Re-election in 1962
Palley joined Garfield Todd's "New Africa Party" in 1961, although he did not remain a member for long. His support for increasing African involvement in government attracted widescale opposition among the white electorate. Accordingly in the 1962 general election Palley fought the Highfield Electoral District to the south-west of Salisbury. Despite a widespread boycott of the election, he defeated three other candidates to retain his seat and become the only Independent candidate returned.
The election devastated the UFP which splintered, and Palley became the most effective voice speaking out against the governments of Winston Field and Ian Smith when they demanded independence on the basis of the 1962 constitution. Palley's district included some African townships and the government's crackdown on the nationalist groups in 1964 led to an outbreak of violence there and the declaration of a state of emergency. Palley disagreed with the suggestion of detaining troublemakers in camps; he agreed that the excess residents living in the overcrowded townships should be moved, but urged that they be provided with areas fit to live in. He said of the Rhodesian Front government that they had "certain philosophies for community development, but they have in fact no plans at all."
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