Heston russell launches australian values party

The Brisbane veteran who successfully fought for the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide is so frustrated with the political system he has launched his own party, the Australian Values Party (AVP), to contest this year’s Federal election.

More than 3000 people have already joined the party with more than 300 interested in being a candidate.

Retired Special Forces Major Heston Russell, who established the Veteran Support Force (VSF) charity to help with veteran health, said the time he spent campaigning for the Royal Commission and other key veteran issues showed him Canberra doesn’t work.

Mr Russell said Australians no longer trust politicians and are demanding authentic leadership.

"I am a professionally trained military leader who supported strategic planning in the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region. I know what leadership requires and I believe the only way to help bring back authentic leadership and accountability is to form our own party and show the Australian people what should be expected," he said.

"I’ve never been interested in running for politics, but I’ve fought for our country, fought for our freedoms, and while fighting for the Royal Commission I witnessed how dysfunctional the political system is and how it doesn’t work. It’s time for me to serve again.

He said AVP will be non-partisan, represent everyday Australians, and focus on making change at the Federal level.

"We have people who understand leadership and have real lived experiences such as veterans, emergency service personnel, medical professionals, and small business owners wanting to be candidates."

AVP’s mission is to protect and progress Australia and our way of life, promote a government with a sense of responsibility and accountability to the Australian people, to protect the Australian values, and promote the welfare of the Australian people.

"There is a leadership crisis in our country, which is greater than any pandemic we’ve been facing. This is impacting the physical, mental, and emotional health of far too many Australians.

"The current major political parties are filled with factions and individuals, who are often competing against each other and come together just for election periods.

"People are frustrated by losing their freedoms, freedoms that many of our veterans have fought and died for. Our candidates are keen to demonstrate true and authentic leadership and work together as a team to fix these problems," Mr Russell said.

Mr Russell is yet to announce where he will be running as a candidate. Anyone interested in becoming a member or candidate for AVP, can register their interest https://australianvalues.org.au/.

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