National Party of Australia

The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party, originally called the Country Party, adopting the name of National Country Party in 1975 and adopting its present name in 1982. It has been the minor party in stable coalitions with the Liberal Party of Australia both federally and in most states, both in government and in opposition since the 1940s. In 2003 the party adopted the name The Nationals for campaigning purposes, reflecting common usage, but its legal name has not changed.

History

The Country Party was formally founded in 1922, from a number of state-based parties such as the Victorian Farmers Union (VFU) and the Farmers and Settlers Party of New South Wales. It was formed by small farmers, particularly wheat-growers, who were dissatisfied with the economic policies of the Nationalist Party government of Billy Hughes. Many returned servicemen from World War I had been allocated land grants after the war, and some of these were former trade unionists who adapted union tactics to the cause of small farmers.

Related Topics:
1922 - Victorian Farmers Union - Farmers and Settlers Party - Nationalist Party - Billy Hughes - World War I

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The VFU won a seat in the House of Representatives in 1918, and at the 1919 federal elections the state-based country parties won seats in NSW, Victoria and Western Australia. They also began to win seats in the state parliaments. At the 1922 election the Country Party was established as a national party led by Dr Earle Page of Grafton, NSW. It won enough seats to deny the Nationalists an overall majority. They demanded the resignation of Hughes as their price for supporting a Nationalist government. Page then became Treasurer in the government of Stanley Bruce.

Related Topics:
House of Representatives - 1918 - 1919 - 1922 - Earle Page - Grafton - Stanley Bruce

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Page remained dominant in the party until 1939, when his refusal to serve under Robert Menzies led to his resignation as leader. The coalition was re-formed under Archie Cameron in 1940. In 1949 Arthur Fadden became Treasurer in the second Menzies government, which held office until 1966. This was the period of the Country Party's greatest power. From 1957 to 1989 the Country Party under Frank Nicklin and Joh Bjelke-Petersen dominated governments in Queensland. It also took part in governments in New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia.

Related Topics:
1939 - Robert Menzies - Archie Cameron - 1940 - 1949 - Arthur Fadden - 1966 - 1957 - 1989 - Frank Nicklin - Joh Bjelke-Petersen - Queensland

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By the 1960s the Country Party was losing ground electorally to the Liberals as the rural population declined, and in 1975 it changed its name to the National Country Party as part of a strategy to expand into urban areas. This had some success in Queensland under Bjelke-Petersen, but nowhere else. The 1980s were dominated by the feud between Bjelke-Petersen and the federal party leadership, which led to defeat at the 1987 federal election and the fall of the Nationals in Queensland in 1989.

Related Topics:
1975 - 1987 - 1989

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Since then the party has continued to decline electorally, losing formerly safe seats to the Liberals, independents and briefly during the late 1990's, the One Nation Party.

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