Commonwealth Party (New South Wales)

The Commonwealth Party was a short-lived, urban, conservative political party which was active in New South Wales, Australia in 1943-1944.

Following the defection of Joseph Lyons from the Australian Labor Party to the conservative side of politics in 1931, the opposition Nationalist Party, five dissident Labor MPs and three conservative independent MPs soon merged to form a new party, the United Australia Party (UAP). This unified the mainstream urban conservative forces in Australia but was, in substance, a continuation of the Nationalists under a new name.

The UAP, in coalition with the Country Party was in power federally and in New South Wales throughout much of the thirties. However, ideological and leadership issues resulted in severe fissures occurring in conservative political forces towards the end of the decade. This was seen most markedly in the deposing of the Prime Minister Robert Menzies federally in 1941 and the NSW Premier Bertram Stevens in 1939. Menzies was succeeded as leader of the UAP by Billy Hughes who led the party to a disastrous defeat at the 1943 federal election. The party's vote was halved to 16% and it lost 11 of its 23 seats. This was the death knell of the party.

In the period between 1943 and 1945 the conservative forces were divided into several small and short-lived parties these would eventually coalesce under Menzies into the Liberal Party in August 1945. In NSW the interim parties included the Democratic Party, the Liberal Democrat Party and the Commonwealth Party. The Commonwealth Party quickly merged with the remnants of the UAP and the Democratic Party before the 1944 election. It did not contest any elections.

References

Smith, Rodney (2007). Against the Machines: Minor Parties and Independents in New South Wales, 1910-2006. Annandale, N.S.W.: Federation Press. ISBN 978-1-86287-623-1.

Defunct political parties in Australia

Major parties	Commonwealth Liberal Country and Progressive National Democratic (1940s) Free Trade Liberal (WA, 1910s) Liberal and Country League Liberal and Country Party Liberal and Democratic Union Liberal Federation Liberal Reform (NSW) Liberal Union National Labor Nationalist Progressive (NSW, 1900s) Protectionist United Australia

Other parties represented in federal or state parliaments	A Better Future For Our Children Abolish Self Government Coalition Australia Party Australian Family Movement Australian Democrats Australian Liberal Australian Party Australian Progressive Alliance Centre (Tas) City Country Alliance Communist Country Progressive Democratic (1920s) Democratic Labor Emergency Committee Executive Country (WA) Hare-Clark Independent Illawarra Workers Independent Labor Group Independents Group Industrial Socialist Labor Labor (Anti-Communist) Labor (Non-Communist) Labor (NSW) Lang Labor Liberal (1922) Liberal Country Liberal Movement Liberals for Forests Majority Labor National Alliance National Liberal New Conservative Group New Country New Liberal Movement No Self-Government North Queensland Labor Northern Territory Nationals Nuclear Disarmament Progress Progressive (NSW, 1920s) Protestant Labor Queensland Labor Queensland People's Party Redistribution Liberals Reform the Legal System Residents Rally Revenue Tariff SA First Single Tax Unite Australia United Country Unity Victorian Farmers' Union Victorian Liberal Western Australian

Parties without representation in any parliaments	4Change (Climate Change Coalition) Abolish Child Support Advance Australia Aged and Disability Pensioners All for Australia League Australia's First Nations Political Party Australian Commonwealth Australian Independents Australian National Socialist Australians Against Further Immigration Bill of Rights Centre (NSW) Combined New Australia Commonwealth Commonwealth Centre Communist Alliance Confederate Action Conservative Conservative Nationalist Curtin Labor Alliance Deadly Serious Defence and Ex-Services Defence of Government Schools Defence Movement Democratic Association of Victoria Democratic Socialist Douglas Social Credit Earthsave Engineered Australia Plan Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy Ex-Service, Service and Veterans Family Law Reform Fishing Party Great Australians Grey Power Hear Our Voice Henry George Justice Hope Imperial British Conservative Independent EFF Indigenous Peoples Liberal Democratic (1940s) Liberal Reform Libertarian Lower Excise Fuel and Beer Marijuana Middle Class National Front National Humanitarian National Socialist Nationalist (1958) Natural Law No Aircraft Noise No GST One Australia Movement One Australia Party One Parliament for Australia Party! Party! Party! Pauline's United Australia Pensioner and Citizen Initiated Referendum Pensioner Power People Power People's Party Progressive Conservative Progressive Labour Protestant People's Party Reclaim Australia: Reduce Immigration Referendum First Reform Republican Restore the Workers' Rights Save the ADI Site Services Services and Citizens Social Democratic State Labor Sun Ripened Warm Tomato Tasmania First Tasmania Senate Team Taxi Operators Political Service United Australia (SA) United Christian United Tasmania Group Victorian Socialist Party What Women Want Women's Party (1995) Young Australia National

Politics of Australia Politics portal List of political parties

Political parties in New South Wales

Legislative Assembly	Liberal (37) Labor (34) National (17) Greens (3)

Legislative Council	Liberal (13) Labor (12) National (7) Greens (5) Shooters, Fishers and Farmers (2) Christian Democrats (2) Animal Justice (1)

Other NSWEC-registered parties	Building Australia Cyclists Democrats Motorists No Land Tax No Parking Meters Outdoor Recreation Socialist Alliance Fishing Unity Voluntary Euthanasia

Defunct parties	A Better Future For Our Children All for Australia League Centre Party Commonwealth Party Democratic Party (1920) Democratic Party (1943) Free Trade Party Illawarra Workers Party Independent EFF Independent Labor Group Industrial Labor Party Lang Labor Australian Labor Party (NSW) Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist) Liberal Democratic Party Liberal Reform Nationalist No Aircraft Noise Progressive Party (1901) Progressive Party (1920) Protectionist Party Protestant People's Party Reform the Legal System Save the ADI Site State Labor Party United Australia Party

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