Liberal National Party
Encyclopedia
The Liberal National Party (LNP) is a political party in Queensland, Australia
. It was formed on 26 July 2008 by the merger
of the Queensland divisions of the Liberal
and National
parties.
and National
parties. A plebiscite of members of each party was then conducted with a large majority of respondents favouring the proposed merger.
The background to the merger was the unusual situation in which the National Party and Liberal Party, while in a long-standing federal electoral alliance as the Coalition, found themselves in frequent competition with one another for federal seats in Queensland. Where in most parts of Australia the Liberal Party was the larger party, concentrated in urban areas, with the Nationals a junior partner operating exclusively in the bush, in Queensland the Nationals had long been the dominant party, hence did not confine themselves to rural areas, and indeed the rural-urban division in Queensland being less pronounced than in other parts of the country.
The agreement in principle and a draft constitution were considered by separate meetings of the parties held over 26–27 July 2008, and the LNP was created on 26 July 2008. The inaugural conference of the LNP was held following the adoption of the constitution.
The LNP is the Queensland division of the Liberal Party of Australia
, and is affiliated with the National Party of Australia
. The LNP is now a ratified branch of the Liberal Party of Australia. Federal Queensland Liberal and National party representatives and senators remained affiliated to their respective parties until after the 2010 Federal Election, with senators retaining their affiliation until the new Senate sat in July 2011. Currently, 16 of the LNP's 21 federal MPs sit with the Liberals, while five--including federal Nationals leader Warren Truss
--sit with the Nationals. In the Senate, two LNP Senators--Barnaby Joyce
(the Nationals Senate leader) and Ron Boswell
--sit with the Nationals while four sit with the Liberals.
After the July 2008 merger, the party had 25 members in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
, the unicameral
house of the Parliament of Queensland
: 17 originally elected as National Party members, 8 originally elected as Liberal Party members. National Party leader Lawrence Springborg
became Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition. Liberal Party leader Mark McArdle
became Deputy Leader of the new party, and Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
The LNP lost the 2009 state election
, with Springborg indicating he would step down as leader of the newly formed party. John-Paul Langbroek
was elected to the party leadership after the election, with Springborg becoming the deputy leader. On 22 March 2011, Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman
announced that he would seek preselection for the Labor-held seat of Ashgrove, and if successful, would challenge for the party leadership. Langbroek and Springborg resigned as leader and deputy leader on the same day, and as Newman was not a member of parliament, Jeff Seeney
was elected as parliamentary leader, undertaking to cede the leadership to de facto leader Newman if he were elected to parliament.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. It was formed on 26 July 2008 by the merger
Liberal-National party merger
A merger of the Liberal and National political parties in Australia, which used to be in a coalition federally between 1996 and 2007 and are currently in a coalition government in Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, has been an on-going debate for decades due to the demise of the...
of the Queensland divisions of the Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
and National
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
parties.
History
On 30 May 2008, an agreement in principle to merge was established between the Queensland divisions of the LiberalLiberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
and National
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
parties. A plebiscite of members of each party was then conducted with a large majority of respondents favouring the proposed merger.
The background to the merger was the unusual situation in which the National Party and Liberal Party, while in a long-standing federal electoral alliance as the Coalition, found themselves in frequent competition with one another for federal seats in Queensland. Where in most parts of Australia the Liberal Party was the larger party, concentrated in urban areas, with the Nationals a junior partner operating exclusively in the bush, in Queensland the Nationals had long been the dominant party, hence did not confine themselves to rural areas, and indeed the rural-urban division in Queensland being less pronounced than in other parts of the country.
The agreement in principle and a draft constitution were considered by separate meetings of the parties held over 26–27 July 2008, and the LNP was created on 26 July 2008. The inaugural conference of the LNP was held following the adoption of the constitution.
The LNP is the Queensland division of the Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
, and is affiliated with the National Party of Australia
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
. The LNP is now a ratified branch of the Liberal Party of Australia. Federal Queensland Liberal and National party representatives and senators remained affiliated to their respective parties until after the 2010 Federal Election, with senators retaining their affiliation until the new Senate sat in July 2011. Currently, 16 of the LNP's 21 federal MPs sit with the Liberals, while five--including federal Nationals leader Warren Truss
Warren Truss
Warren Errol Truss , Australian politician, is the current leader of the National Party of Australia in the Parliament of Australia. He has held the House of Representatives seat of Wide Bay since the 1990 election...
--sit with the Nationals. In the Senate, two LNP Senators--Barnaby Joyce
Barnaby Joyce
Barnaby Thomas Gerald Joyce , Australian politician, has been a National Party member of the Australian Senate representing the state of Queensland since July 2005...
(the Nationals Senate leader) and Ron Boswell
Ron Boswell
Ronald Leslie Doyle "Ron" Boswell , Australian politician, has been a National Party member of the Australian Senate since 5 March 1983, representing Queensland. Since 2008 he has been the Father of the Senate....
--sit with the Nationals while four sit with the Liberals.
After the July 2008 merger, the party had 25 members in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
, the unicameral
Unicameralism
In government, unicameralism is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a unicameral parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house...
house of the Parliament of Queensland
Parliament of Queensland
The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. According to the state's constitution, the Parliament consists of the Queen and the Legislative Assembly. It is the only unicameral state parliament in the country, the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, having been...
: 17 originally elected as National Party members, 8 originally elected as Liberal Party members. National Party leader Lawrence Springborg
Lawrence Springborg
Lawrence James Springborg is an Australian politician and became Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Queensland since 2 April 2009. He was deputy leader of the new Liberal National Party...
became Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition. Liberal Party leader Mark McArdle
Mark McArdle
Mark Francis McArdle is an Australian politician and the Shadow Minister for Health. He has been a Liberal Party of Australia member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2004, representing the electorate of Caloundra....
became Deputy Leader of the new party, and Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
The LNP lost the 2009 state election
Queensland state election, 2009
The Queensland state election was held to elect members to the unicameral Parliament of Queensland on 21 March 2009. The election saw the incumbent Labor government led by Premier Anna Bligh defeat the Liberal National Party of Queensland led by Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg, and gain a...
, with Springborg indicating he would step down as leader of the newly formed party. John-Paul Langbroek
John-Paul Langbroek
John-Paul Honoré Langbroek is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly representing the Liberal Party and its successor, the centre-right Liberal National Party, in the seat of Surfers Paradise since 2004...
was elected to the party leadership after the election, with Springborg becoming the deputy leader. On 22 March 2011, Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman
Campbell Newman
Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman is the leader of the Liberal National Party of Queensland. He was the 15th Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 2004 to 2011....
announced that he would seek preselection for the Labor-held seat of Ashgrove, and if successful, would challenge for the party leadership. Langbroek and Springborg resigned as leader and deputy leader on the same day, and as Newman was not a member of parliament, Jeff Seeney
Jeff Seeney
Jeffrey William Seeney is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since the 1998 state election, representing the National Party and merged Liberal National Party ....
was elected as parliamentary leader, undertaking to cede the leadership to de facto leader Newman if he were elected to parliament.
Parliamentary leaders
| Leader | Term | Leader's seat |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Seeney Jeff Seeney Jeffrey William Seeney is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since the 1998 state election, representing the National Party and merged Liberal National Party .... |
2011–present | Callide Electoral district of Callide The district of Callide is an electoral division in Queensland, Australia.It encompasses agricultural and mining towns in the Burnett, Callide and Dawson valleys... |
| John-Paul Langbroek John-Paul Langbroek John-Paul Honoré Langbroek is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly representing the Liberal Party and its successor, the centre-right Liberal National Party, in the seat of Surfers Paradise since 2004... |
2009–2011 | Surfers Paradise Electoral district of Surfers Paradise The district of Surfers Paradise is an electoral district of the State of Queensland in Australia.-Members for Surfers Paradise:-Election results:-External links:*... |
| Lawrence Springborg Lawrence Springborg Lawrence James Springborg is an Australian politician and became Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Queensland since 2 April 2009. He was deputy leader of the new Liberal National Party... |
2008–2009 | Southern Downs Electoral district of Southern Downs The district of Southern Downs is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland.The district takes in the southern parts of the Darling Downs region along the New South Wales border. It includes the major towns of Warwick, Stanthorpe and Goondiwindi and... |
Deputy leaders
| Deputy Leader | Term | Deputy's seat |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Nicholls Tim Nicholls Timothy James Nicholls is an Australian politician. He is the member for Clayfield in the Queensland Legislative Assembly and holds the position of Shadow Treasurer... |
Incumbent | Clayfield Electoral district of Clayfield The district of Clayfield is an electoral division of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. It is centred around the inner northern suburb of Clayfield in the state capital of Brisbane.... |
| Lawrence Springborg Lawrence Springborg Lawrence James Springborg is an Australian politician and became Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Queensland since 2 April 2009. He was deputy leader of the new Liberal National Party... |
2009–2011 | Southern Downs Electoral district of Southern Downs The district of Southern Downs is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland.The district takes in the southern parts of the Darling Downs region along the New South Wales border. It includes the major towns of Warwick, Stanthorpe and Goondiwindi and... |
| Mark McArdle Mark McArdle Mark Francis McArdle is an Australian politician and the Shadow Minister for Health. He has been a Liberal Party of Australia member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2004, representing the electorate of Caloundra.... |
2008–2009 | Caloundra Electoral district of Caloundra The district of Caloundra is a Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral district on the Sunshine Coast in the Australian state of Queensland. The electorate is centred on the city of Caloundra and stretches north to Wurtulla, south to Pelican Waters and west to the Bruce Highway.The seat is... |
| Fiona Simpson Fiona Simpson Fiona Stuart Simpson is an Australian politician. She is currently a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland and was the Deputy Leader of the Queensland National Party from 2006 to 2008 and Deputy Leader of the Opposition... |
2008 | Maroochydore Electoral district of Maroochydore The electoral district of Maroochydore is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland.It covers parts of the Sunshine Coast and takes in coastal areas between Coolum Beach and Mooloolaba, including Maroochydore.... |
See also
- Young LNPYoung LNPThe Young Liberal National Party, or the Young LNP, is the youth division of the Liberal National Party of Queensland, and membership is open to those between 16 and 30 years of age...
– youth division of party - Liberal-National party mergerLiberal-National party mergerA merger of the Liberal and National political parties in Australia, which used to be in a coalition federally between 1996 and 2007 and are currently in a coalition government in Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, has been an on-going debate for decades due to the demise of the...
- Queensland state election, 2006
- Queensland state election, 2009Queensland state election, 2009The Queensland state election was held to elect members to the unicameral Parliament of Queensland on 21 March 2009. The election saw the incumbent Labor government led by Premier Anna Bligh defeat the Liberal National Party of Queensland led by Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg, and gain a...