Politics of Victoria
Encyclopedia
Victorian politics takes place in context of bicameral parliamentary system.
The two main parties are the governing Liberal Party of Australia
and the Australian Labor Party
opposition. Other minor parties include the National Party
(who have at times acted in Coalition
with the Liberals, including currently), the Greens
, and the Democratic Labor Party
.
The Victorian Government is often referred to as Spring Street, a metonym
of the street of that name
where the Parliament House of Victoria is located in Melbourne
.
has a bicameral parliament. The Legislative Assembly (lower house) is composed of 88 members of parliament, each of whom represent a single electorate. The voting system is preferential
. Until recently, Members of the Assembly serve for between three and four years, but the Bracks
Government has made terms a fixed length of four years. The Legislative Council (upper house) has 40 members. The state is organised into 8 electoral provinces, each with five members. These members are elected at the same time as Members of the Legislative Assembly using a proportional voting system
. This method of organising the Legislative Council was adopted by the Parliament in 2003 on the advice of a Constitutional Committee convened in 2001. Prior to this, the Legislative Council was organised into 22 electoral provinces, each with two members. Council members served for two terms of the Assembly, with half submitting themselves to the electorate at each election. Hence, the Council never formally dissolved. The Queen of Australia
has a representative called the Governor who formally appoints the elected Premier. In practice the Governor has no real power.
Archbishop Daniel Mannix
(opponent of conscription in World War I)
John Wren
- notorious bookmaker, underworld figure and politician. The famous novel Power Without Glory
by Communist author Frank Hardy
was allegedly based on his exploits, although a short TV documentary appearing on Rewind showed Hardy's portrayal of Wren as a lifelong crime figure was itself politically motivated. Unsuccessful attempts were made to suppress the novel on the grounds of libel, although these backfired and caused the fictional life of Hardy's John West
to become tangled with Wren's in the minds of most Australians.
Robert Menzies
: Australia's longest serving Prime Minister held office during the 1950s and 1960s. Remembered for anti-communism
, extreme devotion to the Queen and Empire, and for a period of particular prosperity and a sense of well-being and stability in Australia.
Henry Bolte
: Premier of Victoria from 1955 to 1972. Was notable for his conservative populist style and for his role in the last judicial execution (the hanging of Ronald Ryan
in 1967) in Australia.
Jeff Kennett
: Premier from 1992 to 1999. His aggressive reforms and populist style led to a surprise electoral loss in 1999 to Steve Bracks
.
The two main parties are the governing 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 the Australian Labor Party
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...
opposition. Other minor parties include the National Party
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...
(who have at times acted in 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...
with the Liberals, including currently), the 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...
, and the Democratic Labor Party
Democratic Labor Party
The Democratic Labor Party is a political party in Australia that espouses social conservatism and opposes neo-liberalism. The first "DLP" Senator in decades, party vice-president John Madigan was elected to the Australian Senate with 2.3 percent of the primary vote in Victoria at the 2010 federal...
.
The Victorian Government is often referred to as Spring Street, a metonym
Metonymy
Metonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept...
of the street of that name
Spring Street, Melbourne
Spring Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs roughly north-south, and is the easternmost street in the Hoddle Grid. The street travels from Flinders Street in the south, to La Trobe Street and the Carlton Gardens in the north...
where the Parliament House of Victoria is located in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
Government
The Australian state of VictoriaVictoria (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....
has a bicameral parliament. The Legislative Assembly (lower house) is composed of 88 members of parliament, each of whom represent a single electorate. The voting system is preferential
Australian electoral system
The Australian electoral system has evolved over nearly 150 years of continuous democratic government, and has a number of distinctive features including compulsory voting, preferential voting and the use of proportional voting to elect the upper house, the Australian Senate.- Compulsory voting...
. Until recently, Members of the Assembly serve for between three and four years, but the Bracks
Steve Bracks
Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
Government has made terms a fixed length of four years. The Legislative Council (upper house) has 40 members. The state is organised into 8 electoral provinces, each with five members. These members are elected at the same time as Members of the Legislative Assembly using a proportional voting system
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. This method of organising the Legislative Council was adopted by the Parliament in 2003 on the advice of a Constitutional Committee convened in 2001. Prior to this, the Legislative Council was organised into 22 electoral provinces, each with two members. Council members served for two terms of the Assembly, with half submitting themselves to the electorate at each election. Hence, the Council never formally dissolved. The Queen of Australia
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
has a representative called the Governor who formally appoints the elected Premier. In practice the Governor has no real power.
Notable Victorian political figures
CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Archbishop Daniel Mannix
Daniel Mannix
Daniel Mannix was an Irish-born Australian Catholic bishop. Mannix was the Archbishop of Melbourne for 46 years and one of the most influential public figures in 20th century Australia....
(opponent of conscription in World War I)
John Wren
John Wren
John Wren was an Australian businessman. He has become a legendary figure thanks mainly to a fictionalised account of his life in Frank Hardy's novel Power Without Glory, which was also made into a television series...
- notorious bookmaker, underworld figure and politician. The famous novel Power Without Glory
Power Without Glory
Power Without Glory is a 1950 novel written by Australian writer Frank Hardy. It was later adapted into a mini-series by the Australian Broadcasting Commission .- Publication :...
by Communist author Frank Hardy
Frank Hardy
Francis Joseph Hardy, or Frank, was an Australian left-wing novelist and writer best known for his controversial novel Power Without Glory. He also was a political activist bringing the plight of Aboriginal Australians to international attention with the publication of his book, The Unlucky...
was allegedly based on his exploits, although a short TV documentary appearing on Rewind showed Hardy's portrayal of Wren as a lifelong crime figure was itself politically motivated. Unsuccessful attempts were made to suppress the novel on the grounds of libel, although these backfired and caused the fictional life of Hardy's John West
John West
The Rev. John West emigrated from England to Van Diemen's Land in 1838 as a Colonial missionary, and became pastor of an Independent Chapel in Launceston's St. John's Square in 1839. His contribution to Launceston and Australian life was great and varied promoting private and charitable...
to become tangled with Wren's in the minds of most Australians.
Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
: Australia's longest serving Prime Minister held office during the 1950s and 1960s. Remembered for anti-communism
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
, extreme devotion to the Queen and Empire, and for a period of particular prosperity and a sense of well-being and stability in Australia.
Henry Bolte
Henry Bolte
Sir Henry Edward Bolte GCMG was an Australian politician. He was the 38th and longest serving Premier of Victoria.- Early years :...
: Premier of Victoria from 1955 to 1972. Was notable for his conservative populist style and for his role in the last judicial execution (the hanging of Ronald Ryan
Ronald Ryan
Ronald Joseph Ryan was the last person to be legally executed in Australia. Ryan was found guilty of shooting and killing prison officer George Hodson during a prison escape from Pentridge Prison, Victoria in 1965...
in 1967) in Australia.
Jeff Kennett
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...
: Premier from 1992 to 1999. His aggressive reforms and populist style led to a surprise electoral loss in 1999 to Steve Bracks
Steve Bracks
Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
.