Conservative Leadership Foundation

The Conservative Leadership Foundation (CLF) is a group founded in 2009 by conservative Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi.

Astroturfing
In October 2011 it was reported that the CLF had "set up at least six websites, including the Conservative Action Network under the name CANdo.org.au and stopgillardscarbontax.com. While membership is free, the sites do ask for donations. In most cases, it is only when attempting to pay that subscribers can discover who the backer is. The websites do not declare that the South Australian senator is behind them, and the majority do not reveal that the money raised goes to either the Conservative Leadership Foundation or its think tank Menzies House, which was co-founded by Bernardi."

Debra Gough reported that while the Conservative Leadership Foundation "openly claims ownership of the Conservative Action Network and its website, www.CANdo.org.au, on its own website, web visitors who find CANdo independently are only told who the backer is when they attempt to make a donation through PayPal." She also reported that the foundation's national director, Geoffrey Greene stated that Menzies House was "part of us".

Aims and activities
On its website the CLF states that it "believes that the principles of limited government, personal responsibility, free enterprise and traditional values are vital to our future security, stability and prosperity. Our training and leadership programs aim to increase the number of conservative activists supporting these principles and their effectiveness in engaging with the public policy process."

The group states that it "recruits, educates, trains and supports volunteer activists to fight for our core principles and take leadership roles in business, the media, academia, political and community organisations. Through a range of specialist courses, networking events and grassroots campaigns, the CLF equips conservatives with the skills required to develop and communicate their ideas in an efficient, effective and successful manner. The mission of the CLF is two-fold: to develop leaders and to support action."

International links
On its website the CLF states that it has "connections with several overseas training organisations that share our mission and our goals" and that this "allows us to send promising young conservative activists to our affiliate training schools and leadership courses in the US and the UK."

Groups that it lists on its website, as of January 2012, as having links with are:
 * Young Britons' Foundation
 * The Leadership Institute
 * Young America's Foundation
 * Competitive Enterprise Institute
 * Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute
 * Network of Enlightened Women

Personnel
The CLF lists key people involved in the group as
 * Cory Bernardi, Founder and Chairman – Conservative Leadership Foundation
 * Geoffrey Greene, National Director – Conservative Leadership Foundation
 * Dani Keys, National Co-ordinator – Campus Action Plan

Advisory board

 * Sophie York
 * Jai Martinkovits
 * Paul Russell
 * Damian Wyld

Contact details
Bert Kelly Research Centre 77 Fullarton Road Kent Town, SA 5067

PO Box 202, Walkerville, South Australia, 5081

Phone: 1300 847 908 (int +61 8 8378 2986) Fax: 1300 847 918 (int +61 8120 0727) Email: admin AT conservative.org.au Website: http://www.conservative.org.au/

Related SourceWatch articles

 * CANdo
 * Global warming skeptics

External articles

 * Tom Arup, "Call to turn on the lights", The Age, March 25, 2010.
 * Deborah Gough, "Bernardi busy behind 'grassroots' anti-carbon tax movement", The Age, October 16, 2011.