Jim Saleam | |
---|---|
Chairman of the Australia First Party | |
Assumed office 18 July 2010 | |
Deputy Chairman | Peter Schuback |
Preceded by | Office established; Diane Teasdale (as President of the Federal Australia First Party) |
General Secretary of the Australia First Party | |
In office 19 December 2002 – August 2007 | |
President | Diane Teasdale |
Preceded by | No immediate predecessor |
Succeeded by | No immediate successor |
Leader of the National Action Party | |
In office 25 April 1982 – 11 June 1997 | |
Deputy | Ross May |
Preceded by | Party established |
Succeeded by | Michael Brander |
Deputy Leader of the National Socialist Party of Australia | |
In office c. 1972 – 1975 Served with Ross May | |
Leader | Ted Cawthron |
Preceded by | Frank Molnar |
Succeeded by | Party dissolved |
Personal details | |
Born | James Saleam 18 September 1955 Maryborough, Queensland, Australia |
Political party | Australia First (2002–07; 2010–present) |
Other political affiliations | See list
|
Spouse |
Jane Mengler
(m. 1987; div. 1994) |
Children | 2 |
Residence(s) | Tempe, New South Wales, Australia |
Alma mater | University of Sydney (PhD) |
Occupation |
|
Known for | Far-right activism, founding National Action and Australia First Party[2] |
Criminal charge | Insurance fraud and property offences (1984)[3] Accessory before the fact (1991)[3] |
Academic background | |
Thesis | The Other Radicalism Inquiry Into Contemporary Australian, Extreme Right Ideology, Politics And Organisation 1975-1995 (1999) |
Part of a series on |
Far-right politics in Australia |
---|
James Saleam (/ˈseɪləm/; born 18 September 1955) is an Australian political scientist, academic, political activist, and author noted for his involvement in Australian nationalism, anti-globalism, and the anti-immigration movement.[4][5][6][7] He is currently the chairman of the Australia First Party.[8][9] He came to prominence after founding National Action, a militant nationalist organization active in Sydney during the 1980s.[5][10]
The son of Lebanese immigrants to Australia,[11] Saleam attended Maryborough State High School, where he developed his interest in politics and nationalism.[12] By 1970, he joined the National Socialist Party of Australia and two years later he was arrested for the fire-bombing of a Maoist bookshop.[13] During the 70s, Saleam joined and founded minor nationalist organisations, and in 1982 he founded National Action.
Following the foundation of National Action, Saleam quickly gained national notoriety in the Australian nationalist scene.[5] The organization advocated for a nationalist agenda and frequently engaged in tactics like direct action.[5][14] National Action's activities often led to clashes with opposing groups and law enforcement. In 1989, while a member of said organization, Saleam was arrested for his involvement in orchestrating a shotgun attack on the home of an African National Congress representative in Australia.[15]
Despite these setbacks, he continued to promote his nationalist ideology. In the late 1990s, after serving time in prison, Saleam obtained both an MA and PhD from the University of Sydney by writing two theses on the far-right in America and Australia.[5] He would join the Australia First Party in 2002, where he worked as the secretary of the Sydney branch. By 2010, he became the chairman of the party.[16] Under his leadership, the party has maintained a staunchly nationalist stance and campaigning on issues of national sovereignty and cultural preservation. Since then, Saleam has been a strong advocate of barring further immigration to preserve a "self-contained, predominantly white nation resistant to further immigration or watering-down of its culture".[17][14]
Crisp01
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).WAP
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).