141-644: The Western Australian National Party , officially known as the National Party of Australia (WA) Inc , and branded as Nationals WA , is a political party in Western Australia . It is affiliated with the National Party of Australia , but maintains a separate structure and identity. Since the 2021 state election , the Nationals have been the senior party in an opposition alliance with the WA Liberal Party in
282-559: A crossbencher in the parliament. The election resulted in a four-seat deficit for both Liberals and Labor saw the first hung parliament since the 1940 federal election . Crook ultimately announced he would support the Liberal-National Coalition on confidence and supply , but would otherwise remain on the crossbench. In April 2012, however, he moved from the crossbench to sit with the Nationals. At times, Crook supported federal Labor government policies in parliament contrary to
423-463: A Cabinet of 11, including the Treasurer portfolio and the second rank in the ministry for himself. These terms were unusually stiff for a prospective junior coalition partner in a Westminster system, and especially so for such a new party. Nonetheless, with no other politically realistic coalition partner available, Bruce readily agreed, and the "Bruce-Page Ministry" was formed. This began the tradition of
564-633: A Liberal premier cannot govern without National support, even when the Liberals have enough support in the Legislative Assembly to govern alone. In November 2013, Grylls stepped down as party leader and WA Minister for Regional Development. He was replaced in both roles by Terry Redman, while Davies was promoted to take the third Nationals' position in the Barnett Ministry. In August 2016, Grylls returned as party leader, after Redman resigned following
705-409: A bid to present themselves as a decisive and consistent conservative force. In the 1993 state election , the conservative forces finally regained government, largely by just being able to finally present themselves as united. This was despite what should have been a relatively easy ride given Labor's problems with WA Inc. and the findings of the associated Royal commission which had been handed down
846-611: A branch of the Liberal Party, but it is affiliated with the Nationals and members elected to federal parliament may sit as either Liberals or Nationals. The Country Liberal Party was formed in 1978 when the Northern Territory gained responsible government. It is a separate member of the federal coalition, but it is affiliated with the two major members and its president has voting rights in the National Party. The name refers to
987-453: A few months after the federal election, and his party was heavily defeated in 1989. The federal National Party were badly defeated at the 1990 election , with leader Charles Blunt one of five MPs to lose his seat. Blunt's successor as leader, Tim Fischer , recovered two seats at the 1993 election , but lost an additional 1.2% of the vote from its 1990 result. In 1996, as the Coalition won
1128-527: A former member of the Liberal party. However, the association had also been highly successful in attracting Labor supporters, so the entire question of the platform was referred to a special conference held in March 1913. Strongly influenced by eastern Wheatbelt representatives, the conference was militant in tone and decided by a vote of 103 to 17 to form a country party in both State and Federal parliaments. By early 1914,
1269-467: A large number of three-cornered contests allowed Labor to win a third term under Bob Hawke ; however, in 1987 the National Party won a bump in votes and recorded its highest vote in more than four decades, but it also recorded a new low in the proportion of seats won. The collapse of Joh for Canberra also proved to be the Queensland Nationals' last hurrah; Bjelke-Petersen was forced into retirement
1410-415: A leadership challenge. Grylls announced a raft a new policy proposals, including an increase in an existing 25-cent per tonne production rental charge set in legacy state agreements between the state and Pilbara iron ore mining companies, BHP and Rio Tinto . Grylls lost his seat at the 2017 state election . Davies, his deputy, became acting leader until she was formally elected as leader on 21 March. At
1551-446: A limited number of seats and do not generally directly compete with the Liberal Party. Its ideology is generally more socially conservative than that of the Liberal Party. In 1987, the National Party made an abortive run for the office of prime minister in its own right, in the Joh for Canberra campaign. However, it has generally not aspired to become the majority party in the coalition, and it
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#17330849737691692-508: A major party in 1904. These events took the Liberal party by surprise and caused some consternation amongst them. Their initial view of the FSA had been positive—federal member for Swan and former Premier (1890–1901), Sir John Forrest , believed the movement "would be of great use to the Producers, add to the strength of Liberalism and prove advantageous in every way". The FSA's first meetings were at
1833-467: A minister. At the 1977 state election the Liberals gained seats while the National Country Party stood still, resulting in the latter losing one of its three ministerial posts. The Coalition remained in office. In July 1978 the tensions within the party came to the forefront once more. The schism was triggered over a political donation of $ 200,000 from mining entrepreneur Lang Hancock through
1974-502: A more considered land settlement policy than the Liberals were offering, and opposed protectionism . The emergence of a three-party contest with a new Country Party remaining "entirely distinct from and not allied with any other Party" and representing the political interests of farmers, a compromise that both the Executive and the membership wholeheartedly supported, resulted in sharp criticism from key Liberals such as Forrest, who engaged in
2115-572: A new leader. Gardiner resigned six days later, and Francis Willmott became leader of the party, which became increasingly dominated by Monger. The party had to act carefully, as Labor had committed to an agricultural relief programme and the Executive was wary of upsetting the radical eastern wheatbelt branches. The status quo was cautiously backed at the party's August 1915 conference. Events in Western Australian politics assumed an unpredictable quality from late 1915 onwards. On 30 September 1915,
2256-711: A number of state-based parties such as the Victorian Farmers' Union (VFU) and the Farmers' and Settlers' Association of New South Wales . Australia's first Country Party was founded in 1912 by Harry J. Stephens , editor of The Farmer & Settler , but, under fierce opposition from rival newspapers, failed to gain momentum. The VFU won a seat in the House of Representatives at the Corangamite by-election held in December 1918, with
2397-489: A policy of opposition to the Mineral Resource Rent Tax and support for a Royalties for Regions policy at a national level. He also declared his independence from the federal Nationals ; indeed, the party declared during the campaign it would not take direction from federal Nationals leader Warren Truss . Although some media outlets initially claimed Crook was part of the Coalition, Crook declared he would sit as
2538-575: A seat in the Legislative Council. In 2009 Vince Catania , the MLA for North West , defected to the Nationals in support of their regional policies. At the 2013 state election the party won seven Legislative Assembly seats in total, its largest total in over forty years, including three in the Mining and Pastoral region. Duncan successfully moved from the Legislative Council to the Legislative Assembly, winning
2679-536: A significant victory over the Keating Labor government, the National Party recovered another two seats, and Fischer became deputy prime minister under John Howard . The Nationals experienced difficulties in the late 1990s from two fronts – firstly from the Liberal Party, who were winning seats on the basis that the Nationals were not seen to be a sufficiently separate party, and from the One Nation Party riding
2820-445: A small decline in vote, down 0.10% to attain 4.51% of the primary vote. The official state and territorial party organisations (or equivalents) of the National Party are: The Nationals see their main role as giving a voice to Australians who live outside the country's metropolitan areas. Traditionally, the leader of the National Party serves as Deputy Prime Minister when the Coalition is in government. This tradition dates back to
2961-661: A swell of rural discontent with many of the policies such as multiculturalism and gun control embraced by all of the major parties. The rise of Labor in formerly safe National-held areas in rural Queensland, particularly on the coast, has been the biggest threat to the Queensland Nationals. At the 1998 Federal election, the National Party recorded only 5.3% of the vote in the House of Representatives, its lowest ever, and won only 16 seats, at 10.8% its second lowest proportion of seats. The National Party under Fischer and his successor, John Anderson, rarely engaged in public disagreements with
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#17330849737693102-465: A two-month correspondence with Monger until April 1914 attempting to convince him to rejoin the FSA to the Liberal cause, and State opposition leader Frank Wilson . An invitation from the Liberal League for an exchange of preferences in the Legislative Council had been rejected by the Executive on the ground that "our constitution does not permit the council to comply with their request". In May 1914,
3243-588: Is a major focus of National Party policy. The process for obtaining these funds has come into question in recent years, such as during the Sports Rorts Affair . According to Ian McAllister , the Nationals are the only remaining party from the "wave of agrarian socialist parties set up around the Western world in the 1920s". Federally (and to various extents, in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia),
3384-558: Is administered through the WA Department of Regional Development and provides for an additional $ 619 million (2009–10) in spending in regional communities above consolidated revenue allocations for the regions. In the 2010 federal election , Tony Crook won the Australian House of Representatives seat of O'Connor for the National Party of Western Australia from long-term Liberal incumbent Wilson Tuckey . Crook campaigned on
3525-699: Is generally liberal conservatism . Every elected prime minister of Australia since 1910 has been a member of either the Labor Party, the Liberal Party, or one of the Liberal Party's previous incarnations (the Commonwealth Liberal Party , the Nationalist Party of Australia , and the United Australia Party ). The Liberal Party is joined by the National Party , a party that represents rural and agricultural interests. The Nationals contest
3666-527: Is generally understood that the prime minister of Australia will be a member of either the Labor or Liberal parties. On two occasions (involving Earle Page in 1939, and John McEwen from December 1967 to January 1968), the deputy prime minister , the leader of the National Party (then known as the Country Party), became the prime minister temporarily, upon the death of the incumbent prime minister. Arthur Fadden
3807-749: Is in government in New South Wales , Victoria , South Australia , Western Australia , the Australian Capital Territory and the Federal Government of Australia . The other group is a conservative grouping of parties that are in coalition at the federal level, as well as in New South Wales , but compete in Western Australia and South Australia . It is in government in Tasmania and the Northern Territory . The main party in this group
3948-585: Is made up of single member districts. Two political groups dominate the Australian political spectrum, forming a de facto two-party system. One is the Australian Labor Party (ALP), a centre-left party which is formally linked to the Australian labour movement . Formed in 1893, it has been a major party federally since 1901, and has been one of the two major parties since the 1910 federal election . The ALP
4089-534: Is sometimes dubbed "McEwenism". This was the period of the Country Party's greatest power, as was demonstrated in 1962 when McEwen was able to insist that Menzies sack a Liberal Minister who claimed that Britain's entry into the European Economic Community was unlikely to severely impact the Australian economy as a whole. Menzies retired in 1966 and was succeeded by Harold Holt . McEwen thus became
4230-525: Is the centre-right Liberal Party . The Liberal Party is the modern form of a conservative group that has existed since the combination of the Protectionist Party and Free Trade Party into the Commonwealth Liberal Party in 1909. Although this group has changed its nomenclature, there has been a general continuity of MPs and structure between different forms of the party. Its modern form was founded by Robert Menzies in 1944. The party's philosophy
4371-399: Is the only party that has attempted to paint itself as representing rural voters above all else", In June 2005, party leader John Anderson announced that he would resign from the ministry and as Leader of the Nationals due to a benign prostate condition, he was succeeded by Mark Vaile. At the following 2007 election , the Nationals vote declined further, with the party winning a mere 5.4% of
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4512-626: The 1953 election . During this time in March 1949, James Mann , the member for Beverley , led a breakaway faction out of the Country Party, and initially sat as an Independent. His faction merged into the Liberal and Country League, formed in March 1939, which the Liberals merged into in May 1949. The two parties regained power at the 1959 election forming the Brand–Watts Ministry . Watts retired in 1962, to be succeeded by Crawford Nalder . The reconstituted Brand–Nalder Ministry retained power until
4653-595: The 1971 election . The party entered into a temporary merger with the Democratic Labor Party , standing on a centrist platform as the "National Alliance" in both the March 1974 state election and the May 1974 federal election . The Alliance contested most of the state seats and every single federal seat, standing in many metropolitan seats for the first time. However, in both elections the party lost votes and seats compared to
4794-403: The 1983 state election , in which McPharlin also lost his seat to the Liberals. All the other National Country and National MLAs retained their seats. The National Country Party was by this stage $ 1.25 million in debt, largely due to the failure of a grocery store it had entered to raise funds. This led to an unsuccessful motion to dissolve the party in May 1983. There were renewed calls for
4935-764: The 2010 Australian Federal Election . To maintain registration, parties must demonstrate that they have a certain number of members. Federally, since 2022, unless a party has current parliamentary representation, they must demonstrate they have 1,500 members. For the state and territory elections, parties require 100 members in Tasmania and the ACT, 200 in South Australia and Northern Territory, 500 in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, and 750 in New South Wales. Parties listed in alphabetical order as of September 2024: As of
5076-582: The 2021 election , the Nationals lost one seat in the Legislative Assembly . However, the Liberals were decimated, falling to just two seats. This allowed the Nationals to become the Opposition, making Davies the first Opposition Leader from the party since 1947 . Although the Nationals were one seat short of official status in the Legislative Assembly, Premier Mark McGowan promised that the Nationals would be resourced as an opposition. On 19 April 2021,
5217-464: The Australian House of Representatives , and the use of the single transferable vote to elect the upper house , the Australian Senate . Other parties tend to perform better in the upper houses of the various federal and state parliaments since these typically use a form of proportional representation , except for in Tasmania where the lower house is proportionally elected and the upper house
5358-534: The Democratic Labor Party , called the National Alliance . A short-lived alliance, the party left the coalition following the 1975 federal election . The party again changed names, to the National Country Party of Western Australia, and briefly left the Charles Court Government . On 1 April 1985, upon its union with the breakaway National Party, it became the National Party of Western Australia, which
5499-521: The Liberal government then in power, and especially towards Minister for Lands James Mitchell , who had adopted a particularly enthusiastic attitude towards settlement in such areas. Two new events on the horizon brought things to a head—the 1911 state election which produced the first majority Labor government in Western Australia (including several members from agricultural areas); and an attempt by
5640-482: The Liberal/National Coalition . Federally, 17 of the 151 members of the lower house (Members of Parliament, or MPs) are not members of major parties, as well as 21 of the 76 members of the upper house (senators). The Parliament of Australia has a number of distinctive features including compulsory voting , with full- preference instant-runoff voting in single-member seats to elect the lower house ,
5781-459: The Liberals' decision to merge into the newly formed Liberal and Country League (LCL). Subsequently the parliamentary party reverted back to its former name, Country Party, at the 1949 federal election . The organisation followed suit at its 1961 conference. The party in 1974, which had faced considerable political challenges for decades and a steady decline, entered into a political alliance with
Western Australian National Party - Misplaced Pages Continue
5922-674: The Nationals or simply the Nats , is a centre-right and agrarian political party in Australia . Traditionally representing graziers, farmers, and rural voters generally, it began as the Australian Country Party in 1920 at a federal level . In 1975, it adopted the name National Country Party , before taking its current name in 1982. Ensuring support for farmers, either through government grants and subsidies or through community appeals,
6063-650: The Wheatbelt region with some penetration of the South West region. It was inspired in part by the success of Canadian grain growers' associations from 1900 onwards. At its second conference in June 1912, held at Perth Technical School, the FSA decided to adopt a political platform and elect members to Parliament who were pledged to support it. The FSA's leadership at this time was dominated by conservative established farmers, and particularly by its founding president Alexander Monger ,
6204-509: The state parliament . Founded in 1913 as the Country Party of Western Australia to represent the interests of farmers and pastoralists, it was the first agrarian party in Australia to contest and win seats at the 1914 state election . Since then, it has continuously held seats in the state's Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council , particularly in the state's Wheatbelt region, and for many years, it also held federal seats. While
6345-473: The " Country and Democratic League of Western Australia " ( CDL ) in 1944 following its severance from the Primary Producers' Association, changing the organisations constitution . The reported changes were put into place in an effort to reject all affiliations to other political organisations from the other states , and expansion of the party's platform. However, the name proved confusing, especially after
6486-942: The 1937 election), the party did not elect another Senate leader until 1949 – apparently due to its small number of senators. Unlike the leader in the House of Representatives, the Senate leader has not always been a member of the ministry or shadow ministry at all times. For the 2015–2016 financial year, the top ten disclosed donors to the National Party were: Manildra Group ($ 182,000), Ognis Pty Ltd ($ 100,000), Trepang Services ($ 70,000), Northwake Pty Ltd ($ 65,000), Hancock Prospecting ($ 58,000), Bindaree Beef ($ 50,000), Mowburn Nominees ($ 50,000), Retail Guild of Australia ($ 48,000), CropLife International ($ 43,000) and Macquarie Group ($ 38,000). The National Party also receives undisclosed funding through several methods, such as "associated entities". John McEwen House, Pilliwinks and Doogary are entities which have been used to funnel donations to
6627-498: The 2021 election, the National Party was sitting on the crossbench, and the Liberal Party was the sole opposition party. The election resulted in the National Party winning more seats than the Liberal Party, and gaining official opposition status. Under the opposition alliance, the National Party leader and deputy leader would be the opposition leader and deputy opposition leader, respectively, the first since 1947, and each party would maintain their independence from each other. The party
6768-454: The Australian federation . In 1930, the party adopted secession as part of its official platform. The Coalition returned to government at the 1930 election , with new Country Party leader Charles Latham serving as Deputy Premier, but lost power again at the 1933 election . In that election the Nationalists fell to third place in the Legislative Assembly and so the Country Party leader took
6909-451: The Coalition while the National Party agreed with the Labor Party not to contest each other's seats and Cowan publicly stated his party was willing to support a Labor minority government if it had the largest number of seats. The election saw each party return its three sitting MLAs, with the Coalition retaining power. On 12 May 1982, McPharlin resigned from the National Party and rejoined the National Country Party. The Coalition lost power in
7050-555: The Coalition would last under a succession of leaders until defeat at the 1924 election . During the 1921–1924 term, the Country Party split into rival factions, the Ministerial Country Party (MCP) which comprised the bulk of the parliamentary party—many of whom had switched allegiance from other parties since 1919—and the Executive Country Party (ECP), which was loyal to the Primary Producers' Association, which
7191-422: The Country Party leader ranking second in Coalition cabinets. Page remained dominant in the party until 1939, and briefly served as caretaker prime minister between the death of Joseph Lyons and the election of Robert Menzies as his successor. However, Page gave up the leadership rather than serve under Menzies. The coalition was re-formed under Archie Cameron in 1940, and continued until October 1941 despite
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#17330849737697332-755: The Country Party was intended to represent in Parliament. After the 1924 election, which significantly strengthened the latter at the expense of the former, the Ministerial arm merged with the Nationalist Party. At federal level, the Country Party agreed to run a joint Senate ticket with the United Party at the 1925 federal election , allowing William Carroll to become the first Country Party senator from Western Australia. In 1928, party leader Alec Thomson announced his support of Western Australia's secession from
7473-412: The Country Party was losing ground electorally to the Liberals as the rural population declined, and the nature of some parliamentary seats on the urban/rural fringe changed. A proposed merger with the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) under the banner of "National Alliance" was rejected when it failed to find favour with voters at the 1974 state election . Also in 1974, the Northern Territory members of
7614-663: The Country Party won two of four contested seats in the Legislative Council —one in East Province and one in Central Province . At the Assembly elections on 21 October 1914, they contested 16 of the 50 seats in the Legislative Assembly , winning 8 of them. Five of these seats had Liberal incumbents ( Beverley , Greenough , Irwin , Pingelly and York ), while two had been held by Labor ( Avon and Nelson ). Alfred Piesse ,
7755-406: The Legislative Assembly, Cowan, McPharlin and Matt Stephens , and one Member of the Legislative Council, Thomas McNeil . The National Party operated as an independent force while the National Country Party remained in the Coalition. The two parties worked independently of one another while quietly (and occasionally, publicly) feuding. In the 1980 state election the National Country Party maintained
7896-469: The Liberal League's clubrooms in Perth, and its Executive was dominated by well-established families from the established farming districts around York and Beverley , epitomising the conservative values of pre-1890s Western Australian society. The Executive was staunchly opposed to the Labor party, and was concerned about the support Labor was able to attract in the newer districts, but at the same time wished for
8037-431: The Liberal Party, which weakened the party's ability to present a separate image to rural and regional Australia. In 2001 the National Party recorded its second-worst result at 5.6% winning 13 seats, and its third lowest at 5.9% at the 2004 election, winning only 12 seats. Australian psephologist Antony Green argues that two important trends have driven the National Party's decline at a federal level: "the importance of
8178-400: The Liberal banner. However, Barnett kept the Nationals in his government. According to ABC election analyst Antony Green , Barnett would have been forced to keep the Nationals in his cabinet in any event. As mentioned above, even after the 2008 electoral reforms, the Legislative Council still has a significant rural overweighting. Green argued that this malapportionment is strong enough that
8319-455: The Liberal member for Toodyay , joined the Country Party and faced no contest for his seat. James Gardiner was selected as the first leader of the Country Party. The Labor government was returned with a one-seat majority, but could not always rely on its own members, and Gardiner told the Assembly on 8 December 1914 that there should be a "legitimate truce" and that the Country Party would support
8460-436: The Liberals and Nationals formed a formal opposition alliance. The Nationals would be the senior partner, and Davies appointed three Liberals to her shadow cabinet. This was similar to the agreements between both parties when they were in government following the 2008 and 2013 elections. Under this arrangement, Liberal leader David Honey did not become Deputy Opposition Leader, deferring to Davies' deputy, Shane Love . Under
8601-467: The Liberals in bringing down Scaddan's Labour government, they declined to form a coalition ministry, and they were inconsistent in their support of Wilson's government. At one point in February 1917, a dispute between the parties prompted Wilson to tender his resignation, but this was refused by the governor. During this period the Liberal Party was transformed into the Nationalist Party , mirroring changes at
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#17330849737698742-445: The Liberals. At the 2005 state election the Nationals retained the same number of seats but the Labor Party retained power and came close to a majority in the Legislative Council and successfully implemented the ending of a malapportionment that had given the non-metropolitan parts of the state fewer voters per electorate than in the metropolitan parts; the National Party had long benefited from this arrangement. In May 2005 legislation
8883-483: The National Country Party having only minor influence and the split galvanised demands for greater independence. A separate party called the "National Party" was formed. The name was initially disallowed after objections from the National Party in Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania but later formalised as the National Party of Australia (WA). Disaffected members of the National Country Party joined including three Members of
9024-457: The National Country Party of Australia as part of a strategy to expand into urban areas. This had some success in Queensland under Joh Bjelke-Petersen , but nowhere else. The party briefly walked out of the coalition agreement in Western Australia in May 1975, returning within the month. However, the party split in two over the decision and other factors in late 1978, with a new National Party forming and becoming independent, holding three seats in
9165-522: The National Country Party's reduced position led to public discussions about establishing a clear separate identity from the Liberals. Tensions grew over rural and education issues and, ultimately, milk quotas for dairy producers leading to a split. On 20 May 1975, McPharlin led the party out of the Coalition. The state party then came under pressure from the federal party to resume the coalition, with both federal leader Doug Anthony and Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen making visits to encourage this. In
9306-401: The National Party is David Littleproud , who represents the Queensland electorate of Maranoa . He replaced Barnaby Joyce following a leadership spill in May 2022, after the Coalition's defeat in the 2022 federal election . The party's deputy leader is Perin Davey , Senator for New South Wales. The Country Party was formally founded in 1913 in Western Australia, and nationally in 1920, from
9447-477: The National Party leader and deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce was expecting a child with his former communications staffer Vikki Campion. Joyce resigned after revelations that he had been engaged in an extramarital affair. Later in the same year it was revealed that the NSW National party and its youth wing, the Young Nationals had been infiltrated by neo-Nazis with more than 30 members being investigated for alleged links to neo-Nazism . Leader McCormack denounced
9588-460: The National and Liberal parties at a state level in order to present a more effective opposition to the Labor Party. Previously this plan had been dismissed by the Queensland branch of the Liberal party, but the idea received in-principle support from the Liberals. Federal leader Mark Vaile stated the Nationals will not merge with the Liberal Party at a federal level. The plan was opposed by key Queensland Senators Ron Boswell and Barnaby Joyce , and
9729-415: The Nationalists an overall majority. It soon became apparent that the price for Country support would be a full-fledged coalition with the Nationalists. However, Page let it be known that his party would not serve under Hughes, and forced his resignation. Page then entered negotiations with the Nationalists' new leader, Stanley Bruce , for a coalition government. Page wanted five seats for his Country Party in
9870-421: The Nationals have been the minor party in centre-right Coalition governments with the Liberal Party ; its federal leader usually serves as Deputy Prime Minister by convention. In Opposition the Coalition was usually maintained, but even otherwise the party still generally continued to work in co-operation with the Liberals (as had their predecessors the Nationalist Party and United Australia Party ). Due to
10011-543: The New South Wales Electoral Commission: As of the Victorian Electoral Commission: As of the Queensland Electoral Commission: Right-wing populism , Hansonism As of the Western Australian Electoral Commission: As of the Electoral Commission of South Australia: As of the Tasmanian Electoral Commission: As listed with the ACT Electoral Commission: As of the Northern Territory Electoral Commission: National Party of Australia Defunct Defunct The National Party of Australia , commonly known as
10152-559: The Parliaments of New South Wales , Queensland and Victoria , many of whom are former members of the National Party. In fact since the 2004 Federal election , National Party candidates have received fewer first preference votes than the Australian Greens . Demographic changes are not helping, with fewer people living and employed on the land or in small towns, the continued growth of the larger provincial centres, and, in some cases,
10293-615: The Rural Workers Union to bring agricultural workers into the Commonwealth arbitration system to regulate their wages and working conditions. In March 1912, the Western Australian Farmers and Settlers' Association was formed to represent small employers' interests, and included primarily wheat farmers, but also small graziers, dairy farmers and orchardists. By 1914, it had 180 branches and 6,000 members, mostly located in
10434-415: The Senate and not beholden to the dictates of [...] a party Senate leader". On 3 October 1935, Charles Hardy was elected as Carroll's replacement and began using the title "Leader of the Country Party in the Senate". This usage was disputed by Carroll and Bertie Johnston , but a subsequent party meeting on 10 October confirmed Hardy's position. However, after Hardy's term ended in 1938 (due to his defeat at
10575-668: The UAP into the Liberal Party of Australia in 1944. Fadden remained a loyal partner of Menzies, though he was still keen to assert the independence of his party. Indeed, in the lead up to the 1949 federal election , Fadden played a key role in the defeat of the Chifley Labor government, frequently making inflammatory claims about the "socialist" nature of the Labor Party, which Menzies could then "clarify" or repudiate as he saw fit, thus appearing more "moderate". In 1949, Fadden became Treasurer in
10716-474: The United Kingdom saw large areas of land opened up—from 1900 to 1910, the area under crop rose from 74,308 acres (30,071 ha) to 521,862 acres (211,190 ha), while the railway network doubled in size and many public buildings were erected throughout the cultivated areas of the state. In addition, immigrants who had come in search of gold or work increasingly took on jobs as farm workers—the proportion of
10857-550: The Western Australian lower house, while the National Country Party remained in coalition and also held three seats. They reconciled after the Burke Labor government came to power in 1983. The 1980s were dominated by the feud between Bjelke-Petersen and the federal party leadership. Bjelke-Petersen briefly triumphed in 1987, forcing the Nationals to tear up the Coalition agreement and support his bid to become prime minister. The " Joh for Canberra " campaign backfired spectacularly when
10998-543: The alliance, each party maintained their independence, and could speak out on issues when there was a disagreement with their partner. On 27 January 2023, Davies announced she would resign as leader of the party, and that she would not stand for reelection for her Legislative Assembly seat in 2025. The following table records Country Party and National Party votes in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly as cast at state general elections. While
11139-515: The arrival of left-leaning "city refugees" in rural areas. The Liberals have also gained support as the differences between the coalition partners on a federal level have become invisible. This was highlighted in January 2006, when Nationals Senator Julian McGauran defected to the Liberals, saying that there was "no longer any real distinguishing policy or philosophical difference". In Queensland, Nationals leader Lawrence Springborg advocated merger of
11280-552: The balance of power in both houses of the legislature. Together with three independents, the Nationals ultimately supported the Liberals led by Colin Barnett to form an informal governing coalition after several days of negotiations. Unlike traditional non-Labor Coalition governments, however, the National members only had limited collective responsibility, and reserved "the right to exempt [themselves] from Cabinet and vote against an issue on
11421-518: The closeness and integration of the two parties, as well as the declining vote of the Nationals in recent years, it has been proposed several times that the Liberals and the Nationals formally merge . In Queensland, for instance, the Country Party (later National Party) was the senior coalition party between 1925 and 2008, after which it merged with the junior Liberal Party to form the Liberal National Party of Queensland . The current leader of
11562-436: The combined performance of its component parties in previous elections, losing its last seats in the federal House of Representatives and one of two senators. The National Alliance was dissolved soon afterwards and the now-renamed National Country Party reverted to its traditional approach of contesting just rural seats afterwards. In the 1977 federal election the party's last senator, Tom Drake-Brockman , retired and his seat
11703-475: The creation of the office in 1968. The National Party's support base and membership are closely associated with the agricultural community. Historically anti-union, the party has vacillated between state support for primary industries (" agrarian socialism ") and free agricultural trade and has opposed tariff protection for Australia's manufacturing and service industries. It is usually in favor of industrial development, opposing green politics. "Countrymindedness"
11844-415: The election of Arthur Fadden as leader after the 1940 election. Fadden was well regarded within conservative circles and proved to be a loyal deputy to Menzies in the difficult circumstances of 1941. When Menzies was forced to resign as prime minister, the UAP was so bereft of leadership that Fadden briefly succeeded him (despite the Country Party being the junior partner in the governing coalition). However,
11985-404: The emergent Country Party of Western Australia had adopted some elements of Labor's political structure such as preselection ballots, a local branch structure, annual conferences and the observance of a pledge by party members, and saw their role as a balance of power capable of bargaining for concessions from the government of the day, clearly influenced by Labor's past practice before emerging as
12126-535: The federal level. After an initial minority Liberal/Nationalist ministry under Frank Wilson , on 28 June 1917 the Lefroy Ministry was formed, the first Coalition ministry in Western Australia. It combined the Nationalist Party , the Country Party and the National Labor Party (who, unlike their federal counterparts, were not subsumed into the Nationalists until 1924). The Country Party held three posts, and
12267-483: The first time since the Scaddan Government's election in 1911, non-Labor forces had a majority in the Assembly. On 27 July 1916, the Liberal and Country parties cooperated to defeat the government in the Legislative Assembly. After being refused a dissolution of Parliament by the governor, the premier John Scaddan resigned, and Wilson became premier for the second time. Although the Country Party cooperated with
12408-423: The floor of the Parliament if it's against the wishes of the people [they] represent." Additionally, Grylls was not appointed Deputy Premier, a post that went to Liberal deputy leader Kim Hames . The winning MLAs were party leader Brendon Grylls ( Central Wheatbelt ), Terry Redman ( Blackwood-Stirling ), Terry Waldron ( Wagin ) and Grant Woodhams ( Moore ). In the upper house , the party won five seats with
12549-405: The government for the benefit of the state. During this time the government enacted a number of financial aid and other relief measures with Country Party support. However, Gardiner's willingness to work with Labor to achieve Country Party aims on the land alarmed conservatives on the FSA executive, and on 12 March 1915, at the first joint Country Party-FSA conference, the decision was made to appoint
12690-450: The graziers who operated the sheep stations were politically conservative. They disliked the Labor Party, which represented their workers, and feared that Labor governments would pass unfavorable legislation and listen to foreigners and communists. The graziers were satisfied with the marketing organisation of their industry, opposed any change in land tenure and labour relations, and advocated lower tariffs, low freight rates, and low taxes. On
12831-403: The help of the newly introduced preferential voting system. At the 1919 federal election the state-based Country Parties won federal seats in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. They also began to win seats in state parliaments. In 1920 the Country Party was established as a national party led by William McWilliams from Tasmania. In his first speech as leader, McWilliams laid out
12972-630: The ideology into urban areas came as most country people migrated to jobs in the cities. Its decline was due mainly to the reduction of real and psychological differences between country and city brought about by the postwar expansion of the Australian urban population and to the increased affluence and technological changes that accompanied it. The Nationals vote is in decline and its traditional supporters are turning instead to prominent independents such as Bob Katter , Tony Windsor and Peter Andren in Federal Parliament and similar independents in
13113-486: The infiltration, and several suspected neo-Nazis were expelled from the party and its youth wing. At the 2019 Australian federal election , despite severe drought, perceived inaction over the plight of the Murray–Darling Basin, a poor performance in the New South Wales state election and sex scandals surrounding the member for Mallee, Andrew Broad and former party leader Barnaby Joyce, the National Party saw only
13254-443: The leadership and stood down before a formal ballot was held. Grylls sought to reposition the Nationals, taking them beyond their traditional rural base and making a greater appeal to regional Western Australia. The party adopted the flagship policy of " Royalties for Regions ", under which 25 per cent of mineral and oil royalty revenues would be spent in the regional areas of Western Australia to develop infrastructure. Grylls also moved
13395-448: The leadership of Truss, the party received its lowest vote to date, at only 3.4%, however they secured a slight increase in seats from 10 to 12. At the following election in 2010 the national Party's fortunes improved slightly with a vote of 4.2% and an increase in seats from 12 to 15. At the 2016 double dissolution election, under the leadership of Barnaby Joyce the party secured 4.6% of the vote and 16 seats. In 2018, reports emerged that
13536-476: The longest-tenured member of the government, with the informal right to veto government policy. The most significant instance in which McEwen exercised this right came when Holt disappeared in December 1967. John Gorton became the new Liberal Prime Minister in January 1968. McEwen was sworn in as interim prime minister pending the election of the new Liberal leader. Logically, the Liberals' deputy leader, William McMahon , should have succeeded Holt. However, McMahon
13677-402: The lower house seat of Kalgoorlie for the first time in the Nationals' history. Fellow Goldfields resident Dave Grills won a seat in the multi-member Mining and Pastoral Region upper house electorate, along with Jacqui Boydell . At that election, the Liberals won a majority in their own right, only the second time that the main non-Labor party in Western Australia had dones so since adopting
13818-522: The members being Mia Davies , Philip Gardiner and Max Trenorden ( Agricultural Region ), Colin Holt ( South West Region ) and Wendy Duncan ( Mining and Pastoral Region ). Grylls, Waldron and Redman would hold cabinet positions in the Barnett Ministry , while Duncan served as a Parliamentary Secretary. Grylls and his partners negotiated the implementation of its Royalties for Regions policy. The policy
13959-403: The most important agricultural export, with the rate of expansion from 1904 to 1913 in wheat production and export surpassing all other states. However, falling wheat prices after 1908 and a drought in 1911–1912 caused major hardship to the newly established farmers, especially in the eastern wheatbelt which had lower rainfall, less capital and less preparation. This led to some resentment towards
14100-462: The negotiations which followed, McPharlin was replaced as leader by Dick Old and the Coalition was resumed on 31 May; however, Court insisted Old was too inexperienced to be Deputy Premier, and from this point until the Liberals' defeat in 1983, while the Coalition was maintained between the two parties, the Liberal Party got to name both leading positions in the Ministry despite Old gaining experience as
14241-476: The official position of the federal Nationals. Crook retired at the 2013 federal election after a single term, and the seat of O'Connor was won by Liberal candidate Rick Wilson , who narrowly defeated Nationals WA candidate Chub Witham. At the state level the party continued to grow in strength in the Mining and Pastoral region , having won its first elected member of the modern era there in 2008 when Wendy Duncan won
14382-410: The older name of the National Party. Federally, these parties are collectively known as the Coalition . The Coalition has existed continually (between the Nationals and their predecessors, and the Liberals and their predecessors) since 1923, with minor breaks in 1940, 1973, and 1987. Historically, support for either the Coalition or the Labor Party was often viewed as being based on social class, with
14523-527: The other hand, Graham reports, the small farmers, not the graziers, founded the Country party. The farmers advocated government intervention in the market through price support schemes and marketing pools. The graziers often politically and financially supported the Country party, which in turn made the Country party more conservative. The Country Party's first election as a united party, in 1922 , saw it in an unexpected position of power. It won enough seats to deny
14664-483: The parliamentary National Country Party was formally dissolved. The sitting MLCs joined the National party, however all three sitting MLAs refused to accept the merger and instead joined the Liberal Party. The conservative parties were in opposition through most of the 1980s with Labor yet to suffer from major fallout from the WA Inc fiasco and the 1987 stock market crash . In 1989 Liberal opposition leader Barry MacKinnon
14805-494: The party away from the traditional Coalition with the Liberals. He repositioned the party as an independent force willing to form government with either the Liberals or Labor to push for National policies. In 2007, Grylls stated that the party had formally torn up the Coalition agreement, and would contest the next state election "as a stand-alone conservative party". The 2008 state election resulted in an unexpected hung parliament . The Nationals won four lower house seats and held
14946-671: The party had historically functioned as part of a two-party coalition with the centre-right Liberal Party (and its predecessors) for most of its existence, tensions have existed over the coalition arrangement, and on two occasions, the party split over the issue. Since the passage of reforms to the electoral system initiated by the Labor Party reducing the number of non-metropolitan seats, the Nationals have re-fashioned themselves as an independent third party in Western Australian politics, in an effort to ensure their survival and continued representation for agrarian interests in Parliament. Prior to
15087-504: The party joined with its Liberal party members to form the independent Country Liberal Party . This party continues to represent both parent parties in that territory. A separate party, the Joh-inspired NT Nationals, competed in the 1987 election with former Chief Minister Ian Tuxworth winning his seat of Barkly by a small margin. However, this splinter group was not endorsed by the national executive and soon disappeared from
15228-451: The party president from which offers of campaign assistance were made to parliamentary officeholders to vote to oust Old. By August the party had completely fractured when Hendy Cowan , the vice president of the party and an MLA, and Jim Fletcher, the general president, walked out of a strategy planning meeting. The allegation of the campaign offer had been made against Fletcher. Court's strong domination of conservative politics had resulted in
15369-481: The political scene. The National Party was confronted by the impact of demographic shifts from the 1970s: between 1971 and 1996, the population of Sydney and surrounds grew by 34%, with even larger growth in coastal New South Wales, while more remote rural areas grew by a mere 13%, further diminishing the National Party's base. At the federal convention held on 2 May 1975 in Canberra, the Country Party changed its name to
15510-490: The population increased from 35,959 to 184,124, and by 1911 had risen to 282,114—in all, an almost eightfold increase. The gold rush peaked in 1903 and, while gold still represented over 65% of the total exports of Western Australia, the industry had started to enter a period of decline. With this decline came a recognition by government that continued economic growth depended on the development of agriculture. Massive public loans from overseas together with assisted immigration from
15651-546: The population on the Goldfields had fallen from 32.2% of the State in 1901 to 22.3% by 1911, while the agricultural population had risen from 28.2% to 35.5% in the same period. Land was also given to unemployed labourers and retrenched public servants, which they could gain title on by making it productive. Following the pioneering work in 1903 by William Farrer in New South Wales on marginal-rainfall wheat varieties, wheat became by far
15792-589: The post of Leader of the Opposition until 1947, with Latham serving until 1942 and then being succeeded in both posts by Arthur Watts . In 1944 came a significant shift in the party's fortunes when the Primary Producers' Association, of which the Party had been the political wing, passed a motion during negotiations with the Wheatgrowers' Union deleting the rule which authorised the Party's existence and its use of PPA branches and funds for party purposes. A new organisation
15933-453: The present Government". In November, Country Party members were instructed to support a censure motion by the Liberal Party, but although all members did ultimately vote for the motion, it was defeated by the casting vote of the Speaker. On 18 December 1915, the Labor member for Williams-Narrogin , Edward Johnston , resigned from the party and was re-elected at a by-election as an Independent. For
16074-591: The primary vote in every election between 1910 and 2019 (including the votes of autonomous state parties). Third parties have only rarely received more than 10% of the vote for the Australian House of Representatives in a federal election, such as the Australian Democrats in the 1990 election and the Australian Greens in 2010 , 2016 , 2019 and 2022 . Additionally, support for Independent politicians in Australia has resulted in major parties having to come to agreements to form government at times, including
16215-483: The principles of the new party, stating "we crave no alliance, we spurn no support but we intend drastic action to secure closer attention to the needs of primary producers" McWilliams was deposed as party leader in favour of Earle Page in April 1921, following instances where McWilliams voted against the party line. McWilliams later left the Country Party to sit as an Independent. According to historian B. D. Graham (1959),
16356-429: The rural sector to the health of the nation's economy" and "the growing chasm between the values and attitudes of rural and urban Australia". Green has suggested that the result has been that "Both have resulted in rural and regional voters demanding more of the National Party, at exactly the time when its political influence has declined. While the National Party has never been the sole representative of rural Australia, it
16497-460: The seat of Roebourne , previously held by Joseph Gardiner , was declared vacant and was won at a by-election two months later by the Liberal Party, leaving Labor with no majority in the Assembly. The FSA executive had tired of Gardiner and colleague Tom Harrison 's continuing support for the government, writing in September 1915 accusing him of "always being the apologist for the bad administration of
16638-502: The second Menzies government and remained so until his retirement in 1958. His successful partnership with Menzies was one of the elements that sustained the coalition, which remained in office until 1972 (Menzies himself retired in 1966). Fadden's successor, Trade Minister John McEwen , took the then unusual step of declining to serve as Treasurer, believing he could better ensure that the interests of Australian primary producers were safeguarded. Accordingly, McEwen personally supervised
16779-460: The signing of the first post-war trade treaty with Japan, new trade agreements with New Zealand and Britain, and Australia's first trade agreement with the USSR (1965). In addition to this, he insisted on developing an all-encompassing system of tariff protection that would encourage the development of those secondary industries that would "value add" Australia's primary produce. His success in this endeavour
16920-587: The state level, from 1957 to 1989, the Country Party under Frank Nicklin and Joh Bjelke-Petersen dominated governments in Queensland —for the last six of those years ruling in its own right, without the Liberals. This was due to the bjelkemander , a malapportionment in electorates which gave rural voters twice the voting power compared to voters within the city. It also took part in governments in New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia. However, successive electoral redistributions after 1964 indicated that
17061-411: The statistics reflect exact counts, it may not be possible to strictly compare vote percentages over time due to the number of uncontested seats prior to 1971. List of Australian political parties [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The politics of Australia has a mild two-party system , with two dominant political groupings in the Australian political system, the Australian Labor Party and
17202-513: The twelve won in 1947 to eight or nine in the elections of the 1950s and 1960s until by the mid-1970s onwards the party would win a maximum of six seats. At the 1947 election the Coalition returned to power, with the Nationalists having now become the Liberals . Although Watts had led the Coalition into the election, the Liberals won one more seat than the Nationals, resulting in Liberal leader Ross McLarty becoming premier with Watts as his deputy. The McLarty–Watts Ministry would held power until
17343-416: The two independents who had been propping up the government rejected Fadden's budget and brought the government down. Fadden stood down in favour of Labor leader John Curtin . The Fadden-led Coalition made almost no headway against Curtin, and was severely defeated in the 1943 election . After that loss, Fadden became deputy Leader of the Opposition under Menzies, a role that continued after Menzies folded
17484-446: The two rural parties to reunify. In August 1984 a seventeen-point plan was agreed by both parties and on 2 October 1984 the two party organisations formally unified under the name "National Party of Western Australia". However the two parliamentary parties remained as separate entities because the three sitting National Country Party MLAs ( Dick Old , Bert Crane and Peter Jones ) refused to work with Cowan and Stephens. On 29 January 1985
17625-420: The upper and middle classes supporting the Coalition and the working class supporting Labor. This has been a less important factor since the 1970s and 1980s when the Labor Party gained a significant bloc of middle-class support and the Coalition gained a significant bloc of working-class support. The two-party duopoly has been relatively stable, with the two groupings (Labor and Coalition) gaining at least 70% of
17766-659: The upper house would no longer necessarily vote with their Liberal counterparts in the upper house, which opened up another possible avenue for the Rudd Labor government to get legislation through. Joyce was elected leader in a party-room ballot on 11 February 2016, following the retirement of former leader and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss . Joyce was one of five politicians disqualified from parliament in October 2017 for holding dual citizenship , along with former deputy leader, Fiona Nash . The 1987 Australian federal election
17907-399: The vote and securing only 10 seats. Vaile announced his resignation as party leader which surprised his colleagues, as he had been expected to be re-elected unopposed following the election. He had planned the party leadership to go to Peter McGauran but the latter declined to stand. Warren Truss and Nigel Scullion were then elected unopposed as leader and deputy leader. In 2010, under
18048-493: The year before. The Liberals won a small, but absolute majority in both houses with the Nationals holding 6 seats in the lower house and 3 in the upper house. Nevertheless, a Liberal-National Party coalition was formed and Cowan was Deputy Premier under Richard Court from 1993 to 2001, as well as holding ministerial portfolios of Commerce and Trade (16 February 1993 to 16 February 2001), Small Business and Regional Development (10 February 1995 to 16 February 2001). The Coalition
18189-416: Was a slogan that summed up the ideology of the Country Party from 1920 through the early 1970s. It was an ideology that was physiocratic , populist , and decentralist; it fostered rural solidarity and justified demands for government subsidies. "Countrymindedness" grew out of the failure of the country areas to participate in the rapid economic and population expansions that occurred after 1890. The growth of
18330-473: Was a staunch free-trader, and there were also rumours that he was homosexual. As a result, McEwen told the Liberals that he and his party would not serve under McMahon. McMahon stood down in favour of John Gorton . It was only after McEwen announced his retirement that MacMahon was able to successfully challenge Gorton for the Liberal leadership. McEwen's reputation for political toughness led to him being nicknamed "Black Jack" by his allies and enemies alike. At
18471-434: Was defeated at the 2001 state election . Subsequently, Cowan resigned from both the party leadership and the state parliament to stand in the federal Senate election for the Nationals; however despite his profile and the party's belief that he was their best hope since Drake-Brockman's retirement, he was unsuccessful. Cowan was succeeded as leader by Max Trenorden who led the party for the next four years in coalition with
18612-418: Was formally affiliated with the National Party of Australia . As with all National parties around Australia, in late 2003 the party was rebranded as The Nationals Western Australia, although the official name has not changed. The gold rush of the 1890s had seen tremendous growth in the state in terms of both capital and population. Between the discovery of gold at Halls Creek in 1885 and federation in 1901,
18753-503: Was formally established by the Farmers' and Settlers' Association ( FSA ) on 12 March 1913. It was the first established branch of what was called the Country Party , predating all other state branches, including the federal party established in 1920. Despite being founded by the Farmers' and Settlers' Association (FSA), it was known as the Country Party of Western Australia. It held the name for 31 years and 142 days, changing to
18894-462: Was founded in July 2008. The Country Party's first senators began their terms in 1926, but the party had no official leader in the upper chamber until 1935. Instead, the party nominated a "representative" or "liaison officer" where necessary – usually William Carroll . This was so that its members "were first and foremost representatives of their states, able to enjoy complete freedom of action and speech in
19035-460: Was hastily set up by Watts and the member for Pingelly , Harrie Seward , who were very active in setting up branches to endorse local candidates and obtaining donations on which to run the 1947 campaign. This was the start of a significant decline in the Country Party's fortunes over the ensuing decades. In 1946 the party changed its name to the "Country and Democratic League". The party's total of seats would slowly decline at successive elections from
19176-422: Was lost. The party would not win another federal seat until the 2010 federal election . The 1974 state election saw the Liberals defeat Labor but they lacked a majority and so following negotiations a Liberal-National Country Coalition ministry was formed with the National Country Party holding three positions in the ministry, including leader Ray McPharlin as Deputy Premier under Sir Charles Court . However
19317-465: Was passed to remove the malapportionment in the Legislative Assembly (though rural areas remain significantly overrepresented in the Legislative Council) and shift to a system of one vote one value . The change was widely expected to devastate the National Party, leading to many questioning whether it would survive the coming election. In June 2005 Trenorden was challenged by Brendon Grylls for
19458-610: Was pushing for the Nationals to help block supply in the Upper House to topple the Dowding government . Cowan refused to cooperate knowing that a small swing to the Liberals in the coming election could see them (the Liberals) gain as many as nine seats and an absolute majority in the Assembly , thus weakening the Nationals' position. In February the following year, Cowan and the Nationals had reversed their stance and decided to block supply in
19599-414: Was scuttled in 2006. After suffering defeat in the 2006 Queensland poll, Lawrence Springborg was replaced by Jeff Seeney , who indicated he was not interested in merging with the Liberal Party until the issue is seriously raised at a Federal level. In September 2008, Joyce replaced CLP Senator and Nationals deputy leader Nigel Scullion as leader of the Nationals in the Senate, and stated that his party in
19740-428: Was the last time the National party received over 10% of the vote and the 2007 Australian federal election was the last time the National party received over 5% of the vote for the House of Representatives. Merger plans came to a head in May 2008, when the Queensland state Liberal Party gave an announcement not to wait for a federal blueprint but instead to merge immediately. The new party, the Liberal National Party ,
19881-449: Was the only other Country Party, prime minister. He assumed office in August 1941 after the resignation of Robert Menzies and served as prime minister until October of that year. The Liberal and National parties have merged in Queensland and the Northern Territory / South Australia , although the resultant parties are different. The Liberal National Party of Queensland , formed in 2008, is
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