Policy of Australia

The Politique of the Australia is held within the framework of a parliamentary democracy based on the Système of Westminster. The Australian ones elect their legislatures of state and territories as well as the federal Parliament, composed of two rooms.

At the national level, the elections take place at least once every three years. The Prime Minister can recommend to the General governor to constantly organize an anticipated election of the Room of the Representatives, but the elections with the Senate can be held only in the intended deadlines by the Constitution. The last general elections were held in October 2004. The federal Parliament is composed of 2 rooms:

the Chambre of the Representatives, which counts 150 members, is elected for one 3 years duration, by the universal direct suffrage according to a system of alternative Vote, also known under the name of preferential vote. Each district elects a representative.
the Senate account 76 members elected by the vote for all according to a system of representation proportional. Each the states and territory of the federation cash forms a district for 12 seats for the states and 2 seats for the territories. The senators of the territories are elected for three years. The mandate of the senators of states is 6 years, with half of the renewed seats every three years.

Political parties and elections

See also: Australian Electoral system, List of the Australian political parties

Three parties dominate the Australian political life. Two of them control within a coalition.

the Liberal party of Australia (Liberal Party off Australia), started from center-right which represents mainly the mediums of businesses, the middle-class and part of the rural class.
the national Left Australia (National Party off Australia), in the past Rural Party (Country Party), is a preserving party which represents primarily rural interests.

These two parties form the coalition with the capacity since 1996.

the Australian Workers party ( Australian Labor Party - ALP ) is a social democrat party which largely represents the urban working class, although it has more and more support in the middle-class.

Among the minor parties, one finds:

the socialist Alliance ( Socialist Alliance ), a radical left party
Australian Democrats ( Australian Democrats ), a party social-liberal of the middle-class.
Australian Green ( Australian Greens ), a party environmentalist directed on the left.
the rural Liberal party ( Country Liberal Party ), which represents only the Territory of North, and member of the government coalition Liberal party/National Parti.
Family initially ( Family First Party ), a party directed towards the Christian conservatives.

The system of representation proportional makes it possible these small parts to gain seats with the Senate and in the Upper Houses of the states, but they were practically never able to gain seats with the Room of the Representatives, except for the Greens, which gained there a seat at the time of a by-election in 2002 (the seat was lost at the time of the general elections of 2004).

The political action of the Coalition

The coalition Liberal party/national Parti arrives at the capacity in March 1996, putting thus fine at 13 years of worker government and making to John Howard the new Prime Minister. This one was then re-elected in October 1998, November 2001 and October 2004. The coalition has from now on a comfortable majority with the Room of the Representatives. With regard to the Senate, it has to await the elections of 2004 not to be more in minority. Without this majority with the Senate, the coalition was obliged to take into account the small parts to ensure the vote of the laws.

Since its election, the preserving coalition of John Howard aimed to reduce the tax deficit as well as the influence of the trade-union organizations, by stressing salary negotiations on the scale of the company (in opposition to total negotiations of branch). The government also accelerated the rate/rhythm of privatizations of state enterprises which had started during the mandate of the member of the Labor Party Bob Hawke. During the first two mandates of John Howard, the most radical change was the introduction of a tax on the goods and services, in parallel with a fall of the income taxes and income taxes of the companies.

With the re-election of the Howard government in 2004, several significant and discussed bills were voted thanks to the majority lately won over to the Senate (acquired at the time of the elections of October 2004, it took effect on July 1st, 2005). These changes include a radical of industrial legislation and industrial reorganization, the introduction of the voluntary student trade unionism (in opposition to the “obligatory” trade unionism as practiced in the Australian universities) and the total privatization of the company of Telstra telecommunications. Recently, the government also announced are intention of privatiser “Medibank Private”, a supplier of health insurance. These changes caused important debates in Australia, leading many criticisms to wonder whether the Howard government had held its promise to use its majority with the Senate reasonably.

The Howard government reversed the foreign politics of its predecessor, laying the stress on the relations with the traditional allies of Australia, the the United States and the the United Kingdom and by decreasing its support for the the United Nations in favor of the bilateralism. The two major political parties are in favor of the maintenance of the good relationships with the regional powers which are the China Populaire, the Japan and the Indonesia, even if subjects such as the independence of the Eastern Timor sometimes made the things difficult. Australia invested itself more and more in the internal businesses of its small neighbors like the New Guinea-News Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Nauru.

Administrative divisions

See also: Electoral system of the states and territories Australian

In the states and territories, the elections are held at least once every four years (except for the Queensland, which votes every three years). In News-Wales of the South, at the Victoria, in Southernmost Australia and in the Territory of the Australian capital, the date of the elections is fixed by the law. However, the other first ministers of state or chief ministers of territories have the same latitude as the First federal minister to start anticipated elections.