List of political parties in Australia

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.

[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.

[7] The Nationals contest a limited number of seats and do not generally directly compete with 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.

He assumed office in August 1941 after the resignation of Robert Menzies and served as prime minister until October of that year.

[10] The Country Liberal Party was formed in 1978 when the Northern Territory gained responsible government.

Additionally, support for Independent politicians in Australia has resulted in major parties having to come to agreements to form government at times, including the 2010 Australian Federal Election.

[13][14] For the state and territory elections, parties require 100 members in Tasmania and the ACT, 200 in South Australia and Northern Territory, 500 in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, and 750 in New South Wales.