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Encyclopedia :
L :
LI :
LIB :
Liberal Party of Australia |
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Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party 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. The Liberal Party, despite its name, is basically a conservative party, although it has a minority "liberal" wing. Since the 1980s the party has moved to the right, developing a strong neo-liberal element in their platforms and policies, particularly with respect to trade. The Liberals have been the governing party since winning back power in 1996, and govern in a coalition with the National Party. HistoryThe Liberals' immediate predecessor was the United Australia Party, formed in 1932. The UAP, led by Menzies, had become politically irrelevant after its defeat in 1943 More broadly, the party's ideological ancestry stretched back to the anti-Labor groupings in the first Commonwealth Parliament. The Commonwealth Liberal Party was a fusion of the non-Labor parties in 1909 in response to Labor's growing electoral prominence. Menzies deliberately chose the name "Liberal" in reference to this, and in claiming inheritance from Sir Alfred Deakin. 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. , Andrew Peacock, Malcolm Fraser, John Hewson 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 Federal Leaders since 1945
Further reading
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