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List of political parties in Australia

(Redirected from List of political parties in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands)

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 Party of Australia. Federally, 13 of the 150 members of the lower house (Members of Parliament, or MPs) are not members of major parties, as well as 20 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

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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 New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and the Federal Government of Australia.

The other group is the Liberal–National Coalition, an alliance of the Liberal Party of Australia and National Party of Australia. The parties are in a formal coalition at federal level and in New South Wales and Victoria, but are not formally allied 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 group that has existed since the combination of the Protectionist Party and Free Trade Party into the Fusion Liberal Party in 1909.[1][2] 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.[1][3] The party's philosophy is generally liberal conservatism.[4][5]

On 22 January 2026, The Liberal–National Coalition was dissolved[6] over an internal dispute over a hate speech bill. The Liberal Party of Australia voted yes to the bill and the National Party of Australia voted no to the bill. The Coalition reformed on 8 February 2026.[7]

The National Party represents rural and agricultural interests.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10]

The Liberal and National parties have merged in Queensland and the Northern Territory. 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.[11] The Country Liberal Party in the Northern Territory is likewise affiliated with both the Liberals and Nationals and its members may join either federal parliamentary party room.[12]

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.[13]

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 between 1910 and 2019 (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, 2022 and 2025. In some parliaments, support for smaller parties and Independents has resulted in major parties having to come to Confidence and supply agreements to form government, such as after the 2010 Australian federal election.

Party registration

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Federal

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To run candidates in a federal election under the party's name, a party must register with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), otherwise a member of an unregistered party may run only as an independent.[14] The AEC's eligibility requirements for registration include "being an organisation with an aim of endorsing candidates for election to the Senate and/or House of Representatives," and "having either: at least one member of the party who is a Senator or Member of the House of Representatives in the Parliament of the Commonwealth and not a member of another party (Parliamentary party); or at least 1,500 members who are on the Electoral Roll and who are not also relied upon by another party for registration purposes (non-Parliamentary party)."[15]

States

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Each state in Australia has its own electoral commission responsible for state and local elections. While each has its own requirements for party registration, they are consistent in requiring a minimum number of members or representation in parliament.


Party Registration
Jurisdiction Electoral commission Membership requirement
Federal Australian Electoral Commission 1,500
New South Wales NSW Electoral Commission 750
Victoria Victorian Electoral Commission 500
Queensland Queensland Electoral Commission
Western Australia Western Australian Electoral Commission
South Australia Electoral Commission of South Australia 200
Northern Territory Northern Territory Electoral Commission
Tasmania Tasmanian Electoral Commission 100
Australian Capital Territory Australian Capital Territory Electoral Commission

Federal parties

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Federal parliamentary parties

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Political party Members of Parliament (May 2025) Party leader(s) Ideology
House of Reps Senate
Australian Labor Party
94 / 150
30 / 76
 Anthony Albanese Social democracy
Liberal Party
28 / 150
23 / 76
 Angus Taylor Liberal conservatism
National Party
14 / 150
4 / 76
 Matt Canavan
Australian Greens
1 / 150
10 / 76
 Larissa Waters
One Nation
2 / 150
4 / 76
 Pauline Hanson
Community Strong Australia
2 / 150
0 / 76
 Collective leadership
Australia's Voice
0 / 150
1 / 76
 Fatima Payman Progressivism
Centre Alliance
1 / 150
0 / 76
 No leader
David Pocock[a]
0 / 150
1 / 76
 David Pocock Progressivism[18]
Jacqui Lambie Network
0 / 150
1 / 76
 Jacqui Lambie
Katter's Australian Party
1 / 150
0 / 76
 Robbie Katter
United Australia Party
0 / 150
1 / 76
 Ralph Babet
  1. ↑ David Pocock was elected as a member of a political party also named "David Pocock," formed to allow him to appear as an above-the-line group on the Senate ballot.[16] He is listed as an independent by the parliamentary website;[17] however, the party remains registered, and the AEC lists David Pocock as a parliamentary party.

Federal non-parliamentary parties

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Parties listed in alphabetical order as of March 2026:[19]

Name Leader(s) Ideology
Animal Justice Party Angela Pollard Animal welfare
Australian Christians Maryka Groenewald[20] Christian right
Australian Citizens Party Craig Isherwood LaRouchism
Australian Democrats Lyn Allison Social liberalism
Better Together Party Lucy Bradlow
Bronwen Bock		 Progressivism
Family First Party Lyle Shelton Social conservatism
Fusion Party Drew Wolfendale Secular humanism
The Great Australian Party Rod Culleton Right-wing populism
HEART Party Michael O'Neill Anti-vaccination
Indigenous-Aboriginal Party Uncle Owen Whyman Indigenous rights
Kim for Canberra Kim Rubenstein Progressivism[21]
Legalise Cannabis Michael Balderstone Cannabis legalisation
Libertarian Party Anthony Bull Right-libertarianism
People First Party Gerard Rennick Conservatism
Power 2 People Tristan Van Rye Right-wing populism
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party Robert Brown Conservatism
Socialist Alliance Jacob Andrewartha
Sarah Hathway
Sam Wainwright		 Eco-socialism
Sustainable Australia Party Celeste Ackerly Environmentalism
Australian Federation Party Suellen Wrightson Trumpism
Victorian Socialists Collective leadership Democratic socialism
Western Sydney Community Dai Le
Frank Carbone		 Western Sydney localism

State and territory parties

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New South Wales

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As of the New South Wales Electoral Commission:[22]

Parliamentary parties

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Non-parliamentary parties

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Victoria

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As of the Victorian Electoral Commission:[26]

Parliamentary parties

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Non-parliamentary parties

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Queensland

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Western Australia

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As of the Western Australian Electoral Commission:[30]

Parliamentary parties

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Non-parliamentary parties

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Name Leader Ideology
Stop Pedophiles! Protect kiddies! No leader N/a
Libertarian Party No leader Right-libertarianism
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Rick Mazza Conservatism
Sustainable Australia Party – Anti-corruption No leader N/a
Western Australia Party No leader N/a

South Australia

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As of the Electoral Commission of South Australia:[31]

Parliamentary parties

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Non-parliamentary parties

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Tasmania

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As of the Tasmanian Electoral Commission:[32]

Parliamentary parties

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Non-parliamentary parties

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Australian Capital Territory

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As listed with the ACT Electoral Commission:[33]

Parliamentary parties

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Non-parliamentary parties

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Northern Territory

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As of the Northern Territory Electoral Commission:[35]

Parliamentary parties

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Non-parliamentary parties

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Local government parties

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Historical parties

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See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "Infosheet 22 – Political parties". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  2. ↑ "The Sydney Morning Herald – Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  3. ↑ "Robert Menzies". National Archives of Australia.
  4. ↑ "Our Beliefs". Liberal Party of Australia. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  5. ↑ "Chapter three". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  6. ↑ Dhanji, Krishani (21 January 2026). "Littleproud announces split of 'untenable' Coalition, saying Ley 'knew consequences' of hate speech divide". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Speers, David (8 February 2026). "Coalition reunited after last-minute deal". ABC News. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  8. ↑ "What We Stand For". The Nationals. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  9. ↑ Simms, Marian (1988). "Political Review". The Australian Quarterly. 60 (2): 231–239. doi:10.2307/20635480. JSTOR 20635480.
  10. ↑ "Arthur Fadden". National Archives of Australia.
  11. ↑ "The Liberal National Party – History". Liberal National Party of Queensland.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. ↑ "About". Country Liberal Party. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  13. ↑ "The Party Contest: Liberal vs. Labor". Oz Politics. Archived from the original on 28 September 2009. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  14. ↑ "FAQs: Party Registration". Australian Electoral Commission.
  15. ↑ "Guide for registering a party" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission.
  16. ↑ "Wallabies star scores above the line". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  17. ↑ "Senator David Pocock". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  18. ↑ "Wallabies great David Pocock turns to politics in post-rugby life". Fiji Times. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "Current Register of Political Parties". Australian Electoral Commission. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  20. ↑ "Maryka Groenewald: A Portrait of Heartfelt Leadership". 9 November 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  21. ↑ Johnson, Chris (18 May 2022). "Election 2022: What's going on in Canberra's senate race?". The Mandarin. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  22. ↑ "State Register of Parties". elections.nsw.gov.au. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  23. ↑ "Information About Registered Parties". elections.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  24. ↑ "No jab, no vote: new anti-vax party registered". Crikey. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  25. ↑ "About Josh". Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  26. ↑ "Currently registered parties". Victorian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  27. ↑ "Upstart party takes on Animal Justice". Weekly Times Now. 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  28. 1 2 3 Cassidy, Caitlin (2 May 2025). "Australian election mini and micro party guide: how to avoid a vote you might regret in the Senate". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  29. ↑ Queensland, Electoral Commission of (26 August 2022). "Registers". ecq.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  30. ↑ "Registered Political Parties in WA". Western Australian Electoral Commission. 29 August 2022. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  31. ↑ "Register of political parties". Electoral Commission of South Australia. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  32. ↑ "TEC Party Register". tec.tas.gov.au. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  33. ↑ "Register of political parties". elections.act.gov.au. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  34. ↑ "Policy Platform – Sustainable Australia Party". Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  35. ↑ Government, Northern Territory (13 July 2023). "Register of political parties". ntec.nt.gov.au. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
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