New Guard

New Guard
Leader	Eric Campbell
Foundation	16 March 1931; 93 years ago (16 March 1931)
Dates of operation	c. 1931–1935
Dissolved	1935; 89 years ago (1935)
Split from	Old Guard
Country	Australia
Headquarters	Sydney, New South Wales
Active regions	New South Wales
Ideology	Fascism[1]  • Militarism  • Monarchism[1]  • Anti-socialism[1]  • Anti-communism[1]  • Christian fascism  • Fascist corporatism[1]  • Australian nationalism
Political position	Far-right
Size	c. 50,000 (1931)
Opponents	New South Wales Labor Lang Labor
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Far-right politics in Australia
Active organisations Australia First Australian League of Rights Australia One Australian Protectionists Lads Society National Socialist Network Reclaim Australia Soldiers of Odin True Blue Crew United Patriots Front
Defunct organisations Antipodean Resistance Australia First Movement Australian Defence League Australians Against Further Immigration Australian National Socialist Centre Party Confederate Action Party Conservative National Party National Action National Socialist Nationalist Alternative New Guard Q Society of Australia Rise Up Australia Yellow Vest Australia
People Anning Browne E. Campbell G. Campbell Cottrell Erikson de Groot Kent Hughes Nalliah Nile Saleam van Tongeren Yemini
Literature The New Road The Rallying Point: My Story of the New Guard
Related topics Antisemitism Anti-Chinese sentiment Far-right terrorism in Australia (Christchurch mosque shootings) Fascism in Australia Islamophobia in Australia Neo-fascism Politics of Australia Ultranationalism White Australia policy White nationalism White supremacy
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The New Guard was an Australian fascist paramilitary organisation during the Great Depression.^[2][3] It was the largest and most successful fascist organisation in Australian history.^[2]

The New Guard, known for its violent agitation against NSW Premier Jack Lang, was founded and led by Eric Campbell. At its peak, membership was estimated to be around 50,000. The group's membership was predominantly made up of Anglo-Protestant, monarchist and anti-communist elements.^[2]

The organisation attracted great publicity when member Captain Francis de Groot, on horseback and at Campbell's direction, upstaged Lang in cutting the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in protest at the latter's anti-monarchist ideology.

After Lang's dismissal in 1932, the New Guard's membership declined rapidly. Campbell met with fascists and National Socialists such as Sir Oswald Mosley and Joachim von Ribbentrop and, in 1934, published his manifesto The New Road, signalling an ideological transition towards Italian corporate statism. As the Centre Party, it unsuccessfully contested five seats at the 1935 New South Wales state election. The party failed to win a single seat, polling 0.60 per cent of the vote. Following the election, Campbell withdrew from public life. Both the party and the New Guard disbanded shortly afterwards.