National Socialist Party of Australia
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The National Socialist Party of Australia (NSPA) was a minor Australian
neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
party that operated between 1967 and early 1970s. It was formed in 1967 as a more moderate breakaway from the
Australian National Socialist Party The Australian National Socialist Party (ANSP) was a minor Australian Neo-Nazi party that was formed in 1962. It merged into the National Socialist Party of Australia, which was originally a splinter group, in 1968. Formation The Australian ...
(ANSP). The NSPA was led by Ted Cawthron.


History

Cawthron and Frank Molnar launched the party in late 1967, explicitly rejecting the "jackbooted 'Nazi' image" associated with Arthur Smith's ANSP. They focused particularly on Smith's criminal convictions from a 1965 raid on ANSP headquarters. Although there were a number of attempts to reunite the two parties, the NSPA eventually attracted a number of other Australian national socialists disenchanted with Smith's leadership. In May 1968, Smith resigned as leader of the ANSP and his successor, Eric Wenberg, merged the ANSP into the NSPA. Wenberg was accepted into a leadership position in the party, alongside Molnar as chairman, Cawthron as director of publications, Les Ritchie, and John Stewart. Early in 1969, however, Cawthron and Molnar fell out, with Molnar accusing Cawthron of being a closet
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. Molnar was expelled from the party.Harcourt, pp. 31-32. In early 1970, the party's third congress in Canberra was attended by around 30 members. Later in the year, Cawthron became the first national socialist in Australia to run for public office, contesting the May 1970 ACT by-election. Cawthron came last out of seven candidates with 173 votes (0.32%), but claimed to be content with the result considering the minimal nature of the NSPA's campaign. The party also ran three
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
teams for the 1970 Senate election: John Stewart and Michael McCormick in
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
, Ken Gibbett and Kevin Thompson in
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...
, and Cass and Katrina Young in
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. The Queensland team won the first place on the ballot paper and benefited from the
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and received over 10,000 votes (1.51%), while the results for the other teams were insignificant. The national NSPA vote was 24,017 (0.43%).Harcourt, pp. 36-39.


Demise

By 1972 the party was collapsing. The strong Queensland branch collapsed through infighting, and the involvement of three party members in a bomb attack in April on the Queensland offices of the
Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been i ...
.Brisbane’s Radical Books
/ref> Establishment of a Sydney branch was frustrated by standover tactics of former members of ANSP. The Western Australian branch had collapsed and the ACT branch went into total eclipse. Only Victorian and South Australian branches survived the initial schism for a time, and even South Australia had to import a candidate from Melbourne.
Jim Saleam James Saleam (; born 18 September 1955) is an Australian far-right extremist and the chairman of the Australia First Party. Saleam has been described as a white nationalist, who has been a strong advocate of barring further immigration to p ...
, then only 17, was deputy leader of the party between 1972 and 1975, after Molnar was expelled from the party, under Cawthron's leadership. After the demise of NSPA, Saleam went on to co-found National Action in 1982, which existed until 1991. Saleam then joined the
Australia First Party The Australia First Party (NSW) Incorporated, often shortened to the Australia First Party (AFP), is an Australian far-right political party founded in 1996 by Graeme Campbell. The policies of Australia First have been described as ultranat ...
in the 2000s and would eventually take leadership of that organisation.


Federal parliament


See also

*
Australia First Party The Australia First Party (NSW) Incorporated, often shortened to the Australia First Party (AFP), is an Australian far-right political party founded in 1996 by Graeme Campbell. The policies of Australia First have been described as ultranat ...
*
Far-right politics in Australia Far-right politics in Australia describes authoritarian ideologies, including fascism and White supremacy as they manifest in Australia. In Australia the far-right first came to public attention with the formation in 1931 of the New Guard in ...


References

{{Defunct Australian political parties Defunct far right political parties in Australia Neo-Nazi political parties Neo-Nazism in Australia