Dominic Feain
The newly formed Stop CSG Party is selecting federal senate candidates to field across the nation and remains confident of official registration after a race to secure the required membership on deadline.
Registered officer and spokesman, Gordon Fraser-Quick, said the party’s application with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) was still being processed but, with more than 1700 members signed up so far, it was confident of approval ahead of the upcoming election.
The Stop CSG Party caused a buzz across social media sites last month in a last-minute, six-day dash to secure the required 500 members on deadline, three months out from the poll.
‘The AEC is presently checking the validity of membership registrations and all feedback is positive,’ Mr Fraser-Quick said.
‘We’re working hard to run candidates in the senate to ensure the message to stop coal seam gas is understood by the politicians of the Australian government.’
The idea to form a political party to contest the September poll was that of Ahri Tallon, a 21-year-old former Lismore school student who founded the Northern Rivers Youth Environmental Society.
Now living in north Queensland, the prominent environmental campaigner and former coordinator of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition came up with the idea while running an online petition to ban coal seam gas last month.
‘As others became aware of the viral nature of that petition, and the significance of the issue, Ahri commenced the process of starting the party,’ Mr Fraser-Quick said.
The party now has members in every state and territory while the organising committee is based largely in the northern rivers and the Bairnsdale district of Victoria.
‘We made the AEC’s deadline thanks to support from a great team which is very proud of its achievements to date,’ Mr Fraser-Quick said.
‘We’re still going through the process of identifying candidates and we’re calling on the membership for nominations for candidacy.
‘There will be a democratic process to select the most appropriate candidates who are expected to be people of high integrity, high probity and high ethics, and who have a good understanding of coal seam gas and other unconventional gas.
‘I have no doubt we will make a difference in the election as it’s already making a difference with the behaviour of politicians.
‘We’ve had a number of phone calls from a number of people fairly high up in a number of parties expressing interest in our policies and a desire to know what we’re doing.’
Other political parties formed for this federal election include: the Single Parents’ Party; The Lamington Party; the Voluntary Euthanasia Party, the Australian Sovereignty Party, The Future Party, the WikiLeaks Party, and the Palmer United Party.
The HEMP (Help End Marijuana Prohibition) Party will also field candidates after missing out on party registration at the last two federal elections based on what spokesman, Jim Moylan, described as ‘technicalities’.
He told Echonetdaily the party was keen to capitalise on the recent media interest generated by the positive results of medical cannabis, and the efforts of advocate Tony Bower who was released last week on appeal having had his 12-month sentence for cultivation quashed.
Great…..now we may have an appropriate choice of candidates, at least for the Senate. Now we are in dire need of choices for the Reps
What about the Greens candidates in Page, Desley Banks (who was part and parcel of the local Lock the Gate movement and Dawn Walker in Richmond ? They’re not a single issue party and unlike the old parties, were and are the only party which is against CSG……(AND have pretty good other policies as well)