Young Nationals (Australia)

Young Nationals
President Cameron O'Neil
Vice President Ruby Cameron
Founded 1970
Headquarters 7 National Circuit, Barton, ACT, 2600
Ideology Conservatism
Agrarianism
Mother party National Party of Australia
Website
www.youngnationals.org.au

The Young Nationals, is the youth division of the National Party of Australia, and membership is open to those between 18 and 35 years of age. Young Nationals also have full party membership, and partake in state and federal conferences with equal rights to members of the senior party. They are active in National Party campaigning during all state and federal elections.

Young Nationals and Party leaders at the 2010 Conference

The movement is predominantly organized on the state division level, with each state organising its own events and policy and electing its own executive. In 2007 the Queensland Division of the Liberal Party of Australia and the Queensland National Party merged to become the Liberal National Party of Queensland (A division of the Federal Liberal Party and an affiliate of the Federal National Party). As part of this merger process, the Queensland Young Liberals and the Queensland Young Nationals were merged to become the Young Liberal National Party (Young LNP). The Young LNP is effectively the Queensland division of both the federal Young Liberals and the federal Young Nationals, and is the largest division of each of these movements. The federal executive of the Young Nationals comprises members elected from delegations from each affiliated state Young Nationals organisation, and the President of each affiliate. Policy can also be adopted by the movement's federal body. These policies are often then advocated by the Federal Young Nationals on the floor of the Federal Council of the National Party of Australia, as well as in representations made directly to Members of Parliament.

Political Impact

Politically, the Young Nationals have had an increasingly significant impact on overall National Party policy and machinations in recent years. Young Nationals notably changed the party platform to oppose any form of mandatory ISP-level internet censorship[1] and have also expressed strong federalist sentiments, having spearheaded a push to abolish the national curriculum.[2] The movement has also been one of the stronger elements in the National Party that has expressed support for voluntary student unionism,[3][4] eventually persuading Senator Fiona Nash to ditch the parliamentary party's opposition to VSU.[5]

Current Federal Executive

Position Office-bearer State
President Ruby Cameron Victoria
Vice President Damien Tessman Queensland (LNP)
Secretary Jessica Price-Purnell New South Wales
Treasurer Jack Piggott Queensland (LNP)
Policy Officer James Wishart Western Australia
Social Media Officer Erin Adams New South Wales
Publicity Officer Dominic Hopkinson New South Wales
Immediate Past President Cameron O'Neil Queensland (LNP)
New South Wales President Dominic Hopkinson
Victorian President Andrew Black
Northern Territory President (CLP) Rebecca Healy
Queensland President (LNP) Luke Barnes (LNP)
South Australian President Jonathan Pietzsch
Western Australian President Tori Castledine

Past presidents

Year President State
2009–2011 The Hon. Sarah Mitchell MLC New South Wales
2008–2009 Martin Aldridge Western Australia
2006–2008 Damian Callachor New South Wales
2004–2006 Chris Kahler Queensland
2002–2004 Tim Dixon New South Wales
2001–2002 Scott Mitchell Victoria
1999-2000 Stuart Copeland Queensland
1998-1999 Robert Macaulay New South Wales
1997–1998 Douglas Doyle New South Wales
1996–1997 Donald Burnett Queensland
1994–1996 Meredith Dickie Victoria
1992-1994 Daniel Kelliher Victoria
1991-1992 Duncan Anderson Western Australia
1989-1991 Angus Calder New South Wales
1988-1989 Aldo Borgu Western Australia
1987-1988 Judy Brewer Victoria
1985-1987 Julian Anderson ?
1983-1985 Gerard Walsh ?
1981-1983 Nigel Smith New South Wales
1979-1981 Michael Behan ?
1977-1979 The Hon. Pat McNamara Victoria
1976-1977 Garry West New South Wales
1975-1976 Gary Pike ?
1968 The Hon. Mike Ahern AO Queensland

External links

References