List of political parties in Australia
This article lists political parties in Australia.
The Australian federal parliament 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 optional preferential voting to elect the upper house, the Australian Senate.
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, four of the 150 members of the lower house (Members of Parliament, or MPs) are not members of major parties, as are 19 of the 76 members of the upper house (senators).
Federal political parties with parliamentary representation
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, 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 and Victoria, 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, or the United Australia Party).
The Liberal Party is joined by the National Party, a party that seeks to represent rural interests, especially agricultural ones. 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, 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 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.[2]
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, and 2016.
Parties with state representation only
| Name | Abbr. | Leader | Ideology | Position | Representation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party | Shooters, Fishers and Farmers | N/A | Gun rights Conservatism |
Right-wing | NSW - 2 MLCs, 1 MP Victoria - 2 MLCs WA - 1 MLC | |
| Christian Democratic Party | Christian Democratic | Fred Nile | National conservatism Christian right |
Right-wing | NSW - 2 MLCs | |
| Reason Party | Reason | Fiona Patten | Civil libertarianism Secular liberalism |
Centre to centre-left | Victoria - 1 MLC | |
| Vote 1 Local Jobs | Local Jobs | James Purcell | Regionalism | Centre to centre-right | Victoria - 1 MLC | |
| Animal Justice Party | Animal Justice, AJP | Bruce Poon | Animals rights | Centre-left | NSW - 1 MLC | |
| Advance SA | Advance, ASA | John Darley | Centrism | Centre | SA - 1 MLC | |
Parties registered for federal elections with the Australian Electoral Commission
Parties listed in alphabetical order:[3]
| Party | Leader | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Justice Party | Steve Garlick | Animal welfare advocacy |
| Australia First Party (NSW) Incorporated | James Saleam | |
| Australian Affordable Housing Party | Andrew Potts | A single-issue party seeking to promote provision of housing and improve the rights of renters.[4] |
| Australian Better Families | The political wing of the Australian Brotherhood of Fathers, seeking to improve the rights of Australian fathers, their children and their families.[5] | |
| Australian Christians | Ray Moran | Formed in 2011 from the WA and Victorian branches of the Christian Democratic Party (CDP). |
| Australian Conservatives | Cory Bernardi | Formed in 2017 by Senator Cory Bernardi who resigned from the Liberal Party |
| Australian Country Party | Russell Bate | Formerly Australian Country Alliance. Victorian party which claims to be "anti-green but pro-environment". |
| Australian Greens | Richard Di Natale | The Greens, formed in 1992 and attracting support from the left of the Australian political spectrum, have significant parliamentary representation in the Australian Senate and in several Australian states, They have participated in Labor–Green coalition governments in the Australian Capital Territory (2008–present) and Tasmania (1989–1992 and 2010–2014). The Greens also supported the minority Gillard Labor government in matters of supply and confidence (2010–2013). |
| Australian Labor Party (ALP) | Bill Shorten | The Labor Party is Australia's oldest political party, founded in 1891 and gaining in prominence through its first two decades to take government federally and in most Australian states. Today, it either forms the government or the official opposition in every Australian jurisdiction. Labor is a social democratic party and is the Australian member party of the Progressive Alliance, having been a member of the Socialist International. |
| Australian Liberty Alliance | ||
| Australian People's Party | Gabriel Harfouche | |
| Australian Progressives | Vinay Orekondy | The Australian Progressives, registered in 2015, is a progressive party whose policies are based on evidence rather than ideology. Members are given active roles in policy formation and approval. |
| Australian Workers Party | Mark Ptolemy | A progressive workers' rights and industrial relations reform party which registered in 2017 in response to the continuous expansion of economic neoliberalism. The party advocates an economy which prioritises full employment. |
| Centre Alliance | A centrist political party that was established around the views of independent South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon. Renamed from Nick Xenophon Team in May 2018. | |
| Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group) | Fred Nile | Socially conservative party drawing support from conservative Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and evangelical Protestants. It was established as the "Call to Australia Party" in 1977, and has been continuously represented in the New South Wales Legislative Council. |
| Citizens Electoral Council of Australia | Craig Isherwood | The CEC is a nationalist political party affiliated with the international LaRouche movement. |
| Country Liberals (Northern Territory) | Gary Higgins | Regional political party in the Northern Territory, affiliated with both the National (formerly "Country") and Liberal parties of Australia and part of the Coalition. |
| Democratic Labour Party (DLP) | Socially conservative—opposed to abortion and euthanasia; economically left-wing—opposed to privatisation and free trade. Advocates the economic philosophy of distributism as an alternative to socialism and capitalism. | |
| Derryn Hinch's Justice Party | Derryn Hinch | |
| Health Australia Party | Andrew Patterson | Promotes 'natural medicine', such as naturopathy, herbal medicine, acupuncture, chiropractic, etc. |
| Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Party | Michael Balderstone | Promotes the legalisation of cannabis. |
| Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) Party | Michael O'Neill[6] | |
| Jacqui Lambie Network | Jacqui Lambie | |
| Katter's Australian Party | Bob Katter | Formed by independent MHR Bob Katter in 2011, it won two seats at the March 2012 Queensland state election. Policies include support for agricultural interests, opposition to privatisation and deregulation, support for workers (especially rural workers) and conservatism on social policy. |
| Liberal Democratic Party | Gabriel Buckley | Formed in 2001 as a libertarian and classical liberal party, adhering to small-government, objectivist and laissez-faire principles. |
| Liberal Party of Australia | Scott Morrison | Founded in 1945 to replace the United Australia Party and its predecessors, the Liberal Party is the primary centre-right party in Australia. Federally, it runs in a Coalition with the National Party, the Northern Territory Country Liberal Party, and Queensland Liberal National Party. Espouses centre-right economic liberalism and socially conservative policies. |
| Liberal National Party of Queensland | Tim Nicholls | The Liberal National Party (LNP) is a centre-right political party in Queensland, formed by merger of the Queensland divisions of the Liberal and National parties in 2008. The party won government for the first time at the 2012 Queensland election. |
| Love Australia or Leave | Kim Vuga | Anti-immigration, anti-Islam |
| National Party of Australia | Michael McCormack | Known as the Country Party until 1975 and the National Country Party until 1982, National is an agrarian party representing farmers' interests. It has generally been the minor party in the Coalition with the Liberal Party of Australia. While the party is socially conservative, its Western Australian and South Australian branches are socially centrist. |
| Non-Custodial Parents Party (Equal Parenting) | Andrew Thompson | Formed to support reform of family law, in particular with regard to custody and child support payments. |
| Online Direct Democracy (Formerly Senator Online) | Berge Der Sarkissian | Focused on E-democracy, the party does not have any policies but pledges to conduct an online poll for each bill that passes before the Senate. |
| Pauline Hanson's One Nation | Pauline Hanson | One Nation is a far-right, nationalist and protectionist political party. Pauline Hanson founded the party after being elected as an independent after she was disendorsed as the Liberal Party candidate for the Australian House of Representatives. It won more than 22 percent of the statewide vote and 11 of 89 seats in Queensland's unicameral legislative assembly at the 1998 state election. Federally, the party peaked at the 1998 election on 9 percent of the nationwide vote, electing one senator in Queensland. The party won 4 seats (4.29%) in 2016. |
| Pirate Party Australia | Simon Frew | Represents civil liberty issues and committed to evidence-based policy decisions. Based on the Pirate Party of Sweden, it is focused on copyright reform, internet freedom, government transparency, civil liberties and ending censorship. Members have voting rights in policy adoption, preselection, party governance and electoral preference distributions. |
| Reason Australia | ||
| Republican Party of Australia | Kerry Bromson | Founded in 1982. Registration comes and goes as the party gains and loses supporters. |
| Rise Up Australia Party | Daniel Nalliah | Socially conservative and nationalist political party founded by Danny Nalliah, pastor of Catch the Fire Ministries, in 2011. Considered to be to the right of the Christian Democratic Party and Family First, it ran in the 2013 election but did not win any seats. |
| Science Party | James Jansson | Formerly the Future Party, the party seeks to promote high quality science research and education. |
| Secular Party of Australia | John Perkins | Founded in 2006 and supports secular humanist ethical principles with its stated political aims being opposition to privileges for religious organisations and to the influence of religion on public policy, and the promotion of laws based on humanist ethical principles and scientific evidence. |
| Seniors United Party of Australia | ||
| Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party | Robert Brown | Founded in 1992 as the Australian Shooters Party, it is a political party based on gun rights, global warming scepticism, nationalism, and environmentalism. It has six state senators in the upper houses (senates) of Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria and one lower-house MP in the state of New South Wales. |
| Socialist Alliance | Collective Leadership with National Co-convenors (Susan Price and Peter Boyle) | Founded in 2001 as an alliance of socialist organisations and individuals. With branches in all states and territories, having electoral registration federally and in a number of states, it is the largest group on the Australian far left. |
| Socialist Equality Party | Nick Beams | The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) is a Trotskyist party established in 2010 as the successor to the Socialist Labour League, which was founded in 1972 as the Australian section of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI). It is a registered federally and participates in elections at all levels of government. |
| #Sustainable Australia | William Bourke | The party was formed in 2010 as the Stable Population Party and later the Sustainable Population Party. It advocates a stable population for Australia. |
| The Arts Party | P. J. Collins | Established in 2014 to advocate for the arts, encourage creativity, build community and invest in knowledge. |
| The Australian Mental Health Party | Dr Ben Mullings | Aims to improve psychological and emotional wellbeing.[7] |
| Tim Storer Independent SA Party | Tim Storer | Party formed around sitting senator Tim Storer after he left the Centre Alliance party |
| Voluntary Euthanasia Party | A single-issue party registered in 2013, seeking legislation for voluntary euthanasia. | |
| VOTEFLUX.ORG | Upgrade Democracy! | Nathan Spataro | A party focused on instituting Issue Based Direct Democracy in Australia, allowing the public to vote on bills directly. |
| Western Australia Party | Julie Matheson |
Parties registered for state elections with state electoral bodies
New South Wales
Divisions of the federal parties:[8]
Parties that are only registered in NSW:
| Party | Leader | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Cyclists Party | Omar Khalifa | Formed in 2013, the Australian Cyclists Party was created to address issues that have impeded the growth of cycling including the lack of adequate investment. "A cycling-friendly Australia" is the party's vision, the mission is to get Australia moving by contesting in government elections to effect political change toward creating improved opportunities for more people to cycle and to do so safely. The party sees a close link between cycling and transport, health and planning priorities and is focusing on how they should be coordinated. It was registered for federal elections from 2013 to 2017. |
| Building Australia Party | Were federally registered from 2010 to 2015; now only in NSW. | |
| Keep Sydney Open | Registered as a party in 2018, the group advocates for issues surrounding the city's nightlife and night-time economy. The group is best known for its opposition to the Sydney lockout laws. |
Victoria
Divisions of the federal parties[9]
| State Party Name | State Leader |
|---|---|
| Animal Justice Party | State Leader not known |
| Australian Conservatives – Victorian Branch[10] | Rachel Carling-Jenkins |
| Australian Country Party | State Leader not known |
| Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch) | Daniel Andrews |
| Democratic Labour Party | State Leader not known |
| Health Australia Party | State Leader not known |
| Liberal Democratic Party | State Leader not known |
| Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division) | Matthew Guy[11] |
| National Party of Australia – Victoria | Peter Walsh[12] |
| Reason Party (Australia)[13] | Fiona Patten |
| Sustainable Australia | |
| Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (Victoria)[14] | State Leader not known |
| Socialist Alliance (Victoria) | Collective leadership |
| Australian Greens Victoria | Samantha Ratnam[15] |
| Voluntary Euthanasia Party (Victoria) |
Parties that are only registered in Victoria:
| Party | Leader |
|---|---|
| Vote 1 Local Jobs | James Purcell |
| Transport Matters Party[16] | State Leader not known |
| Victorian Socialists | Stephen Jolly |
Queensland
Divisions of the federal parties:[17]
Western Australia
Divisions of the federal parties:[18]
Parties that are only registered in Western Australia:
| Party | Leader | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Daylight Saving Party | Wilson Tucker[19] | Focused on advocating for the introduction of Daylight Saving Time in Western Australia, Polled 0.68% of voting for Legislative Council in 2017. |
| Fluoride Free WA Party | Anne Porter | Publicising the controversial nature and potential adverse effects of water fluoridation.[20] Polled 0.32% of voting for Legislative Council in 2017. |
| Western Australia Party | Julie Matheson | Seeks the state's full per-capita (11%) share of the GST to fund education, health and law enforcement.[21] Polled 0.39% of voting for Legislative Council in 2017. |
| Micro Business Party | John Golawski | Supporting Australian small business "against unconscionable treatment by landlords or developers". Aims to fight for a fair share of GST revenue for Western Australia. Polled 0.55% of voting for Legislative Council in 2017. |
South Australia
Divisions of the federal parties:[22]
| Party | Leader | Federal Division | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch) | Peter Malinauskas | Yes | ||
| Liberal Party of Australia (South Australian Division) | Steven Marshall | Yes | ||
| Australian Greens SA | Mark Parnell | Yes | ||
| Austraya Political Party | Albert Marashi | No | ||
| Advance SA | John Darley | No | ||
| National Party of Australia (SA) Inc | Yes | |||
| Liberal Democratic Party | Yes | |||
| Australian Conservatives | Dennis Hood | Yes | ||
| Nick Xenophon's SA-BEST | Yes, Centre Alliance | |||
| Animal Justice Party | Yes | |||
| Dignity Party | Kelly Vincent | No | ||
| Danig Party | No | |||
| Stop Population Growth Now | Bob Couch | No | ||
| Child Protection Party | Tony Tonkin | No | ||
Tasmania
Divisions of the federal parties:[23]
Australian Capital Territory
Divisions of the federal parties:[24]
Parties that are only registered in ACT:
| Party | Leader | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Canberra Community Voters | ||
| The Community Alliance Party (ACT) |
Northern Territory
Divisions of the federal parties:[25]
| Party | Leader |
|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party (Northern Territory Branch) | Michael Gunner |
| Citizens Electoral Council (NT Division) | |
| Country Liberals | Gary Higgins |
| Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party | Registered as the Shooters and Fishing Party within the Northern Territory only. |
| The Greens |
Parties that are only registered in the Northern Territory:
| Party | Leader | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Territory Party | Braedon Earley |
Unregistered
Parties listed in alphabetical order:
| Party | Leader | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Democrats | 1977–2015 | The largest third party between 1977 and 2004, the A.D. was deregistered in April 2015 when national membership fell below 500. |
| Communist Party of Australia | Bob Briton | Founded as the Socialist Party of Australia (SPA) in 1971 from a split within the original Communist Party of Australia, the party has been mainly a left wing political party and has played a limited role in Australia's trade union movement. The party received its first electoral win with the election of Tony Oldfield to Auburn Council in the 2012 NSW local government elections. |
| Progressive Labour Party | Rod Noble | A broad left-wing party started by, among others, dissident former members of the Australian Labor Party. The party regularly makes submissions to Senate and other committees on a broad range of issues. Although it occasionally runs independent candidates in elections, it mostly endorses candidates of other parties in elections that support parts of their agenda. Registered between 19 January 1998 and 27 December 2006. |
Defunct parties
These organisations are no longer registered with any federal, state or territory political bodies, and can thus no longer contest elections. A number of these may still exist as organisations in some form, but none are recognised as political parties.
- (#-A)
| Party | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| All for Australia League | 1931–1932 | |
| Australian Nationalist Party | 1958–1958 | Its objectives included opposition to communism and socialisation, reducing taxes, restoring the proportion of British immigration to 75% of the total, deportation of migrants convicted of certain crimes, increasing social services, restoration of full employment, opposition to salary rises for politicians, and support for states' rights. |
| Australian National Socialist Party | 1962–1968 | It merged into the National Socialist Party of Australia(NSPA), originally a splinter group, in 1968. |
| Australian Commonwealth Party | 1972–1972 | |
| Australian Family Movement | 1974–1990 | The party generally stood for conservative Christian principles, and was particularly opposed to homosexuality, transvestism and androgyny, believing them "contrary to the natural order"; and to abortion and euthanasia, placing emphasis on the "dignity and sanctity of all human life, especially at its beginning and at its end". |
| Advance Australia Party (AAP), originally known as the Rex Connor Labor Party | 1988–2005 | Formerly the Rex Connor Labor Party, was founded in 1988 by the son of former Whitlam Government Minister, Rex Connor, after leaving the Australian Labor Party. The party was created in opposition to the embracing of social and economic liberalism by both the Liberal and Labor parties. It was registered on 14 July 1989, but deregistered by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) on 5 December 2005 for failing to endorse a candidate in the previous four years. |
| Australians Against Further Immigration (AAFI) | 1989–2008 | |
| Australian Conservative Party (later the Australian Conservative Alliance) | 1989–1991 | Founded as a registered political party in 1989, under the leadership of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, the Premier of Queensland from 8 August 1968 to August 1988. |
| Abolish Self Government Coalition | 1992–1995 | A political party in the Australian Capital Territory that experienced limited success in the early years of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It opposed self-government for the ACT, supporting its re-integration into the local government of New South Wales. The party elected one MLA, Dennis Stevenson, to the ACT Legislative Assembly in 1989; he was re-elected in 1991 but retired in 1995, after which the party declined markedly. It was federally registered on 22 December 1992 and deregistered on 16 June 1995. |
| Australia's Indigenous Peoples Party | 1993–1999 | The party was associated with the Australian indigenous community. |
| Australian Women's Party (1995) | 1995–2003 | |
| Australian Recreational Fishers Party | Registered May 2016, deregistered August 2017. | |
| Australian Reform Party | 1997–2002 | |
| Australian Progressive Alliance | 2003–2004 | Formed by Meg Lees, an independent senator and former leader of the Australian Democrats, in April 2003. The party ceased to operate and was deregistered in June 2005 following Senator Lees's defeat at the 2004 election and the expiry of her term. |
| Australian Fishing and Lifestyle Party | 2006–2014 | It opposes any bans on recreational fishing, four-wheel-drive vehicles, horse-riding, trail bikes, camping and kayaking, and generally opposes conservation measures which it sees as threatening to recreation. |
| 4Change (formerly the Climate Change Coalition) | 2007-2010 | Formed in 2007, the party sought to accelerate political action on global warming and climate change. |
| Australia's First Nations Political Party | 2011–2015 | The policies of the party focused on issues such as Northern Territory statehood and Aboriginal sovereignty, The party was associated with the Australian indigenous community. |
| Australia Party | ||
| Australian Bill of Rights Group | A party agitating for the creation of a Bill of Rights for Australia. At the 1996 federal election, it contested the Senate in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland on joint tickets with the Republican Party of Australia. Among its candidates were future New South Wales Legislative Councillor Peter Breen, who headed the ticket in New South Wales. The party ran a single ticket in Victoria in the 1998 federal election. | |
| Australian Defence Movement | ||
| Australia First Movement | ||
| Australian Independence Movement | ||
| Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist) | ||
| Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist) | Nicknamed Lang Labor like its predecessor. | |
| Australian Labor Party (NSW) | Nicknamed Lang Labor as was its successor. | |
| Australian Marijuana Party | ||
| Australian Motorist Party | ||
| Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party | 2013-2017 | A party formed in Queensland at a public meeting of motoring enthusiasts following moves by various state governments toughening anti-hooning and vehicle impoundment legislation. Its representative Ricky Muir won a Senate seat in Victoria in the 2013 federal election, but did not regain his seat at the 2016 double dissolution election. |
| Australian Nationalist Workers' Party | ||
| Australian National Party | ||
| Australian Party | ||
| Australian Defence Veterans Party | 2015-2017 |
- (B-C)
| Party | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bullet Train for Australia | 2013–2017 | Founded in 2012 and advocates a high-speed rail corridor between eastern Australian cities. |
| Commonwealth Liberal Party | 1909–1916 | Major conservative party, created by merger of the Protectionist Party and Free Trade Party in 1909. Formed government between 1909–10 and 1913–14. Merged with the National Labor Party in 1917, forming the Nationalist Party. The CLP is the earliest direct ancestor of the current Liberal Party of Australia. |
| Communist Party of Australia | 1920–1991 | Major Communist party |
| Country Progressive Party | late 1920s–1930 | |
| Country and Progressive National Party | 1926–1936 | |
| Commonwealth Party | 1943–1944 | |
| Commonwealth Centre Party | 1961–1961 | It was formed by disaffected members of the Liberal Party. It had little success and was wound up soon after the election. |
| Conservative Party of Australia | 1984–1998 | |
| Combined New Australia Party | 1990–1990 | |
| Confederate Action Party of Australia | 1992–1993 | It advocated the return of the death penalty, denial of all applications for political asylum, and the reintroduction of the use of convict labour. The party sometimes used the slogan "We are One Australia – One Nation". |
| Country Party (South Australia) | 1997–1932 | Initially known as the Farmers and Settlers Association. The Country Party merged with the Liberal Federation to create the Liberal and Country League (LCL) in 1932 |
| City Country Alliance | 1999–2003 | |
| Curtin Labor Alliance | 2001–2005 | A minor Australian political coalition that was formed between two minor right-wing groups, the Citizens Electoral Council (CEC) and the Western Australian Municipal Employers Union, in 2001. The alliance claimed that Curtin was a nationalist, and that they represented the views that he would have espoused if he was alive. |
| Carers Alliance | 2007–2015 | |
| Communist Alliance | 2009–2012 | An alliance of a number of Communist groups, individuals and ethnic based Communist Parties. |
| CountryMinded | 2014–2018 | Represents people whose livelihoods depend on agricultural production. |
| Consumer Rights & No-Tolls | 2016–2018 | |
| Committee for a Revolutionary Communist Party in Australia |
- (D-E)
| Party | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party (1920) | 1920–1923 | |
| Democratic Party (1943) | 1943–1945 | |
| Democratic Labor Party (1955-78) | 1955-1978 | Predecessor to the current Democratic Labour Party. |
| Defence of Government Schools | 1966–1985 | Primarily concerned with public education but also focused on pensions and housing policy, was founded by activists opposed to state aid for private schools. |
| Engineered Australia Plan Party | 1982–1983 | |
| Deadly Serious Party | 1980s–1988 | |
| Defence and Ex-Services Party | 1986–1989 | |
| Earthsave (politics) | 1996–1999 | |
| Democratic Socialist Electoral League | 1998–2001 | |
| Daylight Saving for South East Queensland (Queensland) | ||
| Douglas Credit Party | The party was based on the social credit theory of monetary reform, first set out by C. H. Douglas. | |
| Drug Law Reform Australia | Greg Chipp | The party was founded by Greg Chipp (son of former Democrats' leader Don Chipp) and registered in 2013.[26] The party was formed to encourage rethinking drug policies on the basis of scientific evidence, harm minimisation, public interest and personal liberty. |
| Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy Australia | ||
| Ex-Service, Service and Veterans Party |
- (F-G)
| Party | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Free Trade Party | 1887–1909 | Major conservative party, It advocated the abolition of protectionism, especially protective tariffs and other restrictions on trade. Its most prominent leader was George Reid, who was the fourth Prime Minister of Australia. |
| Farmers and Producers Political Union | 1904–1910 | It merged with the Liberal and Democratic Union and the National Defence League to become the Liberal Union |
| Grey Power | 1983–1994 | The group was designed to represent the elderly vote, advocating issues dealing with aged care and a mature perspective on national policy; hence the name "grey power". |
| Family First Party | 2001–2017 | Socially conservative party founded in South Australia in 2004. Although eschewing religious labels, many of its candidates and members were from conservative Christian backgrounds. Relations between Family First and Fred Nile's Christian Democratic Party were strained by the need to compete for the same group of voters and to secure Senate preferences, particularly from the Liberal Party of Australia. It was assumed into Australian Conservatives Formed in 2017 by Senator Cory Bernardi who resigned from the Liberal Party. |
| Freedom and Prosperity Party | 2009–2015 | |
| FREE Australia Party | 2010–2014 | |
| Fair Land Tax - Tax Party | ||
| Family Law Reform Party | ||
| Gamers 4 Croydon | 2009–2010 | |
| Glenn Lazarus Team | 2015–2017 | |
| Great Australians Party | 2003- |
- (H-I)
| Party | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial Socialist Labor Party | 1919–1921 | |
| Industrial Labor Party | 1936–1939 | |
| Independent Labor Group | 1959–1977 | |
| Independent EFF | 1987–1999 | Its positions included reducing workers' compensation, instituting voluntary unionism, and the elimination of unemployment benefits and the flat tax. The party had links to far-right groups such as the Australian League of Rights. |
| Independents Group | 1989–1995 | The Independents Group were a short-lived political party operating in the Australian Capital Territory. They briefly served as part of the Alliance government, alongside the Liberal Party of Australia and Residents Rally. |
| Hare-Clark Independent Party | Party founded on 19 November 1991 by Craig Duby. Notable for having Fiona Patten, future leader of the Australian Sex Party, as a candidate in the 1992 ACT election. | |
| Hope Party Australia | 1997–2006 | |
| Hear Our Voice | 2007–2010 | |
| Human Rights Party | ||
| Illawarra Workers Party |
- (L-M)
| Party | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Reform Party | 1901–1916 | |
| Liberal and Democratic Union | 1906–1910 | |
| Liberal Union (South Australia) | 1910–1923 | |
| Majority Labor Party | 1922–1923 | |
| Liberal Party (1922) | 1922–1922 | |
| Liberal Federation | 1923–1932 | |
| Liberal and Country League | 1932–1972 | |
| Liberal Country Party | 1938–1943 | |
| Liberal Democratic Party | 1943–1944 | |
| Mature Australia Party | 2014–2017 | |
| Middle Class Party | 1943–1943 | |
| Liberal Reform Group | 1966–1969 | Opposition to conscription and Australian involvement in the Vietnam War |
| Liberal Movement | 1972–1977 | Merged into Australian Democrats |
| Liberals for Forests | 2001–2009 | |
| Lower Excise Fuel and Beer Party | 2001–2004 | |
| Mutual Party | 2014–2015 | Previously Bank Reform Party. In March 2015, it merged into the Australian Progressive Party (not to be confused with the similarly named Australian Progressives) after they agreed to join forces they themselves Australian Progressive Party would merge into Australian Progressives. |
| Libertarian Party of Australia | ||
| Liberty League | ||
| Marxist Workers Party of Australia | ||
| Multicultural Progress Party |
- (N-O)
| Party | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| National Defence League | 1891–1910 | Later known as the Australasian National League |
| National Labor Party | 1916–1917 | Created by Prime Minister Billy Hughes in 1916, after he was expelled from the Australian Labor Party. Governed with support of the Commonwealth Liberal Party until 1917 when the two merged into the Nationalist Party of Australia. |
| Nationalist Party of Australia | 1917-1931 | Major conservative party, the result of a merger of the Commonwealth Liberal Party and National Labor Party in 1917. Formed government between 1917 and 1928. Reorganised as the United Australia Party in 1931. |
| National Party (South Australia) | 1917–1923 | Similar to the federal National Labor Party |
| One Parliament for Australia | 1943–1943 | |
| National Liberal Party | 1974–1974 | |
| New LM | 1976–1977 | Merged into Australian Democrats |
| National Humanitarian Party | 1983–1984 | |
| Nuclear Disarmament Party | 1984–2009 | |
| No Hoo Haa Party | 2002-2011 | Registered by Albert Bensimon to run for the seat of Adelaide in the 2002 state election. |
| No Self-Government Party | 1989–1992 | An Australian Capital Territory political party that experienced limited success in the early years of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. Like Dennis Stevenson's Abolish Self-Government Coalition, it opposed self-government for the ACT. In the first territory election in 1989, three members of the No Self-Government Party were elected. None was still a member of the party by the 1992 election, by which time it had ceased to exist. |
| Natural Law Party | 1990–1997 | |
| One Australia Movement | 1986–1992 | The party's policies included support for the monarchy, a biblical system of morality, immigration reform and social security reform, and opposition to union strike movements |
| One Australia Party | 1995–1999 | |
| New Country Party | 2003–2008 | |
| No GST Party | ||
| National Alliance (WA) | ||
| No Aircraft Noise | ||
| No Land Tax Campaign (New South Wales) | ||
| National Action | ||
| National Preparatory Committee of the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Australia | A Marxist-Leninist communist party | |
| National Socialist Party of Australia | ||
| New England New State Movement | ||
| One Nation NSW | ||
| Outdoor Recreation Party (Stop the Greens) | 1996–2017 | The Outdoor Recreation Party (ORP) was a minor political party in New South Wales, Australia. It professes to represent the outdoor community and interests such as cycling, bushwalking, camping, kayaking, 4WD motoring, skiing, fishing and shooting. It was formally allied with the Liberal Democratic Party. |
- (P-Q)
| Party | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Protectionist Party | 1887–1909 | Policies centred on protectionism. It advocated protective tariffs, arguing it would allow Australian industry to grow and provide employment. Its most prominent leaders were Sir Edmund Barton and Alfred Deakin, who were the first and second prime ministers of Australia. |
| Progressive Party | 1901–1907 | |
| Progressive Party (1920) | 1920–1927 | |
| Pangallo Independents Party | ||
| Palmer United Party | 2013-2017 | The Palmer United Party (PUP), dubbed the PUPs, was formed by Australian mining businessman Clive Palmer in April 2013. The party claims to have a broad political philosophy rather than a set ideology as well as reserving social issues as a free conscience vote. Its fiscal policies are centre to centre-right. Following defections from the LNP, the PUP holds several seats in the Queensland parliament, and at the 2013 federal election it won one House of Representatives and two Senate seats but later won another Senate seat for the Western Australia Senate by-election. All of these were lost in 2016. |
| Protestant People's Party | 1946–1949 | |
| Queensland Labor Party | 1957–1962 | A breakaway group of the then ruling Australian Labor Party Government after the expulsion of Premier Vince Gair. The party was absorbed into the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) in 1962 |
| Progress Party | 1975–1981 | It was formed on Australia Day (26 January) 1975 as a free market libertarian and anti-socialist party by businessmen John Singleton and Sinclair Hill in reaction to the economic policies of Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam |
| Progressive Conservative Party | 1980–1980 | Its stated aims included the reintroduction of the White Australia Policy, an end to Asian immigration to Australia, the cessation of foreign aid, and higher tax concessions to non-working mothers |
| Pensioner and Citizen Initiated Referendum Alliance (formerly Pensioner Party of Australia) | 1982–1996 | It generally supported the rights of pensioners and retirees, and was also notable as a strongly monarchist group |
| Party! Party! Party! | 1989–1989 | |
| People Power Party | 2006–2006 | |
| Pauline's United Australia Party | 2007–2010 | |
| Protestant Labor Party |
- (R-S)
| Party | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Tariff Party | 1903–1903 | It elected one member, William McWilliams, to the Australian House of Representatives, and one member, Henry Dobson, to the Senate in the 1903 federal election. Both joined the Free Trade Party soon after the election, and the party was not heard of again |
| Single Tax League | 1914–1941 | Based on support for single tax |
| Services and Citizens' Party | 1943–1944 | In 1944 it was one of the groups brought together by Robert Menzies to form the Liberal Party of Australia |
| Services Party of Australia | 1946–1946 | |
| Smokers' Rights Party | 2012–2017 | The Smokers' Rights Party was formed in 2012 to argue that taxation on cigarettes in Australia is excessive and not justified by public health costs. They would like to see property owners making their own smoking rules (including in bars and pubs), rather than the government, and argue that the decision to smoke is a matter of personal choice. |
| Social Democratic Party | 1980–1983 | |
| Republican Party of Australia | The Republican Party of Australia was a minor political party dedicated to ending the country's links with the United Kingdom and establishing a republic, but remaining in the Commonwealth. It was formed in 1982 and achieved registration federally in 1992. It in many ways replaced the Australian Republican Party, which had operated from 1949 through until the RPA's founding. it was deregistered on 15 February 2016 after failing to demonstrate the required number of members. | |
| Referendum First Group | 1984–1984 | It was a single-issue party, demanding a referendum before granting the ACT self-government. |
| Residents Rally | 1989–1995 | |
| Reclaim Australia: Reduce Immigration | 1996–1999 | The party advocated reducing immigration to Australia, The party's best electoral result was in the by-election following the retirement of former Prime Minister Paul Keating from the federal seat of Blaxland. In this by-election, the Liberal Party did not field a candidate to oppose the sitting Labor Party, and, although RARI finished behind AAFI on the primary vote, on preferences RARI was able to come second in the seat. |
| SA First | 1999–2002 | |
| Reform the Legal System | 2000–2002 | |
| Save the RAH (South Australia) | 2010–2010 | A single-issue party with the aim of stopping the relocation of Adelaide's main hospital, the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) |
| Rational Association | ||
| Red Eureka Movement | ||
| Restore the Workers' Rights Party | ||
| Save Our State (New South Wales) | ||
| Social Credit Movement of Australia | ||
| Socialist Federation of Australia | ||
| Socialist Party of Australia (WSM) | 1930-1970 | Companion party of the World Socialist Movement |
| South Australian Fishing & Lifestyle Party | ||
| State Labor Party | ||
| Stop CSG Party | ||
| Stormy Summers Reform Party (South Australia) | ||
| Sun Ripened Warm Tomato Party | ||
| Surprise Party |
- (T-U)
| Party | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| United Australia Party | 1931-1944 | Major conservative party, established in 1931 as successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia. In government federally between 1931 and 1941. Succeeded by the Liberal Party of Australia in 1944. |
| United Christian Party | 1972–1974 1980-1983 |
|
| United Tasmania Group | 1972–1976 1990-1990 (2016- ) |
Generally acknowledged as the world's first Green party. A few UTG candidates, including Bob Brown, formed the Tasmanian Greens (who enjoyed considerably more success) and then, at the national level, the Australian Greens. The United Tasmania Group was revived in April 2016. |
| Unite Australia Party | 1986–1990 | |
| Tasmania Senate Team | 1992–1996 | |
| Tasmania First Party | 1996–2006 | |
| Taxi Operators Political Service | 1997–2001 | |
| The Basics Rock 'n' Roll Party | ||
| United Democratic Party | ||
| United Party (South Australia) | ||
| Unity Party |
- (V-Z)
| Party | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Victorian Socialist Party | 1906–1932 | A socialist political party, the first explicitly Marxist party in Australia. |
| Western Australian Party | 1906–1906 | |
| Young Australia National Party | 1909–1916? | |
| Victorian Liberal Party (formerly the Electoral Reform League) | 1954–1955 | |
| What Women Want | 2007–2010 | Strong interest in maternity issues, including support of midwives. |
See also
Notes
- ↑ The merger of the Queensland branches of the Liberal and National parties, it only contends elections in that state. Members elected on a federal level caucus with either party according to the terms of the merger.
- ↑ The merger of the Northern Territory branches of the Liberal and National parties, it only contends elections in that territory. Members elected on a federal level are free to caucus with either party.
References
- ↑ Economou, Nick. "Clive Palmer has a Trump-style slogan, but is no sure bet to return to parliament". theconversation.com. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ↑ "OzPolitics.info". OzPolitics.info. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
- ↑ "Current Register of Political Parties". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
- ↑ Potts, Andrew. "About Us". Affordable Housing Party. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ↑ "Australian Better Families". The Australian Brotherhood of Fathers. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ↑ "No jab, no vote: new anti-vax party registered". Crikey. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- ↑ "Australian Mental Health Party (AMHP)". Australian Mental Health Party. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ↑ "List of Registered Parties". Elections.nsw.gov.au. New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
- ↑ "Currently registered parties". Victorian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ↑ "Victorian Division". conservatives.org.au. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ↑ "Matthew Guy elected as new Liberal Party leader in Victoria". abc.net.au. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ↑ "Walsh takes over as Nationals leader with new MP as deputy". abc.net.au. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ↑ "Sex Party changes name in bid to fight 'extremist takeover' of politics". abc.net.au. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ↑ "Application to change the name and abbreviation of the Shooters and Fishers Party Victoria - Victorian Electoral Commission". www.vec.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ↑ "Greens' new Victorian leader yet to enter Parliament". abc.net.au. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ↑ "Transport Matters Party - new entrant into the political landscape in Victoria". auswidecars.com.au. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ↑ "Political party register". Electoral Commission Queensland. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ↑ "Registered Political Parties in WA". Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ↑ (Not to be confused with Wilson Tuckey) Wynne, Emma (1 November 2016). "Daylight Saving Party formed to push for fifth Western Australian referendum". ABC Radio Perth. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- ↑ "Newsletter: Fluoride Free WA Party". Fluoride Free WA. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ↑ Western Australia Party: Our Vision. Official website, 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018
- ↑ "Register of political parties". Electoral Commission of South Australia. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ↑ "Party Register". Tec.tas.gov.au. Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ↑ "Register of political parties". Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ↑ "Register of Political Parties in the Northern Territory". Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ↑ Party Crasher: Drug Law Reform : http://www.upstart.net.au/2013/08/22/party-crasher-drug-law-reform/http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/greg-chipp-to-launch-new-political-party-to-seek-legal-changes-to-help-drug-addicts/story-e6frf7kx-1226589070445
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