Representation and participation Flashcards
Political party
Organised groups of people who form to represent and promote broad world views
Parliamentary party
Members of a political party who are in parliament
Major parties
Encompass the worldviews held by most of Australians (around 70%), party capable of forming government on their own
Minor parties
Diversified new constituencies that encompass new worldviews, can’t form government on their own, hold balance on crossbench, assist major parties to gain majority through coalitions
Micro parties
Focus on a single issue, focus more on raising awareness for an issue instead of getting elected
Requirements for the registration of a new political party
Must be an organisation with the aim of endorsing candidates for election to the HOR or senate and must have at least 1,500 members who are on the electoral roll and are not relied upon by another party for registration purposes or at least one member who is a senator of member of the HOR in parliament and not a member of another party
When can parties to receive public funding from the AEC
Election funding is given to any candidate or group who receives at least 4% of the total first preference votes
What did the AEC spend in 2019 on public funding
around $68.5 million, giving $27 million to Liberal, $24 to labor, $2.8 million or less to minor parties
Representation of women in parliament
47th parliament- 38% in the HOR and 57% in the senate. 51% of women in Australia’s population, 2 out of 7 leadership positions are filled by women
Liberal VS Labor on women representation
The liberal party just has a goal of 50% women, which they often fall short of. The labor party actually has a quota of 50% women.
Representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people in parliament
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up a record 11 seats, or roughly 7% of parliament. They make up 3.3% of society, so that means they are overrepresented in parliament
Pressure groups
Group that tries to influence public policy in the interest of a particular case
Ways pressure groups represents their interests and causes
Raising awareness, influence in media, persuasion, coercion
Sectional pressure groups
Represent interests, aim to influence who forms gov, use coercion and advertising campaigns, E.g. Australian council of trade unions who influenced job keeper and minimum wage increase
Caused based pressure groups
Represent causes of the greater society, attempt to change laws they think are wrong, support parties who agree with their cause, E.g Equality Australia who campaigned for same-sex marriage by going door to door and popularising a hashtag
Hybrid pressure groups
Represent issues and causes, campaign in the lead up to elections, E.g Australian Medical Association which influenced medevac laws which allowed the temporary removal of children from offshore detention centres to receive medical care
How can individuals participate in electoral processes
Voting, Candidature, Working for AEC/WAEC, initiate court cases, other political action
How can individuals participate by voting and what are some stats
Have compulsory voting however only Australian citizens 18+ can vote, 2022 overall enrolment rate- 96.8%, Indigenous enrolment rate was 81.7%
How can individuals participate using candidature and what are some examples
Australian citizens 18+ can run for parliament but can’t have dual citizenship, can’t have been in prison for 1+ years and can’t be bankrupt
E.g- Zali Steggal got seat of Warringah in 2019 instead of Tony Abbot, 6/16 teals on the crossbench in 2022
How can individuals participate by working for the AEC/WAEC
Can work for them even as a minor, made up of citizens to build trust through transparency, can’t talk about politics to the other workers
How can individuals participate by initiating court cases and what is an example
Individuals can go to court to challenge the electoral process, Vicki lee Roach v Electoral commissioner (2017) VR (who had been sentenced to prison for 6 years) when to the high court arguing that the 2006 referendum act passed to disqualify all prisoners from voting in federal elections was unconstitutional and won
How can individuals participate through other political action and what is an example
Direct contact, petitions and making suggestions or objections to gov, Climate 200 funds candidates that want to something about the climate to help them communicate with voters, in 2022 climate 200 used $13 million for federal election campaigns throughout social media
What is the difference between the goals of major and minor parties
Major parties seek to form government, minor parties may just want a seat, bring representation, hold balance of power in crossbench, form coalitions, help form minority government (minor party doesn’t have to agree on every policy)
How can political parties participate in electoral processes (5)
Candidature, parliamentary strategies, preference guidance and affiliations, campaign strategies, court cases
How can political parties participate through candidature and what are some stats
A member of a party can be promoted through the party’s ranks and can be pre-selected as a candidate meaning they can be elected as a representative, in 2019 55% of MP’S were ‘career politicians’
How can political parties participate through parliamentary strategies and what are some stats
Parliament can use their power to try and amend electoral laws and procedures, Can pass laws about who can(t) vote, for example when the Morrison government made it harder to get a a party formed in 2021 when legislation was passed meaning for a party to run in a federal election that had to have 1,500+ members
How can political parties participate through preference guidance and affiliations and what are some examples
Political parties seek to influence the distribution of preferences through preference agreements to increase their chance of being elected in both houses, Some voters could follow the how to vote cards made by the parties, Can form alliances and coalitions, E.g keeping/getting rid of how to vote cards- keep as they make the complicated system more simple, get rid off as campaigns shouldn’t still be going on the last day
How can political parties use campaign stategies to participate and what are some examples
Parties can advertise through social media, directly engage with the community, announce policies to solicit support, E.g 2022- greens knocked on 90,000 doors campaigning to win the Griffith seat which was thought to be a safe labor seat, however individuals spent more money on digital advertising than parties (In Wentworth the independent spent more than double than the liberal party)
How can parties participate through court cases and what is an example
Parties can use legal actions to try prevent changes to legislation and the electoral processes. E.g Australian communist party v commonwealth (1951) when Gov tried to declare communist party unlawful , Passed legislation to declare them unlawful but the High court decided that it was unconstitutional as it undermined a representative democracy
How can pressure groups participate in electoral processes (6)
Electoral pressure which includes advertising campaigns, political donations, public rallies and marches and grassroots campaigns, they can also take court action
How can pressure groups uses advertising campaigns and what is an example
Work to influence how electors perceive candidates. Climate 200 is a pressure group that funds many independents allowing for there to be better in representation. In 2022 they gathered $7 million for independents
How can pressure groups use political donations and what is an example
Companies can fund parties giving more money to the party they think will favour them. For example in 2022, Anthony Pratt through his company (Visy) donated $1.2 million to the liberals and only $10,000 to Labor. Donating can also mean that companies have better connections to people higher up and can almost use their money to suggest what the party should do if they become government
How can pressure groups through public rallies and marches and what is an example
Allows people to raise mass awareness for example in 2019 Student strike for climate change where students marched from Sydney Town hall to Hyde park
What is an example of a pressure groups grassroot campaign
In 2019 GetUp! started a campaign to unseat Dutton. They knocked on many doors surveying people on how likely they were to vote for Dutton from 1-5 and depending on what they answer try to ‘convert’ them to not vote for Dutton as every vote count as for example in the 2007 election he only won by 217 votes
How can pressure groups participate through court action
They can support individuals in court of just go to court themselves
Example of a pressure group assisting an individual in taking court action
Rowe V Electoral commissioner (2010) where Rowe (supported by GetUp!) argued to change the period of time that people could enrol to vote after it was shortened to 3 days following the issue of the writs when it was previously 7 days. The High court found it unconstitutional meaning up to 100,000 more citizens could vote in the 2010 election
Example of a pressure group taking court action
GetUp! V Electoral Commissioner (2010) where the Federal court argued that electronic voting enrolment wasn’t consistent with the Commonwealth Electoral Act meaning Sophie Trevitt who had enrolled online couldn’t vote. Judge Perram determined that her online enrolment was valid and should be counted setting precedent for all citizens being able to enrol online
