{{Short description|Australian political movement}} {{use dmy dates|date=February 2026}} {{use Australian English|date=February 2026}} {{Distinguish|End Mass Immigration – Reform AU}} '''Reform Australia''' is an Australian right-wing populist movement that was founded in December 2025 by Walter Villatora. It is not affiliated with Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, and not currently a registered political party.
==Background and description== Walter Villatora was formerly Liberal Party campaign director for Mike Baird and Tony Abbott,<ref name=fitz2025/> and president of the Warringah federal electorate conference<ref name=grattan>{{cite |last=Grattan |first=Michelle |title=Abbott scores big win on party reform as Coalition continues to trail in Newspoll |publisher=The Conversation |date=23 July 2017 |doi=10.64628/aa.7fmedncey |page=}}</ref> (a branch in Sydney).<ref name=fitz2025/> In 2016 he was endorsed by Baird and Abbott to replace Bronwyn Bishop in the 2017 Manly state by-election, but was not selected.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-16/abbott-baird-write-references-for-bronwyn-bishop-rival/7170494 |title=Tony Abbott, Mike Baird write references for Bronwyn Bishop Liberal preselection rival |author=McDonald, Peta |work=ABC News |location=Australia |date=16 February 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Raper |first=Ashleigh |title=Manly pre-selection: Tony Abbott and Mike Baird face off over favourites |website=ABC News |date=13 March 2017 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-13/manly-pre-selection-tony-abbott-and-mike-baird-face-off/8348326 |access-date=8 February 2026}}</ref>
Villatora left the Liberal Party after declaring that that it was "finished". In December 2025 he announced in an interview with Peter FitzSimons of ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' that he had formed a new political movement called Reform Australia.<ref name=":1" />
Villatora was also formerly co-owner of the company behind Turning Point Australia (TPAUS), Ark Harbour, with Joel Jammal, but split as TPAUS wanted to remain an independent lobby group and not affiliated with any political party.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Turning Point Australia Stands Firm: Independence Confirmed After Shareholder Exit |website= Turning Point Australia |date=2 December 2025 |url=https://tpaust.com.au/news/turning-point-australia-stands-firm-independence-confirmed-after-shareholder-exit/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251211015118/https://tpaust.com.au/news/turning-point-australia-stands-firm-independence-confirmed-after-shareholder-exit/ |archive-date=11 December 2025 |url-status=unfit |access-date=9 February 2026}}</ref><ref name=bogle>{{cite web |last1=Bogle |first1=Ariel |last2=Canales |first2=Sarah Basford |title=Reform Australia: who is behind the new rightwing group recruiting at an anti-immigration rally? |website=The Guardian |date=3 December 2025 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/03/reform-australia-rightwing-group-walter-villatora-former-liberal-party |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251206212515/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/03/reform-australia-rightwing-group-walter-villatora-former-liberal-party |archive-date=6 December 2025 |url-status=live |access-date=7 February 2026}}</ref><ref name="pod">{{cite web| first1= Nour | last1= Haydar| first2= Ariel | last2= Bogle | first3= Sarah | last3= Basford Canales |title=Who is behind Australia's new rightwing political group? |via=Podscan.fm |publisher = The Guardian| series= Full Story| format = podcast + transcript |date=8 December 2025 |url=https://podscan.fm/podcasts/full-story/episodes/who-is-behind-australias-new-rightwing-political-group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260208062732/https://podscan.fm/podcasts/full-story/episodes/who-is-behind-australias-new-rightwing-political-group |archive-date=8 February 2026 |url-status=live |access-date=8 February 2026}}</ref> Ex-Liberal candidate for the 2025 federal election, Ben Britton, who was dumped after expressing controversial views on Jammal's podcast, including that women should not serve in combat roles in the Australian Defence Force,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Courty |first=Audrey |date=2025-04-06 |title=Liberals dump NSW candidate who said women should not serve in ADF combat |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-06/nsw-candidate-who-said-women-should-not-serve-in-combat-dumped/105144086 |access-date=2026-02-13 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref> has been featured on Reform Australia's Facebook ads.<ref name=bogle/>
Reform Australia has no affiliation with Nigel Farage's Reform UK party;<ref name=fitz2025>{{cite interview|interviewer-last=FitzSimons |interviewer-first=Peter |first = Walter |last=Villatora |title=Who is Walter Villatora? Ex-Liberal Party powerbroker says 'the party is over', starts his own: Reform Australia |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=13 December 2025 |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/ex-liberal-party-powerbroker-says-the-party-is-over-20251211-p5nms7.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251217123939/https://www.smh.com.au/national/ex-liberal-party-powerbroker-says-the-party-is-over-20251211-p5nms7.html |archive-date=17 December 2025 |url-status=live |access-date=8 February 2026}}</ref> however, it appears to be modelled on Farage's style of British right-wing populism,<ref name="jcrc2">{{cite web |last=Dyrenfurth |first=Nick |date=21 January 2026 |title=A World of Pain as Shifting Tectonic Plates Reshape Our Politics |url=https://curtinrc.org/a-world-of-pain-as-shifting-tectonic-plates-reshape-our-politics/ |access-date=8 February 2026 |website=John Curtin Research Centre}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> and on its own website mentions Farage as an example to emulate.<ref name=reformhome/>
== Activity and views == {{as of|February 2026}} Reform Australia is not registered as a political party.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Australian Electoral Commission |date=30 January 2026 |title=Register of political parties |url=https://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/party_registration/Registered_parties/ |access-date=13 February 2026 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20260211040950/https://www.aec.gov.au/parties_and_representatives/party_registration/Registered_parties/| archive-date = 11 Feb 2026| url-status=live}}</ref> Despite this, at an anti-immigration rally in Sydney in late November 2025, the group handed out pamphlets about Reform Australia.<ref name="pod2">{{cite web|first1=Nour|last1=Haydar|first2=Ariel|last2=Bogle|first3=Sarah|last3=Basford Canales|title=Who is behind Australia's new rightwing political group?|via=Podscan.fm|publisher=The Guardian|series=Full Story|format=podcast + transcript|date=8 December 2025|url=https://podscan.fm/podcasts/full-story/episodes/who-is-behind-australias-new-rightwing-political-group|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260208062732/https://podscan.fm/podcasts/full-story/episodes/who-is-behind-australias-new-rightwing-political-group|archive-date=8 February 2026|url-status=live|access-date=8 February 2026}}</ref> The group has expressed support for the March for Australia movement, and featured videos made by TPAUS.<ref name="bogle2">{{cite web |last1=Bogle |first1=Ariel |last2=Canales |first2=Sarah Basford |date=3 December 2025 |title=Reform Australia: who is behind the new rightwing group recruiting at an anti-immigration rally? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/03/reform-australia-rightwing-group-walter-villatora-former-liberal-party |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251206212515/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/03/reform-australia-rightwing-group-walter-villatora-former-liberal-party |archive-date=6 December 2025 |access-date=7 February 2026 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>
Reform Australia presents itself as a traditional, "back to basics" movement, with promises of reforms to taxation, cost of living and continuing support for existing public services. It also presents an emphasis on freedom, equality, and border protection.<ref name=reformhome>{{Cite web|title=Reform Australia - New Political Party for Australian Democracy & Reform |url=https://reformaustralia.com.au/ |access-date=2026-02-13 |website=Reform Australia |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{official|https://reformaustralia.com.au/}}
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Category:Conservatism in Australia Category:2025 establishments in Australia Category:Right-wing populism in Oceania Category:Lobbying organisations in Australia Category:Political movements in Australia