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{{stub}}The '''Conservative Leadership Foundation''' (CLF) is a group founded in 2009 by conservative Liberal Senator [[Cory Bernardi]].<ref name="about">[http://www.conservative.org.au/about-us.html "About the Conservative Leadership Foundation"], Conservative Leadership Foundation website, accessed January 2012.</ref>  ==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|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."<ref name="Gough">Deborah Gough, [http://www.theage.com.au/national/bernardi-busy-behind-grassroots-anticarbon-tax-movement-20111015-1lqj7.html "Bernardi busy behind 'grassroots' anti-carbon tax movement"], ''The Age'', October 16, 2011.</ref> 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".<ref name="Gough"/>

[[Bert Kelly Research Centre ]] <br>