Graeme Campbell
Encyclopedia
Graeme Campbell is an Australian politician
. He represented the vast seat of Kalgoorlie
in the Australian House of Representatives
from 1980 to 1998.
He was born in Abingdon, Oxfordshire
, England
, came to Australia as a child and was educated at Urrbrae Agricultural High School
in South Australia
. He worked in a range of occupations before entering federal parliament in October 1980 as a Labor
member.
Considered a maverick, he was an ardent supporter of the mining industry, and crossed the floor on gold tax in 1988, and was also a vocal critic of the Mabo decision
and sanctions on the apartheid regime in South Africa
, and a proponent of uranium
mining. In October 1993, and again in May 1995, he delivered a speech at the national seminar of the Australian League of Rights
, a far-right group for which he was believed to hold sympathies, and in by-election
s in Mackellar
and Warringah
(safe Liberal
seats on the Northern Beaches
of Sydney) in 1994, he urged electors to vote for Australians Against Further Immigration
(AAFI).
After numerous run-ins with the Labor leadership and considerable media attention to his exploits, he was finally disendorsed and removed from the Party on 30 November 1995 after addressing an AAFI meeting where he criticised Labor
's immigration policies. He continued to sit in parliament as an Independent, easily winning the 1996 election.
In June 1996, Campbell founded the Australia First Party
, but was officially reckoned as an independent. He was defeated for reelection in 1998 after being eliminated on the seventh count. Campbell blamed his loss on Australia First being eclipsed by One Nation
. In 2009, he claimed that if not for the presence of a One Nation candidate, he'd have picked up an additional 8.5 percent of the vote, which would have been enough to keep him in the race. He remained Australia First's leader until June 2001, when he left the party to stand (unsuccessfully) as a One Nation Senate
candidate in Western Australia
. In 2004, he attempted unsuccessfully to regain his old federal seat as an independent. In 2007, he stood for the Senate in Western Australia in the federal election but only achieved 0.13% of the vote.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He represented the vast seat of Kalgoorlie
Division of Kalgoorlie
The Division of Kalgoorlie was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Western Australia, named after the city of Kalgoorlie. The Division, which was proclaimed in 1900 as one of the original 75 divisions to be contested at the first Federal election, covered most of the land area of...
in the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
from 1980 to 1998.
He was born in Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, came to Australia as a child and was educated at Urrbrae Agricultural High School
Urrbrae Agricultural High School
Urrbrae Agricultural High School is a public high school in the state of South Australia, with approximately 1,058 students. The school is located in the Adelaide suburb of Netherby, about south-east of the Adelaide city centre...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. He worked in a range of occupations before entering federal parliament in October 1980 as a Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member.
Considered a maverick, he was an ardent supporter of the mining industry, and crossed the floor on gold tax in 1988, and was also a vocal critic of the Mabo decision
Mabo v Queensland
Mabo v Queensland was a landmark High Court of Australia decision recognising native title in Australia for the first time...
and sanctions on the apartheid regime in South Africa
History of South Africa in the apartheid era
Apartheid was a system of racial segregation enforced by the National Party governments of South Africa between 1948 and 1994, under which the rights of the majority 'non-white' inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and white supremacy and Afrikaner minority rule was maintained...
, and a proponent of uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
mining. In October 1993, and again in May 1995, he delivered a speech at the national seminar of the Australian League of Rights
Australian League of Rights
The Australian League of Rights is a long-lived far right and anti-semitic political organisation in Australia founded by Eric Butler with its basis in the economic theory of Social Credit expounded by C. H. Douglas. It describes itself as upholding the virtues of freedom...
, a far-right group for which he was believed to hold sympathies, and in by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
s in Mackellar
Division of Mackellar
The Division of Mackellar is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, on the Pacific coast, south of Broken Bay and the Hawkesbury River. It includes the suburbs of Narrabeen, Beacon Hill, Newport, Palm Beach and...
and Warringah
Division of Warringah
The Division of Warringah is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, and covers most of the land between Middle Harbour and the Pacific Ocean. It extends from Port Jackson in the south to the suburb of Dee Why in the...
(safe Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
seats on the Northern Beaches
Northern Beaches (Sydney)
The Northern Beaches is an informal term used to describe the northern coastal suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, located near the coast of the Pacific Ocean...
of Sydney) in 1994, he urged electors to vote for Australians Against Further Immigration
Australians Against Further Immigration
Australians Against Further Immigration was an Australian political party who described themselves as "eco-nationalists" and were against positive net immigration. The party was founded in 1989 and registered in 1990 by Rodney and Robyn Spencer, the parents of actor Jesse Spencer...
(AAFI).
After numerous run-ins with the Labor leadership and considerable media attention to his exploits, he was finally disendorsed and removed from the Party on 30 November 1995 after addressing an AAFI meeting where he criticised Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
's immigration policies. He continued to sit in parliament as an Independent, easily winning the 1996 election.
In June 1996, Campbell founded the Australia First Party
Australia First Party
The Australia First Party is a minor far-right political party in Australia that is federally registered and is also registered to contest local elections in New South Wales. The Party is led by Jim Saleam. Saleam is the Chairman of the Party in New South Wales but plays a major role in the Party...
, but was officially reckoned as an independent. He was defeated for reelection in 1998 after being eliminated on the seventh count. Campbell blamed his loss on Australia First being eclipsed by One Nation
One Nation Party
One Nation is a far-right and nationalist political party in Australia. It gained 22% of the vote translating to 11 of 89 seats in Queensland's unicameral legislative assembly at the 1998 state election and made major inroads into the vote of the existing parties...
. In 2009, he claimed that if not for the presence of a One Nation candidate, he'd have picked up an additional 8.5 percent of the vote, which would have been enough to keep him in the race. He remained Australia First's leader until June 2001, when he left the party to stand (unsuccessfully) as a One Nation Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
candidate in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. In 2004, he attempted unsuccessfully to regain his old federal seat as an independent. In 2007, he stood for the Senate in Western Australia in the federal election but only achieved 0.13% of the vote.