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HEART Party
Health, Environment, Accountability, Rights, Transparency (HEART) is a minor Australian political party registered federally and in New South Wales. The party supports alternative medicine, COVID-19 scepticism, climate change scepticism, and opposes mandatory vaccination and water fluoridation. The party's rhetoric has often been described as unscientific by authorities, who have stated the party spreads misinformation.
The party was founded as the Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) Party, before later renaming to the Informed Medical Options Party (IMOP). The party's leader is Michael O'Neill, husband of barred alternative medicine promoter Barbara O'Neill. Rebecca McCredie is its deputy registered officer.
In August 2023, IMOP attempted to merge with the Health Australia Party (HAP) to become HEART, with HAP subsequently backing out from the merger and later dissolving. HEART was previously registered in Queensland, but voluntarily deregistered on 9 February 2024. The party was also previously deregistered at the federal level between August 2024 and February 2025, as it failed to demonstrate required minimum membership at the time, however this decision was overturned by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) upon review and the HEART Party was subsequently reinstated on the Register of Political Parties.
The Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) Party was first registered at the federal level by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) on 26 October 2016. Its registered officer was Gary Martin at the time of registration.
Between 2019 and 2020, the Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) Party applied to rename itself to the Informed Medical Options Party at the federal level.
The party is regularly described as "anti-vax", including by former federal health minister Greg Hunt, which its founder has described as "insulting". National peak medical organisation, the Australian Medical Association, also describes the party as spreading health misinformation and that the group's positions "lack the backing of scientific evidence". [better source needed]
In March 2020, Tom Barnett, a party candidate in the 2019 federal election, created a video discussing coronavirus. In it, he stated: "You can’t catch a virus; it's impossible" and "the only way that you can catch a virus is by having it injected into your bloodstream". The video was removed from Facebook and YouTube, with the companies stating that the video was in breach of their policies.
On 4 December 2019, the Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) Party applied to the AEC to be renamed to the "Informed Medical Options Party". The AEC received 27 written objections to the proposed name change, including from then-federal health minister, Greg Hunt. Most objections centred around the use of the term "Medical" and concerns that it would infer the party was based on medical evidence/science, and the chance of being confused with the Australian Medical Association. The AEC rejected the objections on the basis that the term did not meet the legislative criteria required to refuse the application.
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HEART Party
Health, Environment, Accountability, Rights, Transparency (HEART) is a minor Australian political party registered federally and in New South Wales. The party supports alternative medicine, COVID-19 scepticism, climate change scepticism, and opposes mandatory vaccination and water fluoridation. The party's rhetoric has often been described as unscientific by authorities, who have stated the party spreads misinformation.
The party was founded as the Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) Party, before later renaming to the Informed Medical Options Party (IMOP). The party's leader is Michael O'Neill, husband of barred alternative medicine promoter Barbara O'Neill. Rebecca McCredie is its deputy registered officer.
In August 2023, IMOP attempted to merge with the Health Australia Party (HAP) to become HEART, with HAP subsequently backing out from the merger and later dissolving. HEART was previously registered in Queensland, but voluntarily deregistered on 9 February 2024. The party was also previously deregistered at the federal level between August 2024 and February 2025, as it failed to demonstrate required minimum membership at the time, however this decision was overturned by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) upon review and the HEART Party was subsequently reinstated on the Register of Political Parties.
The Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) Party was first registered at the federal level by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) on 26 October 2016. Its registered officer was Gary Martin at the time of registration.
Between 2019 and 2020, the Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) Party applied to rename itself to the Informed Medical Options Party at the federal level.
The party is regularly described as "anti-vax", including by former federal health minister Greg Hunt, which its founder has described as "insulting". National peak medical organisation, the Australian Medical Association, also describes the party as spreading health misinformation and that the group's positions "lack the backing of scientific evidence". [better source needed]
In March 2020, Tom Barnett, a party candidate in the 2019 federal election, created a video discussing coronavirus. In it, he stated: "You can’t catch a virus; it's impossible" and "the only way that you can catch a virus is by having it injected into your bloodstream". The video was removed from Facebook and YouTube, with the companies stating that the video was in breach of their policies.
On 4 December 2019, the Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) Party applied to the AEC to be renamed to the "Informed Medical Options Party". The AEC received 27 written objections to the proposed name change, including from then-federal health minister, Greg Hunt. Most objections centred around the use of the term "Medical" and concerns that it would infer the party was based on medical evidence/science, and the chance of being confused with the Australian Medical Association. The AEC rejected the objections on the basis that the term did not meet the legislative criteria required to refuse the application.