In the weeks before Australia’s 7 September 2013 federal election, the WikiLeaks Party was engulfed by a dispute over group voting tickets that placed the far-right Australia First Party above the Greens in New South Wales and the National Party above WikiLeaks supporter Scott Ludlam in Western Australia. The party initially blamed unspecified “administrative errors,” but a later internal review rejected that explanation. Leaked emails and statements from National Council member Jamal Daoud alleged that Julian Assange personally directed the preferences and sought expanded control over the party; these claims were contested by former adviser Greg Barns and others. The review was limited: it could interview only John Shipton, had restricted access to minutes and correspondence, and could not independently verify all testimony.
The controversy exposed a sharp conflict between WikiLeaks’ public commitment to transparency and the party’s internal governance. Victorian candidate Leslie Cannold resigned, along with four other National Council members and volunteers, saying she could not remain a candidate while implying the party was democratically run and accountable. A short party review published about five months later was criticized by former member Gary Lord, who produced a 20-page report on the organization’s failures. The party won only 0.62% of the national vote in 2013, raised almost $5,000 in Bitcoin while facing questions about donation disclosure, and was deregistered by the Australian Electoral Commission on 23 July 2015 for insufficient membership.
