Nuclear Disarmament Party (Australia) aggregated collection of records

fonds

1984-1990

Textual Records, Moving Images, Graphic Materials, Nonmusical Sound Recordings

9661510

13.36 metres of textual material (74 Boxes)

The Nuclear Disarmament Party (NDP) was founded by a Canberra doctor and peace activist, Dr Michael Denborough in response to the world political situation in the early 1980s, particularly the arms race between the United States under Ronald Reagan and the Soviet Union. The party's formation coincided with a period of heightened international concern over the threat of nuclear war and large anti-nuclear and peace demonstrations in Australia. Activists like Denborough were disappointed that the Australian Labor Party government of Bob Hawke, elected in 1983, had not taken a stronger stance against the policies of the U.S., and also that Hawke had overturned a long-standing ALP policy not to mine uranium, and had allowed mining in South Australia at Roxby Downs, which has since become one of the largest uranium mines in the world.
The history of the NDP reflects fervent political activism around a pivotal issue, initial recognition and popularity followed by a decline in public support, electoral controversy, internal conflict and division. The NDP membership was related to the broader socialist, peace and environmental movements in Australia during the 1980’s and 1990's which eventually created ideological tensions and political division in the single issue party. Notable early members included rock singer Peter Garrett, and Joe Vallentine who was the first NDP candidate to be elected to the Senate in 1984 representing Western Australia.
In the July 1987 federal election, the NDP candidate Robert Wood was elected to the Senate after distribution of preferences from other minor parties. In May 1988 however, Wood, who was born in the United Kingdom, was disqualified from membership of the Senate on the grounds that he had not been an Australian citizen at the time of nomination. Wood's seat was won on a recount of the ballots by the second candidate on the NDP ticket in NSW, Irina Dunn. When Wood was subsequently granted Australian citizenship, the New South Wales Branch of the NDP asked Dunn to resign so they could seek to have Wood appointed to fill the casual vacancy. Dunn refused, and the New South Wales Branch of the NDP then expelled her from the NDP. Like Vallentine before her, Dunn described herself as an independent Senator for Nuclear Disarmament having already distanced herself from the NDP. Dunn went on to lose her Senate place at the 1990 election. The NDP continued to stand candidates at the 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2007 federal elections and was officially deregistered in December 2009.

References:
Compiled from the collection and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Disarmament_Party (accessed 25/03/13)

COLLECTION 1:
Nuclear Disarmament Party (Australia). N.S.W. Branch records, 1984-1990