New Democrats (Victoria)

New Democrats
Abbreviation
  • ND
  • NDP
SecretaryKaushaliya Vaghela
FounderKaushaliya Vaghela
Founded11 August 2022; 2 years ago (11 August 2022)
Registered6 October 2022; 2 years ago (6 October 2022)
Split fromVictorian Labor Party
Membership (2022)c. 2,000[1][2]
IdeologyAnti-corruption[3]
Legislative Assembly
0 / 88
Legislative Council
0 / 40
Website
newdemocrats.com.au

The New Democrats (ND), also known as the New Democrats Party (NDP), is an Australian political party founded in 2022 by then-Victorian MLC Kaushaliya Vaghela.[3][4]

History

Background

On 9 February 2022, Vaghela (then a member of the Labor Party) crossed the floor in support of Adem Somyurek's motion to refer the Andrews government to the Victorian Ombudsman in relation to the alleged misuse of taxpayer funds, involving the diversion of parliamentary staffing resources to political campaigning and party factional activities prior to the 2014 Victorian state election.[5]

In March 2022, Vaghela resigned from Labor to sit as an independent, making serious allegations of bullying against the party. Her criticisms were aired after she had been left off the Labor ticket for the 2022 state election, following an investigation by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) into the conduct of her husband, Dinesh Chauhan, and staff members.[6]

Formation and 2022 election

On 11 August 2022, Vaghela formed the New Democrats and applied for registration with the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC).[7][8] The party was registered on 6 October 2022, 51 days before the state election.[9][10]

At the election, Vaghela was unsuccessful in her bid to be re-elected to the Western Metropolitan Region, receiving 0.55% of the vote.[11] The party received a total statewide vote of 0.13% in the Legislative Assembly and 0.21% in the Legislative Council (the lowest statewide total for any registered party in the Legislative Council).[12][13]

References

  1. ^ "Indian-origin Victorian State MP Kaushaliya Vaghela announces new political party". NRI Affairs. 7 October 2022. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022.
  2. ^ "NEW DEMOCRATS (ND)". Twitter. Kaushaliya Vaghela. 6 October 2022. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024. With overwhelming support of around 2000 members, the New Democratic Party is registered today.
  3. ^ a b "New Democrats Policies". New Democrats. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Kaushaliya Vaghela to lead 'New Democrats' party". South Asia Times. 6 October 2022. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022.
  5. ^ Ilanbey, Sumeyya (2022-02-09). "Labor MP crosses floor to back fresh investigation into red shirts scandal". The Age. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  6. ^ "Victorian MP Kaushaliya Vaghela quits Labor after alleging systemic bullying". ABC News. 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  7. ^ Kolovos, Benita (11 August 2022). "Angry Victorians join a rush of new micro-parties eyeing a seat in the state's parliament". Guardian Australia. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Application for registration by the New Democrats". Victorian Electoral Commission. 11 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-09-28. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Registration of New Democrats". vec.vic.gov.au. Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC). 6 October 2022. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Currently registered parties". vec.vic.gov.au. Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC). Archived from the original on 31 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Western Metropolitan Region results". www.vec.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  12. ^ "State Election 2022 results". Victorian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Legislative Council Results - VIC Election 2022". abc.net.au. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-27.