Liberal Party of Australia

This article concerns the modern Australian political party. For the Australian Liberal party active from 1909 to 1916, see Commonwealth Liberal Party.

Liberal Party of Australia

File:Liberalpartyofaus.jpg
Current Leader:	John Howard
Founded:	1945
Headquarters:	Cnr Blackall and Macquarie St Barton ACT 2600
Political ideology:	neo-liberal or conservative
Holds government:	Federal (in Coalition)
Website:	Liberal Party of Australia

The Liberal Party of Australia was founded on 31 August, 1945, after Robert Menzies called a conference in 1944 of conservative parties and other groups opposed to the ruling Australian Labor Party. The Liberal Party absorbed several former conservative parties, principally the United Australia Party. The Australian Women's National League, a powerful conservative women's organisation, also merged with the new party.

Neither the present Liberal party, nor a previous Liberal party, the Commonwealth Liberal Party, adheres to the political doctrine of "liberalism" in the sense in which the word is generally used in most other countries; in international terms, Australian "Liberals" have usually been conservatives. Since the 1980s, however, there has been suggestion of a neo-liberal presence in their platforms and policies, but this still remains a controversial issue. See Talk:Liberal Party of Australia for a both sides of the discussion.

History

In 1949 Menzies led the Liberals to victory, and they stayed in office for a record 23 years. After the retirement of Menzies in 1966 and the death of his successor, Harold Holt, in 1967, the Liberals went into decline, and they were defeated by Labor under Gough Whitlam in 1972. They returned to power after only three years under Malcolm Fraser, and stayed in office for eight years. Defeated again in 1983 by Bob Hawke, the Liberals lost five elections in a row under four different leaders before returning to power in 1996 under John Howard.

At the state level, the Liberals have been dominant for long periods in all states except Queensland, where they have been subordinate to the National Party (not to be confused with the old Nationalist Party). The Liberals were in power in Victoria from 1955 (the election in which they defeated John Cain Sr) to 1982 (in which they were defeated by the last Labour Premier's son, John Cain Jr) and in South Australia (under several names) from 1932 to 1965. Since the 1980s, however, the Liberals have become increasingly unsuccessful in state elections. The most radically conservative Liberal premier, Jeff Kennett of Victoria, was defeated in 1999, and as of 2005, no Australian state or territory government is run by the Coalition.

Throughout their history, the Liberals have been the party of the urban middle-class, though such class-based voting patterns are no longer as clear as they once were. In the 1970s a left-wing middle-class emerged, which no longer voted Liberal. One effect of this was the success of a breakaway party, the Australian Democrats, founded in 1977 by former Liberal minister Don Chipp and members of minor liberal parties. On the other hand, the Liberals have done increasingly well among working-class voters in recent years. In country areas they either compete heavily or have a truce with the Nationals, depending on various factors.

File:Ac.liberals.jpg

Four recent Liberal leaders. From left: John Howard, Andrew Peacock, Malcolm Fraser, John Hewson

Strong opposition to socialism and communism has always been a Liberal preoccupation. Anti-communism was successfully exploited through the 1950s and 1960s by Robert Menzies and his successors. Menzies went so far as to unsuccessfully attempt to ban the Communist Party in 1951. Menzies was an ardent royalist, devoted towards maintaining Australia as a constitutional monarchy. Nowadays, the party is divided, with some Liberals, such as Peter Costello, being minimalist republicans while others, such as John Howard and Tony Abbott remain devout monarchists. The Liberals have also positioned themselves as the party most committed to the alliance with the United States, though this has not always been to their advantage.

Domestically, Menzies presided over a paternalistic state in which utilities were publicly owned, and commercial activity was highly regulated through centralised wage-fixing and high tariff protection. It was not until the late 1970s and through their period out of power federally in the 1980s that the party came to be dominated by what was known as the "New Right" - a Thatcher-inspired or neo-liberal group who advocated sweeping deregulation, privatisation of public utilities, and reductions in the size of government programs and thus tax cuts.

Socially, the party has wavered between what is termed "small-l liberalism" and social conservatism. The current leader, Howard, is in most respects extremely socially conservative. His most likely successor, Peter Costello, is more liberal on some issues. Other Liberal state and federal governments have also been more liberal, particularly in Victoria and South Australia. In general terms, however, the Australian Democrats are closer to the usual, international meaning of the word "liberal".

The Liberal Party's organisation is dominated by the six state divisions, reflecting the party's commitment to a federalised system of government (perhaps their most strongly held policy and certainly one of the few that has remained since the party's creation). Menzies deliberately created a weak national party machine and strong state divisions. Party policy is made almost entirely by the parliamentary parties, not by the party's rank-and-file members.

In the 2004 Federal elections the party strengthened its majority in the Lower House and, with its coalition partners, became the first federal government in twenty years to gain an absolute majority in the Senate. They will therefore be able to pass legislation without the need to negotiate with independents or minor parties; it remains to be seen how this power will be used.

While the party holds government federally, it does not in any of the states or territories. Furthermore, it does not officially contest most local government elections, although many members do run for office in local government as independents.

Liberal leaders since 1945

• Robert Menzies 1945-1966
• Harold Holt 1966-1967
• John Gorton 1968-1971
• William McMahon 1971-1972
• Billy Snedden 1973-1975
• Malcolm Fraser 1975-1983
• Andrew Peacock 1983-1985
• John Howard 1985-1989
• Andrew Peacock 1989-1990
• Dr John Hewson 1990-1994
• Alexander Downer 1994-1995
• John Howard since 1995

See also

• History of Australia
• Liberalism
• Conservatism
• List of political parties in Australia

External links

• Liberal Party of Australia
• The Liberal Party is anything but (critical commentary)
• Liberal Party of Australia ephemera digitised and held by the National Library of Australia

Further reading

• Gerard Henderson, Menzies' Child: The Liberal Party of Australia 1944-1994, Allen and Unwin, 1994
• Dean Jaensch, The Liberals, Allen and Unwin, 1994
• John Nethercote (ed), Liberalism and the Australian Federation, Federation Press, 2001
• Marian Simms, A Liberal Nation: The Liberal Party and Australian Politics, Hale and Iremonger, 1982
• Graeme Starr, The Liberal Party of Australia: A Documentary History, Drummond/Heinemann, 1980

Sources

• How will humanity survive the 21st century? (January 22, 2005). The Canberra Times, p. 16.