Politics of Australia
Encyclopedia
The Politics of Australia take place within the framework of a parliamentary democracy
, with electoral procedures appropriate to a two-party system
. Australia
is governed as a federation
and as a constitutional monarchy
, with an adversarial legislature based upon the Westminster system
. Australians elect parliamentarians to the Parliament of Australia
, a bicameral body which is a hybrid of the parliamentary mechanisms carried over from the United Kingdom with the uniquely federalist
element of the Australian Senate
. Australia operates a system of compulsory voting
.
:
The Australian House of Representatives
has 150 members, each elected for a three-year term of office to represent a single-seat constituency. Voting within these constituencies takes place using a system of alternative voting known as full preferential voting
.
The Australian Senate
has 76 members. The six states return twelve members each, elected through the single transferable voting
(STV) system. In addition, the two territorial constituencies, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), return two representatives each, through STV. Electors choose the state senators for a six-year term, with half of the seats renewed every three years. The territory senators serve for a term that is determined by the life of the House of Representatives.
can advise the Governor-General
to call an election for the House of Representatives at any time, but Senate elections can only be held within certain periods prescribed in the Australian Constitution. The most recent Australian federal election took place in August 2010.
In 1948, the voting system for the Senate underwent a significant change. Prior to this, Senate elections had been conducted using a bloc voting
system, where a disproportionate number of seats went to the party that had achieved the highest vote in that state. This most often resulted in landslide victories for one political party or another following relatively small changes in the popular vote, as well as periodically resulting in a Senate with a large majority of opposition
senators. The introduction of the single transferable voting system, resulted in the numbers of senators from each party more closely reflecting the numbers of votes that the party had received, and therefore a more balanced Senate. For most of the last thirty years a balance of power
has existed, whereby neither government nor opposition has had overall control of the Senate (the exception being between 2005-2008, when the Liberal/National parties controlled the upper house). This limitation to its power, has required governments to frequently seek the support of minor parties or independents in order to secure their legislative agenda.
The ease with which minor parties can secure representation in the Senate compared to the House of Representatives has meant that these parties have often focused their efforts on securing representation in the upper house. This is true also at state level (only the two territories and Queensland are unicameral). Minor parties have only rarely been able to win seats in the House of Representatives. The Greens, for example, won a House seat at the 2002 Cunningham
by-election
, but lost it again in the 2004 general election. Adam Bandt
won the Greens' first seat at a general election in August, 2010. Minor parties do, however, affect lower house politics through their recommendations to voters (on their distributed how-to-vote cards) suggesting which of the main parties they ought to favour, a strategy regarded as decisive in the outcome of some elections, such as the 1990 federal election. This focus on the upper house, though, has molded the platforms and politics of minor parties, when an upper house brokering role is seen as the best opportunity to affect legislative outcomes. The demands placed on parties by this role can cause internal tensions within them and exert external pressure upon them – as demonstrated, for example, by internal splits that contributed to the political decline of the Australian Democrats
.
Because legislation must pass successfully through both houses in order to become law, it is possible for disagreements between the House of Representatives and the Senate to hold up the progress of government bills indefinitely. Such deadlocks are resolved under section 57 of the Constitution, under a procedure called a double dissolution election. Such elections are rare, not because the conditions for holding them are seldom met, but because they can pose a significant political risk to any government that chooses to call one. Of the six double dissolution elections that have been held since federation
, half have resulted in the fall of a government. Only once, in 1974, has the full procedure for resolving a deadlock been followed, with a joint sitting of the two houses being held to deliberate upon the bills that had originally led to the deadlock.
of government in the United Kingdom, Crown ministers
in the Australian government
are drawn from among the elected members of parliament. The government is formed by the party or parties that have the confidence of the majority of members of the House of Representatives. In practice, this means that the party, or coalition of parties, that holds a majority of the seats in that chamber can successfully form a government. By convention, the Prime Minister is always a member of the House of Representatives. On the only occasion that a Senator was made Prime Minister, in 1968, Prime Minister John Gorton
quickly resigned and contested a seat in the House of Representatives.
All ministers are expected individually to defend collective government decisions. Individual ministers who cannot undertake the public defence of government actions are generally expected to resign. Such resignations are rare; and the rarity also of public disclosure of splits within cabinet reflects the seriousness with which internal party loyalty is regarded in Australian politics.
Organised, national political parties have dominated Australia's political landscape since federation. Politics in Australia since 1900 saw the rapid and early rise of a party representing organized, non-revolutionary workers, the Australian Labor Party. Those political interests not involved in a socialist agenda coalesced into two main parties: a centre-right party with a base in business and the middle classes that has been predominantly socially conservative, now the Liberal Party of Australia; and a rural or agrarian conservative party, now the National Party of Australia. While there are a small number of other political parties that have achieved parliamentary representation, these main three dominate organized politics everywhere in Australia and only on rare occasions have any other parties or independent members of parliament played any role at all in the formation or maintenance of governments.
Whether Australia's political system should be characterized as a two-party system
is open to debate. Of Australia's three main parties, the Liberal Party and the National Party are in a long-standing coalition at national level. However, they are not always in coalition at state level and when they are, the Liberal Party is not always the senior partner. In Queensland, the two parties have joined to form the Liberal National Party (LNP). However, as the National Party only ever considers a coalition or similar arrangement with the Liberal Party, the Australian parliament behaves as though it was a two-party system when it comes to a choice of government, even though voters in some constituencies may have a choice between three candidates each with a realistic chance of being elected to office.
Despite the pervasive role of political parties in Australian politics, they are "almost totally extra-legal and extra-constitutional". In contrast to some other countries, such as the United States, Australian political parties are relatively unregulated. There is, however, a system of party registration through the Australian Electoral Commission
and its state and territory equivalents, including a requirement to report some aspects of party activities, principally the receipt of major donations
.
(ALP) is a social democratic
party founded by the Australian labour movement
and it broadly represents the urban working class, although it increasingly has a base of sympathetic middle class support as well. As of November 2010, the Australian Labor Party has formed a minority government with the support of four cross-benchers.
The Liberal Party of Australia
is a party of the centre-right
which broadly represents business, the suburban middle classes and many rural people. Its junior coalition partner at national level is the National Party of Australia
, formerly the Country Party and widely known as "The Nationals"; a conservative
party which represents rural interests. These two parties are collectively known as the Liberal/National coalition
.
The counterpart of the National Party in the Northern Territory is the Country Liberal Party
.
party, the Australian Greens
, a social progressive party and a social conservative
party, the Family First Party
. Formerly significant parties in a list of political parties in Australia would include the nationalist One Nation
party and the social liberal Australian Democrats
.
Below is a table showing the cumulative total of days in federal office for each Australian political party.
and two territories are held at least once every four years, although Queensland
holds them every three years. In New South Wales
, Victoria
, South Australia
and the Australian Capital Territory
, election dates are fixed by legislation. However, the other state premiers
and the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
have the same discretion in calling elections as the Prime Minister at national level.
Parliamentary system
A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....
, with electoral procedures appropriate to a two-party system
Two-party system
A two-party system is a system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and, as a result, all or nearly all elected offices are members of one of the two major parties...
. Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
is governed as a federation
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
and as a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
, with an adversarial legislature based upon the Westminster system
Westminster System
The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
. Australians elect parliamentarians to the Parliament of Australia
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
, a bicameral body which is a hybrid of the parliamentary mechanisms carried over from the United Kingdom with the uniquely federalist
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
element of the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
. Australia operates a system of compulsory voting
Compulsory voting
Compulsory voting is a system in which electors are obliged to vote in elections or attend a polling place on voting day. If an eligible voter does not attend a polling place, he or she may be subject to punitive measures such as fines, community service, or perhaps imprisonment if fines are unpaid...
.
Legislative branch
The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia consists of two chambersBicameralism
In the government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses....
:
The Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
has 150 members, each elected for a three-year term of office to represent a single-seat constituency. Voting within these constituencies takes place using a system of alternative voting known as full preferential voting
Instant-runoff voting
Instant-runoff voting , also known as preferential voting, the alternative vote and ranked choice voting, is a voting system used to elect one winner. Voters rank candidates in order of preference, and their ballots are counted as one vote for their first choice candidate. If a candidate secures a...
.
The Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
has 76 members. The six states return twelve members each, elected through the single transferable voting
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
(STV) system. In addition, the two territorial constituencies, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), return two representatives each, through STV. Electors choose the state senators for a six-year term, with half of the seats renewed every three years. The territory senators serve for a term that is determined by the life of the House of Representatives.
Elections
At a national level, elections are held at least once every three years. The Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
can advise the Governor-General
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
to call an election for the House of Representatives at any time, but Senate elections can only be held within certain periods prescribed in the Australian Constitution. The most recent Australian federal election took place in August 2010.
In 1948, the voting system for the Senate underwent a significant change. Prior to this, Senate elections had been conducted using a bloc voting
Plurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
system, where a disproportionate number of seats went to the party that had achieved the highest vote in that state. This most often resulted in landslide victories for one political party or another following relatively small changes in the popular vote, as well as periodically resulting in a Senate with a large majority of opposition
Opposition (politics)
In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government , party or group in political control of a city, region, state or country...
senators. The introduction of the single transferable voting system, resulted in the numbers of senators from each party more closely reflecting the numbers of votes that the party had received, and therefore a more balanced Senate. For most of the last thirty years a balance of power
Balance of power (parliament)
In parliamentary politics, the term balance of power sometimes describes the pragmatic mechanism exercised by a minor political party or other grouping whose guaranteed support may enable an otherwise minority government to obtain and hold office...
has existed, whereby neither government nor opposition has had overall control of the Senate (the exception being between 2005-2008, when the Liberal/National parties controlled the upper house). This limitation to its power, has required governments to frequently seek the support of minor parties or independents in order to secure their legislative agenda.
The ease with which minor parties can secure representation in the Senate compared to the House of Representatives has meant that these parties have often focused their efforts on securing representation in the upper house. This is true also at state level (only the two territories and Queensland are unicameral). Minor parties have only rarely been able to win seats in the House of Representatives. The Greens, for example, won a House seat at the 2002 Cunningham
Division of Cunningham
The Division of Cunningham is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named for Allan Cunningham, a 19th century explorer of New South Wales and Queensland. It is located on the coast of New South Wales between southern Sydney and Wollongong, and...
by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
, but lost it again in the 2004 general election. Adam Bandt
Adam Bandt
Adam Paul Bandt is an Australian politician and former industrial lawyer. Bandt was elected to the Australian House of Representatives in the 2010 Australian federal election for the Division of Melbourne...
won the Greens' first seat at a general election in August, 2010. Minor parties do, however, affect lower house politics through their recommendations to voters (on their distributed how-to-vote cards) suggesting which of the main parties they ought to favour, a strategy regarded as decisive in the outcome of some elections, such as the 1990 federal election. This focus on the upper house, though, has molded the platforms and politics of minor parties, when an upper house brokering role is seen as the best opportunity to affect legislative outcomes. The demands placed on parties by this role can cause internal tensions within them and exert external pressure upon them – as demonstrated, for example, by internal splits that contributed to the political decline of the Australian Democrats
Australian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader...
.
Because legislation must pass successfully through both houses in order to become law, it is possible for disagreements between the House of Representatives and the Senate to hold up the progress of government bills indefinitely. Such deadlocks are resolved under section 57 of the Constitution, under a procedure called a double dissolution election. Such elections are rare, not because the conditions for holding them are seldom met, but because they can pose a significant political risk to any government that chooses to call one. Of the six double dissolution elections that have been held since federation
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
, half have resulted in the fall of a government. Only once, in 1974, has the full procedure for resolving a deadlock been followed, with a joint sitting of the two houses being held to deliberate upon the bills that had originally led to the deadlock.
Executive branch
Reflecting the influence of the Westminster traditionWestminster System
The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
of government in the United Kingdom, Crown ministers
Minister of the Crown
Minister of the Crown is the formal constitutional term used in the Commonwealth realms to describe a minister to the reigning sovereign. The term indicates that the minister serves at His/Her Majesty's pleasure, and advises the monarch, or viceroy, on how to exercise the Crown prerogatives...
in the Australian government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
are drawn from among the elected members of parliament. The government is formed by the party or parties that have the confidence of the majority of members of the House of Representatives. In practice, this means that the party, or coalition of parties, that holds a majority of the seats in that chamber can successfully form a government. By convention, the Prime Minister is always a member of the House of Representatives. On the only occasion that a Senator was made Prime Minister, in 1968, Prime Minister John Gorton
John Gorton
Sir John Grey Gorton, GCMG, AC, CH , Australian politician, was the 19th Prime Minister of Australia.-Early life:...
quickly resigned and contested a seat in the House of Representatives.
All ministers are expected individually to defend collective government decisions. Individual ministers who cannot undertake the public defence of government actions are generally expected to resign. Such resignations are rare; and the rarity also of public disclosure of splits within cabinet reflects the seriousness with which internal party loyalty is regarded in Australian politics.
Political parties and Australian politics
The role of parties in Australian politics
Whether Australia's political system should be characterized as a two-party system
Two-party system
A two-party system is a system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and, as a result, all or nearly all elected offices are members of one of the two major parties...
is open to debate. Of Australia's three main parties, the Liberal Party and the National Party are in a long-standing coalition at national level. However, they are not always in coalition at state level and when they are, the Liberal Party is not always the senior partner. In Queensland, the two parties have joined to form the Liberal National Party (LNP). However, as the National Party only ever considers a coalition or similar arrangement with the Liberal Party, the Australian parliament behaves as though it was a two-party system when it comes to a choice of government, even though voters in some constituencies may have a choice between three candidates each with a realistic chance of being elected to office.
Despite the pervasive role of political parties in Australian politics, they are "almost totally extra-legal and extra-constitutional". In contrast to some other countries, such as the United States, Australian political parties are relatively unregulated. There is, however, a system of party registration through the Australian Electoral Commission
Australian Electoral Commission
The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC, is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections and referendums. State and local government elections are overseen by the Electoral Commission in each state and territory.The Australian Electoral Commission...
and its state and territory equivalents, including a requirement to report some aspects of party activities, principally the receipt of major donations
Political donations in Australia
The term political donations refers to gifts to a politician, a political party, or an election campaign.In Australia, the majority of political donations come in the form of financial gifts from corporations, which go towards the funding of the parties' election advertising campaigns. Donations...
.
Political parties in Australia 2010
Major parties
The Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
(ALP) is a social democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
party founded by the Australian labour movement
Australian labour movement
The Australian labour movement has its origins in the early 19th century and includes both trade unions and political activity. At its broadest, the movement can be defined as encompassing the industrial wing, the unions in Australia, and the political wing, the Australian Labor Party and minor...
and it broadly represents the urban working class, although it increasingly has a base of sympathetic middle class support as well. As of November 2010, the Australian Labor Party has formed a minority government with the support of four cross-benchers.
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...
is a party of the centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
which broadly represents business, the suburban middle classes and many rural people. Its junior coalition partner at national level is 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...
, formerly the Country Party and widely known as "The Nationals"; a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
party which represents rural interests. These two parties are collectively known as the Liberal/National coalition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
.
The counterpart of the National Party in the Northern Territory is the Country Liberal Party
Country Liberal Party
The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party is a Northern Territory political party affiliated with both the National and Liberal parties...
.
Minor parties
Minor parties in Australian politics include a greenGreen politics
Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...
party, the Australian Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
, a social progressive party and a social conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
party, the Family First Party
Family First Party
The Family First Party is a socially conservative minor political party in Australia. It has two members in the South Australian Legislative Council...
. Formerly significant parties in a list of political parties in Australia would include the nationalist One Nation
One Nation
One Nation may refer to:In politics:* One Nation , a nationalist party in Australia** One Nation NSW, a defunct splinter group of the above, operating exclusively in New South Wales* One Nation , a defunct party in Israel...
party and the social liberal Australian Democrats
Australian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader...
.
History of Australia's political parties
Despite the presence of three main political parties, Australian politics operates as though it was a two-party system. Internal party discipline has historically been tight, unlike the situation in other countries such as the United States. Australia's political system has not always been a two-party system, however, nor has it always been as internally stable as in recent decades.Statistics
- Further information: List of Prime Ministers of Australia.
Below is a table showing the cumulative total of days in federal office for each Australian political party.
| Party | Prime Ministers | In Office |
|---|---|---|
| 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... |
6 | 18,281 days |
| Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
12 | 12,252 days |
| Nationalist Nationalist Party of Australia The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime... |
2 | 5,114 days |
| United Australia United Australia Party The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia... |
1 (2) | 3,508 days |
| Protectionist Protectionist Party The Protectionist Party was an Australian political party, formally organised from 1889 until 1909, with policies centred on protectionism. It argued that Australia needed protective tariffs to allow Australian industry to grow and provide employment. It had its greatest strength in Victoria and in... |
2 | 2,451 days |
| Commonwealth Liberal Commonwealth Liberal Party The Commonwealth Liberal Party was a political movement active in Australia from 1909 to 1916, shortly after federation.... |
1 (2) | 783 days |
| Free Trade Free Trade Party The Free Trade Party which was officially known as the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states and renamed the Anti-Socialist Party in 1906, was an Australian political party, formally organised between 1889 and 1909... |
1 | 328 days |
| Country 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... |
3 | 83 days |
| Total | 27 | 42,800 days |
Australian national politics 2010
Due to the falling popularity of Labor leader Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister, the party replaced him in 2010 with the former deputy leader Julia Gillard. The Australian Labor Party had come to power in November 2007, ending John Howard's 11 years in office as Prime Minister and head of a Liberal/National coalition government. Soon after Julia Gillard's appointment as Prime Minister, she called an election. As a result of this election, Labor lost its majority in the House of Representatives, although neither Labor nor the Coalition had enough members to call a government. By means of a deal which the Labor party was able to strike with three of the four independent members and the single Green Party member in the House, Labor was able to claim a slim working majority and form a new government.Regional government
Regional elections in the six Australian statesStates and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
and two territories are held at least once every four years, although Queensland
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...
holds them every three years. In New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, election dates are fixed by legislation. However, the other state premiers
Premiers of the Australian states
The Premiers of the Australian states are the de facto heads of the executive governments in the six states of the Commonwealth of Australia. They perform the same function at the state level as the Prime Minister of Australia performs at the national level. The territory equivalents to the...
and the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is appointed by the Administrator, who in normal circumstances will appoint the head of whatever party holds the majority of seats in the legislature of the territory...
have the same discretion in calling elections as the Prime Minister at national level.
Local government
Local government within each state is delegated to Local Government Areas but they have little power compared with the overseeing state government.See also
- List of Australian ministers
- Politics of Australia and Canada compared
- Canberra Press GalleryCanberra Press GalleryThe Canberra Press Gallery, officially called the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery, is the name given to the approximately 180 journalists and their support staff, including producers, editors and camera crews, who report the workings of the Australian Parliament...
- Political donations in AustraliaPolitical donations in AustraliaThe term political donations refers to gifts to a politician, a political party, or an election campaign.In Australia, the majority of political donations come in the form of financial gifts from corporations, which go towards the funding of the parties' election advertising campaigns. Donations...
- Political families of AustraliaPolitical families of Australia-Anthony family:*Larry Anthony, senior: MHR for Richmond 1937–57; minister in the Menzies Government 1941, 1949–56*Doug Anthony: MHR for Richmond 1957–84; Deputy Prime Minister 1971–72, 1975–83; Leader of the National Party 1971–84...
- Environmental movement in AustraliaEnvironmental Movement in AustraliaBeginning as a conservation movement, the environmental movement in Australia was the first in the world to become a political movement and Australia was home to the world's first Green Party....
Further reading
- Robert Corcoran and Jackie Dickenson (2010), A Dictionary of Australian Politics, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW
- Department of the Senate, 'Electing Australia’s Senators', Senate Briefs No. 1, 2006, retrieved July 2007
- Rodney Smith (2001), Australian Political Culture, Longman, Frenchs Forest NSW
External links
- Australianpolitics.com News, reference articles, and many other resources, maintained by teacher Malcolm Farnsworth
- Australian Government and Politics Database maintained by Campbell Sharman of University of Western Australia