Charles Russell (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Charles Wilfred Russell (24 April 1907 – 21 October 1977) was an Australia
n politician, pastoralist and right wing activist who served briefly in both the Queensland and federal parliaments. Initially a member of the Country Party
, he later became one of its key critics and campaigned actively against it in the 1950s and 1960s. His successful court action invalidating the Queensland government's stock levy in 1977, in the last year of his life, was one of his most significant achievements.
, near Tamworth
in New South Wales
. He was the fourth of five children, and the only surviving son, born to grazier Wilfred Russell (who served in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
1926–32) and his wife Millicent, daughter of pastoralist Charles Baldwin. The family moved to Queensland
in 1910, settling at Dalmally station near Roma
. In 1923, Wilfred acquired Jimbour
, a property in the Darling Downs built by Sir Joshua Bell
. Charles was educated at Cranbrook School in Sydney
, and later worked as a jackeroo on his father's western Queensland sheep stations. In 1930 he became manager of Nardoo station in Cunnamulla
.
in 1932, he was a prominent spokesman for the wool industry and advocated the construction of all-weather roads. He joined the board of Sturmfels Primary Producers' Co-operative Association in 1937 and was influential in arranging its merger with the Queensland Primary Producers' Co-operative Association.
In 1934, Russell travelled to the United States
, where he learned to fly and acquired his first aeroplane, a Beechcraft Staggerwing
. He enlisted as an airman pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force
on 10 February 1941, and by May was a flight lieutenant, serving as an instructor at training schools around Australia until his transfer to the RAAF Reserve on 28 February 1944. On 27 July 1944 at St John's Anglican Cathedral in Brisbane
he married Hilary Maude Newton, daughter of pastoralist Frank Newton.
, and contested the Queensland Legislative Assembly
seats of Warrego
in 1938 and Dalby
in 1944. In 1947, the beneficiary of a campaign organised by James Killen
, Russell was elected to the seat of Dalby, and focused on transport, land settlement, decentralisation
and rural industries. He described the atmosphere of the Parliament as "friendly" but was frustrated in Opposition, leading to his decision to transfer to federal politics. He was endorsed as the Country Party's candidate for the seat of Maranoa
at the 1949 federal election
and was easily elected.
Disillusioned by the federal party's inability to act on its election promises, Russell resigned from the parliamentary party on 7 October 1950 when the government refused to raise the exchange rate and imposed a tax on wool. He sat on the cross benches for the rest of his term and contested the 1951 federal election
as an independent
. He polled 29.9% of the vote behind Labor
's candidate, Alfred Dohring
, and the official Country candidate, Wilfred Brimblecombe
. His preferences ensured Brimblecombe's victory over Dohring.
, but was rejected. He was a candidate for the Senate
in the 1953 Senate only election
as third on a ticket headed by Dr Raphael Cilento
. He attempted to regain Maranoa at the 1954 election
and came third with 17.4%. The absence of a Labor candidate for Maranoa at the 1955 election
gave him 43.7% of the vote, finishing with 48.9% of the two-candidate preferred vote. He later contested the Queensland state seat of Condamine
in 1972.
Russell's wealth and prominent connexions allowed him to continue to campaign for his beliefs. He continued to challenge both the Country Party and the Menzies Government
, losing a High Court
appeal against the validity of the federal wool tax in 1965 but successfully invalidating the Queensland government's stock levy in 1977.
Russell's views placed him on the extreme right of the political spectrum
. He was devoted to anti-socialism
and the British Empire
, and was associated with several far-right figures including Cilento, George Griffiths and economist Colin Clark
. Russell and Cilento formed the short-lived Australian Democratic Party during the 1950s, and in the 1960s he was a leader in the Basic Industries Group and held membership of the Federal Inland Development Organisation. Although he had links with the Australian League of Rights
, he did not join the League as he was opposed to its espousal of Social Credit
theories. He joined the Workers Party
(later the Progress Party) in the 1970s.
Russell and his wife Hilary co-wrote a book on their property in 1955, Jimbour: Its History and Development; Jimbour House was classified by the National Trust of Queensland and became a popular entertainment venue. Russell published his autobiography, Country Crisis, in 1976.
Russell died at Dalby
Hospital of a cerebral haemorrhage on 20 October 1977, a day after he collapsed while speaking at a meeting of the Maranoa branch of the Progress Party. He was survived by his wife, their daughter and their four sons. He was cremated.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician, pastoralist and right wing activist who served briefly in both the Queensland and federal parliaments. Initially a member of the Country Party
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
, he later became one of its key critics and campaigned actively against it in the 1950s and 1960s. His successful court action invalidating the Queensland government's stock levy in 1977, in the last year of his life, was one of his most significant achievements.
Early life
Russell was born at Willambi, ManillaManilla, New South Wales
Manilla is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, located on Fossickers Way 45 kilometres northwest of the regional city of Tamworth. At the 2006 census, Manilla had a population of 2,081 people. Manilla is famous for its setting as a fishing and paragliding area...
, near Tamworth
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. He was the fourth of five children, and the only surviving son, born to grazier Wilfred Russell (who served in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
1926–32) and his wife Millicent, daughter of pastoralist Charles Baldwin. The family moved to Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
in 1910, settling at Dalmally station near Roma
Roma, Queensland
Roma is a town in the western Darling Downs area of Queensland, Australia, by rail WNW of Brisbane. It is situated at the junction of the Warrego and Carnarvon highways...
. In 1923, Wilfred acquired Jimbour
Jimbour, Queensland
Jimbour is a town in the northern Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The town is located in the Western Downs Region Local Government area, west of the state capital, Brisbane...
, a property in the Darling Downs built by Sir Joshua Bell
Joshua Peter Bell
Sir Joshua Peter Bell K.C.M.G. was a pastoralist and parliamentarian from Queensland, Australia. His eldest son was barrister and parliamentarian Joshua Thomas Bell.-Early life:...
. Charles was educated at Cranbrook School in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and later worked as a jackeroo on his father's western Queensland sheep stations. In 1930 he became manager of Nardoo station in Cunnamulla
Cunnamulla, Queensland
Cunnamulla is a small town that lies on the Warrego River in south west Queensland, Australia, south of Charleville, and approximately west of the state capital, Brisbane....
.
Local politics and advocacy
Wilfred Russell died in 1932, and Charles inherited the family properties. Elected to Wambo Shire CouncilShire of Wambo
The Shire of Wambo was a Local Government Area located in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The shire completely surrounded but did not include the town of Dalby — which had its own municipal government...
in 1932, he was a prominent spokesman for the wool industry and advocated the construction of all-weather roads. He joined the board of Sturmfels Primary Producers' Co-operative Association in 1937 and was influential in arranging its merger with the Queensland Primary Producers' Co-operative Association.
In 1934, Russell travelled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he learned to fly and acquired his first aeroplane, a Beechcraft Staggerwing
Beechcraft Staggerwing
The Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an American biplane with an atypical negative stagger , that first flew in 1932.-Development:...
. He enlisted as an airman pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
on 10 February 1941, and by May was a flight lieutenant, serving as an instructor at training schools around Australia until his transfer to the RAAF Reserve on 28 February 1944. On 27 July 1944 at St John's Anglican Cathedral in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
he married Hilary Maude Newton, daughter of pastoralist Frank Newton.
State and federal politics
In 1936, Russell had helped to found the Queensland Country PartyNational Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
, and contested the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
seats of Warrego
Electoral district of Warrego
The district of Warrego is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland.The electorate lies in the extreme southwest of Queensland, running along the western part of the border with New South Wales...
in 1938 and Dalby
Electoral district of Dalby
Dalby was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland. It existed from 1873 to 1949 and centred on the town of Dalby.-Members for Dalby:...
in 1944. In 1947, the beneficiary of a campaign organised by James Killen
James Killen
Sir Denis James "Jim" Killen, AC, KCMG , was an Australian politician.-Education and early career:Killen was born in Dalby, Queensland and educated at Brisbane Grammar School and the University of Queensland, where he graduated in law...
, Russell was elected to the seat of Dalby, and focused on transport, land settlement, decentralisation
Décentralisation
Décentralisation is a french word for both a policy concept in French politics from 1968-1990, and a term employed to describe the results of observations of the evolution of spatial economic and institutional organization of France....
and rural industries. He described the atmosphere of the Parliament as "friendly" but was frustrated in Opposition, leading to his decision to transfer to federal politics. He was endorsed as the Country Party's candidate for the seat of Maranoa
Division of Maranoa
The Division of Maranoa is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the Maranoa River, which runs through the division...
at the 1949 federal election
Australian federal election, 1949
Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1949. All 121 seats in the House of Representatives, and 42 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, where the single transferable vote was introduced...
and was easily elected.
Disillusioned by the federal party's inability to act on its election promises, Russell resigned from the parliamentary party on 7 October 1950 when the government refused to raise the exchange rate and imposed a tax on wool. He sat on the cross benches for the rest of his term and contested the 1951 federal election
Australian federal election, 1951
Federal elections were held in Australia on 28 April 1951. All 121 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, due to a double dissolution called after the Senate rejected the Commonwealth Bank Bill...
as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
. He polled 29.9% of the vote behind Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
's candidate, Alfred Dohring
Alfred Dohring
Alfred Dohring was an Australian politician. He was the member for Roma in the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1953 to 1957, representing first the Australian Labor Party and then the breakaway Queensland Labor Party in 1957.-References:...
, and the official Country candidate, Wilfred Brimblecombe
Wilfred Brimblecombe
Wilfred John Brimblecombe, CBE was an Australian politician. Born in Laidley, Queensland, he was educated at state schools and then Queensland Agricultural College. He was a farmer, and served in the military 1915-1919, after which he was a councillor on Wambo Shire Council...
. His preferences ensured Brimblecombe's victory over Dohring.
Later life
Russell was expelled by the Country Party after the election and applied to join the Liberal PartyLiberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
, but was rejected. He was a candidate for the Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
in the 1953 Senate only election
Australian Senate election, 1953
Half-senate elections were held in Australia on 9 May 1953.-See also:*Candidates of the Australian Senate election, 1953*Members of the Australian Senate, 1953–1956-References:* election results in Australia since 1890...
as third on a ticket headed by Dr Raphael Cilento
Raphael Cilento
Sir Raphael West Cilento , often known as "Ray", was a notable Australian medical practitioner and public health administrator.-Early life and education:...
. He attempted to regain Maranoa at the 1954 election
Australian federal election, 1954
Federal elections were held in Australia on 29 May 1954. All 121 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election, no Senate election took place...
and came third with 17.4%. The absence of a Labor candidate for Maranoa at the 1955 election
Australian federal election, 1955
Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1955. All 122 seats in the House of Representatives, and 30 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia Robert Menzies with coalition partner the Country Party...
gave him 43.7% of the vote, finishing with 48.9% of the two-candidate preferred vote. He later contested the Queensland state seat of Condamine
Electoral district of Condamine
The district of Condamine is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland.Condamine takes in areas to the north-west, west and south of Toowoomba. It includes the towns of Dalby, Oakey, Pittsworth and Clifton. The district is named for the Condamine River...
in 1972.
Russell's wealth and prominent connexions allowed him to continue to campaign for his beliefs. He continued to challenge both the Country Party and the Menzies Government
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
, losing a High Court
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
appeal against the validity of the federal wool tax in 1965 but successfully invalidating the Queensland government's stock levy in 1977.
Russell's views placed him on the extreme right of the political spectrum
Political spectrum
A political spectrum is a way of modeling different political positions by placing them upon one or more geometric axes symbolizing independent political dimensions....
. He was devoted to anti-socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, and was associated with several far-right figures including Cilento, George Griffiths and economist Colin Clark
Colin Clark
Colin Grant Clark was a British and Australian economist and statistician who worked in both the United Kingdom and Australia. He pioneered the use of the gross national product as the basis for studying national economies.-Biography:Colin Clark was born in London in 1905 and was educated at the...
. Russell and Cilento formed the short-lived Australian Democratic Party during the 1950s, and in the 1960s he was a leader in the Basic Industries Group and held membership of the Federal Inland Development Organisation. Although he had links with the Australian League of Rights
Australian League of Rights
The Australian League of Rights is a long-lived far right and anti-semitic political organisation in Australia founded by Eric Butler with its basis in the economic theory of Social Credit expounded by C. H. Douglas. It describes itself as upholding the virtues of freedom...
, he did not join the League as he was opposed to its espousal of Social Credit
Social Credit
Social Credit is an economic philosophy developed by C. H. Douglas , a British engineer, who wrote a book by that name in 1924. Social Credit is described by Douglas as "the policy of a philosophy"; he called his philosophy "practical Christianity"...
theories. He joined the Workers Party
Progress Party (Australia)
The Progress Party was a minor Australian political party in the mid-to-late 1970s. Initially known as the Workers' Party, it was formed on Australia Day 1975 as a free market libertarian and anti-socialist party by businessmen John Singleton and Sinclair Hill, in reaction to the economic policies...
(later the Progress Party) in the 1970s.
Russell and his wife Hilary co-wrote a book on their property in 1955, Jimbour: Its History and Development; Jimbour House was classified by the National Trust of Queensland and became a popular entertainment venue. Russell published his autobiography, Country Crisis, in 1976.
Russell died at Dalby
Dalby, Queensland
Dalby is a town in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, and is located approximately west of the state capital, Brisbane, at the junction of the Warrego, Moonie and Bunya Highways. Dalby is the administrative centre of the Western Downs Region and the centre of Australia's richest...
Hospital of a cerebral haemorrhage on 20 October 1977, a day after he collapsed while speaking at a meeting of the Maranoa branch of the Progress Party. He was survived by his wife, their daughter and their four sons. He was cremated.