The WikiLeaks Party, created to support Julian Assange’s Australian Senate bid, was registered by the Australian Electoral Commission on 2 July 2013 after reporting more than 1,300 fee-paying members. It won only 0.62% of the national vote in that year’s election, while Assange received 1.18% of the primary vote in Victoria. The campaign was thrown into turmoil when group voting tickets placed the far-right Australia First Party above the Greens in New South Wales and the National Party above Greens senator Scott Ludlam in Western Australia. Party officials initially blamed “administrative errors,” but a later review rejected that explanation. Leaked emails and resigning council members alleged that Assange directed the preferences and sought greater control over the party; those claims were disputed by other figures, including former adviser Greg Barns.
The party also faced scrutiny over its finances and foreign relationships. National Council member Jamal Daoud said in March 2014 that members were denied access to financial records and that Shipton described the party as $70,000 in debt despite having no employees or advertising. In December 2013, Shipton and other party representatives met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a visit Australian officials and WikiLeaks supporters condemned as propaganda for the regime; WikiLeaks said it had not known about or approved the trip. The party was deregistered by the AEC on 23 July 2015 for falling below membership requirements, ending its short-lived electoral project.
