Trumpet of Patriots facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Trumpet of Patriots
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|---|---|
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| Abbreviation |
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| Chairperson | Clive Palmer |
| Leader | Suellen Wrightson |
| President | Vacant |
| Vice President | Nick Duffield |
| Founder | CA/AFP:
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| Founded | CA/AFP: Mid-2004 ToP: 23 August 2021 |
| Registered | CA/AFP:
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| Preceded by | Australian Federation Party United Australia Party |
| Membership (2022) |  2,650 |
| Ideology |
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| Political position | Right-wing to far-right |
| Colours | Yellow |
| Slogan | Honor Omnia (Latin mistranslation of "Honour Above All") |
| House of Representatives |
0 / 150
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| Senate |
0 / 76
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Trumpet of Patriots (TOP) is a right-wing populist political party in Australia. It is officially registered with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). It is also registered in New South Wales for local elections and in the Northern Territory for parliamentary elections.
The party started as the Country Alliance in 2004. It later changed its name to the Australian Country Party (ACP) in 2015. In 2020, it became the Australian Federation Party (AFP). Trumpet of Patriots was formed in 2021. It joined with the Federation Party in 2024 to become officially registered.
In February 2025, the well-known businessman Clive Palmer became the chairman of Trumpet of Patriots. He had previously led the United Australia Party (UAP). He took over TOP after his previous party could not register for the 2025 federal election. Suellen Wrightson became the party's leader.
Contents
The Story of Trumpet of Patriots
Country Alliance: The Early Years (2004−2015)
The Country Alliance began in mid-2004. Four people from rural Victoria started it. They were Fiona Hilton-Wood, Russell Bate, Russell Pearson, and Bob Richardson. The party aimed to represent people in country areas.
In the 2006 Victorian state election, the party ran candidates in three rural areas. They received over 13,000 votes. In the 2010 Victorian state election, they had 37 candidates. They ran in both upper and lower house seats.
The party registered with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) in 2011. This allowed them to run in federal elections. They took part in the 2013 Australian federal election. They ran candidates in Victoria and for the Senate in three states.
In 2014, the Victorian branch of Katter's Australian Party joined Country Alliance. The combined party was called the Australian Country Alliance (ACA). They ran in the 2014 Victorian state election.
Australian Country Party: A New Name (2015−2020)
In 2015, the party decided to change its name again. It became the Australian Country Party (ACP). This name change was approved by the Victorian Electoral Commission in August 2015. The AEC approved it for federal elections in October 2015.
Australian Federation Party: Growing Across States (2020−2024)
In January 2020, the party changed its name to the Australian Federation Party (AFP). Another small party in Tasmania also changed its name to Federation Party Tasmania.
The party tried to expand to other areas. They applied to register in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in June 2020. They ran in the 2020 Australian Capital Territory election that October. They also applied to register in New South Wales for local elections.
In the 2022 Australian federal election, the Federation Party ran candidates. They received a small percentage of votes across the country.
Trumpet of Patriots: The Latest Chapter
Trumpet of Patriots (TOP) was started on August 23, 2021. Nick Duffield, a consultant from South Australia, founded it. He was the first president. The party tried to register with the AEC in December 2021. However, the process was paused due to the 2022 federal election.
Because TOP was not registered, many of its planned candidates ran for the Federation Party instead. After the election, the AEC did not approve TOP's registration. This was because it did not have enough members (1,500 were needed).
On August 26, 2024, the Federation Party applied to change its name to "Trumpet of Patriots." This was part of a plan to merge the two parties. The name change was approved by the AEC on December 3, 2024. The name "Trumpet of Patriots" is a nod to Donald Trump.
Clive Palmer's Leadership
On February 19, 2025, Clive Palmer announced he had joined Trumpet of Patriots. He became the party's Chairman. This happened after his previous party, the United Australia Party (UAP), could not register for the 2025 federal election. Suellen Wrightson, who was a candidate for the UAP, became TOP's leader. She was also announced as the party's "prime ministerial candidate."
Past Elected Representatives
Some people have been elected to local councils under the names Country Alliance, Australian Country Party, or Australian Federation Party. These include:
- Glamorgan–Spring Bay Council
- Cheryl Arnol (2013)
- Mansfield Shire Council
- Russell Bate (2012−2016)
- Moyne Shire Council
- Jim Doukas (2015−2018)
- Greater Bendigo City Council
- Elise Chapman (2014)
- Greater Geelong City Council
- Jock Irvine (2014)
- Alice Springs Town Council
- Marli Banks (2019−2020)
- Eli Melky (2019−2020)
- Catherine Satour (2019−2020)
