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WikiLeaks Party

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WikiLeaks Party
ChairmanJulian Assange
FoundedJuly 2013
DissolvedJuly 2015
HeadquartersVictoria, Australia
Membership (2013)2,000[1]
IdeologyLibertarianism[2]
Transparency and Accountability
Whistleblower Protection
Privacy Advocacy
Website
wikileaksparty.org.au

The Wikileaks Party was a micro political party in Australia.[3][4][5] The party was created in part to support Julian Assange's failed bid for a Senate seat in Australia in the 2013 election, where they won 0.66% of the national vote.[5] The WikiLeaks Party national council consisted of: Julian Assange, Matt Watt, Gail Malone, John Shipton, Omar Todd and Gerry Georgatos.[6]

Formation

Julian Assange's decision to run for the Australian Senate was announced via the Wikileaks Twitter account in March 2012.[7] The intent to form a WikiLeaks Party was announced by Assange in late 2012,[5][8] and Assange stated that the party was to be a vehicle for his candidacy for a seat in the Australian Senate in the 2013 election.[5][9]

On 23 March 2013 the Wikileaks Party submitted its registrations to the Australian Electoral Commission. The party had over 1300 fee-paying members.[10] The application was accepted and the party was registered as a political party on 2 July 2013.[11]

The party was involved in Glenn Druery's Minor Party Alliance around the 2013 federal election, but left after deciding not to preference as per Druery's advice.[12][13][14]

Julian Assange

Main article: Julian Assange

Assange is a native of Australia.[5] Since July 2012 Assange has lived in the Embassy of Ecuador, London, having been granted political asylum by Ecuador in an attempt to avoid arrest by UK authorities.[15] Assange is unable to leave the Embassy without being arrested by the Police Forces of the United Kingdom acting on an extradition order placed on him to travel to Sweden to answer allegations of rape and sexual molestation of two Swedish women. Assange fought the extradition order in the UK Court system from December 2010, however, subsequently both the UK High Court of Justice and the UK Supreme Court ruled that the extradition order had been lawfully made and duly dismissed Assange's request for an appeal against the extradition warrant.[16][17][18]

2013 election

The party fielded candidates for the Australian Senate in the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.[19] Two polling experts rated the Wikileaks Party's electoral chances as '‘highly unlikely'’.[20]

Christine Milne, leader of the Australian Greens, was positive about the emergence of the Wikileaks Party as part of a move away from Australia's two-party system. However, the Greens said they had no intention of stepping aside for Assange in the Victoria Senate election.[21] Similarly, the Socialist Equality Party reaffirmed its intention to defend Assange against persecution but refused to endorse the Wikileaks Party, stating that this position represents the "interests of the working class".[22]

Professor Anne Twomey, an expert on Australian constitutional law at the University of Sydney, suggested that if Assange were elected, this could be found invalid in the event of a legal challenge if a court ruled that his relationship with Ecuador breached the prohibition against the election of people "under any [acknowledgement] of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power".[23]

The party's campaign was thrown into turmoil just weeks before the election when members objected strongly to the party's voting preferences - see instant-runoff voting. In New South Wales, a fascist group was placed above the Greens, while in Western Australia the National Party was placed above Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, a strong supporter of WikiLeaks and Assange. The Wikileaks Party blamed an unspecified "admin error" and announced an independent review would be held after the election.[24] When National Council members complained, CEO John Shipton attempted to subvert them and create a new power base. Leslie Cannold, Assange's running mate in Victoria, resigned along with many volunteers and members of the National Council.

The party published a short, inconclusive review by a party member five months later.[25] Former member Gary Lord responded with a comprehensive 20-page report fully examining the party's failures.[26]

Assange failed in his bid for a Senate seat. It is difficult to separate out his personal vote under the instant-runoff voting system. The party received 33,683 votes in Victoria from electors who voted the Wikileaks ticket, with Assange at its head, and Assange received an additional 8,016 first preference votes from electors who numbered the candidates individually.[27] The party as a whole received 1.24%, the 7th highest primary vote in Victoria, and reached the 26th round of ballot before being eliminated without the opportunity to receive preference flows. The party received 88,100 votes or 0.66% nationally but only contested seats in three States. Gerry Georgatos came closest to winning a Senate seat for the Wikileaks Party, reaching the 19th round with only seven rounds to go before being eliminated, also before any opportunity to receive preference flows. He fell about 3,000 primary votes short of being elected, but given that the party received only 9,767 primary votes in Western Australia, this was a large gap.[28]

The Wikileaks Party candidates for the 2013 election were as follows:[29]

Party platform

The Wikileaks Party subscribes to a libertarian ideology. Specific policies for the 2013 election included: introduction of a national shield law to protect a reporter's right not to reveal a source[40] and; "promoting free information and protection for whistle-blowers."[41]

CEO John Shipton stated that "The party stands for what Julian espouses — transparency and accountability in government and of course human rights."[42] Assange himself has said the Wikileaks Party would combine "a small, centralised leadership with maximum grassroots involvement,” and that the party would advance WikiLeaks' objectives of promoting openness in government and politics, and that it would combat intrusions on individual privacy.[5][8][43][44] The Voice of Russia stated that Shipton in an interview "praised Russian diplomatic skills and Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Shipton and the WikiLeaks Party believe that the Russian President and Foreign Ministry are forces for peace."[45]

Assange has been reported as saying that he envisions the Wikileaks Party as bound together by unswerving commitment to the core principles of civic courage nourished by understanding and truthfulness and the free flow of information, and one that will practise in politics what Wikileaks has done in the field of information.[46] The Constitution of the Wikileaks Party lists objectives, including: the protection of human rights and freedoms; transparency of governmental and corporate action, policy and information; recognition of the need for equality between generations; and support of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination.[46] The Wikileaks Political party has criticised the Telstra Group's relationship with the FBI and US Department of Justice.[47][48]

Syria visit

In December 2013 a delegation from the party, including its chairman John Shipton, visited Syria and met with President Bashar al-Assad with the goals of demonstrating "solidarity with the Syrian people and their nation" and improving the party's understanding of the country's civil war. In a statement issued shortly before the visit, the Wikileaks Party stated that it opposed outside intervention in the war, supported a negotiated peace process, and described reports of the Ghouta chemical attack by forces loyal to al-Assad in August 2013 as being "unsubstantiated" and comparable to the concerns which were raised over the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction program prior to the Iraq War.[49][50] The meeting with President al-Assad was attended by National Council members John Shipton, Gail Malone and by former National Council member Jamal Daoud.[4]

The meeting with Assad was criticized by the Australian Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and many WikiLeaks supporters. Shipton stated that the meeting with al-Assad was "just a matter of good manners", and that the delegation had also met with members of the Syrian opposition.[51] These meetings with the opposition have not been verified. Former National Council member and advocate for Shias in Sydney,[52][53] Jamal Daoud (resigned from the Greens over differences), who accompanied Shipton on the trip, expressed support for Assad on Twitter and on his blog.[54][55][56]

2014 election

The WikiLeaks Party contested the April 5 re-run of the disqualified 2013 Senate election (Western Australia component). The prior year's lead Senate Candidate Gerry Georgatos recommended to the National Council that he step down for Julian Assange to take the lead Senate position for Western Australia and hopefully get elected.[57] But in February the National Council learned that Julian Assange would be ineligible to contest. Gerry Georgatos rejected continuing on as the endorsed candidate and asked that the membership be surveyed as to their preferred candidate. More than 500 WikiLeaks members completed the survey and Gerry Georgatos was endorsed as the lead candidate with West TV producer Tibor Meszaros at number 2 and journalist Lucy Nicol at number 3.[58] But one hour before the close of nominations Gerry Georgatos withdrew for "unforeseen personal reasons" and Tibor Meszaros was consequently elevated to lead candidate.[59][60] On April 14, the AEC draw for the ballot of 33 parties (77 candidates) drew The WikiLeaks Party first.[61]

Deregistration

The Wikileaks Party was deregistered by the Australian Electoral Commission on 23 July 2015, under s.137(4) of the Electoral Act: failure to respond to notice under s.137(1).[62]

References

  1. ^ Chan, Gabrielle: "WikiLeaks hopes to turn international interest into extra cash", in The Guardian, 13 August 2013
  2. ^ How Julian Assange's Senate Bid Will Change Australian Politics – The Monthly
  3. ^ The Wikileaks Party - Australian Electoral Commission
  4. ^ a b Owens, Jared (14 March 2014). "Julian Assange wants full control of WikiLeaks Party, says party figure". The Australian.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Khazan, Olga. "Julian Assange wants to start a WikiLeaks party and run for office". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  6. ^ WikiLeaks Party National Council
  7. ^ "Julian Assange to run for Senate". ABC News. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  8. ^ a b Dorling, Philip. "Assange looks to contest Senate election". Melbourne: The Age National Times. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  9. ^ "Assange to run for Australian Senate, start Wikileaks party". rt.com. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  10. ^ "Polls positive for WikiLeaks, as party registers". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  11. ^ "Wikileaks Party registered for election". The Australian. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  12. ^ Promoting people power or gaming the system? Meet 'the preference whisperer': ABC 31 March 2014
  13. ^ Bitter dispute erupts over Senate preferences in Queensland: ABC 5 September 2013
  14. ^ Alliance of micro parties boosts odds for likes of One Nation or Shooters and Fishers gaining Senate spot through preferences: Daily Telegraph 5 September 2013
  15. ^ "WikiLeaks founder seeks asylum at Ecuador embassy". boston.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "Julian Assange loses extradition appeal at Supreme Court". BBC. 30 May 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  17. ^ "Julian Assange v Swedish Prosecution Authority". UK Supreme Court. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  18. ^ "The legal mythology of the extradition of Julian Assange". New Statesman. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  19. ^ "WikiLeaks expands bid for senate seats – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News.
  20. ^ Sydney Morning Herald – Assange will struggle to win Senate seat: poll
  21. ^ AAP. "Greens leader welcomes Wikileaks Party". Yahoo! 7 News. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  22. ^ O'Connor, Patrick. "Why the SEP does not endorse the WikiLeaks Party". World Socialist Web Site. International Committee of the Fourth International. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  23. ^ Twomey, Anne. "Senator Assange?". Constitutional Critique. Constitutional Reform Unit, Sydney Law School. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  24. ^ The WikiLeaks Party Announces Independent Review
  25. ^ WikiLeaks Party Independent Review
  26. ^ Jaraparilla. "My WikiLeaks Party Inquiry". Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  27. ^ Election 2013: First preferences by candidate for Victoria, Australian Electoral Commission. Accessed 17 March 2014.
  28. ^ "First Preferences by Group – Victoria". Election 2013: Virtual Tally Room. Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  29. ^ Baxendale, Rachel (26 July 2013). Australian "Julian Assange crashe launch WikiLeaks Party". Retrieved 30 July 2013. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  30. ^ http://www.cherishlife.org.au/cherish-blog/452-what-thrills-leslie-cannold/
  31. ^ http://www.wikileaksparty.org.au/candidates/
  32. ^ http://kellietranter.com/
  33. ^ http://www.findlaw.com.au/lawfirm/8471/kellie-tranter-attorney.aspx
  34. ^ http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20130917036
  35. ^ http://lateralloveaustralia.com/interview-series-2014/in-conversation-with-gerry-georgatos/
  36. ^ http://neoskosmos.com/news/en/the-milk-of-human-kindness
  37. ^ http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2011/04/14/long-way-go-deaths-custody-experts
  38. ^ http://thestringer.com.au/writer-5/#.Us8bXvQW2aU
  39. ^ http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/03/29/3466518.htm
  40. ^ "Protect your sources: Australia's WikiLeaks Party calls for journalism shield law – RT News". RT News.
  41. ^ Wikileaks Party in chaos as Assange running mate quits – Telegraph
  42. ^ "Wikileaks founder Julian Assange now a step closer to a Senate run". news.com.au. 13 February 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  43. ^ Creagh, Sunanda. "'WikiLeaks Party will attract the support of many women': Assange". The Conversation. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  44. ^ "WikiLeaks Party will attract female voters: Assange". World News Australia. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  45. ^ The Voice of Russia: The US and its allies: a horror show that must stop – John Shipton
  46. ^ a b Keane, John. "Lunch and dinner with Julian Assange, in prison". The Conversation. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  47. ^ Butler, Philip (14 July 2013). "WikiLeaks Party Wants Answers from Telstra Group on Tempora-like Snooping". Everything PR. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  48. ^ "Is the US listening to your calls?". SBS. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  49. ^ "WikiLeaks under fire after delegation travels to Syria to meet Bashar al-Assad". ABC News. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  50. ^ "Notes from Damascus". Wikileaks Party. 22 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  51. ^ McKenny, Leesha; Wroe, David (1 January 2014). "WikiLeaks Party defends its 'cup of tea' with Bashar al-Assad". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  52. ^ "'This is a warning': Members of Sydney's Shia community fear IS beheading". SBS. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  53. ^ Reissa Su (7 November 2014). "Sydney Church Uses ISIS-Inspired Poster As Evangelical Tool; Muslim Leaders Fears Rising Tensions". International Business Times. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  54. ^ [1]
  55. ^ "WikiLeaks activists slammed for Bashar al-Assad meeting". The Australian. 1 January 2014.
  56. ^ http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/12/31/aussie-wikileaks-delegation-meets-assad
  57. ^ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-04/wikileaks-julian-assange-wa-senate-recount-aec/5068548
  58. ^ "Schapelle Corby conspiracy theorist to stand for WikiLeaks Party in WA Senate byelection". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  59. ^ "Schapelle Corby conspiracy theorist withdraws as WikiLeaks candidate in WA Senate election". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  60. ^ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-14/wikileaks-candidate-replacing-assange-in-wa-senate-withdraws/5319994
  61. ^ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-14/record-number-of-candidates-for-wa-senate-election/5321802
  62. ^ "The Wikileaks Party". aec.gov.au. Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
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