Author and Life Member, Paul Davey (seated) together with former Nationals leaders, (L-R) Tim Fischer, John Anderson, Doug Anthony and Ian Sinclair.

Our history of achievement

By Paul Davey

As Australia’s second oldest political party, The Nationals have a strong history of delivering for its constituency.

Country Party to National Party

From the day it was formed as the Australian Country Party on January 22 1920 it has had an over-riding impact on national politics and social and economic development – forcing other political parties to pay greater attention to the needs of people living and working beyond the capital cities. For that alone, the Party has been a stunning success, proving the importance of an independent, country-based party to deliver outcomes for the regions of this vast nation.

While the emergence of the Australian Country Party was largely sponsored by various State farm organisations fighting for a better deal for the man on the land, the Party was quick to realise its responsibilities stretched considerably wider. It was – and remains - unapologetically the political champion of the nation’s great primary and export industries. But there were regional issues of fundamental community importance – roads, health, education, communications, decentralisation, development; much to fight for. And there was a further, vital role to play – providing a balance; a balance between political extremes and between city and regional development and opportunity.

The Party’s first long-term Federal Leader, Earle Page, was a doctor before entering Parliament and becoming Treasurer in the Country Party’s first Federal Coalition Government with the Nationalists under Stanley Bruce in February 1923. Page set up the first Loans Council, introduced a Commonwealth Roads Development Act and a Federal Aid Roads Agreement, established the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – now the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) – reformed the Commonwealth Bank into a central bank, set up a Rural Credits Department within the bank and established the Commonwealth Savings Bank.

Privatisation was alive and well in those days too. Page sold Government enterprises including the Commonwealth Harness Factory, Williamstown Dockyards and the Commonwealth Woollen Mills. In later years he established the Australian Agricultural Council and, perhaps most famously, introduced the free milk scheme for school children under 13, free medical treatment for pensioners and the first hospital and medical benefits insurance scheme.

Each one of the Party’s Federal Leaders – there have only been 11 in its entire history – can point to achievements initiated or driven by the Party, which have been of major national and international importance. John McEwen, nicknamed Black Jack by Robert Menzies, brokered the Australia-Japan Trade Agreement in 1957 – a time when many Australians were still deeply suspicious of, even antagonistic towards, the Japanese in light of World War 2. Today, Japan is our largest trading partner.

Doug Anthony had to broaden Australia’s trading interests when Britain joined the European Economic Community in 1973, effectively ending preferential entry to UK markets for products from Commonwealth countries – a huge blow to Australia’s primary industries.

Today, while Australia pursues better multilateral trading arrangements through the World Trade Organisation, it has also developed bilateral Free Trade Agreements with the United States, Thailand and Singapore and is negotiating similar arrangements with Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, the ASEAN nations and the People’s Republic of China.

The Party is well credentialed to manage such negotiations - every Australian Trade Minister in Coalition Governments since 1956 has come from the Country or National Party; every Primary Industry or Agriculture Minister since 1949, with the exception of William McMahon from 1956 to 1958, has come from the Country or National Party.

Delivering across Australia

Many of the Party’s achievements are not necessarily known as such as they are ultimately decisions and announcements of the Government. Yet the Party’s influence is heavily laced through most programmes, particularly those delivering improved opportunities and services to rural and regional communities: the National Water Initiative, Roads of National Importance, Auslink, Regional Solutions, Agriculture – Advancing Australia, Supermarket to Asia, Regional Partnerships, Isolated Children’s Assistance Programme, Isolated Patients’ Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme, Black Spots Roads Programme, Natural Heritage Trust, Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal and the Rural Medical Infrastructure Fund. Go back a little further and you will find the Party’s footprints on other landmarks – the National Health and Medical Research Council, Income Equalisation Deposits (Farm Management Bonds), drought assistance programmes, the 200-mile Australian Fishing Zone, Closer Economic Relations with New Zealand, abolition of Commonwealth death duties, the Australian Institute of Sport, and much more.

One of the Party’s greatest strengths, at Commonwealth and State levels, is, despite some splendid disagreements from time to time, it is not factionalised. Its members and parliamentarians across the nation are like-minded in their determination to bring a true equality of opportunity between country and city. Such single-mindedness breeds strength, which in turn fosters success. Detractors have always said the Party is doomed. Others, envious of its influence – arguably disproportionate to its actual parliamentary numbers – call for amalgamation, merger or some other means of engineering its extinction. History has proved that for this Party – and, indeed, Australia - maintaining its independent entity while working co-operatively in Coalition is the best course.

Small Party providing national leadership

Three of the Party’s leaders have briefly been Prime Minister – Earle Page, Arthur Fadden and John McEwen. Not so well known is that Fadden was elected by the Joint Parties in August 1941 as Opposition Leader, a position he held for two years. Also not widely appreciated is the extent to which National Party leaders have acted as Prime Minister in Coalition governments. The most recent example is John Anderson, who was Acting Prime Minister on more than 40 occasions during his term as Federal Leader from July 1999 to June 2005.

The Party has never been unrepresented in the Commonwealth Parliament in its 85-year history. To date, it has held 47 seats in the Senate and 113 in the House of Representatives, including those from the Northern Territory Country Liberal Party who sit with the Nationals in Parliament. That is not many over such a long period of time, indicating most of its parliamentarians are successful at maintaining their seats. Earle Page remains the second longest serving Member of the House of Representatives – 42 years – behind only Billy Hughes, who was there for 51 years and seven months. The third longest serving Member was John McEwen – 36 years and five months – while Ian Sinclair, with 34 years and nine months, is the eighth longest serving Member.

Like the nation itself, the Party has a proud and successful past and plenty of opportunity for the future.