Minto Communist Training School

Located in Minto Heights, NSW, the camp operated under the front of the "Bushlovers' Club".^[3] The camp initially attracted controversy on the tail of the second red scare wave, being described as a "brainwashing" institution by the National President of the RSL^[4] and connected to various industrial agitations.^[5] Over its lifetime, Eric Aarons served as the school principal and was a key figure in its formation and operation.^[6]

Until the 1980s,^[7] part of the site's function was as a school in Marxist thought, economics and their relation to Australian politics.^[6] During this period, and for the remainder of its life, the site also functioned as an assembly grounds where seminars on gay rights, feminism, and Indigenous Australian autonomy were held.^[6][8]

This association with Indigenous land rights movement led the National Party^[9] and the League of Rights^[10] to portray Indigenous Australian sovereignty as a communist conspiracy to establish a Marxist state within Australia.^[11] This, largely discredited,^[12][13] theory was first advanced by a book written by a former member of the CPA,^[14] which saw minor success as a result of this publicity^[15][16] but drew heavy criticism from Jewish groups over its antisemitic publisher^[13][17] and its association with racist, antisemitic organisations.^[18][10]