Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

The Australian party system
to vote, such as same-sex marriage and euthanasia. These are often referred to as
conscience, or free, votes in parliament.
The Liberal Party does not have formal factions, though groupings of likeminded
individuals tend to form. In more recent years, groupings with competing
views on social issues have become prominent. The party has a significant cohort
of members who advance socially conservative positions, such as opposing samesex
marriage and Australia becoming a republic. They also tend to be sceptical of
unilateral methods for addressing climate change. The party also has members who
tend to favour more socially progressive ideas. This cleft, in addition to concerns
about the popularity of the leader, has been at the core of instability in the Liberal
Party following the defeat of the Howard government in 2007.
Policy making is also different in the Liberal Party in that the decisions made by
the extra-parliamentary wing are not binding on the parliamentary wing. In effect,
the Liberal parliamentary leader has the power to decide the party’s policies. The
power of the party leader, however, is tempered by the fact that they must maintain
the support of their parliamentary colleagues to remain leader. As former Prime
Minister John Howard noted, leadership is a ‘gift of the party room’. 35 As a result,
effective Liberal Party leaders must take the policy wishes of their colleagues and
the extra-parliamentary wing into account to maintain support.
The Liberal Party in government
After winning the 1949 election, Robert Menzies led the Liberal Party to consecutive
election victories until his retirement in 1966. Melding conservative and pragmatic
elements was part of Menzies’ repertoire. He committed Australia to supporting the
USAintheVietnamWarandsoughttobantheCommunistPartyofAustralia.
Pragmatism was evident in the Menzies government’s approach to issues concerning
economic policy, especially as it implemented protectionist policies to assist
manufacturing and agriculture. 36 Menzies was replaced by Harold Holt, who went
missing in 1967 after going for a swim in Portsea, Victoria. The Liberal Party selected
JohnGortontoreplaceHolt.Gorton,inturn,wasreplacedbyWilliamMcMahon,
who led the party to defeat in 1972, some 23 years after Menzies’ initial success.
The Liberal Party, along with its coalition partner, returned to government
in 1975, following the dismissal of the Whitlam government by the governorgeneral.
Led by Malcolm Fraser, the party continued the tradition set by Menzies.
The government was also progressive in other policies, such as supporting
multiculturalism and welcoming Cambodian and Vietnamese ‘boat people’ who
were fleeing the communist regimes in their home countries. 37
35 Howard 2006.
36 See Brett 2007.
37 Economou and Ghazarian 2010.
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