Australian Citizens Party

Australian Citizens Party
Abbreviation	ACP
National Leader	Craig Isherwood
National Chairman	Ann Lawler
Founded	1988 (1988)
Preceded by	Citizens Electoral Council
Headquarters	595 Sydney Road, Coburg, Victoria, 3058, Australia
Newspaper	Australian Alert Service (weekly publication)
Ideology	LaRouchism Economic nationalism Banking reform Sinophilia Climate change denial Syncretism
Political position	Syncretic
International affiliation	LaRouche movement
Colours	Green-Brown
House of Representatives	0 / 151
Senate	0 / 76
Website
citizensparty.org.au
Politics of Australia Political parties Elections

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 party has gained attention for its advocacy on banking issues but has faced criticism for promoting conspiracy theories, including climate change denial.

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.. 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.

History

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, CEC candidate Trevor Perrett won a seat in the Queensland Legislative Assembly but later defected to the National Party. By 1989, the party aligned with the LaRouche movement, becoming its Australian branch by 1992. 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.

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. It reported raising $2.3 million in the 2020–21 financial year, more than any other minor party, according to AEC records. In the 2022–23 financial year, it raised approximately $1.4 million from 336 donations.

On December 1, 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. 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 May 24, 2024, recommending guaranteed cash access and the establishment of a public bank.

Platform

The ACP’s platform, as outlined in its 2025 election policy document, emphasizes economic and national sovereignty, public ownership, and opposition to globalist frameworks. 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).
• 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.

Its policies draw inspiration from historical figures like King O'Malley and the American System of economic nationalism. The ACP rejects the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change, claiming it serves a depopulation agenda, in line with LaRouche movement views.

Electoral performance

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. 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.

Achievements

The ACP claims to have influenced Australian policy through advocacy. 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.

Controversies and Criticisms

Many of the criticisms listed in this section, particularly the allegations of antisemitism from the 1990s, relate to the period when the party was known as the Citizens Electoral Council (CEC). The Australian Citizens Party (ACP), then known as the CEC, has faced significant criticism for its association with the LaRouche movement, which is known for promoting conspiracy theories. The party has been accused of antisemitism, with Jewish groups identifying it as a leading antisemitic organization in Australia during the 1990s, where then-Liberal Party MP Ken Aldred was disendorsed by the Liberal Party after using parliamentary privilege to make allegations that a prominent Jewish lawyer and a senior foreign affairs official were involved in espionage and drug trafficking in 1996. Aldred made the claims using documents supplied to him by the ACP that were later found to be forged.

The ACP has been criticized for exaggerating its electoral and legislative influence. For example, it claimed a candidate nearly won the Western Australian seat of Wagin in 2001, but official records show she received only 7.4% of the vote, placing fifth. The party has also been accused of exploiting public controversies, such as the 2020 departure of Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate, to promote its postal bank agenda. Additionally, its support for Chinese and Russian foreign policies, including endorsements of the Belt and Road Initiative, has drawn scrutiny for aligning with authoritarian regimes.

The party's funding model, reliant on small donations, has drawn attention due to its scale. In the 2020–21 financial year, it collected $2.3 million, outstripping other minor parties without parliamentary representation, which some view as unusual for its limited electoral success.

The ACP’s limited electoral success may stem from its fringe positions, such as climate change denial, which contrast with mainstream Australian politics. Its association with the LaRouche movement and historical controversies may also limit its appeal to the general voterbase.

See also

• LaRouche movement
• Political parties in Australia
• Banking in Australia

External links

• Official website
• Australian Electoral Commission – Registered Parties