Country Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Country Alliance is a minor political party in the state of Victoria, Australia
with a focus on "anti-green but pro-environment" policies.
. 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."
to casinos and racing venues. The party is opposed to the sale of publicly owned assets and advocates the decentralisation of government bureaucracies.
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."
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.
Others 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
.
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: 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.
, 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. The party polled a total of 42,938 primary votes in the lower house.
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 and fell short by approximately 1900 votes on the final count after the distrubtion of preferences. In the Eastern Victoria and Western Regions, 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.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with a focus on "anti-green but pro-environment" policies.
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 ElectionVictorian state election, 2006
An election for the 56th Parliament of Victoria took place on Saturday, 25 November 2006. Just over 3 million Victorians registered to vote elected 88 members to the Legislative Assembly and, for the first time, 40 members to the Legislative Council under a proportional representation system...
. 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
Russell Bate
Russell Bate is the Country Alliance spokesperson; chairs Field and Game Australia, Majitek Pty Ltd, the Firearms Safety Foundation of Victoria and is a member of the Commonwealth Firearms Advisory Council....
, 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."
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 machinesSlot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
to casinos and racing venues. The party is opposed to the sale of publicly owned assets and advocates the decentralisation of government bureaucracies.
It opposes Green policies like catching and sterilizing feral animals as impractical, and their influence in matters like the reserve rules around Lake Mokoan
Lake Mokoan
Lake Mokoan is an artificial lake in Victoria, Australia. It was created in 1971 when water from Broken River and Hollands Creek was diverted into Winton Swamp roughly 7 km from Benalla. The lake is characterized by dozens of dead trees emerging from its depths...
, where "children cannot throw stones and you are not even allowed to put up an umbrella."
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
Russell Bate
Russell Bate is the Country Alliance spokesperson; chairs Field and Game Australia, Majitek Pty Ltd, the Firearms Safety Foundation of Victoria and is a member of the Commonwealth Firearms Advisory Council....
. The party opposes negative portrayals of rural people by the Greens.
Others say it has declared its principles to be similar to the National Party of Australia
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
, Outdoor Recreation Party
Outdoor Recreation Party
The Outdoor Recreation Party is a minor political party in Australia. It largely represents the outdoor community and such interests as cycling, mountain biking, bushwalking, camping, kayaking, 4WDing, skiing, fishing lobbies, as well as similar recreational groups with an interest in the outdoors...
, Fishing Party and the Family First Party
Family First Party
The Family First Party is a socially conservative minor political party in Australia. It has two members in the South Australian Legislative Council...
. It also had the in-principle support of former moderate conservative independent MLAs Craig Ingram
Craig Ingram
Craig Ingram is a former Australian politician, and was the Independent Member of Parliament for Gippsland East in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2010.-Personal life:...
and Russell Savage
Russell Savage
Russell Irwin Savage , Australian politician, was the independent member for the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Mildura from 1996 until 2006...
.
2006 Victorian Election
In the 2006 Victorian electionVictorian state election, 2006
An election for the 56th Parliament of Victoria took place on Saturday, 25 November 2006. Just over 3 million Victorians registered to vote elected 88 members to the Legislative Assembly and, for the first time, 40 members to the Legislative Council under a proportional representation system...
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: less in the Western and Eastern Victoria Regions.
However its preferences in Western Victoria were critical in supporting the DLP
Democratic Labor Party
The Democratic Labor Party is a political party in Australia that espouses social conservatism and opposes neo-liberalism. The first "DLP" Senator in decades, party vice-president John Madigan was elected to the Australian Senate with 2.3 percent of the primary vote in Victoria at the 2010 federal...
's Peter Kavanagh
Peter Kavanagh (Australian politician)
Peter Kavanagh , Australian politician, is a former member of the Victorian Legislative Council representing the Democratic Labor Party .Kavanagh was born into a family with a long connection with the DLP...
who went on to pick up ALP preferences ahead of the Greens' Marcus Ward, and ultimately the fifth seat in that region.
2010 Victorian Election
The Country Alliance party nominated 37 candidates for the 2010 Victorian state electionVictorian state election, 2010
The 2010 Victorian state election was held on 27 November. The incumbent centre-left Australian Labor Party government, led by John Brumby, was defeated by the centre-right Liberal/National Coalition opposition, led by Ted Baillieu....
, 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. The party polled a total of 42,938 primary votes in the lower house.
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 and fell short by approximately 1900 votes on the final count after the distrubtion of preferences. In the Eastern Victoria and Western Regions, 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.