List of political parties in Australia
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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, 16 of the 151 members of the lower house (Members of Parliament, or MPs) are not members of major parties, as are 17 of the 76 members of the upper house (senators).
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 parliaments since these typically use a form of proportional representation, except for in Tasmania where the lower house is proportionally elected and the upper house is made up of single member districts.
History
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2022) |
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, South Australia, 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, and the United Australia Party).
The Liberal Party is joined by the National Party, a party that historically sought to represent rural and agricultural interests and now focuses on rural coal mining interests. 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/South Australia, 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 , 2019 and 2022. Additionally, support for Independent politicians in Australia has resulted in major parties having to come to agreements to form government at times, including the 2010 Australian Federal Election and may contribute to the 2022 Australian Federal Election.
Membership requirement
To maintain registration, parties must demonstrate that they have a certain number of members.
Federally, since 2022, unless a party has current parliamentary representation, they must demonstrate they have 1,500 members.[2][3] For the state and territory elections, parties require 100 members in Tasmania and the ACT, 200 in South Australia and Northern Territory, 500 in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, and 750 in New South Wales.[3]
| State/Level | Requirement |
|---|---|
 Federal
|
1,500 |
 New South Wales
|
750 |
 Victoria
|
500 |
 Queensland
| |
 Western Australia
| |
 South Australia
|
200 |
 Northern Territory
| |
 Tasmania
|
100 |
 Australian Capital Territory
| |
Federal parties
Federal parliamentary parties
| Party | Members of the federal Parliament as of July 2022 |
Party leader | Ideology | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| House | Senate | ||||||
| Australian Labor Party | 77 / 151
|
26 / 76
|
Anthony Albanese | Social democracy Social liberalism | |||
| The Coalition | |||||||
| Liberal Party | 48 / 151
|
26 / 76
|
Peter Dutton | Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism | |||
| National Party | 15 / 151
|
6 / 76
|
David Littleproud | Conservatism Agrarianism | |||
| Australian Greens | 4 / 151
|
12 / 76
|
Adam Bandt | Green politics Social democracy | |||
| One Nation | 0 / 151
|
2 / 76
|
Pauline Hanson | Right-wing populism Hansonism | |||
| Jacqui Lambie Network | 0 / 151
|
2 / 76
|
Jacqui Lambie | Tasmanian regionalism Populism | |||
| Centre Alliance | 1 / 151
|
0 / 76
|
No leader | Social liberalism Populism | |||
| Katter's Australian Party | 1 / 151
|
0 / 76
|
Robbie Katter | Conservatism Developmentalism | |||
| United Australia Party | 0 / 151
|
1 / 76
|
Ralph Babet | Nationalism Right-wing populism | |||
Federal non-parliamentary parties
Parties listed in alphabetical order as of October 2022:[4]
State and Territory parties
New South Wales
As of the New South Wales Electoral Commission:[9]
Parliamentary parties
| Name | MLAs | MLCs | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Coalition | ||||||||
| Liberal Party | 33 / 93
|
11 / 42
|
Dominic Perrottet | Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism |
| |||
| National Party | 12 / 93
|
6 / 42
|
Paul Toole | Conservatism Agrarianism |
| |||
| Australian Labor Party | 37 / 93
|
14 / 42
|
Chris Minns | Social democracy Social liberalism[10] |
| |||
| Australian Greens | 3 / 93
|
3 / 42
|
No leader | Green politics |
| |||
| Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party | 2 / 93
|
2 / 42
|
Robert Brown | Green conservatism Right-wing populism |
| |||
| Animal Justice Party | 0 / 93
|
2 / 42
|
Mark Pearson | Animal rights |
| |||
| One Nation | 0 / 93
|
2 / 42
|
Mark Latham | Right-wing populism Australian nationalism Hansonism |
| |||
Non-parliamentary parties
| Name[11] | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Informed Medical Options Party | Michael O'Neill | Anti-vaccination Anti-fluoridation |
| |
| Legalise Cannabis Australia | Cannabis legalisation |
| ||
| Liberal Democratic Party | David Leyonhjelm | Classical liberalism Right-libertarianism |
| |
| Reason Australia | Civil libertarianism Progressivism |
| ||
| Socialist Alliance | No leader | Socialism Anti-capitalism |
| |
| Sustainable Australia Party | William Bourke | Environmentalism Sustainable development |
| |
| The Open Party | Anti-lockout laws Civil libertarianism |
| ||
| The Small Business Party | Constentine Vithoulkas | Small business advocacy |
| |
Victoria
As of the Victorian Electoral Commission:[12]
Parliamentary parties
Non-parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angry Victorians Party | Veterans' rights Populism |
| ||
| Companions and Pets Party | John Hutchison | Right to companion animals Right to pets |
| |
| Family First Party | Tom Kenyon | Christian politics |
| |
| Freedom Party of Victoria | Morgan Jonas | Anti-lockdown politics Conservatism |
| |
| Health Australia Party | Andrew Hicks | Naturopathy Anti-vaccination |
| |
| Legalise Cannabis | Cannabis Legalisation |
| ||
| One Nation | Right-wing populism Australian nationalism |
| ||
| Restore Democracy Sack Dan Andrews Party |
| |||
| United Australia Party | Ralph Babet | Right-wing populism Anti-lockdown politics |
| |
| Victorian Socialists | No leader | Democratic socialism |
| |
Queensland
As of the Queensland Electoral Commission:[13]
Parliamentary parties
| Name | MPs | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party | 52 / 93
|
Annastacia Palaszczuk | Social democracy Social liberalism[10] |
| |
| Liberal National Party | 34 / 93
|
David Crisafulli | Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism |
| |
| Katter's Australian Party | 3 / 93
|
Robbie Katter | Right-wing populism Developmentalism |
| |
| Australian Greens | 2 / 93
|
No leader | Green politics Left-wing populism |
| |
| One Nation | 1 / 93
|
No state leader | Right-wing populism Australian nationalism |
| |
Non-parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Justice Party | Animal rights |
| ||
| Civil Liberties & Motorists Party | Jeffrey Hodges | Public ownership |
| |
| Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party | Andrew Pope | Green conservatism Right-wing populism |
| |
| Informed Medical Options Party | Anti-vaccination Anti-fluoridation |
| ||
| Legalise Cannabis | Cannabis legalisation |
| ||
Western Australia
As of the Western Australian Electoral Commission:[14]
Parliamentary parties
| Name | MLAs | MLCs | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party | 53 / 59
|
22 / 36
|
Mark McGowan | Social democracy Social liberalism[10] |
| |
| National Party | 4 / 59
|
3 / 36
|
Mia Davies | Conservatism Agrarianism |
| |
| Liberal Party | 2 / 59
|
7 / 36
|
David Honey | Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism |
| |
| Legalise Cannabis | 0 / 59
|
2 / 36
|
Sophia Moermond | Cannabis legalisation |
| |
| Australian Greens | 0 / 59
|
1 / 36
|
Brad Pettitt | Green politics |
| |
| Daylight Saving Party | 0 / 59
|
1 / 36
|
Wilson Tucker | Daylight saving advocacy |
| |
Non-parliamentary parties
South Australia
As of the Electoral Commission of South Australia:[15]
Parliamentary parties
| Name | MHAs | MLCs | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party | 27 / 47
|
9 / 22
|
Peter Malinauskas | Social democracy Social liberalism[10] |
| |
| Liberal Party | 16 / 47
|
8 / 22
|
David Speirs | Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism |
| |
| Australian Greens | 0 / 47
|
2 / 22
|
Tammy Franks | Green politics |
| |
| One Nation | 0 / 47
|
1 / 22
|
Jennifer Game | Right-wing populism Australian nationalism Hansonism |
| |
| SA-Best | 0 / 47
|
2 / 22
|
Connie Bonaros | Social liberalism |
| |
Non-parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Justice Party | Louise Pfeiffer | Animal rights |
| |
| Australian Family Party | Bob Day | Christian politics Right-wing populism Conservatism |
| |
| Child Protection Party | Tony Tonkin | Child protection advocacy |
| |
| Family First Party | Tom Kenyon | Christian politics |
| |
| Legalise Cannabis | Damon Adams | Cannabis legalisation |
| |
| Liberal Democratic Party | Classical liberalism Right-libertarianism |
| ||
| National Party | Jonathon Pietzsch | Conservatism Agrarianism |
| |
| Real Change SA | Stephen Pallaras |
| ||
| Sustainable Australia |
| |||
Tasmania
As of the Tasmanian Electoral Commission:[16]
Parliamentary parties
| Name | MHAs | MLCs | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Party | 13 / 25
|
4 / 15
|
Jeremy Rockliff | Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism |
| |
| Australian Labor Party | 9 / 25
|
4 / 15
|
Rebecca White | Social democracy Social liberalism[10] |
| |
| Australian Greens | 2 / 25
|
0 / 15
|
Cassy O'Connor | Green politics |
| |
Non-parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Justice Party | Karen Bevis | Animal rights |
| |
| Australian Federation Party | Australian nationalism Conservatism |
| ||
| Jacqui Lambie Network | Jacqui Lambie | Regionalism Veterans' rights |
| |
| The Local Party |
| |||
| Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party | Rebecca Byfield | Green conservatism Right-wing populism |
| |
Australian Capital Territory
As listed with the ACT Electoral Commission:[17]
Parliamentary parties
| Name | MLAs | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party | 10 / 25
|
Andrew Barr | Social democracy Social liberalism[10] |
| |
| Liberal Party | 9 / 25
|
Elizabeth Lee | Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism |
| |
| Australian Greens | 6 / 25
|
Shane Rattenbury | Green politics |
| |
Non-parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Justice Party | Animal rights |
| ||
| Australian Federation Party | Australian nationalism Conservatism |
| ||
| Australian Progressives | Kerry Markoulli | Progressivism |
| |
| Belco Party | Bill Stefaniak |
| ||
| Climate Change Justice Party | Environmentalism |
| ||
| David Pollard Independent | David Pollard |
| ||
| Democratic Labour Party | Christian democracy Distributism |
| ||
| Liberal Democratic Party | Classical liberalism Right-libertarianism |
| ||
| Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party | Green conservatism Right-wing populism |
| ||
| Sustainable Australia Party | John Haydon | Environmentalism[18] Sustainable development |
| |
| The Canberra Party |
| |||
| The Community Action Party |
| |||
Northern Territory
As of the Northern Territory Electoral Commission:[19]
Parliamentary parties
| Name | MLAs | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party | 14 / 25
|
Natasha Fyles | Social democracy Social liberalism[10] |
| |
| Country Liberal Party | 8 / 25
|
Lia Finocchiaro | Liberal conservatism Agrarianism |
| |
Non-parliamentary parties
| Name | Leader | Ideology | Has federal division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Justice Party | Animal welfare |
| ||
| Australian Federation Party | Australian nationalism Conservatism |
| ||
| Australian Greens | No leader | Green politics |
| |
| Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party | Green conservatism Right-wing populism |
| ||
| Territory Alliance | Terry Mills | Regionalism |
| |
See also
- List of historical political parties in Australia
- List of political parties by country
- Politics of Australia
Notes
References
- ^ "OzPolitics.info". OzPolitics.info. Archived from the original on 28 September 2009. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
- ^ "Changes to federal election rules including party sizes and names pass Parliament". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ a b Green, Antony. "More on Minimum Membership Requirements for Registering Political Parties". Antony Green's Election Blog. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ "Current Register of Political Parties". Australian Electoral Commission. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ "National anti-corruption commission urgent". Australian Democrats. Australian Democrats.
- ^ "Rorts Watch". Australian Democrats. Australian Democrats.
- ^ "No jab, no vote: new anti-vax party registered". Crikey. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- ^ Johnson, Chris (18 May 2022). "Election 2022: What's going on in Canberra's senate race?". The Mandarin. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "State Register of Parties". www.elections.nsw.gov.au. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "Information About Registered Parties". www.elections.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ^ "Currently registered parties". Victorian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ Queensland, Electoral Commission of (26 August 2022). "Registers". www.ecq.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "Registered Political Parties in WA". Western Australian Electoral Commission. 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Register of political parties". Electoral Commission of South Australia. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "TEC Party Register". www.tec.tas.gov.au. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "Register of political parties". www.elections.act.gov.au. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "Policy Platform - Sustainable Australia Party". Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- ^ NTEC (3 August 2022). "Register of political parties in the Northern Territory". NTEC. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
| Parliamentary parties |
|
|---|---|
| State and territory parliaments (parties not represented federally) |
|
| Other AEC-registered parties | |
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