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The contents of the Centre-Line Party page were merged into Australian Democrats on October 15, 2011. For the contribution history and old versions of the redirected page, please see its history; for the discussion at that location, see its talk page. |
The shilly-shallying of two purported AD parties to establish their respective websites and officebearers under WP endorsement has tested our patience for over two years since Brian Greig walked out, and the latest competing edits can be seen here and here. It is not our business to go on hosting such a dispute when we can simply decide which of these two is the real party--and dispense with the bogus one. According to the official AEC registrar, the real party's correspondence address is in South Australia, and that is the only party that should be recognised in WP until such time as there is a change in the official public record. Therefore, take notice that I intend to delete links to the website of the unrecognised group in seven days' time unless valid reasons are presented to the contrary. I have no personal POV in this matter, having resigned from the party in 1993 when it was a completely different organisation. Bjenks ( talk) 02:15, 28 October 2014 (UTC)
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Friends:
The Wikipedia article is about the Australian Democrats, that is, the political party of that name. The opening paragraph alleges that the Democrats are "extinct". Not sure about that exact word - but let's put that to one side for the moment. If the Democrats are extinct, why is there a side box with the name of a President and Secretary? And indeed with a link to a current website?
AustralianEditor83 ( talk) 23:08, 1 August 2016 (UTC)
: <Comment : I have been a member since last century and can say that the organisation has changed over the years but it is the same organisation and this is its history. Why would you delete current references that are part of the organisation ? Registration of political parties is to do with government registers not Wikipedia, so if its registered or not does not make it extinct or another organisation>
Further to above comment, my suggestion is to remove the side box. Please comment here if you think this this is problematic. AustralianEditor83 ( talk) 08:43, 15 August 2016 (UTC) <Comment
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It is now quite clear that the "Australian Democrats" has proven unsustainable despite attempts to retain the name as an electoral foundation. The proposed merger with the "Country Minded" microparty will involve a new constitution and thus the establishment of a different party, even if the AD name is applied to it. I submit that for WP purposes, any purported continuation will require a new article, as was done to differentiate the Democratic Labor Party (historical) from the Democratic Labour Party (Australia). The present article will then be re-edited to remove a great volume of inappropriate trivia, as previously discussed on this page. Bjenks ( talk) 18:24, 23 December 2018 (UTC)
What is the status of the actual organisation that is/was the Democrats? Has the party ever actually been dissolved? Obviously it was deregistered, but if there's a group of people still operating under the original constitution I don't think it would be correct for us to just decide that the party no longer exists. Deregistration ≠ not existing. Are there any sources (reliable or otherwise) that talk about the party's history post-2008, i.e. the competing factions that are mentioned in the article? Ivar the Boneful ( talk) 14:06, 2 January 2019 (UTC)
Ivar the Boneful is, of course, right in returning us to the principle of reliable sources, which is why our first step must be to establish the integrity of the article's present content, much of which is not well verified, and/or has been rendered trivial by the passage of time. Bjenks ( talk) 02:58, 9 March 2019 (UTC)
As seen on our page for the 1998 Australian federal election, One Nation got the largest share of the vote of all the minor parties that year, which means that they were the largest minor party in that election. That's certainly what Psephos said on his site. Paul Benjamin Austin ( talk) 01:31, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
Hi everyone, I wrote here a while ago asking why my edits were removed when they contained current references. It was deleted. I added the references and current news back and it has been undone. To the bet of my knowledge the Australian Democrats are a current political party who were deregistered in 2016 and are currently seeking re-registration with the AEC. If this is not the case I'm happy to talk about it but I can't see any evidence that it isn't. Please help. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Elswyth ( talk • contribs) 07:34, 8 April 2019 (UTC)
The new party, as it is on Wikipedia right now is registered with the AEC by original Democrats, and is thus the revived w as it is a direct continuation of the party that was deregistered in 2016. The Queensland group is more of a “splinter group” who left in 2014.... hope that helps!
I do believe the Queensland Democrats INC have a seperate Wikipedia page. So its been sorted a while ago.
ThePolitix ( talk) 08:39, 20 April 2019 (UTC)
This was entirely foreseeable and the attempt to link this Judean Peoples' Front grouplet to the historical serious AD parliamentary party should never have been entertained. Paul Benjamin Austin ( talk) 11:03, 26 May 2019 (UTC)
Hi,
I’m an insider on various issues in minor parties, particularily in the state of New South Wales. Upon discussion with current, former and members who are considering rejoining; The Australian Democrats, as it stands today is a continuation of the original party.
I understand, that there is a belief that the new AD is some sort of Judean People’s Front, this is not the case. Following the blowout at the 2007 election, the Australian Democrats remained as the same party until it merged with country minded in 2019.
I do believe it is time to clear up the confusion over supposed conflict.
In 2014, the Queensland State Division Executives decided to leave the Federal Entity, and sever relationships with other state divisions. This was over disagreements with party direction and a “top down” leadership approach(As Discussed with Bjenks). The Queensland Division, as stated in their objection and on their website, wanted to be the Queensland Representatives of the Australian Democrats. The Queensland Division is a splinter group of the Australian Democrats. Despite this, many members in Queensland remained in the federal Australian Democrat Entity.
Essentially, the only group that declares itself as a federal continuation of the party is the current, registered party. However, at state level there are two parties that claim to represent Queensland; The Australian Democrats and Australian Democrats INC(The Splinter Group). Since the AEC objection was not upheld, it seems as though the splinter group is not a continuation of the original party.
Currently, the state of Queensland is represented by the Australian Democrats registered by the AEC.
The Party as it stands today, is a direct continuation of the party pre-2007. The NSW, QLD and VIC divisions retained the strongest membership levels, from 2007 onwards, however did experience significant losses following the 2007 defeat. The party itself, up until the loss of registration in 2016 did not change - the structure was still the same, as were the members. Excluding the QLD splinter group, there were no fractions(new groups) or factions within the party, in other states and nationally.
In 2016, a vote was brought to the table to officially dissolve the party; however it failed. Instead, members drafted a plan to rebuild the party. This would be a long process.
There were major changes undertaken in 2018. The unfair(and unconstitutional) “top-down” approach was removed. The party members began to vote on new clauses and policy direction. Talks began between the Australian Democrats and “Country Minded” to establish a Country Democrats division and to increase membership. This was agreed upon.
There were significant developments with membership in 2018, with many members rejoining.
In 2019, the Australian Democrats really started the process of rebuilding.
The members voted on, and agreed to a new constitution. The new constitution secured the “bottom-up” grassroots movement that was present in the party prior to 1993.
The merger with country minded did not have a significant impact on the constitutional change, where the only impact was the new country division, the country democrats.
The constitutional change reflected changes with technology - where all new changes to policy, direction or leadership are to be voted on by members online. The change means that changes to policy and leadership must go through the members first.
The Democrats stood a total of 7 candidates(6 senate and 1 house) and did not expect to win any seats. The campaign was very limited, and the party reregistered 4 days before the election.The primary objective was to spread the message and alert old members. This was successful, with a large increase in membership following the election.
Many members that rejoined were pleased to see the Party back, and favoured the return to the “bottom-up” democracy. The party as it stands today is very stable.
The Australian Democrats are a united party. There was always a continuation in membership and functionality since 2007. The party never “stopped” then “restarted” as it was always there, as were the people. Just because it was “unregistered” does not mean it did not exist.
For example, the NSW State Division(this can apply with all others, ex QLD) retained membership and had constant meetings pre-2007 and still up to now. The executives in the party were there before, and since the early 2000’s and were elected by the membership. There are a few new, young people that have signed up since 2007. There were no “splits” or fractures - there was only one united party that continued to function(QLD was the exception, as discussed earlier). Again, just to reiterate the only “separation” or “fracture” occurred with a splinter group in Queensland.
The party is preparing for the next federal and state elections, with a serious plan(as seen by their policy frameworks) and a united team.
I really do hope that helped. I’m happy to answer any questions. If you want to know anything about other minor parties in NSW, just ask.
Thank you all for your contributions, and the talk discussions too. ThePolitix ( talk) 11:38, 8 June 2019 (UTC)
Hi, just as clarification - I was wrong about the Queensland Division. The Incorporated entity in Queensland actually has no connection with the current party. The old Queensland Democrats division deregistered a while back, and some opportunistic ex-Dems took the name. There was always a Queensland division, however the “incorporated” official division was cancelled for whatever reasons - and that can be seen on the register of companies.
There is a Queensland division, and they have been with the party since before this renegade group formed. Again, I’m not too sure around the circumstances of the registration of the new entity - but do know that the party has limited knowledge of where they came from - apart from the fact that they were ex-Dems.
Sorry, just spoke to some people who I know about it. Queensland Division INC is not connected to the former Queensland Division. A Queensland Division continues to operate in the Democrat’s, with many of the same people preceding the renegades registration.
No ex-parliamentarians are affiliated with the “renegade grouplet.” ThePolitix ( talk) 08:20, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
So once again; the Queensland Division Inc. has no official link to it’s claimed predecessor and is not a continuation of the Queensland Division’s initial entity, as can be seen in the registration of companies.
Sorry, I got the constitution thing mixed up with something else.
Thanks!! ThePolitix ( talk) 08:25, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
In a series of edits by IP editor 222.164.212.168 ( talk) has suggested changes which imho require some discussion. and I reverted, requesting the editor to seek consensus on this page. The questionable edits were:
Apparently, the changes are intended to back up a "See also' link to this article inserted by the IP editor in another recently edited article, Aaya Ram Gaya Ram. The relevance of that article to Australian Democrats anD/or to Don Chipp is questionable. "Keep the bastards honest" was a popular electoral slogan but in no way a key principle of the Democrats.
My invitation to discuss the edits was responded to by counter-reversion, followed by an extraordinary attack on me at my talk page. I'm not into edit wars and have a declared personal and professional interest (up top), so must leave it to the group to sort this out. Cheers, Bjenks ( talk) 08:18, 13 July 2019 (UTC)
The infobox insertion of Lyn Allison as new president seems premature as there is no verification, not even on the party website. Bjenks ( talk) 17:01, 8 October 2019 (UTC)
Hi sorry for the late note, the Queensland Democrats actually have no connection with the party. The Queensland division deregistered and some opportunistic ex-Dems went in and took the name. A Queensland division does exist; and that’s part of the main party. The Queensland democrats incorporated one has no real connection with the party. ThePolitix ( talk) 08:13, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
The official incorporated association there from before-> https://abr.business.gov.au/ABN/View?abn=95135496452 ThePolitix ( talk) 08:47, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
The latest intriguing attempt to swing the Australian Democrats towards centre-left needs to be assessed with caution. It depends on a citation from John Warhurst (1997): "...until their disastrous internal split, the centre-left Democrats had experienced more than 20 years of balance of power politics and policy-making in the Senate." At that time it might have been argued that leader Cheryl Kernot's literal love affair with Labor was leftist or that successor Meg Lees support for Howard's GST was rightist. However the avowed centrism of the party cannot be disputed since it was from the start enshrined in the AD constitution. It used to be common for left-wingers to taint the Dems as right-wing simply because Don Chipp had switched allegiance from the Liberals. Such taunts are derived more from the mutant politics of the day than from any real truth and I'm sure the same applies to present-day attempts to attach a left-wing smear to the party and its people. However, the present "Australian Democrats" party seems to be a very different kettle of fish than the betrayed organisation of 1997, so we should let its people reveal themselves to reasonable and reliable current reporters instead of depending on far-gone 1997 ideas. Bjenks ( talk) 05:05, 21 February 2020 (UTC)
In connection with the vanishing relevance of the reconstituted group, it can be recorded that "Australian Democrats" have contested NO House of Reps seats and only five Senate seats. In four of those seats, about one-fortieth (0.025%) of a quota was polled in first preferences. In the other state (Victoria), the result was 0.0526% --a little better than one-twentieth of a quota. Media recognition was almost non-existent, although The Guardian Aust included them in a list of "more than 30 minor and micro parties" and the Fin Review opined that the Teal Independents were "a reheated version of the now defunct Australian Democrats". Bjenks ( talk) 03:35, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
@ IP editor 31.94.31.216. One of the problems with this edit is its self-sourcing to the website of the [rebirthed] Australian Democrats, a group which has yet to establish its notability. This surely stamps the edit as soapboxing. Then, the edit is placed in the historical context of the long-defeated parliamentary ADs where an independent reliable source would be more appropriate. It's a salutory reminder of how this article is being systematically tweaked to diminish important historical content in favour of promoting a separately constituted entty with very tenuous links to the famous old party which kept the bastards honest in Canberra. Bjenks ( talk) 02:42, 13 September 2023 (UTC)
This is the
talk page for discussing improvements to the
Australian Democrats article. This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject. |
Article policies
|
Find sources: Google ( books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL |
Archives: 1, 2 |
This article is rated B-class on Wikipedia's
content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The following Wikipedia contributor has declared a personal or professional connection to the subject of this article. Relevant policies and guidelines may include
conflict of interest,
autobiography, and
neutral point of view.
|
Previous discussions: Archive 1 Archive 2
The contents of the Centre-Line Party page were merged into Australian Democrats on October 15, 2011. For the contribution history and old versions of the redirected page, please see its history; for the discussion at that location, see its talk page. |
The shilly-shallying of two purported AD parties to establish their respective websites and officebearers under WP endorsement has tested our patience for over two years since Brian Greig walked out, and the latest competing edits can be seen here and here. It is not our business to go on hosting such a dispute when we can simply decide which of these two is the real party--and dispense with the bogus one. According to the official AEC registrar, the real party's correspondence address is in South Australia, and that is the only party that should be recognised in WP until such time as there is a change in the official public record. Therefore, take notice that I intend to delete links to the website of the unrecognised group in seven days' time unless valid reasons are presented to the contrary. I have no personal POV in this matter, having resigned from the party in 1993 when it was a completely different organisation. Bjenks ( talk) 02:15, 28 October 2014 (UTC)
Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just added archive links to 6 external links on
Australian Democrats. Please take a moment to review
my edit. If necessary, add {{
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Cheers.— cyberbot II Talk to my owner:Online 19:46, 13 July 2015 (UTC)
Friends:
The Wikipedia article is about the Australian Democrats, that is, the political party of that name. The opening paragraph alleges that the Democrats are "extinct". Not sure about that exact word - but let's put that to one side for the moment. If the Democrats are extinct, why is there a side box with the name of a President and Secretary? And indeed with a link to a current website?
AustralianEditor83 ( talk) 23:08, 1 August 2016 (UTC)
: <Comment : I have been a member since last century and can say that the organisation has changed over the years but it is the same organisation and this is its history. Why would you delete current references that are part of the organisation ? Registration of political parties is to do with government registers not Wikipedia, so if its registered or not does not make it extinct or another organisation>
Further to above comment, my suggestion is to remove the side box. Please comment here if you think this this is problematic. AustralianEditor83 ( talk) 08:43, 15 August 2016 (UTC) <Comment
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It is now quite clear that the "Australian Democrats" has proven unsustainable despite attempts to retain the name as an electoral foundation. The proposed merger with the "Country Minded" microparty will involve a new constitution and thus the establishment of a different party, even if the AD name is applied to it. I submit that for WP purposes, any purported continuation will require a new article, as was done to differentiate the Democratic Labor Party (historical) from the Democratic Labour Party (Australia). The present article will then be re-edited to remove a great volume of inappropriate trivia, as previously discussed on this page. Bjenks ( talk) 18:24, 23 December 2018 (UTC)
What is the status of the actual organisation that is/was the Democrats? Has the party ever actually been dissolved? Obviously it was deregistered, but if there's a group of people still operating under the original constitution I don't think it would be correct for us to just decide that the party no longer exists. Deregistration ≠ not existing. Are there any sources (reliable or otherwise) that talk about the party's history post-2008, i.e. the competing factions that are mentioned in the article? Ivar the Boneful ( talk) 14:06, 2 January 2019 (UTC)
Ivar the Boneful is, of course, right in returning us to the principle of reliable sources, which is why our first step must be to establish the integrity of the article's present content, much of which is not well verified, and/or has been rendered trivial by the passage of time. Bjenks ( talk) 02:58, 9 March 2019 (UTC)
As seen on our page for the 1998 Australian federal election, One Nation got the largest share of the vote of all the minor parties that year, which means that they were the largest minor party in that election. That's certainly what Psephos said on his site. Paul Benjamin Austin ( talk) 01:31, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
Hi everyone, I wrote here a while ago asking why my edits were removed when they contained current references. It was deleted. I added the references and current news back and it has been undone. To the bet of my knowledge the Australian Democrats are a current political party who were deregistered in 2016 and are currently seeking re-registration with the AEC. If this is not the case I'm happy to talk about it but I can't see any evidence that it isn't. Please help. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Elswyth ( talk • contribs) 07:34, 8 April 2019 (UTC)
The new party, as it is on Wikipedia right now is registered with the AEC by original Democrats, and is thus the revived w as it is a direct continuation of the party that was deregistered in 2016. The Queensland group is more of a “splinter group” who left in 2014.... hope that helps!
I do believe the Queensland Democrats INC have a seperate Wikipedia page. So its been sorted a while ago.
ThePolitix ( talk) 08:39, 20 April 2019 (UTC)
This was entirely foreseeable and the attempt to link this Judean Peoples' Front grouplet to the historical serious AD parliamentary party should never have been entertained. Paul Benjamin Austin ( talk) 11:03, 26 May 2019 (UTC)
Hi,
I’m an insider on various issues in minor parties, particularily in the state of New South Wales. Upon discussion with current, former and members who are considering rejoining; The Australian Democrats, as it stands today is a continuation of the original party.
I understand, that there is a belief that the new AD is some sort of Judean People’s Front, this is not the case. Following the blowout at the 2007 election, the Australian Democrats remained as the same party until it merged with country minded in 2019.
I do believe it is time to clear up the confusion over supposed conflict.
In 2014, the Queensland State Division Executives decided to leave the Federal Entity, and sever relationships with other state divisions. This was over disagreements with party direction and a “top down” leadership approach(As Discussed with Bjenks). The Queensland Division, as stated in their objection and on their website, wanted to be the Queensland Representatives of the Australian Democrats. The Queensland Division is a splinter group of the Australian Democrats. Despite this, many members in Queensland remained in the federal Australian Democrat Entity.
Essentially, the only group that declares itself as a federal continuation of the party is the current, registered party. However, at state level there are two parties that claim to represent Queensland; The Australian Democrats and Australian Democrats INC(The Splinter Group). Since the AEC objection was not upheld, it seems as though the splinter group is not a continuation of the original party.
Currently, the state of Queensland is represented by the Australian Democrats registered by the AEC.
The Party as it stands today, is a direct continuation of the party pre-2007. The NSW, QLD and VIC divisions retained the strongest membership levels, from 2007 onwards, however did experience significant losses following the 2007 defeat. The party itself, up until the loss of registration in 2016 did not change - the structure was still the same, as were the members. Excluding the QLD splinter group, there were no fractions(new groups) or factions within the party, in other states and nationally.
In 2016, a vote was brought to the table to officially dissolve the party; however it failed. Instead, members drafted a plan to rebuild the party. This would be a long process.
There were major changes undertaken in 2018. The unfair(and unconstitutional) “top-down” approach was removed. The party members began to vote on new clauses and policy direction. Talks began between the Australian Democrats and “Country Minded” to establish a Country Democrats division and to increase membership. This was agreed upon.
There were significant developments with membership in 2018, with many members rejoining.
In 2019, the Australian Democrats really started the process of rebuilding.
The members voted on, and agreed to a new constitution. The new constitution secured the “bottom-up” grassroots movement that was present in the party prior to 1993.
The merger with country minded did not have a significant impact on the constitutional change, where the only impact was the new country division, the country democrats.
The constitutional change reflected changes with technology - where all new changes to policy, direction or leadership are to be voted on by members online. The change means that changes to policy and leadership must go through the members first.
The Democrats stood a total of 7 candidates(6 senate and 1 house) and did not expect to win any seats. The campaign was very limited, and the party reregistered 4 days before the election.The primary objective was to spread the message and alert old members. This was successful, with a large increase in membership following the election.
Many members that rejoined were pleased to see the Party back, and favoured the return to the “bottom-up” democracy. The party as it stands today is very stable.
The Australian Democrats are a united party. There was always a continuation in membership and functionality since 2007. The party never “stopped” then “restarted” as it was always there, as were the people. Just because it was “unregistered” does not mean it did not exist.
For example, the NSW State Division(this can apply with all others, ex QLD) retained membership and had constant meetings pre-2007 and still up to now. The executives in the party were there before, and since the early 2000’s and were elected by the membership. There are a few new, young people that have signed up since 2007. There were no “splits” or fractures - there was only one united party that continued to function(QLD was the exception, as discussed earlier). Again, just to reiterate the only “separation” or “fracture” occurred with a splinter group in Queensland.
The party is preparing for the next federal and state elections, with a serious plan(as seen by their policy frameworks) and a united team.
I really do hope that helped. I’m happy to answer any questions. If you want to know anything about other minor parties in NSW, just ask.
Thank you all for your contributions, and the talk discussions too. ThePolitix ( talk) 11:38, 8 June 2019 (UTC)
Hi, just as clarification - I was wrong about the Queensland Division. The Incorporated entity in Queensland actually has no connection with the current party. The old Queensland Democrats division deregistered a while back, and some opportunistic ex-Dems took the name. There was always a Queensland division, however the “incorporated” official division was cancelled for whatever reasons - and that can be seen on the register of companies.
There is a Queensland division, and they have been with the party since before this renegade group formed. Again, I’m not too sure around the circumstances of the registration of the new entity - but do know that the party has limited knowledge of where they came from - apart from the fact that they were ex-Dems.
Sorry, just spoke to some people who I know about it. Queensland Division INC is not connected to the former Queensland Division. A Queensland Division continues to operate in the Democrat’s, with many of the same people preceding the renegades registration.
No ex-parliamentarians are affiliated with the “renegade grouplet.” ThePolitix ( talk) 08:20, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
So once again; the Queensland Division Inc. has no official link to it’s claimed predecessor and is not a continuation of the Queensland Division’s initial entity, as can be seen in the registration of companies.
Sorry, I got the constitution thing mixed up with something else.
Thanks!! ThePolitix ( talk) 08:25, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
In a series of edits by IP editor 222.164.212.168 ( talk) has suggested changes which imho require some discussion. and I reverted, requesting the editor to seek consensus on this page. The questionable edits were:
Apparently, the changes are intended to back up a "See also' link to this article inserted by the IP editor in another recently edited article, Aaya Ram Gaya Ram. The relevance of that article to Australian Democrats anD/or to Don Chipp is questionable. "Keep the bastards honest" was a popular electoral slogan but in no way a key principle of the Democrats.
My invitation to discuss the edits was responded to by counter-reversion, followed by an extraordinary attack on me at my talk page. I'm not into edit wars and have a declared personal and professional interest (up top), so must leave it to the group to sort this out. Cheers, Bjenks ( talk) 08:18, 13 July 2019 (UTC)
The infobox insertion of Lyn Allison as new president seems premature as there is no verification, not even on the party website. Bjenks ( talk) 17:01, 8 October 2019 (UTC)
Hi sorry for the late note, the Queensland Democrats actually have no connection with the party. The Queensland division deregistered and some opportunistic ex-Dems went in and took the name. A Queensland division does exist; and that’s part of the main party. The Queensland democrats incorporated one has no real connection with the party. ThePolitix ( talk) 08:13, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
The official incorporated association there from before-> https://abr.business.gov.au/ABN/View?abn=95135496452 ThePolitix ( talk) 08:47, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
The latest intriguing attempt to swing the Australian Democrats towards centre-left needs to be assessed with caution. It depends on a citation from John Warhurst (1997): "...until their disastrous internal split, the centre-left Democrats had experienced more than 20 years of balance of power politics and policy-making in the Senate." At that time it might have been argued that leader Cheryl Kernot's literal love affair with Labor was leftist or that successor Meg Lees support for Howard's GST was rightist. However the avowed centrism of the party cannot be disputed since it was from the start enshrined in the AD constitution. It used to be common for left-wingers to taint the Dems as right-wing simply because Don Chipp had switched allegiance from the Liberals. Such taunts are derived more from the mutant politics of the day than from any real truth and I'm sure the same applies to present-day attempts to attach a left-wing smear to the party and its people. However, the present "Australian Democrats" party seems to be a very different kettle of fish than the betrayed organisation of 1997, so we should let its people reveal themselves to reasonable and reliable current reporters instead of depending on far-gone 1997 ideas. Bjenks ( talk) 05:05, 21 February 2020 (UTC)
In connection with the vanishing relevance of the reconstituted group, it can be recorded that "Australian Democrats" have contested NO House of Reps seats and only five Senate seats. In four of those seats, about one-fortieth (0.025%) of a quota was polled in first preferences. In the other state (Victoria), the result was 0.0526% --a little better than one-twentieth of a quota. Media recognition was almost non-existent, although The Guardian Aust included them in a list of "more than 30 minor and micro parties" and the Fin Review opined that the Teal Independents were "a reheated version of the now defunct Australian Democrats". Bjenks ( talk) 03:35, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
@ IP editor 31.94.31.216. One of the problems with this edit is its self-sourcing to the website of the [rebirthed] Australian Democrats, a group which has yet to establish its notability. This surely stamps the edit as soapboxing. Then, the edit is placed in the historical context of the long-defeated parliamentary ADs where an independent reliable source would be more appropriate. It's a salutory reminder of how this article is being systematically tweaked to diminish important historical content in favour of promoting a separately constituted entty with very tenuous links to the famous old party which kept the bastards honest in Canberra. Bjenks ( talk) 02:42, 13 September 2023 (UTC)