The Two Party System in Australia
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HomeAbout ParliamentSenateResearch and EducationPlatypus and Parliament: The Australian Senate in Theory and Practice3. The electoral and party systems
3. The electoral and party systems.
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The Commonwealth Constitution does not govern in detail how members of the House of Representatives and the Senate are to be elected, nor could it dictate the number and strength of Australia’s national political parties and the dynamics of competition among them. The electoral and party systems have a profound impact on the political dynamics in Canberra, including the roles of the two houses of Parliament and the relations between them, so both are summarized here. Special attention is given to a development that has fundamentally affected the balance of power among the parties, the implementation of principles of responsible government, and the practical dynamics of politics in Parliament: the decision made in 1948 that thereafter Senators would be elected by proportional representation.
Electing Representatives and Senators
The procedures for electing Australian Representatives and Senators are considerably more complicated than the procedures for electing
Work of the ParliamentSenateWhat's OnAbout the SenateSeminars and LecturesExhibitions and ConferencesPowers, practice and procedureResearch and EducationRecords of the Australasian Federal Conventions of the 1890sPlatypus and Parliament: The Australian Senate in Theory and PracticeCan Responsible Government Survive In Australia?The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian SenatePapers on ParliamentArticles addresses and other publications by Senate staffHouse of RepresentativesParliamentary DepartmentsInternational ProgramPublicationsEmploymentEducation ResourcesParliamentary Friendship GroupsSitting Calendar
Page tools
Print pageEmail page Smaller textReset text sizeLarger textChange contrastView text onlyMy Parliament
You are here:
HomeAbout ParliamentSenateResearch and EducationPlatypus and Parliament: The Australian Senate in Theory and Practice3. The electoral and party systems
3. The electoral and party systems.
Navigation: Previous Page | Contents | Next Page
The Commonwealth Constitution does not govern in detail how members of the House of Representatives and the Senate are to be elected, nor could it dictate the number and strength of Australia’s national political parties and the dynamics of competition among them. The electoral and party systems have a profound impact on the political dynamics in Canberra, including the roles of the two houses of Parliament and the relations between them, so both are summarized here. Special attention is given to a development that has fundamentally affected the balance of power among the parties, the implementation of principles of responsible government, and the practical dynamics of politics in Parliament: the decision made in 1948 that thereafter Senators would be elected by proportional representation.
Electing Representatives and Senators
The procedures for electing Australian Representatives and Senators are considerably more complicated than the procedures for electing