It campaigned for a reduction in the size of government, a reform of the civil service, a limit on the powers of political parties, and an end to the governing Labour Party's "socialist" policies.
Although the Movement had a relatively high political profile, it did not achieve any notable successes.
In April 1940, the Movement was joined by Albert Davy, an astute political organiser who had been credited with successful campaigns for the United Party and the Reform Party.
Again, Davy and the People's Movement failed to make much impact.
In the 1943 elections, the remnants of the People's Movement (organised by Davy) [1] sponsored 25 candidates under the name of the "Independent Group" or "Independent People's Group" (IPG), but the candidates got only 7,389 votes (0.89%; provisional vote count) and none were elected.