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Political parties in Australia

Australia has a two-party political system like the UK and the USA.


Liberal Party

On the right-leaning side, in favour of a more capitalist society, is the Liberal Party of Australia, the equivalent of Britain’s Conservative Party and America’s Republican Party. Australia currently has a Liberal government, led by Malcolm Turnbull.


Labor Party

On the left side of the political spectrum is the Australian Labor Party, the equivalent of the Labour Party in the UK and the Democratic Party in the US. This party promotes social change and equality of citizens.  As the party on the opposite side of parliament to the government, it is currently the ‘Opposition’. The current Opposition Leader is Bill Shorten.



The third, and much smaller force, in Australian politics is the Greens. The Australian Greens, as the party is officially known, is positioned to the left of Labor with a strong focus on environmental issues. The leader is the party is Richard Di Natale.

There are many other small parties in Australia that have representatives in the Senate. However, these parties usually stand for specific issues such as fewer restrictions on fishing, and decriminalisation of marijuana. These parties usually get things done by supporting larger parties.