Independent National (Australia)
Independent National (formerly Independent Country) is a description used in Australian politics, often to designate a politician who is an National Party of Australia member but not endorsed by the party at elections or if sitting in a parliament, not a member of the National party room caucus. The National Party began as the Australian Country Party in 1920 at a federal level, before being renamed to the National Country Party in 1975, and later adopting its current name in 1982. History Frederick Warner was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly as an Independent Country candidate in 1933, defeating sitting Country MP John Lindsay. He later sought (and received) Country Party endorsement for the 1936 election, and was re-elected with an increased majority. Other Independent Country MPs in Western Australia included Lionel Kelly and Ray Owen, both elected at separate by-elections. The first federal Independent Country MP was Alexander Wilson, a member of the Victorian state branch of the Country Party who was first elected in 1937. He was opposed to the Coalition with the United Australia Party, and later played a key role in the downfall of the Fadden government in 1941. Tony Crook, a member of the