The Politics of Australia take place within the framework of parliamentary democracy. Australia is a federation and a constitutional monarchy, and Australians elect state and territory legislatures as well as a bicameral Parliament of Australia based on the Westminster System. Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... For other uses, see Democracy (disambiguation). ... A map displaying todays federations. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A constitutional monarchy is a form of government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges an elected or hereditary monarch as head of state, as opposed to an absolute monarchy, where the monarch is not bound by a... In government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. ... Type Bicameral Houses House of Representatives Senate Speaker of the House of Representatives David Hawker, Liberal Party since 16 November 2004 President of the Senate Alan Ferguson, Liberal Party since 14 August 2007 Members 226 (150 Representatives, 76 Senators) Political groups Liberal Party ALP National Party Country Liberal Party Greens... The Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, in London. ...

The legislative branch

Main article: Australian Electoral System This article deals with elections to the Australian Parliament. ...

At the national level, elections are held at least once every three years.The Prime Minister 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 Constitution. The last general election was in November 2007. The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia consists of two chambers: Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State and territory governments Executive Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Legislative Parliaments and Assemblies State electoral systems ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. ... The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. ... Type Lower house Speaker of the House David Hawker, Liberal since November 16, 2004 Members 150 Political groups Liberal Party (74) ALP (60) National Party (12) Country Liberal Party (1) Last elections 9 October 2004 Meeting place Parliament House, Canberra, ACT Web site House of Representatives Entrance to the House... Australian Senate chamber Entrance to the Senate The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. ... Image:WashingtonDC Capitol USA2. ...

• The House of Representatives has 150 members, elected for a three year term in single-seat constituencies with a system of alternative vote known as full preferential voting.
• The Senate has 76 members, elected through a preferential system in 12-seat state constituencies and two-seat territorial constituencies with a system of single transferable vote. Electors choose territorial senators for a three-year term. The state senators serve for a six-year term, with half of the seats renewed every three years.

The voting system for the Senate underwent a significant change in 1948. Prior to that date Senate elections were conducted using a 'first past the post' voting arrangement. This could result in landslide victories to one political party under relatively small changes in the popular vote, as well as periodically resulting in a Senate with a large majority of opposition Senators. The change to a preferential system of voting has resulted in the numbers of Senators from each party more closely reflecting the numbers of votes the party list received, and a more balanced composition of the chamber. For most of the last quarter of a century, a balance of power situation has existed, whereby neither government nor opposition has controlled the Senate, with governments needing to seek the support of minor parties or independents to secure their legislative agenda. Type Lower house Speaker of the House David Hawker, Liberal since November 16, 2004 Members 150 Political groups Liberal Party (74) ALP (60) National Party (12) Country Liberal Party (1) Last elections 9 October 2004 Meeting place Parliament House, Canberra, ACT Web site House of Representatives Entrance to the House... A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. ... Example Instant-runoff voting ballot Instant-runoff voting (IRV) is a voting system most commonly used for single member elections in which voters have one vote, but can rank candidates in order of preference. ... Australian Senate chamber Entrance to the Senate The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. ... Preferential voting (or preference voting) is a type of ballot structure used in several electoral systems in which voters rank a list or group of candidates in order of preference. ... This STV ballot for the Australian Senate illustrates group voting tickets. ... An example of a plurality ballot. ... This politics-related article is a stub. ... Balance of power refers to the division, distribution, or separation of powers within a national political system. ...

The relative ease with which minor parties can secure representation in the Senate compared to the House of Representatives has meant that such parties have focussed their efforts on securing upper house representation, both at the national and state level (the two territories are unicameral). They have usually been unable to win seats in the House of Representatives (the Greens won a House seat at the 2002 Cunningham by-election, but lost it in the 2004 general election). Minor parties do however affect lower house politics through their recommendations to voters regarding which party should receive voters' preferences, a strategy regarded as decisive in the outcome of the 1990 federal election.^[1] A focus on the upper house has moulded the platforms and politics of minor parties, for which an upper house brokering role is the best opportunity to affect legislative outcomes. The demands placed on parties by this role can cause internal tensions within, and external pressure on, these parties, demonstrated by the splits within, and political decline of, the Australian Democrats. Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or parliamentary chamber. ... The Division of Cunningham is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. ... A by-election or bye-election is a special election held to fill a political office when the incumbent has died or resigned. ... Federal elections were held in Australia on 9 October 2004. ... Federal elections were held in Australia on 24 March 1990. ... The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party which was formed in 1977 through a merger of the Australia Party and the Liberal Movement after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp as a high-profile leader[1]. The new party was based...

Because legislation must pass both houses in order to become law, it is possible for there to be disagreements between the houses that can stymie government bills. 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 the government that calls them. Of the six double dissolution elections held since federation, half have resulted in the fall of the government that called them. Only once (in 1974) has the full procedure for resolving a deadlock been followed, with a joint sitting of the two houses being held after the election to deliberate upon the bills that originally led to the deadlock. Image:Ac. ... The federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed a federation. ... A joint sitting of the Australian parliament was convened in August 1974, comprising members of both the Senate and House of Representatives. ...

The executive branch

Main articles: Government of Australia and Cabinet of Australia The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy, a federation, and a parliamentary democracy. ... The Cabinet of Australia (whose members also serve in the Executive Council of Australia) is the council of senior ministers, responsible to parliament. ...

Reflecting the influence of the Westminster tradition of British government, Australian government ministers are drawn from amongst the elected members of parliament.^[2] 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 has equated to the party or coalition of parties that holds a majority of seats in that chamber. The Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, in London. ... The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy, a federation, and a parliamentary democracy. ...

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 (John Gorton in 1968), Gorton immediately resigned and contested a seat in the House of Representatives. Sir John Grey Gorton GCMG AC CH (9 September 1911 – 19 May 2002), Australian politician, was the 19th Prime Minister of Australia. ...

The same high degree of discipline that characterises Australian party politics extends to the executive, where all ministers individually defend collective government decisions, and individual ministers who cannot undertake the public defence of government actions are generally expected to resign from the ministry. Such resignations are even less common than breaches of cabinet solidarity. The rarity of public disclosure of splits within cabinet reflects the seriousness with which internal party division is regarded in Australian politics.

Political parties and Australian politics

Kevin Rudd MP. MP, Incoming Prime Minister of Australia and leader of the Australian Labor Party

John Howard FMR. MP, Outgoing Prime Minister of Australia and retiring leader of the Liberal Party

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957), is the leader of the federal Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition in the Australian Parliament. ... ALP redirects here. ... Image File history File links John_Howard_May_2006. ... Image File history File links John_Howard_May_2006. ... John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian politician and the 25th Prime Minister of Australia. ... The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. ...

The role of parties in Australian politics

Organised, national political parties have dominated Australia's political environment and parliament since federation. Politics since 1900 can be characterised by the rapid and early rise of a party representing organised, non-revolutionary workers - the Australian Labor Party - and the coalescing of non-Labor political interests into two parties: a centre-right party that has been predominantly socially conservative and with a base in business and the middle class (now the Liberal Party of Australia); and a rural or agrarian conservative party (now the National Party of Australia) (see following sections for more detail). While there are a small number of other political parties that have achieved parliamentary representation, these three parties dominate organised politics in all Australian jurisdictions, and only on rare (and generally short-lived) occasions have any other parties or independents played a role in the formation or maintenance of governments.

Whether Australia's political system should be characterised as a 'two-party system' is a matter of debate, and can be said to vary to some degree from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Of Australia's three main parties, two (Liberal and National) are in long-standing coalition at the national level - however they are not always in coalition at the state level, and the Liberal Party is not always the senior partner (the National Party predominates in the state of Queensland). However, as the National Party only ever considers a coalition or similar arrangement with one of the other two parties (ie. Liberal),^[3] the system might be regarded as a two-party one in terms of choices of government, even though voters in some electorates may have a choice between three candidates with realistic chances of being elected to office. Political parties Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A two-party system is a form of party system where two major political parties dominate the voting in nearly all elections. ...

Despite the entrenched role of formal parties in Australian politics, they are 'almost totally extra-legal and extra-constitutional'.^[4] In contrast to some other countries, such as the United States, Australian political parties and their internal operations are relatively unregulated. There is however a system of party registration through the Australian Electoral Commission and its state and territory equivalents, including reporting of some aspects of party activities, principally the receipt of major donations. AEC logo The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC, is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections. ... The term political donations refers to gifts to a politician, a political party, or an election campaign. ...

Political parties in Australia today

Three political parties dominate Australian politics. Of these, two govern together in a Coalition: A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues. ... Political parties in Australia lists political parties in Australia. ... An election is a decision making process whereby people vote for preferred political candidates or parties to act as representatives in government. ... Elections in Australia gives information on elections and election results in Australia. ... The Coalition in Australian politics refers to the grouping of two political parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922, with only brief breaks (e. ...

• The Liberal Party is a party of the centre-right which broadly represents business, the suburban middle classes and many rural people.
• Its junior coalition partner is the National Party of Australia, formerly the Country Party and now known for electoral purposes as "The Nationals", a conservative party which represents rural interests.
• The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is a social democratic party founded by the Australian labour movement and broadly represents the urban working class, although it increasingly has a base of middle class support.

Minor parties include: The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. ... The centre-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote political parties or organizations (such as think tanks) that stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. ... The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party. ... Ths article deals with conservatism as a political philosophy. ... ALP redirects here. ... Social democracy is a political ideology emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from supporters of Marxism who believed that the transition to a socialist society could be achieved through democratic evolutionary rather than revolutionary means. ... Eight-hour day banner, Melbourne, 1856 University of Melbourne site where Stonemasons won the 8 hour day in 1856 The history of the Australian labour movement reaches back to the 19th century and the movement has a long tradition of organised unions of workers and links to political activity. ...

• The Australian Democrats, a centrist, socially liberal and environmentalist party
• The Australian Greens, a left-wing and environmentalist party
• The Country Liberal Party, a party which only runs for office in the Northern Territory. It is part of the Liberal/National Coalition
• The Family First Party, a party centred on socially conservative Christians.

The list of political parties in Australia comprises the names and federal leaders of significant political parties as well as the names of other parties, including formerly significant parties. The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party which was formed in 1977 through a merger of the Australia Party and the Liberal Movement after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp as a high-profile leader[1]. The new party was based... In politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes. ... Look up liberal on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Liberal may refer to: Politics: Liberalism American liberalism, a political trend in the USA Political progressivism, a political ideology that is for change, often associated with liberal movements Liberty, the condition of being free from control or restrictions Liberal Party, members of... The historic Blue Marble photograph, which helped bring environmentalism to the public eye. ... The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is a Green Australian political party. ... Left wing redirects here. ... The historic Blue Marble photograph, which helped bring environmentalism to the public eye. ... In Australian politics, the Country Liberal Party (CLP) is the Northern Territory equivalent to the Liberal and National parties. ... The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. ... The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party. ... The Coalition in Australian politics refers to the grouping of two political parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922, with only brief breaks (e. ... The Family First Party (FFP/F1) is a political party in Australia, with policies that generally mirror socially conservative and family values. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... Political parties in Australia lists political parties in Australia. ...

The History of Australia's political parties

Australian politics operates as a de facto two-party system. Unlike in the United States, however, internal party discipline is extremely tight. Australia's system was not always a two-party system, however, nor was it always as internally stable as in recent decades.

Contemporary Australian national politics

The Liberal/National coalition came to power in the March 1996 election, ending 13 years of Labor government and making John Howard Prime Minister. He was subsequently re-elected in October 1998, November 2001 and October 2004. The coalition now holds a comfortable majority in the House of Representatives. Until 2004, lacking a majority in the Senate, the Liberal/National coalition relied on negotiations with the smaller parties and independents to secure the passage of legislation. However, this changed as a result of the 2004 election, which resulted in the coalition securing a working majority in the Senate from July 2005: John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian politician and the 25th Prime Minister of Australia. ... Federal elections were held in Australia on 9 October 2004. ...

More info: Australian federal election, 2004 is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Type Bicameral Houses House of Representatives Senate Speaker of the House of Representatives David Hawker, Liberal Party since 16 November 2004 President of the Senate Alan Ferguson, Liberal Party since 14 August 2007 Members 226 (150 Representatives, 76 Senators) Political groups Liberal Party ALP National Party Country Liberal Party Greens... Type Lower house Speaker of the House David Hawker, Liberal since November 16, 2004 Members 150 Political groups Liberal Party (74) ALP (60) National Party (12) Country Liberal Party (1) Last elections 9 October 2004 Meeting place Parliament House, Canberra, ACT Web site House of Representatives Entrance to the House... Australian Senate chamber Entrance to the Senate The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. ... Australian Senate chamber Entrance to the Senate The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. ... The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. ... The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party. ... In Australian politics, the Country Liberal Party (CLP) is the Northern Territory equivalent to the Liberal and National parties. ... ALP redirects here. ... The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is a Green Australian political party. ... The Family First Party (FFP/F1) is a political party in Australia, with policies that generally mirror socially conservative and family values. ... The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party which was formed in 1977 through a merger of the Australia Party and the Liberal Movement after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp as a high-profile leader[1]. The new party was based... One Nation is a nationalist and protectionist political group in Australia. ... The Christian Democratic Party (CDP) is a minor political party in Australia. ... Federal elections were held in Australia on 9 October 2004. ...

Since its election, Howard's conservative coalition has moved to reduce the government's fiscal deficit and the influence of organised labour, placing more emphasis on workplace-based collective bargaining and individual agreements for wages and conditions of work. The Howard government also accelerated the pace of privatisation of government-owned enterprises that began with the Hawke Labor government. During its first two terms, the government's most sweeping change was the introduction of a goods and services tax (despite a pledge by Howard as opposition leader that there would never ever be a GST under a Howard Liberal government) which also saw reductions in personal income tax and company tax. With the re-election of the Howard government in 2004, several significant and controversial bills have been passed, due to the government's newly-acquired Senate majority that became effective on July 1, 2005. These major changes have included a radical revamp of industrial relations laws, an introduction of voluntary student unionism, and the full privatisation of telecommunications company Telstra. Recently, the Government has also announced plans to privatise Medibank Private, a private health insurance provider. These changes have sparked significant debate within Australia. Eight-hour day banner, Melbourne, 1856 University of Melbourne site where Stonemasons won the 8 hour day in 1856 The history of the Australian labour movement reaches back to the 19th century and the movement has a long tradition of organised unions of workers and links to political activity. ... An Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) is the name for a statutory agreement made under the Workplace Relations Act, and then properly registered with the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, that is made between an employer and a group of workers who work for that employer with two additional optional parties being... An Australian Workplace Agreement (AWA) is an individual written agreement on terms and conditions of employment between an employer and employee in Australia, under the Workplace Relations Act 1996. ... Robert James Lee (Bob) Hawke, AC (born 9 December 1929) was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia after previously being an Australian trade union leader. ... The GST (Goods and Services Tax) is a value added tax of 10% on most goods and services sold in Australia. ... The Minister for Workplace Relations, Kevin Andrews, who introduced the Australian industrial relations legislation, speaking at a press conference on 8 November In May 2005 Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews announced that the Howard Government would seek to introduce a series of proposed changes to Australian industrial relations law. ... Voluntary student unionism (VSU) is a policy under which membership of – and payment of membership fees to – university student organisations is not compulsory. ... Telstra Corporation (ASX: , NZX: TLS, NYSE: TLS) (formed from Telecom Australia) is an Australian telecommunications and media company under private ownership, with a dominant position in landline telephone services, a large share of mobile phone services, domestic consumer (including dial-up access, 50% of Broadband internet broadband cable modem, satellite...

The Howard government has departed from the foreign policy of its predecessor, placing renewed emphasis on relations with Australia's traditional allies, the United States and the United Kingdom and downgrading support for the United Nations in favour of bilateralism. Both major parties support maintaining good relations with regional powers such as the People's Republic of China, Japan, and Indonesia, although issues such as the independence of East Timor have sometimes made this difficult. Australia has become increasingly involved in the internal difficulties of its smaller neighbours, such as Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Nauru. UN and U.N. redirect here. ...

Administrative divisions

In the states and territories, elections are held at least once every four years (except in Queensland, which has three-year terms). In New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, election dates are fixed by legislation. However, the other state premiers and territory Chief Ministers have the same discretion in calling elections as the Prime Minister at the national level. (See Main articles: Australian electoral system, Electoral systems of the Australian states and territories). The states and territories of Australia make up the Commonwealth of Australia under a federal system of government. ... Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Anna Bligh (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd... NSW redirects here. ... VIC redirects here. ... Capital Adelaide Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Premier Mike Rann (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 11  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $59,819 (5th)  - Product per capita  $38,838/person (7th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  1,558,200 (5th)  - Density  1. ... Capital Canberra Government Constitutional monarchy Administrator none Chief Minister Jon Stanhope (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 2  - Senate seats 2 Gross Territorial Product (2006)  - Product ($m)  $19,167 (6th)  - Product per capita  $57,303/person (1st) Population (End of November 2006)  - Population  333,667 (7th)  - Density  137. ... The Premiers of the Australian states are the heads of the executive governments in the six states of the Commonwealth of Australia. ... This article deals with elections to the Australian Parliament. ... Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State and territory governments Executive Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Legislative Parliaments and Assemblies State electoral systems ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. ...

Regional or local government within each state is handled by Local Government Areas and unlike other equivalent forms of local government, they have relatively little power compared to the state governments (See Main article: Local government in Australia). Local Government Area (abbreviated LGA) is a term used in Australia (and especially by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) to refer to areas controlled by each individual Local Government. ... Australia has two tiers of subnational government: state (or territory) government and local government. ...

See also

• List of Australian ministers
• Politics of Australia and Canada compared
• Politics of Australia and New Zealand compared
• Canberra Press Gallery
• Political donations in Australia
• Political families of Australia

Image File history File links Portal. ... Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State and territory governments Executive Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Legislative Parliaments and Assemblies State electoral systems ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. ... There are a great many similarities between the countries of Canada and Australia. ... There are a great many similarities between Australia and New Zealand. ... The 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 Parliament of Australia. ... The term political donations refers to gifts to a politician, a political party, or an election campaign. ... // Kim Edward Beazley AO (born September 30, 1917), Australian politician, was Minister for Education in the government of Gough Whitlam and a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives for 32 years, from 1945 to 1977. ...

References

Reading

• Department of the Senate, 'Electing Australia’s Senators', Senate Briefs No. 1, 2006, retrieved July 2007
• Rodney Smith, Australian Political Culture, Longman, Frenchs Forest NSW, 2001.

Australian politics blogs, opinion pages and news sites

• Australianpolitics.com News, reference articles, and many other resources, maintained by teacher Malcolm Farnsworth
• ozpolitics Australian politics information, blog and feed site, unknown originator
• Australian Government and Politics Database maintained by Campbell Sharman of University of Western Australia
• Ostpolitik Blog reference site
• TooRight.Info A user moderated news source on Australian politics, unknown originator
• Australian National University Politics site Australian politics links, maintained by Rick Kuhn, ANU