Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

The Australian party system
splits in a major party and sought to either stop the Labor Party from regaining
government(inthecaseoftheDLP)orusetheirpositionintheSenatetoactas
a watchdog on the major parties (in the case of the Democrats). The approach of
contemporary minor parties has resonated with voters, who are willing to support
them and allow them to wield significant power in the legislature.
There has also been a rise in the number of minor parties contesting elections.
In 1984, for example, there were just 18 parties contesting the election, but in 2016
there were 56, most of which were standing for the Senate. 56 The proliferation of
new parties also means that voters have even greater choice, which contributes to
the apparent fall in support for the major parties.
Conclusions
There are two distinct party systems in Australia. The first is in the House of
Representatives, which is still dominated by the major parties. The origins of the
major parties show how they were able to attract electoral support (labour
organisation in the case of the ALP, primary producers in the case of the National
Party and conservative-oriented non-labour voters in the case of the Liberal Party).
Their longevity has been underpinned by the voting system used to elect candidates
to the lower house and reflects Duverger’s hypothesis that single-member electorates
that use a majoritarian method of electing candidates will produce a twoparty
system.
In contrast, the party system in the Senate has undergone significant changes
since the adoption of proportional representation in 1949. Moreover, the type
of minor party elected to the chamber has transitioned – contemporary minor
parties winning seats are advancing specific policy agendas. While the major parties
continue to win a large portion of seats in the Senate, in recent years the use of
proportional representation has contributed to the creation of a multiparty system
that had been hypothesised by Duverger. The rising vote for minor parties shows
that voters are also supporting greater diversity, especially in the upper house.
This changing party system has implications for national policy, especially when
governmentsmustrelyonsupportfromthesepartiestopasslegislation.
References
Aitkin, Don (1977). Stability and change in Australian politics. Canberra: ANU Press.
Australian Electoral Commission (2015). 2014 WA Senate election. www.aec.gov.au/Elections/
Federal_Elections/2014/index.htm
Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party (2013). Core values.
https://australianmotoringenthusiastparty.org.au/index.php/amep-values/
56 See Green 2015b.
121