ABC News (AU)
· collected 2026-10-09 · by Ruby Jones, Michael Workman, and Matt Martino
In short:
An ABC NEWS Verify investigation has found the English-Speaking Union's Victoria branch provided a $2,000 grant to white nationalist publication The National Observer.
asserted
branch → find → Observer
The charity also has ties to a far-right white nationalist organisation, the British Australian Community.
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charity → have → organisation
The Australian English-Speaking Union has launched an investigation into the Victorian branch following questions from ABC NEWS Verify.
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Union → launch → Verify
A national charity has launched an internal investigation into its Victorian branch after ABC NEWS Verify uncovered funding for far-right, white nationalist organisations.
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Verify → launch → organisations
The investigation began after the ABC alerted the Australian English-Speaking Union to a $2,000 grant ESU Victoria made to a white nationalist online publication called The National Observer (TNO).
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Victoria → begin → publication
In a recent anonymous article titled "Australian Remigration — What it would look like, and how it could be achieved tomorrow", TNO called for the "accelerated removal of non-citizens" and for incentivising the permanent "departure" of some Australians who hold dual citizenship.
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who → title → citizenship
Another recent TNO article was titled "Are White Australians being replaced?
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Australians → title → ?
The media says it's a conspiracy theory, the data says otherwise".
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data → say → ?
The National Observer also has its own weekly podcast hosted by the organisation's founder, who goes by the name "John Lawson".
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who → have → name
In November 2025, TNO published an interview by Lawson with Eric Orwall, founder of US "whites only" enclave Return to the Land, about how their ideas could be used in Australia.
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ideas → publish → Australia
Australian white nationalists have also appeared as guests on the podcast and aired racist and antisemitic views during their interviews.
Building a 'young elite'
Representatives of far-right European political parties have starred as guests on The National Observer's podcast, sharing lessons on pro-nationalist politicking.
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Representatives → appear → politicking
During an episode with a campaigner for German political party Alternative for Germany, or AfD, one of the Australian hosts confessed that the purpose of The National Observer was to "try and build a young elite who have these right-wing ideas", a movement they said they hope could replicate the AfD's electoral success.
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they → confess → success
In a statement to ABC NEWS Verify, ESU Victoria defended awarding the grant to TNO.
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Victoria → defend → TNO
"The National Observer's application relied on its provision of independent podcasts promoting Australian culture, heritage and language.
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application → rely → culture
That application sought funding for the purchase of media equipment (lapel microphones) and website development.
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application → seek → equipment
"While the content of the National Observer's podcasts are that organization's [sic] responsibility, we support the common law freedoms available to all Australians, including freedom of expression," the statement read.
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statement → support → expression
ESU Victoria's defence appears to be out of step with the national charity parent body, ESU Australia, which told ABC NEWS Verify it took the matter seriously and had launched an internal investigation.
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it → appear → investigation
We do not engage in political advocacy, nor do we support donations to political organisations or to any organisation that does not uphold the ESU's purpose and mission," a spokesperson told ABC NEWS Verify.
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spokesperson → engage → Verify
The global English-Speaking Union exists across 50 countries and was founded more than 100 years ago by British journalist Sir Evelyn Wrench, who, according to the organisation, "envisioned a world where shared language could bridge cultural divides and foster peace".
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language → exist → peace
The Victorian branch's activities, many of which are aimed at young people, include rhyming poetry competitions and supporting schoolchildren to practice public speaking.
It has significant sums of money at its disposal: according to financial documents, ESU Victoria has more than $16 million in cash and assets.
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Victoria → aim → cash
The ABC does not suggest that all ESU Victoria members share or support white nationalist views.
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members → suggest → views
Ties to political organisation calling for race-based deportations
ABC NEWS Verify can reveal ESU Victoria also has ties to a far-right political interest group called the British Australian Community (BAC).
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Victoria → call → group
The BAC says it exists to "promote and defend the interests of Anglo-Celtic Australians".
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it → say → Australians
The group has engaged in white nationalist rhetoric, including advocating for remigration, which is the deportation of those of non-European heritage.
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which → engage → heritage
In a post on X in 2024, the BAC referenced Australian Anglo-Celtics being "under siege" by the "threat" of "mass indiscriminate immigration".
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Celtics → reference → immigration
In a 2024 press release, the group referred to itself as "immigration patriots" and called on then-opposition leader Peter Dutton to "initiate the orderly remigration of recent arrivals wishing to return to their homelands".
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group → refer → homelands
It then explicitly called for the creation of a race-based immigration system, asking for the adoption of "immigration policies designed to cap and reduce ethnic diversity in Australia".
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It → call → Australia
It also wanted a government department created to deport people.
"
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department → want → people
The British Australian Community recommends establishing a Department of Emigration responsible for managing the diplomatic and logistical dimensions of mass negative migration," the release said.
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release → recommend → migration
Company documents reveal the BAC and ESU Victoria share a building in Ascot Vale in Melbourne's inner North-West.
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BAC → reveal → West
According to post in a BAC group on social media, since 2016, all BAC members are automatically associate members of the ESU in Victoria.
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members → accord → Victoria
When asked about this, ESU Victoria said the BAC was historically a corporate member of ESU Victoria, but that as of 2016 all its corporate membership and associated benefits had ceased to operate.
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membership → ask → 2016
In the past, ESU Victoria has provided funding for a BAC campaign opposing the renaming of places and monuments to recognise Indigenous heritage.
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Victoria → provide → heritage
It also sponsored an annual BAC event called "Britfest".
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It → sponsor → event
ESU Victoria told the ABC it has no current financial relationship with the BAC.
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it → tell → BAC
ESU Victoria Branch has no comment to make about the BAC's website content or media statements other than to reiterate our support for common law freedoms, including freedom of expression," the ESU Victoria statement said.
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statement → have → expression
Company records show that the current secretary of the BAC is Frank Salter.
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secretary → show → BAC
Dr Salter co-founded an organisation in the 1970s called the Australian National Alliance (ANA).
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- → co → 1970s
Reports at the time described it as an anti-immigration group with a focus on recruiting young people.
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Reports → describe → people
Dr Salter later moved into academia and has written extensively on ethnicity, genetics, and "mass immigration".
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Salter → move → ethnicity
…and 15 more, not listed.
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