Comprehensive Study of the Australian Party System

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of the Australian party system. It begins by outlining the constitutional framework of Australia's government, including the roles of the legislature, executive, and judiciary, and highlights the influence of both the Westminster and federal systems. The essay then delves into the structure and function of political parties, focusing on the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party, and the Nationals, and how they operate within the parliamentary system. It examines the roles of party leaders, whips, and committees, as well as the impact of proportional representation. The essay also discusses the historical context of the party system, including the evolution of party alliances and the influence of class interests. Finally, it explores the dynamics of the two-party system, party discipline, and the dominance of major parties in Australian politics.

Running head: AUSTRALIAN PARTY SYSTEM
AUSTRALIAN PARTY SYSTEM
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1AUSTRALIAN PARTY SYSTEM
It can be stated that the politics of Australia tends to take place within the agenda or an
outline of a centralized governmental constitutional dominion. A consistent liberal state of the
self-governing party-political system was being sustained by the political parties of the Australia
under the composition of the Australia in itself ( Bean 2013). The constitution of Australia is said
to be the sixth oldest continuous democracy. Studies that are being done here indicates that the
constitution of Australia is like a two party scheme in which it is very much obligatory for the
others to vote. According to the rating done by the economist intelligence Unit, Australia is
considered to be of “full democracy” in the year 2018 (Chen 2013). However, it can be
considered that the Australia is a federation which the power is distributed between that of the
centralized management and the states and the territories. On the other hand, the centralized
government can be classified into three major subdivisions which are the legislature, executive
and the judiciary. It can however be noted that the Australian system of the government mixes
elements that are taken from the political system of the United Kingdom as well as from the
United States. The political system of the Australia has its own particular indigenous features
and is therefore marked as the “Westminster mutation” (Ganghof, Eppner and Pörschke 2018). It
is to be noted that the legislature of the Australia is known as the common wealth parliament or
the centralized parliament. It is also considered as the jurisdictive part of the management of the
Australia. The legislative part of the Australia is highly influenced by the Westminster system as
well as by the federalism system of the United States. However, abiding by the section 1 of the
structure of Australia, the legislature indeed consist of three main workings which are the
monarch, the senates and that of the house of the representatives. However the head role of the
state of the Australia is distributed into two segments like the sovereign of Australia and the
Governor General of Australia (Gauja 2013). It is the role of the administrator general to employ

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judges, ambassadors, ministers giving very much a royal agreement to that of the legislature. On
the other hand, the governor general of the Australia is known as the leader of the centralized
decision-making council and even the leader in chief of the Australian defense forces
(Ghazarian, 2015). However, these roles are under the guidance of the constitution of the
Australia. Despite having these powers, the director over-all only exercises his duties under the
guidance of the prime minister. Therefore it can be said that the role of the governor in over-all
is often a ritualistic one. The high court of the Australia is the Supreme Court according to the
hierarchy of the Australian court. It is considered to be the final court in which one could appeal
(Grewcock 2014). However, it has both the original as well as the appellate jurisdiction. It
consist of the control of the legal appraisal over the laws that are being approved by the
parliament of the Australia along with the parliament of the States. The high court on the other
hand is authorized by the section 71 of the composition which confers in it the legal power of the
common wealth of Australia. The system of management of Australia is totally based on the
presence of the party-political parties. It can be noted that though the members of the house of
the representatives are the ones who are elected mainly to represent the constituents that tends to
lie within each of the electoral division, in general cases, the members belongs to and even
supports his or her political party (Kalajdzic, Cashman and Longmoore 2013). The single party
or the coalition of the party’s which gains success by getting the support from majority of the
house tends to form the government. On the other hand, the party with the biggest number of
members in the house usually forms the official antagonism. Every members and senators of the
parliamentary party tends to elect his or her own leader. The leader belonging to that of the
government as well as of the opposition party tends to become the Prime Minister and even the
lead of the opposition party tentatively (Lausberg 2016). It is being said that the hung parliament

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exist when no single party or the union of the parties has the major figure of seats in the house of
the representatives. On the other hand, it can be said that the minority of the government can be
formed when a party or the union of the parties which do not have the major number of seats
with its own power and is yet able to get major on the floor of the house through the support
from the members who are independent as well as from the parties which are minor. Between the
year 1901 to that of the 1910, commitments to the party were very much fluid in comparison to
the ones which they would later become (Macneil and Bray 2013). It can be said that the
governments were mainly consisted of the minority governments and yet it was being created
and uncreated on the floor of that of the house. Since the time of the 1910, Australia had a
majority of the governments in which offices were being held either by the Australian Labor
Party or by the union of the non-labor parties. The house of the representatives are mainly
represented by the three significant parties which are the Australian labor party, the liberal party
of the Australia and even the Nationals. In 1901, the eldest party of the Australia which is the
labor Party was made. In the year 1944, the present liberal party was being shaped (Maddison
and Denniss 2013). In 1920, the country party was being made. In the year 2008, Queensland
branches of the liberal party and the nationals combined to create the liberal national party of the
Queensland. However, the applicants from the liberal national party were being chosen to
Federal government which sustained to sit as the liberals or even the nationals. The activities of
the parliament includes the parliamentary wings of the political parties who are the
representatives who are being elected. The parliamentary activity tends to include the
parliamentary wings of the political parties who are the elected affiliates of the party. There is
no role on the part of the extra parliamentary or the organizational wings in the formal
parliamentary structure as well as on the workings of the parliament (Pijovic 2016). No formal

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recognition is being made on the political parties in the standing orders of the house it can be
stated that the function of the house is totally dependent on the relationship between the
government and that of the opposition which are the opposite political parties. The arrangements
that are being made on the business as well as the business that is being conducted tends to
reflect this division. This feature is however observable in the physical layout of the chamber
where the members of the government tends to sit on the right side to the chair of the speaker.
The associates of the disagreement party tends to sit on the left side of the speaker’s chair.
Another form of example that can be noted is the practice where the chances for the members of
the parliament to speak in the house are changed between the members of the government and
that of the non- governments. The significant parties have their selected party rooms in the
parliament houses. The parties tends to have their meetings in that of the seating room where all
party members tends to meet. The meetings thus becomes a forum for communicating between
the leaders of the party to that of the backbenchers. The discussion that is being held in the party
is regarded as the totally confidential. It is to be noted that the discussions that are conducted in
the party is not communicated to that of the public. However, both the the parties of the
government as well as of the opposition tends to have backbench committees which tends to
assist them in regards to that of the proposals related to legislation of the country as well as of
the other issues related to the political significance. These committees tends to provide the
backbenchers with the chance to talk about the matter and even influence the policies of the
party. It even tends to influence the decision in relation to the specific matter of the subject. All
parties of the Australia tends to have whips whose significant function or responsibility is to
perform as the administrative officer to that of the parliamentary parties. It can be said that
despite the whips and the chief government whip have their respective duty in connection to the

5AUSTRALIAN PARTY SYSTEM
proceedings of the house, they tend to occupy the significant part of the opposition. However,
outside of the chamber, the whips are needed to give support to such matters as a result of the
meetings of the party and even for consultations. The systems that are prevalent in the
proportional representation are the ones who selected the results of the senators and in more
cases for the election of the parties who are minor and even independent. This can however be
stated that the role of the minor parties was very much important. It can be considered that the
influence of the presence of the other senates might not even have little bit of representation in
the house.
The party system of the Australia is been characterized by the political scientists as the
something which is driven from ideologies in comparison to the one like the United States and
the Canada. The interest of the class played a very significant role as per the early Australian
political history. The interest of the class is significant in the separation between the self-
governing communalist Australian Labor party and the union of the parties like the conventional
liberal party and the agricultural conservative Australian Country party. However as per the
present scenario of the Australian culture, the union of the parties is considered to be the
centrally right and the Australian work party is careful to be centrally left. However, it can be
noted that the conservatism of the Australia is mainly represented by the union parties along the
liberalism of the Australia. Since the time of the federation, the Australian political landscape
was dominated mainly by the organized, national political parties. However, the 19th century
witnessed the emergence of the Australian labor party which was been represented by the
prepared labors. However, the opposing interests united into two major parties which are the
center right party along with a base in business and the middle classes which is characterized by
being predominantly moderate and conservative. On the other hand, there is the liberal party of

6AUSTRALIAN PARTY SYSTEM
the Australia which is characterized as the rural, agrarian or the conservative kind of a party.
Presently it is the national party of the Australia. Though there are other minor figure of parties
that have accomplished illustration of the parliament, the organized politics are mainly
dominated by the three main parties in Australia. The politics of the Australia is mainly
dominated by the two party system because of the union amid the liberal party and that of the
National party. The discipline of the party is extremely tight unlike the condition in the other
nations like the United States. The party system of Australia is not always been a system of the
two parties. It can neither be said that the gathering was inside steady as it is in the recent
periods. The Australian Labor party is a societal independent party. It is a party which is inclined
to the left with the inclination to the welfare of the society along with the programs which are
assisted by the government. The party was founded by the Australian labor movement and it
significantly signifies the urban working and the middle classes. However, the liberal party of
Australia is a party which is center right and it signifies the business, the urban middle class and
the rural lpeople.in the national level, it unites with the National party of the Australia. It is
commonly identified as the Country Party, a conventional kind of a party which tends to
represent the rural interest. The two parties together is known as the alliance. The party is
known as the Liberal National party in Queensland and NSW and the country liberal party in the
Northern Territory. Some of the works that are initiated by the Australian labor party are as
follows. The party protested strongly for the protection of the penalty rates. They protested that
is very much unfair to discount the wages of the Australian workers ho are already getting very
low pay. The party also campaigned for the protection of the Medicare. They campaigned that if
everybody combines and joins together then the Medicare can be saved. One of the significant
protest done by the party is that they raised the opinion that the kids of the Australia has the right

7AUSTRALIAN PARTY SYSTEM
to get the best teaching of the world. It should not be limited to the liberal cuts only. among the
various protests and campaigns that the party conducted, one of the protest for the party was that
it is nuclear wars are something that are not wanted by the Australians. The nuclear power is
very much expensive and too much risky, it only brings disasters. Therefore it must just be
avoided. The party also worked towards the betterment of the hospitals. They insisted that the
local hospitals of the Australia must be fixed and also insisted Morrison to fix it. The party also
worked towards the protection of the TAPE. They insisted everyone to join for the protection of
the tape apprenticeship and that of the skills. Apart from these, the party also worked to stop
Morrison from the attack on the Uni students, that Is the liberals are very much cutting the
funding of the university and even increasing the fees of the UNI. The importance for sending a
clear message of support for the ABC for also initiated by the party. They also protested and
worked to increase the new start, they claimed that the rate that is being applied for the new start
is extremely low. Since the party in social justice, they worked well towards it. They strongly
protested and worked against the forced marriage, it is being noted that hundreds of Young
Australian are forced to marry at the very early stage of their lives. The party also protested
against the privatization of the Australian system of the Visa. Everybody was asked to be
together and fight against the Peter Dutton’s plan. The party even initiated the safety of the
women in their respective homes. The government was being insisted to fund this important
program. The home care places for the Australians who are older is in such a bad situation that it
cannot be accepted at all. The party also protested against the abn of the trade that tends to
explore the animals. For example, the party significantly protested against the business that is
being made through the ivory of the elephant and the horn of the rhino. Though it brought huge
commercial success, the party was totally in support of the safety of the animals. Among the

8AUSTRALIAN PARTY SYSTEM
various social justices for which the party protested and worked for, the party protested strongly
for the workers. They made sure that the workers must not be treated like the second class
citizens. The party also effectively worked to make Australia a republic. Action was also
initiated by the company on the banking royal commission. On the other hand, the liberal party
of the Australia works for the economic liberalism of the country. The party stood for freedom.
The name liberal has been taken because the members of the party were determined to be a very
progressive party who are very much keen to make experiments. The party treated men and the
women not as the ciphers in a calculation but as individuals whose welfare and the development
are the main focus of concern for the government, the party also worked for the equality of the
opportunities between both the men and that of the women. Presently, the party is working
towards creating 1. 25 million jobs by the upcoming five years. The party also ensures to
maintain the surpluses of the budget and even pay down the debt of the labor. The party also
delivers the relief of the tax for the small businesses and families. Initiative is also taken by the
party to guarantee enhanced investments for the schools, hospitals and that of the roads. The
party also takes initiatives for maintaining the safety of the Australians and to keep the borders
very much secure and safe.

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