The Representation of Small Parties and Independents in the Senate

Federalism and New Party Insurgency in Australia

“…With the adoption of proportional representation (using the single transferrable vote method, PR-STV) in federal and state upper houses over the period from 1949 to 2006, minor parties used the decreased threshold for representation that this presented to gain representation in these chambers (Deschouwer, 2006: 6). While Australia's version of symmetrical, elective bicameralism has had major consequences for the style of parliamentary government, and has provided opportunities for minor parties to have a significant influence on parliamentary politics (Mulgan, 1996;Sharman, 1999), upper house elections are not linked to the formation of government. To that extent, and reflecting the wide variation in the institutional characteristics of these chambers, the party systems of upper houses are distinct from those of lower houses.…”

Defence, the Family and the Battler: The Democratic Labor Party and its Legacy∗

“…Despite the party reaching the peak of parliamentary representation with five senators in 1970, it was clearly in decline. The party was under the delusion that its Senate vote was the true indicator of its popular support (Henderson 1975, 77-8;McManus 1976); the result of Senate election votes being reliant on the transfer of surplus votes from the major parties, notwithstanding (Sharman 1999). The DLP's core vote consisted of 'lower middle-class' voters on moderate incomes (Reynolds 2004, 3) and, to some degree, upwardly mobile educated voters (Duffy 1973) -with half of its electoral support concentrated in Victoria (Duffy 1971, 496).…”

Political Leaders in Westminster Systems

“…Originally conceived of as the 'state's house'-a house of review in which the states' aims would balance those of the parties-in recent years the control of the Senate by the opposition parties has effectively meant that the government must either drop or radically alter its more controversial legislation if it wishes to see it implemented (Sharman, 1999). 1 In neither Britain nor Canada is their such an institutional impediment to majority rule.…”