List of political parties in Australia
The politics of Australia has a mild two-party system, with two dominant political groupings in the Australian political system, the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal/National Coalition. Federally, 6 of the 151 members of the lower house (Members of Parliament, or MPs) are not members of major parties, as are 15 of the 76 members of the upper house (senators).
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Australia |
| Constitution |
The Parliament of Australia has a number of distinctive features including compulsory voting, with full-preference instant-runoff voting in single-member seats to elect the lower house, the Australian House of Representatives, and the use of the single transferable vote to elect the upper house, the Australian Senate.
Other parties tend to perform better in the upper houses of the various federal and state parliament since these typically use a form of proportional representation.
History
Two political groups dominate the Australian political spectrum, forming a de facto two-party system. One is the Australian Labor Party (ALP), a centre-left party which is formally linked to the Australian labour movement. Formed in 1893, it has been a major party federally since 1901, and has been one of the two major parties since the 1910 federal election. The ALP is in government in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
The other group is a conservative grouping of parties that are in coalition at the federal level, as well as in New South Wales, but compete in Western Australia and South Australia. The main party in this group is the centre-right Liberal Party. The Liberal Party is the modern form of a conservative grouping that has existed since the fusion of the Protectionist Party and Free Trade Party into the Commonwealth Liberal Party in 1909. Although this group has changed its nomenclature, there has been a general continuity of MPs and structure between different forms of the party. Its modern form was founded by Robert Menzies in 1944. The party's philosophy is generally liberal conservatism.
Every elected prime minister of Australia since 1910 has been a member of either the Labor Party, the Liberal Party, or one of the Liberal Party's previous incarnations (the Commonwealth Liberal Party, the Nationalist Party of Australia, or the United Australia Party).
The Liberal Party is joined by the National Party, a party that seeks to represent rural interests, especially agricultural ones. The Nationals contest a limited number of seats and do not generally directly compete with the Liberal Party. Its ideology is generally more socially conservative than that of the Liberal Party. In 1987, the National Party made an abortive run for the office of prime minister in its own right, in the Joh for Canberra campaign. However, it has generally not aspired to become the majority party in the coalition, and it is generally understood that the prime minister of Australia will be a member of either the Labor or Liberal parties. On two occasions (involving Earle Page in 1939, and John McEwen from December 1967 to January 1968), the deputy prime minister, the leader of the National Party (then known as the Country Party), became the prime minister temporarily, upon the death of the incumbent prime minister. Arthur Fadden was the only other Country Party, prime minister. He assumed office in August 1941 after the resignation of Robert Menzies and served as prime minister until October of that year.
The Liberal and National parties have merged in Queensland and the Northern Territory, although the resultant parties are different. The Liberal National Party of Queensland, formed in 2008, is a branch of the Liberal Party, but it is affiliated with the Nationals and members elected to federal parliament may sit as either Liberals or Nationals. The Country Liberal Party was formed in 1978 when the Northern Territory gained responsible government. It is a separate member of the federal coalition, but it is affiliated with the two major members and its president has voting rights in the National Party. The name refers to the older name of the National Party.
Federally, these parties are collectively known as the Coalition. The Coalition has existed continually (between the Nationals and their predecessors, and the Liberals and their predecessors) since 1923, with minor breaks in 1940, 1973, and 1987.
Historically, support for either the Coalition or the Labor Party was often viewed as being based on social class, with the upper and middle classes supporting the Coalition and the working class supporting Labor. This has been a less important factor since the 1970s and 1980s when the Labor Party gained a significant bloc of middle-class support and the Coalition gained a significant bloc of working-class support.[1]
The two-party duopoly has been relatively stable, with the two groupings (Labor and Coalition) gaining at least 70% of the primary vote in every election since 1910 (including the votes of autonomous state parties). Third parties have only rarely received more than 10% of the vote for the Australian House of Representatives in a federal election, such as the Australian Democrats in the 1990 election and the Australian Greens in 2010, 2016 and 2019
Federal parties
Federal parliamentary parties
Federal non-parliamentary parties
Parties listed in alphabetical order as of January 2021:[7][8]
State and Territory parties
New South Wales
Divisions of the federal parties:[11]
Parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | MLAs | MLCs | Has federal division | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Coalition | ||||||||
| Liberal Party of Australia (NSW Division) | Gladys Berejiklian | Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism |
36 / 93 |
11 / 42 |
 | |||
| National Party of Australia – NSW | John Barilaro | Conservatism Agrarianism |
12 / 93 |
6 / 42 |
| |||
| Australian Labor Party (NSW Branch) | Jodi McKay | Social democracy Social liberalism[3] |
32 / 93 |
14 / 42 |
| |||
| Country Labor Party | 4 / 93 |
| ||||||
| Greens New South Wales | Collective leadership | Green politics | 3 / 93 |
3 / 42 |
| |||
| Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party | Robert Brown | Green conservatism Right-wing populism |
3 / 93 |
2 / 42 |
| |||
| Animal Justice Party | Mark Pearson | Animal rights | 0 / 93 |
2 / 42 |
| |||
| Pauline Hanson's One Nation | Mark Latham | Right-wing populism Australian nationalism Hansonism |
0 / 93 |
2 / 42 |
| |||
| Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group) | Fred Nile | National conservatism Christian right |
0 / 93 |
1 / 42 |
| |||
Non-parliamentary parties
Victoria
As of the Victorian Electoral Commission:[12]
Parliamentary parties
Non-parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Labour Party | Rosemary Lorrimar | Social conservatism Christian democracy |
| |
| Health Australia Party | Naturopathy Anti-vaccination |
| ||
| Pauline Hanson's One Nation | No leader | Right-wing populism Australian nationalism |
| |
| Victorian Socialists | No leader | Democratic socialism | | |
Queensland
As of the Queensland Electoral Commission:[13]
Parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | MPs | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party (Queensland Branch) | Annastacia Palaszczuk | Social democracy Social liberalism[3] |
52 / 93 |
| |
| Liberal National Party of Queensland | David Crisafulli | Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism |
34 / 93 |
| |
| Katter's Australian Party | Robbie Katter | Right-wing populism Developmentalism |
3 / 93 |
| |
| Queensland Greens | No leader | Green politics | 2 / 93 |
| |
| Pauline Hanson's One Nation | No state leader | Right-wing populism Australian nationalism |
1 / 93 |
| |
Non-parliamentary parties
Western Australia
As of the Western Australian Electoral Commission:[14]
Parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | MLAs | MLCs | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party (WA Branch) | Mark McGowan | Social democracy Social liberalism[3] |
40 / 59 |
14 / 36 |
| |
| Liberal Party of Australia (WA Division) | Liza Harvey | Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism |
13 / 59 |
9 / 36 |
| |
| National Party of Australia (WA) | Mia Davies | Conservatism Agrarianism |
6 / 59 |
4 / 36 |
| |
| Greens Western Australia | Alison Xamon | Green politics | 0 / 59 |
4 / 36 |
| |
| Pauline Hanson's One Nation | Colin Tincknell | Right-wing populism Australian nationalism |
0 / 59 |
2 / 36 |
| |
| Western Australia Party | Julie Matheson | Regionalism Centrism |
0 / 59 |
1 / 36 |
| |
| Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (WA) Inc | Rick Mazza | Green conservatism Right-wing populism |
0 / 59 |
1 / 36 |
| |
| Liberal Democratic Party | Aaron Stonehouse | Classical liberalism Right-libertarianism |
0 / 59 |
1 / 36 |
| |
Non-parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Christians (WA) | Jamie van Burgel | Conservatism Christian right |
| |
| Animal Justice Party | Katrina Love | Animal rights | | |
| Daylight Saving Party | Wilson Tucker | Daylight savings advocacy |  | |
| The Great Australian Party | Rod Culleton | Constitutional conspiracy Right-wing populism |
| |
| Health Australia Party | Naturopathy Anti-fluoridation |
| ||
| Legalise Cannabis Western Australia Party | Cannabis legalisation | | ||
| Liberals For Climate | Nathan Spataro | Direct democracy | | |
| No Mandatory Vaccination Party | Anti-vaccination | | ||
| Socialist Alliance WA | No leader | Socialism Anti-capitalism |
| |
| Sustainable Australia | John Haydon | Anti-overdevelopment | | |
| WAxit Party | John Golawski | Western Australia independence | | |
South Australia
As of the Electoral Commission of South Australia:[15]
Parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | MHAs | MLCs | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Party of Australia (SA Division) | Steven Marshall | Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism |
24 / 47 |
9 / 22 |
| |
| Australian Labor Party (SA Branch) | Peter Malinauskas | Social democracy Social liberalism[3] |
19 / 47 |
8 / 22 |
| |
| Greens South Australia | Mark Parnell | Green politics | 0 / 47 |
2 / 22 |
| |
| SA-BEST | Connie Bonaros | Social liberalism | 0 / 47 |
2 / 22 |
| |
| Advance SA | John Darley | Centrism | 0 / 47 |
1 / 22 |
| |
Non-parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Justice Party | Louise Pfeiffer | Animal rights | | |
| Child Protection Party | Tony Tonkin | Child protection advocacy | | |
| National Party of Australia (SA) | Jonathon Pietzsch | Conservatism Agrarianism |
| |
Tasmania
As of the Tasmanian Electoral Commission:[16]
Parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | MHAs | MLCs | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Party of Australia (Tasmanian Division) | Peter Gutwein | Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism |
13 / 25 |
2 / 15 |
| |
| Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch) | Rebecca White | Social democracy Social liberalism[3] |
9 / 25 |
4 / 15 |
| |
| Tasmanian Greens | Cassy O'Connor | Green politics | 2 / 25 |
0 / 15 |
| |
Non-parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Federation Party Tasmania | Australian nationalism Conservatism |
| ||
| Animal Justice Party | Karen Bevis | Animal rights | | |
| Jacqui Lambie Network | Jacqui Lambie | Populism Regionalism |
| |
| Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party Tasmania | Rebecca Byfield | Green conservatism Right-wing populism |
| |
Australian Capital Territory
As listed with the ACT Electoral Commission:[17]
Parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | MPs | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party (ACT Branch) | Andrew Barr | Social democracy Social liberalism[3] |
10 / 25 |
| |
| Liberal Party of Australia (A.C.T. Division) | Elizabeth Lee | Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism |
9 / 25 |
| |
| ACT Greens | Shane Rattenbury | Green politics | 6 / 25 |
| |
Non-parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Justice Party | Animal rights | | ||
| Australian Climate Change Justice Party | | |||
| Australian Federation Party (ACT) | Australian nationalism Conservatism |
| ||
| Belco Party | Bill Stefaniak | | ||
| Canberra Progressives | Jasper Knight | Progressivism | | |
| David Pollard Independent | | |||
| Democratic Labour Party (DLP) | Christian democracy Distributism |
| ||
| Liberal Democratic Party | Classical liberalism Right-libertarianism |
| ||
| Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (ACT) | Green conservatism Right-wing populism |
| ||
| Sustainable Australia (ACT) | John Haydon | Anti-overdevelopment[18] | | |
| The Canberra Party | | |||
| The Community Action Party (ACT) | | |||
| The Flux Party – ACT | Nathan Spataro | Direct democracy | | |
Northern Territory
As of the Northern Territory Electoral Commission:[19]
Parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | MPs | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party (NT Branch) | Michael Gunner | Social democracy Social liberalism[3] |
14 / 25 |
| |
| Country Liberal Party | Lia Finocchiaro | Liberal conservatism Agrarianism |
8 / 25 |
| |
Non-parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Federation Party NT | Australian nationalism Conservatism |
| ||
| Animal Justice Party | Animal welfare | | ||
| Ban Fracking Fix Crime Protect Water | Braedon Earley | Regionalism | | |
| Northern Territory Greens | No leader | Green politics | | |
| Shooters and Fishers Party | Green conservatism Right-wing populism |
| ||
| Territory Alliance | Terry Mills | Regionalism | | |
See also
References
- "OzPolitics.info". OzPolitics.info. Archived from the original on 28 September 2009. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
- Crowe, David (21 February 2019). "The incredibly shrunken Liberal Party and its structural challenge". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
- Crowe, David (21 February 2019). "The incredibly shrunken Liberal Party and its structural challenge". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
- Harris, Rob (22 April 2020). "Old Greens wounds reopen as members vote on directly electing leader". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- "The party's over: which clubs have the most members?". Crikey. 18 July 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
- "Current Register of Political Parties". Australian Electoral Commission. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- "Party registration decisions and changes". Australian Electoral Commission. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
- "No jab, no vote: new anti-vax party registered". Crikey. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- "An Anti-5G Group Is Trying To Become A Federal Political Party In Australia". Lad Bible. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- "Information About Registered Parties". www.elections.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- "Currently registered parties". Victorian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- "Political party register". Electoral Commission Queensland. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- "Registered Political Parties in WA". Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- "Register of political parties". Electoral Commission of South Australia. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- "Party Register". Tec.tas.gov.au. Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- "Register of political parties". Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- "Policy Platform - Sustainable Australia Party". Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- "Register of political parties in the Northern Territory". NTEC. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
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