party contested 3 regional upper regions (out of a total of 8 regions), but did not contest any lower house seats. In the 3 regions it contested, the CA received over 2% of the vote in Northern Victoria[6]: less in the Western and Eastern Victoria Regions.
However its preferences in Western Victoria were critical in supporting the DLP's Peter Kavanagh who went on to pick up ALP preferences ahead of the Greens' Marcus Ward, and ultimately the fifth seat in that region.[7]
2010 Victorian Election
The Country Alliance party nominated 37 candidates for the 2010 Victorian state election, standing in four upper house seats (Western Victoria, Eastern Victoria, Northern Victoria and Northern Metropolitan) and most of the lower house seats in regional Victoria.
At the election, the party's best result in the lower house was in the district of Shepparton where it polled 20.5% of the primary vote and 39.8% of the two party preferred vote after preferences.[8] The party polled a total of 42,938 primary votes in the lower house.[9]
In the upper house, the party was in the running for the final spot in the three country regions. In Northern Victoria Region, Country Alliance polled 6.8% of the primary vote[10] and fell short by approximately 1900 votes on the final count after the distrubtion of preferences.[11] In the Eastern Victoria[12] and Western Regions,[13] the party did not poll as well. In the Western Victoria Region, Country Alliance's preferences stopped the Greens' candidate Marcus Ward from winning the fifth spot for the second successive time.
The party held a review of its operations on 5 February 2011 and made changes to its internal allocation of functions and roles.
The party applied for registration as a federal political party with the Australian Electoral Commission on 2 May 2011. The application was approved and party entered on the Commission's register on 26 July 2011.
External links
References
- ^ "Victorian Electoral Commission: Currently registered parties". http://www.vec.vic.gov.au/parties.html#current. Retrieved 2007-06-03.
- ^ a b http://www.sheppnews.com.au/article.aspx?id=1184838
- ^ [1]
- ^ Official policy site
- ^ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/katter-copy-angers-rural-candidates/story-e6frf7jo-1225958819950
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ [6]
- ^ [7]
- ^ [8]
- ^ [9]
Categories:- Political parties in Victoria (Australia)
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