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AEC Finds White Australia Party Application Lacks Required Details

The preliminary finding pauses the party's registration process until the Farrer by‑election writ is returned, permitting the group's High Court challenge to proceed.

Overview

  • The Australian Electoral Commission has told the White Australia Party that its application is preliminarily invalid because it does not contain required elements for verification.
  • The AEC flagged that the party redacted member names on its application, which the commission must be able to contact to confirm membership for registration.
  • Electoral law prevents the AEC from making a final decision while election writs are outstanding, so a formal determination will wait until the Farrer by‑election writ is returned, no later than July 10.
  • Leader Thomas Sewell has lodged a High Court constitutional challenge seeking to overturn the new laws that designate the group as a prohibited hate organisation and has sought interim relief to block enforcement.
  • Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke designated the group under post‑Bondi Beach laws that make it a crime to join, fund or support the organisation, and Sewell continues to face separate criminal charges from an alleged Camp Sovereignty attack.