AK's Australian Election Series - Master Thread

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Prime Ministers of Australia:
1. George Reid (Free Trade/Anti-Socialist) – 1901-07
2. Andrew Fisher (Labour) – 1907-15
3. Billy Hughes (Labor/National Labor) – 1915-16
4. Joseph Cook (Commonwealth Liberal) – 1916-17
3. Billy Hughes (Nationalist) – 1917-19
5. Frank Tudor (Labor) – 1919-22
6. Matthew Charlton (Labor) – 1922-23
7. Stanley Bruce (Nationalist) – 1923-28
8. James Scullin (Labor) – 1928-31
9. Joseph Lyons (United Australia) – 1931-39
10. Sir Earle Page (Country) – 1939-39
11. Robert Menzies (United Australia) – 1939-40
12. John Curtin (Labor, Wartime Unity Government) – 1940-45
13. Frank Forde (Labor, Wartime Unity Government) – 1945-45
14. Ben Chifley (Labor, Wartime Unity Government) – 1945-45
11. Robert Menzies (United Australia) – 1945-48
14. Ben Chifley (Labor) – 1948-51
15. H. V. Evatt (Labor) – 1951-55
16. Eric Harrison (Liberal) – 1955-66
17. Harold Holt (Liberal) – 1966-67
18. Gough Whitlam (Labor) – 1967-76
19. Malcolm Fraser (Liberal) – 1976-82
20. John Singleton (Progress) – 1982-86
21. Peter Reith (Progress) – 1986-88
22. Bob Hawke (Labor) – 1988-92
23. Paul Keating (Labor) – 1992-94
24. Alexander Downer (Progress, Unity Government) – 1994-

Free Trade Party Leaders:
1. George Reid (1901-06, party became Anti-Socialist Party)

Anti-Socialist Party Leaders:
1. George Reid (1906-07)
2. Joseph Cook (1907-08, party merged with Protectionists to become Commonwealth Liberal Party)

Protectionist Party Leaders:
1. Edmund Barton (1901)
2. Alfred Deakin (1901-08, party merged with Anti-Socialists to become Commonwealth Liberal Party)

Labor Party Leaders:
1. Chris Watson (1901-06)
2. Andrew Fisher (1906-15)
3. Billy Hughes (1915-16, expelled from Labor Party)
4. Frank Tudor (1916-22, died in office)
5. Matthew Charlton (1922-27)
6. James Scullin (1927-35)
7. John Curtin (1935-45, died in office)
8. Frank Forde (1945, caretaker leader)
9. Ben Chifley (1945-51, died in office)
10. H. V. Evatt (1951-55, lost seat and resigned)
11. Arthur Calwell (1955-64)
12. Gough Whitlam (1964-76, stepped down after conceding defeat)
13. Bill Hayden (1976-82, defeated in leadership ballot)
14. Bob Hawke (1982-92, lost leadership ballot)
15. Paul Keating (1992-)

Revenue Tariff Party Leaders:
1. Alfred Deakin (1908-13)
2. George Wise (1913-14, party folded)

Commonwealth Liberal Party Leaders:
1. Joseph Cook (1908-17, party merged with National Labor to become Nationalist Party)

National Labor Party leaders:
1. Billy Hughes (1916-17, party merged with Commonwealth Liberals to become Nationalist Party)

Nationalist Party Leaders:
1. Billy Hughes (1917-22)
2. Stanley Bruce (1922-28)
3. John Latham (1928-31, party merged with Australian Alliance to become United Australia Party)
   
Country Party Leaders:
1. William McWilliams (1920-22)
2. Sir Earle Page (1922-39)
3. Archie Cameron (1939-40)
4. Arthur Fadden (1940-55, resigned)
5. Charles Adermann (1955-67, resigned)
6. John McEwen (1967-70, resigned)
7. Doug Anthony (1970-71, party absorbed DLP to become the National Country Party)

Liberal Union Leaders:
1. William Watt (1922-23, party folded, members re-joined Nationalists)

Lang Labor Leaders:
1. Jack Beasley (1931-36)
2. Jack Lang (1936-39, party became Non-Communist Labor Party)

Australian Alliance Leaders:
1. Joseph Lyons (1931, party merged with Nationalists to become United Australia Party)

United Australia Party Leaders:
1. Joseph Lyons (1931-39, died in office)
2. Robert Menzies (1939-50, party became Liberal Party)

Communist Party Leaders:
1. J.B. Miles (1932-40, party banned)
2. Paddy Troy (1949-51, stepped down)
3. Lance Sharkey (1951-61, stepped down)
4. Ron Maxwell (1961-70, stepped down)
5. Ted Hill (1970-79, stepped down)
6. Eric Aarons (1979-92, party became Socialist Alternative)

Social Credit Party Leaders:
1. Geoffrey Nichols (1933-43, party folded)

Non-Communist Labor Party Leaders:
1. Jack Lang (1939-49, party folded)

State Labor Party Leaders:
1. Jack Hughes (1940-49, party resumed its old name of the Communist Party, and Hughes stepped down from leadership)

Liberal Country Party Leaders:
1. Thomas Collins (1940-45, party re-merged with Country Party)

Liberal Party Leaders:
1. Robert Menzies (1950-55, resigned)
2. Eric Harrison (1955-66, resigned)
3. Harold Holt (1966-67, disappeared, presumed dead)
4. Paul Hasluck (1968-70, lost leadership ballot)
5. John Gorton (1970-73, lost leadership ballot)
6. Malcolm Fraser (1973-82, resigned, and party wrapped up)

Democratic Labor Party Leaders:
1. Bob Joshua (1955-61, lost seat)
2. Jack Little (1961-71, party merged with Country Party)

Marxist-Leninist Communist Party Leaders:
1. Ted Hill (1964-70, party re-merged with Communists)

Australia Party/Democrats Leaders:
1. Gordon Barton (1968-74, resigned)
2. Steele Hall (1974-81, lost leadership challenge)
3. Don Chipp (1981-91, resigned)
4. Janine Haines (1991-, renamed the party Australian Democrats in 1992)

National Country/National Party Leaders:
1. Doug Anthony (1971-86, stepped down)
2. Ian Sinclair (1986-94, party renamed National Party in 1990)
3. Tim Fischer (1994-)

Progress Party Leaders:
1. John Singleton (1975-86, stepped down)
2. Peter Reith (1986-88, lost leadership ballot)
3. John Hewson (1988-92, lost leadership ballot)
4. Alexander Downer (1992-)

Natural Law Party Leaders:
1. Bob Brown (1981-)

Patriotic Front Leaders:
1. Joh Bjelke-Petersen (1986-89, forced out after Fitzgerald Enquiry)
2. Graeme Campbell (1989-96, resigned)
3. Pauline Hanson (1996-)

Socialist Alternative Leaders:
1. Colin Hesse (1992-)

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

In perhaps the most grueling, notable and prominent campaign in Australian political history, the voters of Australia voted roughly 60-40 to make the nation a republic, a major departure from having the monarch of the United Kingdom, namely Queen Elizabeth II, as the head of state. Interestingly, the preamble question received a slightly higher vote from the Australian people than the republic question did, by a scant minority of voters from both sides. As for the election, Natural Law finally topped the poll after sixteen years as a political party, although with only 29.41% of the vote, meaning yet another unity or minority government of some form was likely, the last time Australians elected a majority government being the third term of the Whitlam Government in 1973, and when the counting the conservative coalition as a majority, the Progress-National Country coalition government in 1985.

In terms of seats, here's a summary of each state's results from the 1997 election in the House of Representatives:
New South Wales (68 seats) –20 Progress, 19 Labor, 16 Natural Law, 8 National, 3 Socialist Alternative, 1 Patriotic Front, 1 Democrats
Victoria (52 seats) – 17 Progress, 16 Natural Law, 12 Labor, 5 National, 2 Democrats
Queensland (35 seats) – 12 National, 11 Patriotic Front, 4 Labor, 4 Progress, 4 Natural Law
Western Australia (18 seats) – 7 Progress, 3 National, 3 Labor, 3 Natural Law, 2 Patriotic Front
South Australia (17 seats) – 5 Democrats, 5 Natural Law,  4 Progress, 3 Labor
Tasmania (5 seats) – 4 Natural Law, 1 Progress
Australian Capital Territory (3 seats) – 3 Natural Law
Northern Territory (2 seats) – 1 Natural Law, 1 Progress
Total – 58 Labor, 35 Progress, 22 National Country, 17 Natural Law, 8 Democrats, 7 Patriotic Front, 4 Socialist Alternative

Here's the Senate summary from 1994:
New South Wales: 2 Labor, 2 Progress, 1 Patriotic Front, 1 Socialist Alternative, 1 Democrats, 1 Natural Law
Victoria: 2 Progress, 2 Natural Law, 2 Labor, 1 Democrats, 1 National
Queensland: 2 National, 2 Progress, 2 Patriotic Front, 1 Labor, 1 Natural Law
South Australia: 2 Democrats, 2 Labor, 2 Progress, 1 Natural Law, 1 National
Western Australia: 3 Progress, 2 Patriotic Front, 2 Labor, 1 Natural Law
Tasmania: 2 Progress, 2 Natural Law, 2 Labor, 2 Democrats
Total: 13 Progress, 11 Labor,  8 Natural Law, 6 Democrats, 3 National, 5 Patriotic Front, 1 Socialist Alternative

Here's the Senate summary from 1997:
New South Wales: 2 Natural Law, 2 Progress, 1 Labor, 1 National, 1 Socialist Alternative, 1 Democrats
Victoria: 2 Progress, 2 Natural Law, 2 Democrats, 1 Labor, 1 National
Queensland: 2 National, 2 Labor , 2 Patriotic Front, 1 Progress, 1 Natural Law
South Australia: 2 Democrats, 2 Progress, 2 Natural Law, 1 Labor, 1 National
Western Australia: 2 Progress, 2 Labor, 2 National, 1 Natural Law, 1 Patriotic Front
Tasmania: 3 Natural Law, 2 Progress, 2 Labor, 1 National
Australian Capital Territory: 1 Natural Law, 1 Democrats
Northern Territory: 1 Natural Law, 1 Progress
Total: 9 Progress, 9 Labor, 6 National, 5 Natural Law, 4 Democrats, 2 Patriotic Front, 1 Socialist Alternative

Summary of 1997 election:

House of Representatives
Progress – 54 (-9)
Natural Law – 51 (+27)
Labor – 42 (-17)
National – 28 (+8)
Patriotic Front – 14 (-2)
Democrats – 8 (-6)
Socialist Alternative – 3 (-1)

Senate
1994: 13 Progress, 11 Labor,  8 Natural Law, 6 Democrats, 3 National, 5 Patriotic Front, 1 Socialist Alternative
1997: 9 Progress, 9 Labor, 6 National, 5 Natural Law, 4 Democrats, 2 Patriotic Front, 1 Socialist Alternative
Total: 23 Progress, 20 Labor, 15 Natural Law, 11 Democrats, 10 National, 7 Patriotic Front, 2 Socialist Alternative

Two-party preferred vote: 52.03-47.97

In another notable first, perhaps even worldwide, Natural Law overtook Labor to become Australia's largest left-wing party, the first for Australia's "green force", as they had sometimes been referred to in the media. As a result of being the largest left-wing party, and with Natural Law and Labor holding more seats than Progress and the Nationals, Natural Law leader and founder Bob Brown all of a sudden found himself in a position to possibly lead a government. This prospect was something Brown never held in his wildest dreams, despite polling prior to the 1997 election looking good for Natural Law. Brown stated on the 24th of May, 1997: "Enough Australians have entrusted us with their vote, and thus a mandate for a progressive, environmentally friendly future, and a majority of Australians, on the base of the election result, have explicitly opted a preference for a left-wing government."

After Janine Haines and the Democrats ruled out another government with Progress and the National Party, and subsequently stepped down as Democrat leader, to be replaced by fellow South Australian Meg Lees, it seemed likely that a fully left-wing government would take office. However, Natural Law and Labor only held 93 seats, out of a possible 200 in the House of Representatives, meaning support from the Democrats, and possibly Socialist Alternative, was required. Alexander Downer resigned as Prime Minister on the 27th of May, 1997, knowing he could not form a government on the current numbers, and also because of the success of the republic referendum, stating that it was "a grim day for Queen and country alike". Paul Keating resigned as Labor leader the following day, keeping true to his pre-election promise.

On the 1st of June, 1997, it was announced that a Natural Law-Labor-Democrat government, with a tedious majority of 2 over all other parties, would be formed, led by new Prime Minister Bob Brown, Australia's first gay Prime Minister, and with newly elected Labor leader Kim Beazley as Deputy Prime Minister. One of the government's first actions was to pass a bill to prevent construction of the Hindmarsh Bridge, on the permission of the courts as per the 1996 decision, and to uphold the voluntary euthanasia laws of the Northern Territory, passed back in 1996, citing the states' rights amendment passed back in 1979.

On the 3rd of July, 1997, the governmental agreement was issued jointly by PM Brown and Deputy PM Beazley:

• No Hindmarsh Bridge to be built.
• A cut in mandatory detention periods to 120 days, along with ensuring all those in mandatory detention are treated humanely.
• Warnings on cigarette packets to cover the top of the pack, in a full-text manner, as opposed to just barely printed on the bottom.
• A commitment to stronger relations with Asian nations.
• No dams to be constructed during the term of the Parliament.
• No second airport at Sydney to commence construction in the term of the Parliament.
• An introduction of a tax on new cars, to pay for public transportation projects.
• A generally more centralised system of government.
• As with the 1994-97 unity government, other issues would be discussed as the Parliament progressed.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Alexander Downer and Tim Fischer remained leaders of their respective parties, as they went back into opposition against the "watermelon" government, as some MPs, media personalities and journalists referred to them. The 30th of July saw a landslide in Thredbo, New South Wales, killing 17 and trapping one. It was decided to marginally raise income taxes to increase the Natural Disaster Fund after this, while some in the Patriotic Front and Nationals stated "this is the price Australia pays for having a gay PM".

The new car tax, cigarette packet warnings and income tax increases easily passed both houses in the later months of 1997, with the Socialist Alternative supporting in both houses, although the government collectively held 54 seats in the 100-member chamber, and could pass legislation without their support. Some MPs, such as radical Natural Law MP Lee Rhiannon of New South Wales, did not think the government went far enough, Rhiannon stating that the "party had sold out to Labor".

1998 began with serious flooding in Katherine, in the Northern Territory, that killed three people. PM Brown once again cited the importance of the Natural Disaster Fund, in the wake of the tragedy. The Government also announced in January an apology to the Stolen Generations of Indigenous Australians, to be held on the 16th of February, 1998. The Patriotic Front boycotted the vote, for obvious reasons, while a scant minority of Progress and National MPs stated they would not attend the apology, for various reasons. Brown stated that "While we cannot change the past, we can use it as an example to teach our children right from wrong, and we will do better for our first peoples. We as a nation must ensure we always treat the original Australians with the utmost respect, and give them a helping hand when we can." Deputy PM Kim Beazley, along with other party leaders Alexander Downer, Tim Fischer, Meg Lees and Colin Hesse, along with all the incumbent Premiers and Chief Ministers, attended the apology.

On the 7th of April, Patrick Corporation fired 2,000 waterfront dockers in a bid to improve productivity. This provoked a serious response from the Government, PM Brown stating "Deputy PM Beazley and I will not cave on any retraction in workers' rights, and our parties are united behind us". In what was criticised by many Australians, especially on the right, Patrick Corporation was eventually put into a position where they would re-hire the workers with a payrise, with lenience allowed for strategies for increasing productivity, or face serious fines. While Patrick Corporation reluctantly followed the government's orders, issued on the 27th of May, many on the right feared that Australia has headed for a statist dystopia, to quote Opposition Leader Alexander Downer.

Progress retained government in the ACT territorial election in February of 1998, and Tasmania threw out their minority Progress government in favour of a Natural Law-Labor government in October. However, the Queensland election that June was a whole different kettle of fish - the Patriotic Front polled so strongly, particularly in rural areas, that they actually won a plurality of seats - 36 seats compared to Labor's 34, the Nationals' 7, and Progress' 5, the other 7 being comprised of 4 Natural Law seats and 3 independents. Theoretically, a Patriotic Front government could have been formed with National, Progress and independent support. Eventually, a Labor minority government, with confidence-and-supply support (but no ministerial positions) from Progress, Natural Law, and some of the independent and National members, was formed under new Premier Peter Beattie. Anti-racism protests broke out nationwide, and all surviving former Prime Ministers, namely Gough Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser, John Singleton, Peter Reith, Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, and Alexander Downer, signed an open letter against racism.

The Queensland result was a serious threat for the conservatives in Australia - with optional preferential voting now in use in federal politics, along with Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, with Victoria set to introduce it at their next state election, due by 2000, the thought of losing more elections on the back of vote-splitting was a serious concern, and talks between the Progress and National parties began about a potential merger, although many in the National Party were hostile, at least initially. It was decided a "Merger Meeting", as the media referred to it, would be held in September of 1998.

August of 1998 witnessed the reveal of the new heads on the coins - replacing the Queen, effective on the 1st of January 1999, would be the head of the incumbent President. On the 28th of August, 1998, the vote to choose the first President of Australia was held, and Paul Keating, considered to be the father of the Australian republic, was elected by a 140-52 margin, with 8 MPs abstaining. He would assume the Presidency on the 1st of January, 1999. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia in December of 1998 for the "handing over" ceremony. Her Majesty stated that while she was sad to see Australia no longer a nation under her rule, she was pleased that ties with the Commonwealth would be retained, and that Australians in general had positive thoughts of their soon-to-be former monarch.

The Progress and National Merger Meeting was held over the weekend of the 12th-14th September 1998, and resulted in virtually all Progress MPs, and most National MPs, voting in favour of a merger. The new party would be called the Conservative Party, after the shared ideologies of the parties, and Peter Costello, Shadow Treasurer, would be its leader. State/territory-level parties in Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, and Queensland would also follow suit, while the WA and SA branches of the National Party wanted to remain independent.    The Progress Party in WA and SA would still be renamed the Conservative Party. Bob Katter, maverick National MP, became an independent, stating that "merging with the urban-based Progress Party, who started out as an economic extremist party, was the final straw. I will continue to represent my constituents independent of any party, as I believe the people of Northwestern Queensland deserve a true voice!" Two other National MPs became independents as well, and one joined the Patriotic Front.

Into the new era of the Australian republic, and 1999 started off relatively uneventful politically, aside from an increase in the national petrol tax and corporation tax. The government also passed legislation restricting development of the Great Barrier Reef, which succeeded under new Queensland Premier Peter Beattie's approval, with provisions of development allowed, although no mining/drilling was to take place in the reef waters. Labor held onto majority government in New South Wales, in March amidst claims the NSW branch of Natural Law was too radical. This would be proven right when Lee Rhiannon took three Natural Law MPs, along with the Socialist Alternative MPs, to form a new party, the Anticapitalist Alliance. Rhiannon stated that the new party would "never sell out", and "stay true to the cause of the common good".

This made the government a minority government, and new Opposition Leader Peter Costello stated that "Australia cannot be held to ransom by a bunch of borderline communists", as the government needed four votes, excluding the Speaker, to pass their budget. As Senate elections could not be brought out of line, barring a double dissolution, in line with the 1974 amendment to the Constitution, attempts were made to try and keep the government afloat. These attempts, including convincing the Opposition to vote no in a no-confidence motion, and appeasing the Anticapitalist Alliance, failed from the get go.

After trying to pass a prospective 1999 budget three times in the House of Representatives, but failing to pass it, a motion of no confidence was held. The vote breakdown was as follows:

Aye: 102 (Conservative + Patriotic Front + Anticapitalist Alliance +  2 Independents)
Nay: 97 (Natural Law + Labor + Democrats)
Abstain: 1 (Bob Katter)

Thus, the government had lost confidence in the Parliament, and a double dissolution election, in line with the Constitution's 1974 amendment on elections, would be called for no later than the end of June 1999. The government went into caretaker mode on the 17th of May, 1999, bracing itself for the election.

House of Representatives at end of Parliament:
Conservative – 78 (+24)*
Natural Law – 47 (-4)
Labor – 42 (nc)
Patriotic Front – 15 (+1)
Democrats –8 (nc)
Anticapitalist Alliance – 7 (+4)
Independent – 3 (+3)

Senate at end of Parliament:
Conservative – 38 (+12)*
Labor – 20 (nc)
Natural Law – 22 (nc)
Patriotic Front – 6 (nc)
Democrats –12 (nc)
Anticapitalist Alliance – 2 (nc)

* Changes are from 1997 Progress totals.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Just realised I had forgotten the pie charts of the 1997 referenda.

This along with the 1999 results, I'll post while we're waiting for 2002.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

In perhaps Australia's messiest election to date, the far-left made massive gains in the wake of the fall of the government. On the other side, the new Conservative Party disappointed in terms of performance, while maintaining much of the Progress vote, and in some cases going forward, a larger portion of the National vote was lost. The Democrats mopped up some of the Progress vote from the old party's left, while the Patriotic Front made some gains, and ex-National MP Bob Katter was returned as an independent in Queensland. The previously largest left-wing party, Natural Law, sank below Labor. PM Bob Brown announced his resignation as PM on the 28th of June, when it was apparent that Natural Law was no longer the largest party on the left, and no longer in a position to lead a government.

In terms of seats, here's a summary of each state's results from the 1999 election in the House of Representatives:
New South Wales (68 seats) – 25 Conservative, 18 Labor, 9 Natural Law, 9 Anticapitalist Alliance, 7 Democrats
Victoria (52 seats) – 22 Conservative, 13 Labor, 9 Natural Law, 8 Democrats
Queensland (35 seats) – 14 Conservative, 13 Patriotic Front, 6 Labor, 1 Natural Law, 1 Independent (Bob Katter)
Western Australia (18 seats) – 10 Conservative, 4 Labor, 4 Patriotic Front
South Australia (17 seats) – 8 Democrats, 4 Conservative, 3 Labor, 2 Natural Law,  
Tasmania (5 seats) – 2 Natural Law, 2 Conservative, 1 Democrats
Australian Capital Territory (3 seats) – 1 Natural Law, 1 Democrats, 1 Labor
Northern Territory (2 seats) –1 Conservative, 1 Labor
Total – 78 Conservative, 46 Labor, 25 Democrats, 24 Natural Law, 17 Patriotic Front, 9 Anticapitalist Alliance , 1 Independent

Here's the Senate summary from 1997 (Senators whose term will expire in 2003):
New South Wales: 3 Conservative, 2 Labor, 2 Anticapitalist Alliance, 1 Democrats
Victoria: 3 Conservative, 1 Natural Law, 2 Labor, 2 Democrats
Queensland: 4 Conservative, 2 Patriotic Front, 1 Labor, 1 Natural Law
South Australia: 3 Democrats, 2 Labor, 2 Conservative, 1 Natural Law
Western Australia: 3 Conservative, 2 Patriotic Front, 2 Labor, 1 Natural Law
Tasmania: 2 Conservative, 2 Natural Law, 2 Labor, 2 Democrats
Total: 17 Conservative, 11 Labor, 8 Democrats, 6 Natural Law, 4 Patriotic Front, 2 Anticapitalist Alliance

Here's the Senate summary from 1999 (Senators whose term will expire in 2006, or in the case of the ACT/NT senators, when the Parliament is dissolved):
New South Wales: 4 Conservative, 1 Labor, 1 Natural Law, 1 Democrats, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance
Victoria: 3 Conservative, 2 Democrats, 2 Labor, 1 Natural Law
Queensland: 3 Conservative, 2 Labor , 2 Patriotic Front, 1 Natural Law
South Australia: 3 Democrats, 3 Conservative, 1 Natural Law, 1 Labor
Western Australia: 4 Conservative, 2 Labor, 1 Democrats, 1 Patriotic Front
Tasmania: 2 Natural Law, 2 Conservative, 2 Labor, 1 Democrats, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance
Australian Capital Territory: 1 Natural Law, 1 Democrats
Northern Territory: 1 Labor, 1 Conservative
Total: 20 Conservative, 11 Labor, 9 Democrats, 7 Natural Law, 3 Patriotic Front, 2 Anticapitalist Alliance

Summary of 1999 election:

House of Representatives
Conservative – 78 (-4)
Labor – 46 (+4)
Democrats – 25 (+17)
Natural Law – 24 (-27)
Patriotic Front – 17 (+3)
Anticapitalist Alliance – 9 (+6)**
Independent - 1 (+1)

* Conservative change is from 1997 combined Progress and National totals.
** Anticapitalist Alliance change is from 1997 Socialist Alternative total.

Senate
1997: 17 Conservative, 11 Labor, 8 Democrats, 6 Natural Law, 4 Patriotic Front, 2 Anticapitalist Alliance
1999: 20 Conservative, 11 Labor, 9 Democrats, 7 Natural Law, 3 Patriotic Front, 2 Anticapitalist Alliance
Total: 37 Conservative, 22 Labor, 17 Democrats, 13 Natural Law, 7 Patriotic Front, 4 Anticapitalist Alliance

Two-party preferred vote: 54.21-45.79

While the Conservatives had emerged as the largest party, they were very short of forming a government, losing four seats from the combined Progress/National figure of 1997. No party, with the exception of some fringe Natural Law members, wanted to form government with the Anticapitalist Alliance, the Patriotic Front was ruled out by default, and Labor, Natural Law and the Democrats only held 95 seats between them, lower than the 97 they had in minority government. Bob Brown, still Natural Law leader, was fed up of unity governments, thinking back to the 1994-97 unity government, and resigned as Natural Law leader on the 1st of July, although remaining in Parliament. He would be replaced by Kerry Nettle, from New South Wales, as leader of the party. Paul Keating was also re-elected as President at the same time.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

The onus then turned to Peter Costello to form a government. Costello, while fiscally conservative, was a social moderate, and thus more open to working with the likes of the Democrats than the final Progress leader, Alexander Downer. With the left not wanting to work with the Anticapitalist Alliance, Labor leader Kim Beazley ruling out participation in any Conservative-led government, and the Conservatives not wanting to work with the Patriotic Front, Costello began talks with Democrat leader Meg Lees, about forming a government, which would have majorities in both chambers.  The usual dismay from voters of all ideologies ensued, but Costello and Lees stated "A majority of Australian states and electorates supported our platforms".

Eventually, on the 10th of July, 1999, it was announced Australia would be governed by a Conservative-Democrat government, with a majority of 6 in the House of Representatives, and a majority of 8 in the Senate. Under the agreement, Lees would become Deputy PM, the Democrats would be allowed up to one-fifth of the ministries, although former National MPs would have traditional National ministries, Agriculture and Trade to name two. Lees would get the Communications Ministry, in addition to the post of Deputy PM.

On the 12th of July, 1999, the governmental agreement was issued jointly by PM Costello and Deputy PM Lees:

• A cut in the Senate to 76 (changed from 75, to ensure the territories lose no Senators)
• A discussion on industrial relations reform.
• Repeal and lowering of some taxes, particularly the new car tax in the event of the former, and some income tax cuts when the budget allows for them.
• Reservation of land in outer western Sydney for a second airport.
• Investment in Internet connections, particularly in regional and rural Australia.
• A move back towards decentralised (ie state and local) governance)
• Other issues to be discussed, as in previous unity, minority and coalition government, as the Parliament progressed.

Early in the term of the new Government, on the 30th of August, 1999, East Timor declared independence from Indonesia. When the ensuing violence broke out, after a vote to become independent, following almost a quarter a century since Portugal decolonised the country, Australians, who supported East Timor's independence from Indonesia, was not pleased, and PM Costello contacted US President Bill Clinton to support an Australian-led peacekeeping mission, prior to approval from the Australian Parliament. A prompt vote in both chambers saw the Patriotic Front boycott the vote, a trend of theirs, along with the Anticapitalist Alliance, while Labor under Kim Beazley supported the motion, and Natural Law allowed its members to have a free vote.

Indonesia quickly relented, partly because they were still recovering from the late 1990s financial crisis in the area. The Australian peacekeeping forces arrived on the 20th of September. The Indonesian withdrawl would be complete by the end of October. East Timor would then be under UN administration until 2002, when control was turned over to the new Government. Before the millennium was out, the government negotiated a new response regarding an influx of illegal immigrants, to ensure Australia was kept safe, while ensuring all of those genuinely fleeing persecution, under the UN charter, were processed appropriately. This was a tough negotiation for the government, given Costello and Lees' stances, along with those of their parties, and resulted in deploying police to border checkpoints,    while rejecting those who were found to be people smugglers.

Large parties kicked off the new millennium, but a mere ten days later saw a large ecstasy bust in Brisbane, with 7 arrests. Negotiations to loosen IR laws, for a "balanced" system that while it increased some restrictions on striking, and abolished the likes of unfair dismissal laws would be retained, and industries were free to decide on how unionised they would be. Some unions protested, but some were pleased that unfair dismissal laws and the like would not be erased. Early 2000 saw the revelation of the Government's Internet plans, with all new schools to receive funding for new broadband Internet connections, along with new neighbourhoods to be "broadband-ready".
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A quarter of a million people, on the 28th of May, walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, in a walk for Aboriginal reconcilation. This followed the official Apology day of 1998, and PM Costello, bcked by Deputy PM Lees, stated that "We will build stronger bridges between Aboriginal Australians and the wider Australian community, for we truly believe that we are one nation, with a rich, diverse history and peoples". This coincided with Corroboree 2000, Corroboree being the Aboriginal word for celebration, taking place at the Sydney Opera House, marking the achievements in land rights legislation in the past decade, particularly land rights legislation and stopping the Hindmarsh Bridge.

Inflation and unemployment were both low by this point, particularly with the dot.com bubble, which although would fizzle out shortly, had provided an additional boost to the Australian economy. Nothing could lift national pride like the Olympics though, and the Sydney Olympics, held between the 15th of September and 1st of October, was perhaps the pinnacle of the year for many Australians. Along with the outgoing International Olympic Committee President, Juan Antonio Samaranch, calling them the "best Olympics ever", Australia came fourth in the medal tally, behind the US, Russia and China, with 16 gold, 25 silver and 17 bronze.

With the Olympics passed, legislation to cut the number of Senators from 100 to 76 was introduced in October 2000. While Labor and Natural Law opposed the measures, this was one of the agreements in the document that formed the Government, so while a couple of Democrats went against the party, this still passed easily, and would be "gradually downgraded" at the next two elections, much like when the Senate was increased to 100 members.

2001 came with a big bang, with the Centenary of Federation celebrations. Schools around Australia would partake in an extensive history course, and a massive ceremony was held at Uluru, otherwise known as Ayers Rock, to kick off the celebrations. Ansett, one of the longstanding airlines of Australia, went into administration, and PM Costello stated that “Ansett will need to weather the economy, like any free enterprise should”. Opposition leader Kim Beazley hit back with “You are playing a terrible game with the hands of everyday Australians”. This continued into a heated argument, amidst the background of a piece of legislation enabling New Zealanders to live, work and study in Australia without a visa, which passed both chambers easily.

September 11, 2001, or the day the world stopped turning, shocked virtually everyone on the planet, and tough security measures began to be drafted. This followed a boatload of people, claiming to seek asylum, arriving a month after the MV Tampa incident, involving the Norwegian freighter of the same name, when the government, after a heated debate, allowed a freighter carrying in asylum applicants for processing in Australian waters, namely on Christmas Island, this motion was particularly spearheaded by the Democrats and Natural Law. Doubts whether this method would be used for further unauthorized arrivals arose in the wake of what would be called 9/11, however.

Given the nature of the government, it was decided to keep the system of processing asylum seekers on Christmas Island, while contacting neighbours Nauru and Papua New Guinea to assist in processing boats from over that way, to increase efficiency, and to increase military presence, particularly in the wake of reports children had been tossed overboard. Airport security rules, in line with much of the rest of the world, were also significantly tightened around the same time, and ANZUS was reinforced in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

PM Costello and Deputy PM Lees were literally at odds over sending troops to Afghanistan – Costello and most Tories supported the move, Lees and the Democrats did not. After another grueling debate, where many floor-crossings from all parties occurred, a small force of 500 people was sent to Afghanistan to assist in what would become known as the War on Terror, and PM Costello would become a regular contact and friend of US President George W. Bush, although not to the extent that Eric Harrison and Ike Eisenhower were, for example.

Ansett Airlines finally went bankrupt in March of 2002, making 3,000 employees redundant, although the government stated that Ansett was not financially viable, partly because budget airline Virgin Blue had started up in 2000. A series of nasty gang rapes occurred in January of 2002, and a tense election in South Australia saw a Democrat-Labor state government elected, ousting the Conservative-National government. The SA National Party soon merged with the SA Tories, leaving only WA as the sole state with a National Party, which re-named itself Rural Voice in 2004.

Serious droughts affected much of Australia in February of 2002, with massive crop failures, and much of the eastern seaboard being placed on water restrictions. Given the nature of the previous election, it was decided to hold the next election as late as constitutionally possible, to lessen the gap between the Senate changeover. President Keating agreed to this, and an election would be looming for late winter 2002.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Prime Ministers of Australia:
1. George Reid (Free Trade/Anti-Socialist) – 1901-07
2. Andrew Fisher (Labour) – 1907-15
3. Billy Hughes (Labor/National Labor) – 1915-16
4. Joseph Cook (Commonwealth Liberal) – 1916-17
3. Billy Hughes (Nationalist) – 1917-19
5. Frank Tudor (Labor) – 1919-22
6. Matthew Charlton (Labor) – 1922-23
7. Stanley Bruce (Nationalist) – 1923-28
8. James Scullin (Labor) – 1928-31
9. Joseph Lyons (United Australia) – 1931-39
10. Sir Earle Page (Country) – 1939-39
11. Robert Menzies (United Australia) – 1939-40
12. John Curtin (Labor, Wartime Unity Government) – 1940-45
13. Frank Forde (Labor, Wartime Unity Government) – 1945-45
14. Ben Chifley (Labor, Wartime Unity Government) – 1945-45
11. Robert Menzies (United Australia) – 1945-48
14. Ben Chifley (Labor) – 1948-51
15. H. V. Evatt (Labor) – 1951-55
16. Eric Harrison (Liberal) – 1955-66
17. Harold Holt (Liberal) – 1966-67
18. Gough Whitlam (Labor) – 1967-76
19. Malcolm Fraser (Liberal) – 1976-82
20. John Singleton (Progress) – 1982-86
21. Peter Reith (Progress) – 1986-88
22. Bob Hawke (Labor) – 1988-92
23. Paul Keating (Labor) – 1992-94
24. Alexander Downer (Progress, Unity Government) – 1994-97
25. Bob Brown (Natural Law) – 1997-99
26. Peter Costello (Conservative) – 1999-

Presidents of Australia:
1. Paul Keating (1999-)

Free Trade Party Leaders:
1. George Reid (1901-06, party became Anti-Socialist Party)

Anti-Socialist Party Leaders:
1. George Reid (1906-07)
2. Joseph Cook (1907-08, party merged with Protectionists to become Commonwealth Liberal Party)

Protectionist Party Leaders:
1. Edmund Barton (1901)
2. Alfred Deakin (1901-08, party merged with Anti-Socialists to become Commonwealth Liberal Party)

Labor Party Leaders:
1. Chris Watson (1901-06)
2. Andrew Fisher (1906-15)
3. Billy Hughes (1915-16, expelled from Labor Party)
4. Frank Tudor (1916-22, died in office)
5. Matthew Charlton (1922-27)
6. James Scullin (1927-35)
7. John Curtin (1935-45, died in office)
8. Frank Forde (1945, caretaker leader)
9. Ben Chifley (1945-51, died in office)
10. H. V. Evatt (1951-55, lost seat and resigned)
11. Arthur Calwell (1955-64)
12. Gough Whitlam (1964-76, stepped down after conceding defeat)
13. Bill Hayden (1976-82, defeated in leadership ballot)
14. Bob Hawke (1982-92, lost leadership ballot)
15. Paul Keating (1992-97, resigned leadership, appointed President in 1999)
16. Kim Beazley (1997-)

Revenue Tariff Party Leaders:
1. Alfred Deakin (1908-13)
2. George Wise (1913-14, party folded)

Commonwealth Liberal Party Leaders:
1. Joseph Cook (1908-17, party merged with National Labor to become Nationalist Party)

National Labor Party leaders:
1. Billy Hughes (1916-17, party merged with Commonwealth Liberals to become Nationalist Party)

Nationalist Party Leaders:
1. Billy Hughes (1917-22)
2. Stanley Bruce (1922-28)
3. John Latham (1928-31, party merged with Australian Alliance to become United Australia Party)
   
Country Party Leaders:
1. William McWilliams (1920-22)
2. Sir Earle Page (1922-39)
3. Archie Cameron (1939-40)
4. Arthur Fadden (1940-55, resigned)
5. Charles Adermann (1955-67, resigned)
6. John McEwen (1967-70, resigned)
7. Doug Anthony (1970-71, party absorbed DLP to become the National Country Party)

Liberal Union Leaders:
1. William Watt (1922-23, party folded, members re-joined Nationalists)

Lang Labor Leaders:
1. Jack Beasley (1931-36)
2. Jack Lang (1936-39, party became Non-Communist Labor Party)

Australian Alliance Leaders:
1. Joseph Lyons (1931, party merged with Nationalists to become United Australia Party)

United Australia Party Leaders:
1. Joseph Lyons (1931-39, died in office)
2. Robert Menzies (1939-50, party became Liberal Party)

Communist Party Leaders:
1. J.B. Miles (1932-40, party banned)
2. Paddy Troy (1949-51, stepped down)
3. Lance Sharkey (1951-61, stepped down)
4. Ron Maxwell (1961-70, stepped down)
5. Ted Hill (1970-79, stepped down)
6. Eric Aarons (1979-92, party became Socialist Alternative)

Social Credit Party Leaders:
1. Geoffrey Nichols (1933-43, party folded)

Non-Communist Labor Party Leaders:
1. Jack Lang (1939-49, party folded)

State Labor Party Leaders:
1. Jack Hughes (1940-49, party resumed its old name of the Communist Party, and Hughes stepped down from leadership)

Liberal Country Party Leaders:
1. Thomas Collins (1940-45, party re-merged with Country Party)

Liberal Party Leaders:
1. Robert Menzies (1950-55, resigned)
2. Eric Harrison (1955-66, resigned)
3. Harold Holt (1966-67, disappeared, presumed dead)
4. Paul Hasluck (1968-70, lost leadership ballot)
5. John Gorton (1970-73, lost leadership ballot)
6. Malcolm Fraser (1973-82, resigned, and party wrapped up)

Democratic Labor Party Leaders:
1. Bob Joshua (1955-61, lost seat)
2. Jack Little (1961-71, party merged with Country Party)

Marxist-Leninist Communist Party Leaders:
1. Ted Hill (1964-70, party re-merged with Communists)

Australia Party/Democrats Leaders:
1. Gordon Barton (1968-74, resigned)
2. Steele Hall (1974-81, lost leadership challenge)
3. Don Chipp (1981-91, resigned)
4. Janine Haines (1991-97, renamed the party Australian Democrats in 1992, resigned)
5. Meg Lees (1997-)

National Country/National Party Leaders:
1. Doug Anthony (1971-86, stepped down)
2. Ian Sinclair (1986-94, party renamed National Party in 1990)
3. Tim Fischer (1994-99, party merged with Progress Party)

Progress Party Leaders:
1. John Singleton (1975-86, stepped down)
2. Peter Reith (1986-88, lost leadership ballot)
3. John Hewson (1988-92, lost leadership ballot)
4. Alexander Downer (1992-99, resigned, party merged with National Party)

Natural Law Party Leaders:
1. Bob Brown (1981-99, resigned)
2. Kerry Nettle (1999-)

Patriotic Front Leaders:
1. Joh Bjelke-Petersen (1986-89, forced out after Fitzgerald Enquiry)
2. Graeme Campbell (1989-96, resigned)
3. Pauline Hanson (1996-)

Socialist Alternative/Anticapitalist Alliance Leaders:
1. Colin Hesse (1992-99, party incorporated some Natural Law members and renamed itself)
2. Lee Rhiannon (1999-)

Conservative Party Leaders:
1. Peter Costello (1999-)

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

The first election of the 21st Century saw the left-wing vote increase, and a drift back to more traditional left-wing parties, away from the Anticapitalist Alliance, although Labor achieved their second-worst result, second only to 1988. At the same time, the Democrats and Natural Law won 20% each, the former's best ever total, both as the Democrats and the Australia Party. The Conservatives remained the largest party, but won a mere 24% of the primary vote. The Patriotic Front achieved their largest share of the vote and seats yet, with 12% of Australians opting for the openly racist party. This would mean yet another borderline-deadlocked election, at least at first.

In terms of seats, here's a summary of each state's results from the 2002 election in the House of Representatives:
New South Wales (68 seats) – 20 Conservative, 17 Labor, 15 Natural Law, 10 Democrats, 5 Anticapitalist Alliance, 1 Patriotic Front
Victoria (52 seats) – 23 Conservative, 12 Democrats, 9 Natural Law, 8 Labor
Queensland (35 seats) –14 Patriotic Front, 10 Conservative, 5 Labor, 3 Natural Law, 2 Democrats, 1 Independent (Bob Katter)
Western Australia (18 seats) – 8 Conservative, 5 Patriotic Front, 3 Labor, 1 Natural Law, 1 Democrats
South Australia (17 seats) – 11 Democrats, 3 Conservative, 2 Labor, 1 Natural Law
Tasmania (5 seats) – 2 Natural Law, 2 Conservative, 1 Democrats
Australian Capital Territory (3 seats) – 2 Natural Law, 1 Democrats
Northern Territory (2 seats) –1 Conservative, 1 Natural Law
Total – 67 Conservative, 38 Democrats, 35 Labor, 34 Natural Law, 20 Patriotic Front, 5 Anticapitalist Alliance , 1 Independent

Here's the Senate summary from 1999:
New South Wales: 4 Conservative, 1 Labor, 1 Natural Law, 1 Democrats, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance
Victoria: 3 Conservative, 2 Democrats, 2 Labor, 1 Natural Law
Queensland: 3 Conservative, 2 Labor , 2 Patriotic Front, 1 Natural Law
South Australia: 3 Democrats, 3 Conservative, 1 Natural Law, 1 Labor
Western Australia: 4 Conservative, 2 Labor, 1 Democrats, 1 Patriotic Front
Tasmania: 2 Natural Law, 2 Conservative, 2 Labor, 1 Democrats, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance
Total: 19 Conservative, 10 Labor, 8 Democrats, 6 Natural Law, 3 Patriotic Front, 2 Anticapitalist Alliance

Here's the Senate summary from 2002:
New South Wales: 2 Conservative, 1 Labor, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance, 1 Democrats, 1 Natural Law
Victoria: 2 Conservative, 2 Democrats, 1 Natural Law, 1 Labor
Queensland: 2 Conservative, 2 Patriotic Front, 1 Labor, 1 Natural Law
South Australia: 3 Democrats, 1 Labor, 1 Conservative, 1 Natural Law
Western Australia: 2 Conservative, 1 Patriotic Front, 1 Labor, 1 Natural Law, 1 Democrats
Tasmania: 2 Natural Law, 2 Democrats, 1 Labor, 1 Conservative
Australian Capital Territory: 1 Natural Law, 1 Democrats
Northern Territory: 1 Natural Law, 1 Conservative
Total: 11 Conservative, 10 Democrats, 9 Natural Law, 6 Labor, 3 Patriotic Front, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance

Summary of 2002 election:

House of Representatives
Conservative – 67 (-11)
Democrats – 38 (+13)
Labor – 35 (-11)
Natural Law – 34 (+10)
Patriotic Front – 20 (+3)
Anticapitalist Alliance – 5 (-4)
Independent - 1 (nc)

Senate
1999: 19 Conservative, 10 Labor, 8 Democrats, 6 Natural Law, 3 Patriotic Front, 2 Anticapitalist Alliance
2002: 11 Conservative, 10 Democrats, 9 Natural Law, 6 Labor, 3 Patriotic Front, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance
Total: 30 Conservative, 18 Democrats, 16 Labor, 14 Natural Law, 6 Patriotic Front, 3 Anticapitalist Alliance

Two-party preferred vote: 55.20-44.80

After the results were confirmed, one thing was for certain - there would not be a military commitment to Afghanistan, or any War on Terror, from whoever would form the next government. The next government would either be a continuation of the Conservative-Democrat government, first elected in 1999, or a "traffic light" Labor/Democrat/Natural Law government, both of these hypothetical combinations would have small majorities in the House and Senate. Incumbent Prime Minister Costello had the first pick, as per the Constitution, but Deputy PM Meg Lees, who stated that she was open to working with both sides, made it very clear that she would not be supporting any more war efforts in the War on Terror, stating that she did not "want another Vietnam". Lees, whose party held more seats than either Labor or Natural Law, was more of a centrist than a  leftist, and thinking back to the previous traffic light government of 1997-99, announced that after a party meeting, decided that the Democrats will continue to back a Conservative-led government, on the basis of a good relationship with much of the Conservative Party, PM Costello agreeing to not commit any more forces to the War on Terror, although diplomatic support to the US would remain, and more stability in government (two parties as opposed to three), Costello and Lees both citing that a majority of Australian electorates voted for either a Tory or Democrat MP .

After this announcement, amidst grumbling from supporters all over the political spectrum, Kim Beazley announced his retirement from the Labor leadership, stating that "It is time for a fresh face and fresh direction". In the leadership election that followed, Mark Latham, first elected at the 1994 election, was elected Labor leader. All other parties retained their same leaders from pre-election, and Paul Keating as once again re-elected President. The government agreement was slightly amended, to allow for one-quarter of the ministries to be held by Democrats.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

An asylum policy which upped Australia's intake of asylum seekers, in tandem with a firm processing policy, ensuring they were treated fairly and working with Nauru and Papua New Guinea, was officially confirmed in the first session of Parliament. In addition to the government, Labor also supported the policy, although Natural Law claimed it did not go far enough, and the Patriotic Front were their usual racist selves. More unfortunate events broke out late in 2002, firstly the Bali, Indonesia Bombings on the 12th of October, which took the lives of 88 Australians, and a shooting at Monash University on the 21st of October, which killed three people. Security rules were once again re-enforced, and Attorney-General Philip Ruddock banned terror group Jemmah Islamiyah from entering Australia. Memorials were built around the country, notably a fountain in Melbourne, and a memorial facing Bali itself in Perth opened the following year. Australia also began to strengthen its relations with Indonesia, inviting its President Megawati Sukarnoputri to address the Australian Parliament in late 2002.

2003 would see the War on Terror grow even larger, and Australia breaking the mould, much like in the late 1960s, by not sending additional troops to the new war, in a similar position to the French government, led by President and fellow conservative Jacques Chirac. Perhaps as a result, anti-Iraq war protests were not as strong as they were in the likes of the US, Canada and UK, and while US President George W. Bush was disappointed that Australia would not commit troops to the War on Terror, he respected the decision, and would remain an important ally and friend of PM Costello. The war broke out in March 2003, and Australian public opinion was strongly divided, with many on both sides disagreeing over whether or not to join the conflict. A law which enabled gay couples to inherit their partners' private superannuation was passed around this time, along with some more free trade agreements, namely with Singapore and Thailand.

2003 also saw an agreement made with the state governments, that all new suburban developments would incorporate broadband internet infrastructure, working with both Telecom and private telecommunications communications companies. Fibre-to-the-node was the agreed standard, with provisions for future upgrades to fibre-to-the-node, for those who desired them. Deputy PM Lees stated that "if we had gone to war, we would not be able to afford this!" On an economic note, inflation was basically a non-issue by 2003, and unemployment, while having risen in the wake of the bust of the dot-com bubble in the not-too-distant past, was also low, at around 3%.

Australia's military would be used for a peacekeeping mission, along with those of fellow Commonwealth nations, in the Solomon Islands, starting July of 2003. This aimed to control the violence that had arose in the past few years, and the Governor-General of the Solomon Islands requested assistance from fellow Commonwealth nations. Labor backed the Government's position, while Natural Law, the Patriotic Front and Anticapitalist Alliance opposed it, along with some Democrats.

A new political party, based around family values, and aptly named Family First, was founded in late 2003. While not an explicitly Christian party, and it aimed to capture the votes from people of all faiths, a large number of its supporters and members were Christians. Its first leader was Steve Fielding, conservative Christian and Knox City, Victoria councillor. Fielding stated that "Australia has long lacked a true faith-based voice in politics, and it's about time the vacuum was filled". Fielding announced he would be running for the Victorian Senate at the next election, due by no later than November of 2005.

Riots in Redfern, an inner Sydney suburb, broke out in early 2004 after the death of Thomas Hickey, a 17 year old Aboriginal youth was impaled on a high fence after an accident on his bicycle, and was being followed by a police car. The police state that Hickey could not be saved, while Hickey's family and friends claimed the police car hit Hickey, causing riots in the community. To this very day, it remains unclear as to whether or not the police car hit Hickey. At around the same time, QANTAS launched Jetstar, a budget airline that helped fill the gap that Ansett left behind a couple of years prior.

At the local government level, March 2004 saw Conservative Campbell Newman become the first right-wing Mayor of Brisbane since 1991, amidst another Labor success at the state level under Premier Beattie. Over the course of the Parliament, support for gay marriage began to increase amongst some MPs and former MPs, although only Natural Law and the Anticapitalist Alliance adopted it into their platforms, the other parties either opposed it, or allowed their members free votes on the issue.

By the middle of 2004, a majority of Australians supported the government's decision to stay out of the war in Iraq, 52-45 with 3% abstaining from a poll taken in July of 2004, despite Saddam Hussein having been otherthrown. The following month saw Opposition Leader Mark Latham being diagnosed with pancreatitis, and subsequently hospitalised. Simon Crean would serve as Acting Opposition Leader, although Latham recovered enough to resume the job later in the year. An inquiry into 2001's "children overboard" affair began in September 2004, the Opposition going from inconclusive evidence from the video footage. Nothing much became of the inquiry, with MPs from all ideologies having their own thoughts of what really happened.

Boxing Day of 2004 saw a large tsunami, triggered by an undersea earthquake, devastate Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, the Maldives and Somalia, killing over 230,000, and devastating millions. Australia, along with other nations, immediately provided financial and humanitarian aid in the wake of the tsunami, to combat the diseases and damage in the wake of the tsunami, Australia would end up contributing $1.5 billion to rebuilding efforts in the regions affected by the disaster. Politicians of all parties, except for the Patriotic Front, supported the rebuilding efforts. While PM Costello met up with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, further improving Indo-Australian relations, Opposition Leader Mark Latham was criticised for not taking time off from his Christmas leave. With continued poor health, Latham resigned as Labor leader in February of 2005, to be replaced by Acting Opposition Leader Simon Crean.

In the wake of the Boxing Day Tsunami, as it would become known to most Australians, and a temporary hike in income taxes to higher earners, 2005 began with some more rioting, in southwestern Sydney suburb Macquarie Fields, when a police chase resulted in a 20 year old, driving a stolen car, to crash into a tree, and kill his two passengers in the process. After the criminal's aunt made a false claim that police aggravated him, four days' worth of disturbances, consisting of clashes with the police broke out. The police were criticised for not reacting fast enough, and their soft approach, although 55 arrests were made. Various charity concerts and drives, notably Wave Aid early in 2005, were also held to raise funds and awareness alike.

A few Australians were also convicted of serious crimes in early-mid 2005, on foreign soil - on the 17th of April, nine Australians, who would become known as the Bali Nine, were arrested for planning to smuggle over 8kg of heroin into Australia from Indonesia. The nine convicted met various fates, ranging from 20 years imprisonment to the death penalty, although the trial would not take place for a long time afterwards. Schapelle Corby was convicted of drug smuggling by an Indonesian court the following month, and sentenced to 20 years in jail. On a non-criminal note, long-serving NSW Premier, Labor's Bob Carr, retired in July after 10 years as Premier, to be replaced by Morris Iemma. Earlier in the year though

In the lead up to the imminent election, due late in the year, environmental issues began to take spotlight in the media, particularly that of global warming and carbon emissions, with Natural Law taking the "ethically correct" position, as they stated, claiming "Catastrophes will occur unless we drastically change", while many in the Conservative Party hit back at Natural Law's suggestions, calling them "ridiculous" and "hypocritical", the latter stemming from the two parties' differences on nuclear energy, and nuclear issues in general. Logging in Tasmania also became an issue, with the industry being a cornerstone of Tasmania's economy supporting the continuation of logging, while those supporting the environmental movement wanted to bring the practice to an end.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Australia, after many elections where there was no clear winner, finally returned a Parliament where the government would be easily determined – Labor, who had considered disbanding as recently as 2004, experienced their best vote total since the 1970s – you had to go back to 1979 to find a better vote total for Labor. Natural Law also took second place, leaving the Tories to take third. Family First polled well in their first election, with a promising 10%, the far-left Anticapitalist Alliance lost even more votes, and the Democrats and Patriotic Front lost large amounts of votes. This was particularly true of the former, Deputy PM Meg Lees losing her own seat to Labor, who were aided by Natural Law preferences. It was apparent by 9pm on election night that Simon Crean would become the next Prime Minister of Australia.

In terms of seats, here's a summary of each state's results from the 2005 election in the House of Representatives:
New South Wales (68 seats) – 29 Labor, 21 Natural Law, 14 Conservative, 4 Anticapitalist Alliance
Victoria (52 seats) – 18 Conservative, 17 Labor, 15 Natural Law, 2 Democrats
Queensland (35 seats) – 17 Labor, 8 Conservative, 5 Natural Law, 4 Patriotic Front,  1 Independent (Bob Katter)
Western Australia (18 seats) – 9 Labor, 6 Conservative, 3 Natural Law
South Australia (17 seats) – 7 Labor, 5 Natural Law, 3 Conservative, 2 Democrats
Tasmania (5 seats) – 4 Natural Law, 1 Conservative
Australian Capital Territory (3 seats) – 2 Natural Law, 1 Labor
Northern Territory (2 seats) – 1 Labor, 1 Natural Law
Total – 81 Labor, 56 Natural Law, 50 Conservative, 4 Democrats, 4 Patriotic Front, 4 Anticapitalist Alliance , 1 Independent

Here's the Senate summary from 2002:
New South Wales: 2 Conservative, 1 Labor, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance, 1 Democrats, 1 Natural Law
Victoria: 2 Conservative, 2 Democrats, 1 Natural Law, 1 Labor
Queensland: 2 Conservative, 2 Patriotic Front, 1 Labor, 1 Natural Law
South Australia: 3 Democrats, 1 Labor, 1 Conservative, 1 Natural Law
Western Australia: 2 Conservative, 1 Patriotic Front, 1 Labor, 1 Natural Law, 1 Democrats
Tasmania: 2 Natural Law, 2 Democrats, 1 Labor, 1 Conservative
Total: 10 Conservative, 10 Democrats, 9 Natural Law, 6 Labor, 3 Patriotic Front, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance

Here's the Senate summary from 2005:
New South Wales: 2 Labor, 2 Natural Law, 1 Conservative, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance
Victoria: 2 Conservative, 2 Labor, 1 Family First, 1 Natural Law
Queensland: 2 Conservative, 2 Labor , 1 Patriotic Front, 1 Natural Law
South Australia: 2 Labor, 1 Democrats, 1 Family First, 1 Conservative, 1 Natural Law,
Western Australia: 2 Conservative, 2 Labor, 2 Natural Law
Tasmania: 2 Natural Law, 2 Labor, 2 Conservative
Australian Capital Territory: 1 Natural Law, 1 Labor
Northern Territory: 1 Natural Law, 1 Labor
Total: 19 Conservative, 10 Labor, 8 Democrats, 6 Natural Law, 3 Patriotic Front, 2 Anticapitalist Alliance

Summary of 2005 election:

House of Representatives
Labor – 81 (+46)
Natural Law – 56 (+22)
Conservative – 50 (-17)
Democrats – 4 (-34)
Patriotic Front – 4 (-16)
Anticapitalist Alliance – 4 (-1)
Independent - 1 (nc)

Senate
2002: 10 Conservative, 9 Democrats, 7 Natural Law, 6 Labor, 3 Patriotic Front, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance
2005: 14 Labor, 11 Natural Law, 10 Conservative, 2 Family First, 1 Democrats, 1 Patriotic Front, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance
Total: 20 Labor, 20 Conservative, 18 Natural Law, 10 Democrats, 4 Patriotic Front, 2 Family First, 2 Anticapitalist Alliance

Two-party preferred vote: 63.63-36.37

Outgoing Prime Minister Peter Costello immediately resigned as Conservative leader and MP for Higgins, which the Conservatives only retained narrowly in the subsequent by-election in February 2006. The new Democrat leader was Natasha Stott Despoja, one of the few surviving Democrat MPs, while the new Conservative leader, after a messy battle with Joe Hockey, Brendan Nelson, Warren Truss and Mal Brough, was Mark Vaile, who was originally elected as a National MP at the 1994 election. Vaile, who chose Mal Brough as his Deputy Leader, faced a tough challenge - with Australia's major right-wing party now third in terms of vote and seats, he would be overseeing an extremely tough job of rebuilding.

New PM Simon Crean and Deputy PM Kerry Nettle promptly announced their agreement for government on the 24th of October, 2005:

• A tax on carbon dioxide emissions, to be introduced at the start of financial year 2007/08, with carbon dioxide to be taxed at $25 a tonne.
• A "super profit" tax on mining and resources, at 35%, aimed at mining/resources companies who were making more than $60,000,000 in profit. This would also come into effect as of financial year 2007/08
• A paid parental leave scheme for all of those earning less than $90,000 a year.
• New restrictions on lightbulbs.
• A nationwide referendum on gay marriage.
• No more forest to be allocated for logging.
• A 15% increase to the national petrol tax.

As per usual, other issues would be discussed as the Parliament progressed. Not long after the new government took office, a series of gruesome race riots broke out in the Sydney beachside suburb of Cronulla in December 2005, between Australians of Anglo-Celtic and Middle Eastern ancestry. Allegedly starting over a clash on a beach involving two lifeguards and some unruly youths, a week later, it broke out into an ugly racially-motivated clash, spread by text messages, with the motivation of beating up those who looked like "terrorists", so to speak. PM Crean, Deputy PM Nettle, NSW Premier Morris Iemma, and all the other Premiers and Chief Ministers of Australia condemned the attacks, although some in the media played into the hands of the rioting. The NSW government promptly beefed up police powers, including the power of seizing mobile phones and cars for a week.   

Early 2006 saw the easy passing of the carbon tax, petrol tax hike, and mining super tax legislation in the House of Representatives, although the bills would not be passed in both houses until the new Senate took its seats on the 1st of July, 2006, as the old Senate had 88 members, 30 of whom were Tories, and not enough of the outgoing Democrat Senators could be persuaded to support the bills without amendments. Legislation to prevent logging, much to the chagrin of the Tasmanian state government, was passed around the same time, this was the partial reason for the Conservatives, under Rene Hidding, almost winning government in Tasmania at their March 2006 election. The Democrats' decline continued in South Australia, with the Democrats losing seats to both Labor and the Tories, Labor emerging with majority government.

On Anzac Day, 2006, a small earthquake struck Tasmania, causing a rock fall in Beaconsfield gold mine, in the state's north. 14 miners were inside the mine at the time, one was found deceased on the 28th of April, and two were trapped until the 9th of May inside the mine. Following the rescue and examination of the mine, higher standards of mine construction were legislated, and severe penalties would apply to owners of mines who did not comply. Earlier in April, trouble broke out in the Solomon Islands, and the Australian military deployed peacekeeping forces, followed by a deployment to East Timor the following month.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

A referendum held in July of 2006, in Toowoomba, Queensland, on recycled sewerage water, would garner national attention, and a nationwide debate over recycled water emerged. The referendum was defeated by a margin of 38-62, although some councils would soon pass similar legislation, and they were backed by politicians from all across the spectrum. No political party would make attempts for a nationwide referendum on the matter, as a general consensus, spearheaded by Tory leader Mark Vaile, was that this was for communities to decide. The framework for the upcoming gay marriage referendum was released in August of 2006, it would alter the Marriage Act accordingly from "one man, one woman" to "two people", however, it would not force religious organisations to recognise or conduct gay marriages, letting them decide for themselves, as added by the Tories Family First. The referendum was due to be held on the 30th of June, 2007.

Amidst two tragic celebrity deaths in one week, namely Steve Irwin of TV's The Crocodile Hunter fame, and racecar driver Peter Brock in September 2006, the remainder of the year was fairly quiet politically, Labor won the Victorian state election, despite a decent swing to the Tories, and Mark Vaile announced his retirement as Tory leader on the 4th of December, 2006, citing that "it was time for someone else to oversee the rebuilding of the Conservatives". The leadership election saw Joe Hockey prevail over Bronwyn Bishop, Warren Truss, Dennis Jensen and Kevin Andrews.

2007 began somewhat dismally, with 500 rioters turning on police in the holiday town of Rye, Victoria, and youth attending an illegal drag race in southeastern Melbourne turning on police and trashing the vicinity. In the second Australia Day following the Cronulla riots, PM Crean stated that "We cannot, as a nation, sink to the abyss displayed on that dreadful day in 2005. We are a proud nation, but also a diverse and caring nation." A mini-scandal emerged in March of 2007, when it was revealed that Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd had met with former WA Premier, the disgraceful Brian Burke. Not long afterwards, Attorney-General Kelvin Thomson was caught in hot water over writing a character reference for a Melbourne gangland figure, Tony Mokbel six years prior. A number of disasters, natural and man-made alike, claimed the lives of 14 Australians in March of 2007. Amidst this bleak backdrop, the NSW Government, led by Premier Morris Iemma, was reduced to a three-seat majority at the state election.

A report on child abuse, domestic violence and drug/alcohol abuse in indigenous communities was released on the 21st of June. PM Crean announced that there would be no intervention into remote Aboriginal communities, citing that type of measure as racist, rather assisting to build community councils, in accordance with the Constitution, and devolving decision making power to the peoples of the land. Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks also arrived home the previous month, and served the remainder of his sentence at a prison in Adelaide.   

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

A referendum was called for the 30th of June, 2007:

"Do you support the proposed changes to the federal Marriage Act, namely removing the reference to one man and one woman?"



The first of July, 2007 would be forever revered by progressives around Australia - the marriage amendment passed by a margin of 2 to 1, now recognising gay marriages. A sizeable number of Tory voters voted Yes in the referendum, causing discomfort for some of the party. The carbon and mining taxes also came into effect the same day, and the government was set to introduce the paid parental leave legislation shortly. PM Crean and Deputy PM Nettle in particular were very pleased with their achievements to date, but stated that there was much more to be done. Former National MP Bob Katter announced the creation of a new national political party on the 11th of July, 2007, namely called Rural Voice. Katter described the new party, which was inspired by the WA state party of the same name, as "The only real choice for rural Australians - Labor, the Tories, Natural Law, Patriotic Front, the Democrats, they don't care!"

APEC, or the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, hosted its annual meeting in Sydney, in September of 2007, with PM Crean representing Australia. Later in the same month, Canadian PM Stephen Harper became the first Canadian PM to address the Australian Parliament. Despite the massive differences between the Prime Ministers and their respective governments, Crean and Harper got along relatively well, although Harper did not get along as well with Deputy PM Nettle, Nettle branding Harper as an “extremist”.

The end of 2007, with the Australian economy doing fairly well, amidst struggles from the industries hit by the carbon and mining taxes, saw PM Crean attend the UN’s Climate Chance Conference, held in Bali. Crean explained the massive implementation of environmentally friendly natures in Australia, and how carbon dioxide emissions have already begun to reduce in Australia, according to studies undertaken by prominent universities and thinktanks alike. Crean also encouraged fellow nations, particularly fellow Commonwealth nations, to follow Australia’s lead.

2008 began with police using capsicum spray at a tennis match in Melbourne, to control the despicable behaviour of some of the spectators, Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay began to be dredged, amidst much controversy, and extreme heat and rain alike were witnessed around the country. On the economic scale though, the global financial crisis, which began to brew around 2006, unleashed its payload in 2008. At the start of 2008, unemployment was starting to climb back up, hitting 4% in the middle of the year, after remaining in the 3-3.5% for the 2003-08 period, under both the Costello and Crean governments.

Citing “low sales, plus increasing costs of production”, the Mitsubishi Australia plant in suburban Adelaide closed its doors in March of 2008. Opposition Leader Joe Hockey hit out at the government, stating that “Courtesy of your eco-taxes, you’ve managed to force out one of our main car manufacturers! How much longer until Holden and Ford are pushed out?” PM Crean came back with “They were declining prior to the carbon dioxide tax, and last time I checked, the people are moving to more environmentally friendly cars”. This made for a memorable Question Time, and entrenched the Conservatives’ opposition to the carbon and mining taxes, although Hockey stated that “the first step is reforming the tax”, on the carbon tax.

A territorial election in the Northern Territory, held in August, saw the NT Conservatives elected with a majority of 3. Meanwhile in Western Australia, an early election called by then Premier Alan Carpenter, resulted in Conservative Colin Barnett winning a massive landslide, only requiring Rural Voice in the Legislative Council (state equivalent of the Senate). Carpenter almost his seat in the election, and NSW Premier Morris Iemma was replaced by Nathan Rees, after Iemma lost caucus support. Although Australia was holding up better than a lot of other economies, amidst the backdrop of the US electing Barack Obama as President, the future did not look as good for Australia, leading up to the election.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

In the largest two-party preferred swing since 2PP records begun to be officially kept in 1945, the Joe Hockey-led Conservative Party soared from third to first place, and buoyed by Rural Voice and Family First preferences, won government after only one term in opposition. Excluding the Brown Government, which ended due to a motion of no confidence, the last time a first-term government was defeated was 1948, when Labor under Ben Chifley defeated the Robert Menzies-led United Australia Party. The Democrats made a modest recovery, although nowhere near their numbers in the 1999-2005 period, Natural Law took a beating, losing over half their seats, and both Family First and the new Rural Voice won seats in both chambers, the latter wiping the Patriotic Front out.

In terms of seats, here's a summary of each state's results from the 2008 election in the House of Representatives:
New South Wales (68 seats) – 37 Conservative, 20 Labor, 7 Natural Law, 2 Anticapitalist Alliance, 2 Family First
Victoria (52 seats) – 26 Conservative, 12 Labor, 7 Natural Law, 5 Democrats, 2Family First
Queensland (35 seats) – 19 Conservative, 9 Labor, 5 Rural Voice, 2 Natural Law
Western Australia (18 seats) – 12 Conservative, 4 Labor, 2 Rural Voice
South Australia (17 seats) – 6 Conservative, 6 Democrats,  2 Labor, 2 Natural Law, 1Family First
Tasmania (5 seats) – 3 Conservative, 2 Natural Law
Australian Capital Territory (3 seats) – 2 Natural Law, 1 Labor
Northern Territory (2 seats) – 1 Labor, 1 Conservative
Total – 81 Labor, 56 Natural Law, 50 Conservative, 4 Democrats, 4 Patriotic Front, 4 Anticapitalist Alliance , 1 Independent

Here's the Senate summary from 2005:
New South Wales: 2 Labor, 2 Natural Law, 1 Conservative, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance
Victoria: 2 Conservative, 2 Labor, 1 Family First, 1 Natural Law
Queensland: 2 Conservative, 2 Labor , 1 Patriotic Front, 1 Natural Law
South Australia: 2 Labor, 1 Democrats, 1 Family First, 1 Conservative, 1 Natural Law,
Western Australia: 2 Conservative, 2 Labor, 2 Natural Law
Tasmania: 2 Natural Law, 2 Labor, 2 Conservative
Total: 12 Labor, 10 Conservative, 9 Natural Law, 2 Family First, 1 Democrats, 1 Patriotic Front, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance

Here's the Senate summary from 2008:
New South Wales: 2 Conservative, 1 Labor, 1 Family First, 1 Rural Voice, 1 Natural Law
Victoria: 2 Conservative, 1Family First, 1 Democrats, 1 Natural Law, 1 Labor
Queensland: 2 Conservative, 2 Rural Voice, 1 Labor, 1 Natural Law
South Australia:, 2 Conservative, 2 Democrats, 1 Family First, 1 Natural Law
Western Australia: 2 Conservative, 1 Rural Voice, 1 Labor, 1 Family First, 1 Democrats
Tasmania: 2 Natural Law, 2 Democrats, 2 Conservative
Australian Capital Territory: 1 Natural Law, 1 Labor
Northern Territory: 1 Conservative, 1 Labor
Total: 13 Conservative, 7 Natural Law, 6 Democrats, 6 Labor, 4 Rural Voice, 4 Family First

Summary of 2008 election:

House of Representatives
Conservative – 104 (+54)
Labor – 49 (-32)
Natural Law – 22 (-34)
Democrats – 11 (+7)
Rural Voice – 7 (+7)
Family First – 5 (+5)
Anticapitalist Alliance – 2 (-2)
Patriotic Front – 0 (-4)

Senate
2005: 12 Labor, 10 Conservative, 9 Natural Law, 2 Family First, 1 Democrats, 1 Patriotic Front, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance
2008: 13 Conservative, 7 Natural Law, 6 Democrats, 6 Labor, 4 Rural Voice, 4 Family First
Total: 23 Conservative, 18 Labor, 16 Natural Law, 7 Democrats, 6 Family First, 4 Rural Voice, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance, 1 Patriotic Front

Two-party preferred vote: 53.33-46.67

Former Prime Minister Simon Crean and Deputy Prime Minister Kerry Nettle immediately resigned from their leadership positions, although while Crean retired from Parliament, Nettle remained an MP. Labor elected Queenslander Kevin Rudd as leader, while Sarah Hanson-Young from South Australia became the new Natural Law leader. Following her defeat in Parliament, Pauline Hanson resigned as leader of the Patriotic Front, stating that "You'll be sorry when you regretted not listening to me!", and was replaced by Senator Rosa Lee Long, elected in 2005.

The new government, while winning a majority in the House of Representatives, the first time a single party did so since the 1973 election, was going to have a rougher ride in the Senate - even if all the Rural Voice and Family First Senators voted with the Conservatives, the government would still be five votes short of a majority. This would mean many negotiations across party lines would occur, and a rocky ride was about to begin for new Prime Minister Joe Hockey. President Paul Keating also announced his resignation, the Parliament elected Malcolm Turnbull to succeed him.

With unemployment at 4.5% at the end of 2008, PM Hockey stated “There will be no stimulus packages, we cannot afford to recklessly add to our national debt, which our grandchildren could be paying off!” Very early into the new government’s term would witness a natural disaster so catastrophic, not even deficit hawk Hockey could say no to extra money to rebuild. This disaster would become known as the Black Saturday bushfires, which ravaged much of Victoria on the 7th of February, 2009, claiming 173 lives, injuring another 414, and costing the region a total of $4.4 billion. The last of the fires would not go out for over a month, leaving much of central Victoria ravaged. Plans to eliminate the mining tax and reform the carbon tax were thus deferred for another two years, all the revenue from these taxes would go to recovery efforts, along with the funds from the National Disaster Fund. This got wide approval form voters across the spectrum, although some on the far-left believed it was a stunt that didn’t address the real issue, while some on the far-economic right did not approve of the financial measures taken.

The petrol tax cut would still go ahead though, and easily passed the House of Representatives in February of 2009. The Senate, however, was a lot tougher – Labor and Natural Law refused to pass it, while the Democrats, still remembering when they assisted the Conservatives in government from 1999-2005, were wary. Requiring an extra five votes, the Democrats blocked the initial proposal, although after negotiations, agreed to a lesser reduction of the petrol tax. The following month witnessed a state election in Queensland, in which the Labor government, led by Anna Bligh, was forced into minority. While Opposition Leader Rudd exclaimed “This is a sign that the federal government is already losing popularity”, the government had won a massive majority last time, and Premier Bligh was still fairly popular.

Western Australia said no to daylight saving for a third time on the 16th of May, amidst the government’s first budget.  While the mining/carbon tax reforms were put on hold to assist with the Black Saturday fires, other measures, such as the aforementioned petrol tax cut, and various other tweaks, namely enforcement of means testing of welfare payments, were negotiated, although the Democrats ensured amendments were made, stating “we don’t cave for anyone anymore”. Various “red and green tape cutting” measures, as PM Hockey described them, were also announced.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Swine flu ravaged the world that June, and unfortunately, Australia was no exception to its wrath – 191 Australians passed away as a result of the disease, and airports, upon news of the disease’s outbreak, amped up their health security screening. In September, major dust storms ravaged Australia, and Prime Minister Hockey, along with Opposition Leader Rudd, apologized to the “Forgotten Australians”, namely children who were forced to emigrate to Australia from the UK, this practice continued until the 1960s. These children were severely neglected in government-run care centres, and UK PM Gordon Brown followed suit early in 2010.

Cuts to company taxes were announced in 2010 as part of the budget, along with the Prime Minister re-stating that “Next year, we will pursue the long-awaited tax reform we promised back in 2008”. Some on the right of the Conservative Party, like Alex Hawke, were eager to get on with the reforms, and some in the likes of Family First, namely deputy party leader Bob Day, believed the proposed reforms did not go far enough.

March 2010 saw Labor reduced to a hung parliament in South Australia, relying on a rural MP to stay in office, and retain government in Tasmania, although the Conservatives won a plurality of seats on the Apple Isle. Opposition Leader Rudd stated that “Our wins in South Australia and Tasmania has demonstrated that voters aren’t all that happy with the Tories”, despite the reduced majorities and vulnerability at the next elections. The NSW ALP government, now under Premier Kristina Keneally, went into minority not long afterwards, having lost two seats at by-elections since 2007. Later in 2010, a Conservative government was elected in Victoria, although with only a small majority, reflecting a small swing since 2006.

2010 also saw the revealing of the site for the second Sydney airport, by PM Hockey and NSW Premier Keneally, with construction expected to commence in 2012. The airport would be located in outer western Sydney, in Badgerys Creek. While many were satisfied about the airport and associated transport upgrades, some in the area were skeptical about the new jobs, and worries of moving congestion, rather than fixing the problem. Many in Sydney, in particular, welcomed the news that Kingsford Smith’s days of over congestion had a definite end in sight. On an economic note, two years after the global financial crisis, unemployment had risen to 5.3% in the middle of 2009, although was back down to 4.4% by the middle of 2010 and continuing to decline. Opposition Leader Rudd hit out at the government, with “Reckless free-market measures, such as what has been undertaken by this government, harm some of society’s weakest”. Hockey hit back with “You have to remember, we have gone through a global financial crisis, and conditions are improving for all Australians, and will continue to improve, particularly once the mining tax is gone!” Those on the far left, particularly Lee Rhiannon, dismissed Rudd’s statement as “fluff”.

On the 17th of October, 2010, Mary MacKillop was made a saint. MacKillop was an Australian nun who founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, a congregation which provided educational and welfare services to the poor, particularly in rural Australia, where St Mary lived for much of her life. Major floods dominated the headlines of the Australian media as 2011 dawned, with savage flooding in Queensland and Victoria, in the case of Queensland, the flooding commenced in the previous year. 40 people had their lives claimed, another 9 were declared missing, and the damage bill was estimated to be in excess of AU$4 billion. After consulting with the NSW and QLD Premiers, PM Hockey announced that in addition to the Natural Disaster Fund, some spending cuts would occur, and all revenue from the carbon dioxide tax, due for major reform, would go towards the rebuilding programme.

Amidst the background of more extreme weather, including heatwaves and fires in Perth, and severe thunderstorms in Victoria, the NSW Government was defeated in a massive landslide by the Barry O’Farrell-led Conservatives, who won 75 seats in the 93-member chamber, and forced Premier Keneally to preferences. The government had been in power since 1995, and had been mired in various scandals, including bribes, corruption, and illicit activities. Around this time, in preparation for the 2011 budget, the mining tax repeal and carbon tax reduction bills were finally introduced to the Parliament. Say Yes protests, supporters of which came out into the streets to support measures to tackle climate change, commenced not long after the government made the announcement, and the nation was seemingly divided – 48% supported the government, while 42% supported the protests, the remainder uncommitted.

The legislation passed the House easily, although came into more trouble in the Senate – The Democrats refused to pass the carbon tax bill in its form, to the point where it was decided to take it to the next election, in the form of a referendum, given that the next election was due by February of 2012 at the very latest. The mining tax bill was passed, following some tweaking, in June of 2011. Other measures on the table in the final year of the parliamentary term were proposed tax breaks for families with children, and increased cyber security standards.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, or CHOGM, was held in Perth in October of 2011, and was hosted by Prime Minister Joe Hockey. Major topics discussed included how the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II should be celebrated, reformation of the rules of royal succession, and most importantly, develop a charter of Commonwealth values, called the Charter of the Commonwealth. This was aimed at reinforcing shared values, and censuring member states, should serious violations occur. Leading up to the election, Australia’s unemployment was down to 3.6% in November of 2011, consumer confidence was beginning to track up, after hitting a low at the start of 2010, and the nation seemed to be getting on in the three years since the global financial crisis broke out.

Referendum question:

“Do you support repealing the carbon dioxide tax?”

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Australians seemed to embrace conservatism significantly in the 2011 election, as not only was the Hockey Government returned for a second term, but a referendum calling for a complete repeal of the carbon tax narrowly passed. While Australia voted to legalise gay marriage by a 66.6-33.3 margin just four years prior, the nation seemed to be economically back on the right, during the aftermath of the global financial crisis. New Zealand's Prime Minister, and close personal and ideological ally of PM Hockey, John Key, would vote in favour of a similar measure to Australia regarding gay marriage in 2012. Key's government had also recently won a second term itself. With the remaining ex-Patriotic Front (which dissolved as a party in 2010) turned independent Senator, Rosa Lee Long, losing her Senate seat to Rural Voice, the Anticapitalist Alliance and Family First gaining ground, and Labor plunging, it seemed Australia was on a stable path politically for the next few years.

In terms of seats, here's a summary of each state's results from the 2011 election in the House of Representatives:
New South Wales (68 seats) – 35 Conservative, 13 Labor, 10 Natural Law, 4 Democrats, 4 Anticapitalist Alliance, 2 Family First
Victoria (52 seats) – 27 Conservative, 8 Natural Law, 7 Labor, 6 Democrats, 4 Family First
Queensland (35 seats) – 20 Conservative, 5 Labor, 5 Rural Voice, 5 Natural Law
Western Australia (18 seats) – 14 Conservative, 2 Natural Law,  1 Labor, 1 Rural Voice
South Australia (17 seats) – 7 Democrats,  6 Conservative, 2 Natural Law, 2Family First
Tasmania (5 seats) – 3 Conservative, 2 Natural Law
Australian Capital Territory (3 seats) – 2 Natural Law, 1 Democrats
Northern Territory (2 seats) –1 Conservative, 1 Natural Law
Total –106 Conservative, 32 Natural Law, 26 Labor, 18 Democrats, 8 Family First, 6 Rural Voice, 4 Anticapitalist Alliance

Here's the Senate summary from 2008:
New South Wales: 2 Conservative, 1 Labor, 1 Family First, 1 Rural Voice, 1 Natural Law
Victoria: 2 Conservative, 1Family First, 1 Democrats, 1 Natural Law, 1 Labor
Queensland: 2 Conservative, 2 Rural Voice, 1 Labor, 1 Natural Law
South Australia:, 2 Conservative, 2 Democrats, 1 Family First, 1 Natural Law
Western Australia: 2 Conservative, 1 Rural Voice, 1 Labor, 1 Family First, 1 Democrats
Tasmania: 2 Natural Law, 2 Democrats, 2 Conservative
Total: 12 Conservative, 6 Natural Law, 6 Democrats, 4 Labor, 4 Rural Voice, 4 Family First

Here's the Senate summary from 2011:
New South Wales: 2 Conservative, 1 Labor, 1 Natural Law, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance, 1 Family First
Victoria: 2 Conservative, 1 Labor, 1 Family First, 1 Natural Law, 1 Democrats
Queensland: 2 Conservative, 1 Labor , 1 Rural Voice, 1 Natural Law, 1 Democrats
South Australia: 2 Democrats, 2 Conservative,1 Family First, 1 Natural Law
Western Australia: 2 Conservative, 2 Natural Law, 1 Labor, 1 Rural Voice
Tasmania: 2 Natural Law, 2 Conservative, 1 Democrats, 1 Family First
Australian Capital Territory: 1 Natural Law, 1 Democrats
Northern Territory: 1 Conservative, 1 Natural Law
Total: 13 Conservative, 10 Natural Law, 6 Democrats, 4 Labor, 4 Family First, 2 Rural Voice, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance

Summary of 2011 election:

House of Representatives
Conservative – 106 (+2)
Natural Law – 32 (+10)
Labor – 26 (-23)
Democrats – 18 (+7)
Family First – 8 (+3)
Rural Voice – 6 (-1)
Anticapitalist Alliance – 4 (+2)

Senate
2008: 12 Conservative, 6 Natural Law, 6 Democrats, 4 Labor, 4 Rural Voice, 4 Family First
2011: 13 Conservative, 10 Natural Law, 6 Democrats, 4 Labor, 4 Family First, 2 Rural Voice, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance
Total: 25 Conservative, 16 Natural Law, 12 Democrats, 8 Labor, 8 Family First, 6 Rural Voice, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance

Two-party preferred vote: 54.28-45.72

Kevin Rudd, whose "Working families" and presidential-style campaign was a massive failure, vowed to stay on as Labor leader. This was met with immediate hostility from most of the Labor caucus, and Rudd was promptly rolled by Julia Gillard, who chose Anthony Albanese as her deputy leader, in the first caucus meeting after the Christmas/New Year period, on the 13th of January, 2012. Rudd would quit the Labor party not long afterwards, and sit as an independent. The returned government, on the other hand, now had a conservative majority in the Senate - something which the right-wing of Australia last held in the 1960s. The Tories, Family First and Rural Voice held 39 seats between them in the new Senate, meaning negotiation with the Democrats was no longer required, although given the different bases and platforms of the three parties, negotiation would remain key in the Senate. Sarah Hanson-Young was re-elected Natural Law leader easily, and became Opposition Leader.

The first bill in the second term of the Hockey Government, abolition of the petrol tax, passed very easily in both houses. New, tough penalties for crimes involving illicit substances and deprivation of life, namely dealing drugs, murder and manslaughter, were also announced, criminals who committed these crimes now faced life imprisonment, with no parole until halfway through their sentence. Other crimes, such as home invasions, were left up to the states to set punishments. These measures also cleared both houses of Parliament quickly, amidst opposition from Natural Law and the Democrats in particular.

Australia’s love affair with conservatism continued into 2012, when Queensland elected a Conservative government, led by Campbell Newman, in an enormous landslide. The landslide was so large, Labor only narrowly remained ahead of Rural Voice in the seat count, and thus clung onto Opposition status. Kevin Rudd, former Labor leader, turned independent, announced the formation of a new party on the 22nd of April, 2012, called the Justice Party. Rudd stated that “Labor, while better than the incumbent government, is no longer the true party of working families in Australia. The Social Democrats will continue the fight for the justice of Australian working families, effective immediately!” Most MPs and Senators dismissed Rudd for playing politics, although he was joined in the new party by 3 Labor MPs, and a Natural Law MP.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

The 2012 budget would see major overhauls to the health system – a $6 co-payment for doctors’ visits on the national public health system, Medibank, although this was blocked by Rural Voice in the Senate. Tightening of welfare payments went ahead, as did deregulation of university fees, and a rise in the GST rate to 12.5%. All the left parties, plus the Democrats, generally opposed the measures, although some Democrats supported the GST hike. Some on the right, particularly libertarian Tory MP David Leyonhjelm, conservative Tory Alex Hawke, and Family First Deputy Leader Bob Day, felt the reforms were insufficient. Following the budget, on the 1st of June, 2012, Alex Hawke defected from the Conservatives to Family First, citing that Family First suited his “blend of Christianity and conservatism” better than the Tories did.

The Tory government in the Northern Territory was re-elected with an increased majority in August, around the time the Commonwealth government revealed mandatory national service for 18-24 year olds not in higher education, an apprenticeship or employment, which despite a number of Tory MPs voting against it, including Leyonhjelm and fellow libertarian John Humphreys, passed both houses, and was effective from the 1st of July 2013. An initially peaceful protest from radical Muslims, against an anti-Islamic movie and the US Government, turned sour, and six police, along with 19 protesters, were injured. Both PM Hockey and Opposition Leader Gillard condemned the violence, and both of them, along with Australian Muslim leaders, sent a message to say no to this radical violence and divisiveness.

Construction of Sydney’s second airport commenced in November of 2012, with a projected completion date of 2020, and 60,000 jobs to be added in the area by 2030. Early 2013 witnessed dismal events for the nation and the Conservative Party alike – a series of natural disasters, namely floods and fires, ravaged much of eastern Australia, although not on the scale of the 2009 Black Saturday fires, or 2011 floods. Tory premier Ted Baillieu, while holding a majority in the state Parliament, was under fire for his chief of staff accusing the government of having hamstrung the operations of a new anti-corruption programme, all caught on tape. Baillieu resigned after losing caucus support, Denis Napthine succeeded him as Premier of Victoria.

Industrial relations was a cornerstone of the 2013 legislative agenda, and the Hockey Government wasted no time in reforming industrial relations, namely by abolishing unfair dismissal laws for small businesses, more restrictions of unions and striking, and putting an emphasis on the individual. Labor, Justice, Natural Law and the Anticapitalist Alliance all staunchly opposed the bill, while all but one Democrat also opposed the bill, one Democrat Senator defected to the Conservatives. An interest rate cut was also announced at this time, amidst a background of 3% unemployment. Clive Palmer, a long time Conservative (and before 1999, the National and National Country Parties), announced the formation of a new political party, the Freedom Party, on the 20th of April 2013. Palmer’s reasoning for starting his own party was his own disappointment in the Conservative government, particularly on lobbyists, transparency, and taxes, as Palmer put it.

2013 continued to remain relatively uneventful and trouble-free for the Hockey Government, although there was no shortage of events occurring around the nation –analogue television was finally turned off in November, Bob Day became Family First leader after Steve Fielding resigned, and a brawl between rival outlaw motorcycle clubs erupted in Brisbane in September, which saw Premier Campbell Newman and his government introduce legislation that would aim to clamp down on criminal gangs, which the Western Australian government soon adopted. This was endorsed by the Hockey Government, who proudly reiterated their stance on law and order and states’ rights alike. Car manufacturer Holden would prove to be another shake-up for the government – Australia’s arm of General Motors, sales had been declining for a significant time, and it was crunch time for Holden – to continue to make cars, or to fold production? With thousands of jobs in Adelaide on the line, the motoring giant announced it would carry on, although this announcement in itself caused concern across the political spectrum.

2014 saw the introduction of “one-punch” laws across many states, in a response to an increase in “sucker-punch” or “king-hit” attacks, primarily in entertainment and “red-light” districts in Australian cities. Legislation increasing penalties for family violence was also introduced around the 2013/14 period by all states, and the SA Conservatives narrowly won government in March on the back of a campaign centred around Holden’s future, and increased penalties for family, street and gang violence alike. The Tasmanian Conservatives also won government, with a large majority, on the back of a economy-opening, tough-on-crime campaign. New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell would abruptly resign in April of 2014, over failing to declare a bottle of wine to the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and thus giving misleading evidence. He was replaced by Mike Baird, who would witness several MPs caught out by the ICAC.

Police raids against the emerging threat of ISIS were carried out in September of 2014, on would-be terrorists who were allegedly going to carry out public executions in Australia. Fifteen people were charged in both Sydney and Melbourne, and Parliamentary security was increased the following day. Hockey made an announcement that diplomatic support would be provided to Iraq, Australia’s troops would be used to defend the nation at home, in these testing times. A crackdown on students living overseas, and evading their university debts, was also announced in September.

Australia hosted the G-20 Summit in November 2014, with PM Hockey addressing Australia to the G20 leaders. The primary topic was the economy, and Hockey demonstrated how his government and their market-based reforms led Australia through the global financial crisis of the late 2000s and beyond. Not all was good for the Conservatives, however – despite a surplus budget, a looming election in Victoria showed the parties neck and neck, and given the election was held a week before the federal poll, the Hockey Government got a tad nervous. In the end, the Napthine Government in Victoria won re-election, with not much of a change from 2010, although the redistribution assisted the Government, and they lost two seats.

House of Representatives at dissolution of Parliament:
Conservative – 105 (-1)
Natural Law – 31 (-1)
Labor – 23 (-3)
Democrats – 18 (nc)
Family First – 9 (+1)
Rural Voice – 6 (nc)
Anticapitalist Alliance – 4 (nc)
Justice – 3 (+3)

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

All 2PP swings from the 1945 election onwards:


Despite opinion polls and early returns showing a third term for the Hockey Government, election night 2014 proved to be quite different to the predictions - The Tories lost their vote lead to Natural Law, and finished on a mere 72 seats, a massive drop from the 106 Tories elected in 2011. Natural Law won 68 seats, an increase of 36 from 2011, Labor picked up two seats, Family First and Rural Voice made gains of three and seven respectively, while the hard-left Anticapitalist Alliance picked up a seat, and the centrist Democrats bombed to just one seat, leader Natasha Stott Despoja resigning as leader and MP not long afterwards. Kevin Rudd and Clive Palmer's respective new parties, Justice and Freedom, won singular seats each, and while both parties won Senators, aside from their leaders, they failed to make headway in the House.

In terms of seats, here's a summary of each state's results from the 2014 election in the House of Representatives:
New South Wales (68 seats) – 24 Conservative, 19 Natural Law, 14 Labor, 5 Anticapitalist Alliance, 3 Family First, 3 Rural Voice
Victoria (52 seats) – 19 Conservative, 19 Natural Law, 9 Labor, 5 Family First
Queensland (35 seats) – 13 Conservative, 9 Natural Law, 7 Rural Voice, 3 Labor, 1 Family First, 1 Justice, 1 Freedom
Western Australia (18 seats) – 9 Conservative, 5 Natural Law,  2 Labor, 2 Rural Voice
South Australia (17 seats) –  7 Natural Law, 6 Conservative, 2Family First, 1 Democrats, 1 Rural Voice
Tasmania (5 seats) – 5 Natural Law
Australian Capital Territory (3 seats) – 3 Natural Law
Northern Territory (2 seats) –1 Conservative, 1 Natural Law
Total –72 Conservative, 68 Natural Law, 28 Labor, 1 Democrats, 11 Family First, 13 Rural Voice, 5 Anticapitalist Alliance , 1 Justice, 1 Freedom

Here's the Senate summary from 2011:
New South Wales: 2 Conservative, 1 Labor, 1 Natural Law, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance, 1 Family First
Victoria: 2 Conservative, 1 Labor, 1 Family First, 1 Natural Law, 1 Democrats
Queensland: 2 Conservative, 1 Labor , 1 Rural Voice, 1 Natural Law, 1 Democrats
South Australia: 2 Democrats, 2 Conservative,1 Family First, 1 Natural Law
Western Australia: 2 Conservative, 2 Natural Law, 1 Labor, 1 Rural Voice
Tasmania: 2 Natural Law, 2 Conservative, 1 Democrats, 1 Family First
Total: 12 Conservative, 8 Natural Law, 5 Democrats, 4 Labor, 4 Family First, 2 Rural Voice, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance

Here's the Senate summary from 2014:
New South Wales: 1 Conservative, 1 Labor, 1 Family First, 1 Rural Voice, 1 Natural Law, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance
Victoria: 2 Conservative, 2 Natural Law, 1 Family First, 1 Labor
Queensland: 1 Rural Voice, 1 Conservative, 1 Labor, 1 Natural Law, 1 Justice, 1 Freedom
South Australia: 2 Natural Law 1 Conservative, 1 Democrats, 1 Family First, 1 Rural Voice
Western Australia: 2 Conservative, 1 Rural Voice, 1 Labor, 1 Family First, 1 Natural Law
Tasmania: 2 Natural Law, 1 Labor, 1 Conservative, 1 Rural Voice, 1 Freedom
Australian Capital Territory: 1 Natural Law, 1 Justice
Northern Territory: 1 Conservative, 1 Natural Law
Total: 11 Natural Law, 9 Conservative, 5 Labor, 5 Rural Voice, 4 Family First, 2 Justice, 2 Freedom, 1 Democrats

Summary of 2014 election:

House of Representatives
Conservative – 72 (-34)
Natural Law – 68 (+36)
Labor – 28 (+2)
Rural Voice – 13 (+7)
Family First – 11 (+3)
Anticapitalist Alliance – 5 (+1)
Justice – 1 (+1)
Freedom – 1 (+1)
Democrats – 1 (-17)

Senate
2011: 12 Conservative, 8 Natural Law, 5 Democrats, 4 Labor, 4 Family First, 2 Rural Voice, 1 Anticapitalist Alliance
2014: 11 Natural Law, 9 Conservative, 5 Labor, 5 Rural Voice, 4 Family First, 2 Justice, 2 Freedom, 1 Democrats
Total: 21 Conservative, 19 Natural Law, 9 Labor, 8 Family First, 7 Rural Voice, 6 Democrats, 2 Anticapitalist Alliance, 2 Justice, 2 Freedom

Two-party preferred vote: 52.03-47.97

The first deadlocked Parliament since 1994 saw the Tories, Family First and Rural Voice hold a combined 96 seats, the same number as Natural Law and Labor. These figures increased to 97 a side, assuming Clive Palmer supported a Tory-led government, and Kevin Rudd a Natural Law-led government. With 101 seats required for a majority, and only the Anticapitalist Alliance able to provide either side a majority, which they would not, for obvious reasons, it seemed a minority government was the only way to avoid a second election. Going from the Senate results, the Tories, Rural Voice, Family First and the Freedom Party held a combined 38 seats, while Natural Law, Labor, the Democrats (if they were to support a Hanson-Young govermment) and Justice held a combined 36 seats, neither of which was a majority.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

After negotiations went beyond the Christmas-New Year period, it was decided that the incumbent Government would continue in minority, given their upper hand in the Senate, and that some of the Anticapitalist Alliance MPs and Senators had poor attendance records, making a majority in Parliament just that little bit easier. Joe Hockey, however, would not lead this government - the Freedom Party stated that the election was a rejection of the Prime Minister, and they would not support the government in the Senate unless they changed leader. A snap leadership spill resulted in Julie Bishop elected the new Tory leader, and thus the 29th Prime Minister of Australia. Julia Gillard resigned as Labor leader, to be replaced by deputy leader Anthony Albanese. Hanson-Young also resigned as Natural Law leader, replaced by Scott Ludlam. A by-election in Natasha Stott Despoja’s old seat of Hawker, in South Australia, saw the Tories gain the seat, narrowly fending off a strong Natural Law challenge, boosting the government’s numbers in the House to 98.

Queensland’s Tory government led by Campbell Newman faced an election in early 2015, Newman lost his seat, and the Justice and Freedom parties shared the balance of power with Natural Law and Rural Voice. Eventually, a Tory-Rural Voice-Freedom government was cobbled together, although opinion of the state government and Freedom Party alike sank, following reports of federal Freedom MP and party leader Clive Palmer not attending parliamentary sittings. New South Wales’ Tory government had an easier re-election, despite several members caught out by the ICAC during the term. The centenary of the ANZACs landing at Gallipoli was commemorated on the 25th of April, 2015, to record turnouts at Dawn Services nationwide.

Dominating the Australian media in early 2015, however, was the execution of Bali Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran and preluding lead-up to the execution. Despite pleas from PM Julie Bishop, opposition leader Scott Ludlam, and most MPs and Senators, along with a significant portion of the Australian public, the executions went ahead on the 29th of April, 2015. A minority of Australians boycotted Bali, a popular tourist island in Indonesia, following the incident, and foreign aid to Indonesia was cut, which Indonesia agreed to. Domestically, budget time was looming, and given the shaky Parliament, would be very turbulent. How would it go? Only time would tell…

A note from AK:

Thank you all once again for participating in this election series . I couldn’t have done it without you all, you’ve all contributed greatly. It’s been a great deal of fun, and sometimes a bit tricky, but I’ve definitely enjoyed it all the way through. And now, a list of all the Prime Ministers in this series!

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Prime Ministers of Australia:


1. George Reid (1845-1918, Free Trade/Anti-Socialist) – 1901-07


2. Andrew Fisher (1862-1928, Labour) – 1907-15


3. Billy Hughes (1862-1952, Labor/National Labor) – 1915-16


4. Joseph Cook (1860-1947, Commonwealth Liberal) – 1916-17


3. Billy Hughes (1862-1952, Nationalist) – 1917-19


5. Frank Tudor (1866-1922, Labor) – 1919-22


6. Matthew Charlton (1866-1948, Labor) – 1922-23


7. Stanley Bruce (1883-1967, Nationalist) – 1923-28


8. James Scullin (1876-1953, Labor) – 1928-31


9. Joseph Lyons (1879-1939, United Australia) – 1931-39


10. Sir Earle Page (1880-1961, Country) – 1939-39


11. Robert Menzies (1894-1978, United Australia) – 1939-40


12. John Curtin (1885-1945, Labor, Wartime Unity Government) – 1940-45


13. Frank Forde (1890-1983, Labor, Wartime Unity Government) – 1945-45


14. Ben Chifley (Labor, Wartime Unity Government) – 1945-45


11. Robert Menzies (1894-1978, United Australia) – 1945-48


14. Ben Chifley (1885-1951, Labor) – 1948-51


15. H. V. Evatt (1894-1965, Labor) – 1951-55


16. Eric Harrison (1892-1974, Liberal) – 1955-66


17. Harold Holt (1908-67, Liberal) – 1966-67


18. Gough Whitlam (1916-2014, Labor) – 1967-76


19. Malcolm Fraser (1930-2015, Liberal) – 1976-82


20. John Singleton (1941-, Progress) – 1982-86


21. Peter Reith (1950-, Progress) – 1986-88


22. Bob Hawke (1929-, Labor) – 1988-92


23. Paul Keating (1944-, Labor) – 1992-94


24. Alexander Downer (1951-, Progress, Unity Government) – 1994-97


25. Bob Brown (1944-, Natural Law) – 1997-99


26. Peter Costello (1957-, Conservative) – 1999-2005


27. Simon Crean (1949-, Labor) – 2005-08


28. Joe Hockey (1965-, Conservative) – 2008-15


29. Julie Bishop (1956-, Conservative) – 2015-

Presidents of Australia:

1.   Paul Keating (1999-2008)


2. Malcolm Turnbull (2008-)

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Party Leaders
Free Trade Party Leaders:
1. George Reid (1901-06, party became Anti-Socialist Party)

Anti-Socialist Party Leaders:
1. George Reid (1906-07)
2. Joseph Cook (1907-08, party merged with Protectionists to become Commonwealth Liberal Party)

Protectionist Party Leaders:
1. Edmund Barton (1901)
2. Alfred Deakin (1901-08, party merged with Anti-Socialists to become Commonwealth Liberal Party)

Labor Party Leaders:
1. Chris Watson (1901-06)
2. Andrew Fisher (1906-15)
3. Billy Hughes (1915-16, expelled from Labor Party)
4. Frank Tudor (1916-22, died in office)
5. Matthew Charlton (1922-27)
6. James Scullin (1927-35)
7. John Curtin (1935-45, died in office)
8. Frank Forde (1945, caretaker leader)
9. Ben Chifley (1945-51, died in office)
10. H. V. Evatt (1951-55, lost seat and resigned)
11. Arthur Calwell (1955-64)
12. Gough Whitlam (1964-76, stepped down after conceding defeat)
13. Bill Hayden (1976-82, defeated in leadership ballot)
14. Bob Hawke (1982-92, lost leadership ballot)
15. Paul Keating (1992-97, resigned, appointed President in 1999)
16. Kim Beazley (1997-2002, resigned)
17. Mark Latham (2002-05, resigned)
18. Simon Crean (2005-08, resigned)
19. Kevin Rudd (2008-12, lost leadership ballot, subsequently started his own party)
20. Julia Gillard (2012-15, resigned)
21. Anthony Albanese (2015-)

Revenue Tariff Party Leaders:
1. Alfred Deakin (1908-13)
2. George Wise (1913-14, party folded)

Commonwealth Liberal Party Leaders:
1. Joseph Cook (1908-17, party merged with National Labor to become Nationalist Party)

National Labor Party leaders:
1. Billy Hughes (1916-17, party merged with Commonwealth Liberals to become Nationalist Party)

Nationalist Party Leaders:
1. Billy Hughes (1917-22)
2. Stanley Bruce (1922-28)
3. John Latham (1928-31, party merged with Australian Alliance to become United Australia Party)
   
Country Party Leaders:
1. William McWilliams (1920-22)
2. Sir Earle Page (1922-39)
3. Archie Cameron (1939-40)
4. Arthur Fadden (1940-55, resigned)
5. Charles Adermann (1955-67, resigned)
6. John McEwen (1967-70, resigned)
7. Doug Anthony (1970-71, party absorbed DLP to become the National Country Party)

Liberal Union Leaders:
1. William Watt (1922-23, party folded, members re-joined Nationalists)

Lang Labor Leaders:
1. Jack Beasley (1931-36)
2. Jack Lang (1936-39, party became Non-Communist Labor Party)

Australian Alliance Leaders:
1. Joseph Lyons (1931, party merged with Nationalists to become United Australia Party)

United Australia Party Leaders:
1. Joseph Lyons (1931-39, died in office)
2. Robert Menzies (1939-50, party became Liberal Party)

Communist Party Leaders:
1. J.B. Miles (1932-40, party banned)
2. Paddy Troy (1949-51, stepped down)
3. Lance Sharkey (1951-61, stepped down)
4. Ron Maxwell (1961-70, stepped down)
5. Ted Hill (1970-79, stepped down)
6. Eric Aarons (1979-92, party became Socialist Alternative)

Social Credit Party Leaders:
1. Geoffrey Nichols (1933-43, party folded)

Non-Communist Labor Party Leaders:
1. Jack Lang (1939-49, party folded)

State Labor Party Leaders:
1. Jack Hughes (1940-49, party resumed its old name of the Communist Party, and Hughes stepped down from leadership)

Liberal Country Party Leaders:
1. Thomas Collins (1940-45, party re-merged with Country Party)

Liberal Party Leaders:
1. Robert Menzies (1950-55, resigned)
2. Eric Harrison (1955-66, resigned)
3. Harold Holt (1966-67, disappeared, presumed dead)
4. Paul Hasluck (1968-70, lost leadership ballot)
5. John Gorton (1970-73, lost leadership ballot)
6. Malcolm Fraser (1973-82, resigned, and party wrapped up)

Democratic Labor Party Leaders:
1. Bob Joshua (1955-61, lost seat)
2. Jack Little (1961-71, party merged with Country Party)

Marxist-Leninist Communist Party Leaders:
1. Ted Hill (1964-70, party re-merged with Communists)

Australia Party/Democrats Leaders:
1. Gordon Barton (1968-74, resigned)
2. Steele Hall (1974-81, lost leadership challenge)
3. Don Chipp (1981-91, resigned)
4. Janine Haines (1991-97, renamed the party Australian Democrats in 1992, resigned)
5. Meg Lees (1997-2005, lost seat and resigned)
6. Natasha Stott Despoja (2005-14, resigned)
7.

National Country/National Party Leaders:
1. Doug Anthony (1971-86, stepped down)
2. Ian Sinclair (1986-94, party renamed National Party in 1990)
3. Tim Fischer (1994-99, party merged with Progress Party)

Progress Party Leaders:
1. John Singleton (1975-86, stepped down)
2. Peter Reith (1986-88, lost leadership ballot)
3. John Hewson (1988-92, lost leadership ballot)
4. Alexander Downer (1992-99, resigned, party merged with National Party)

Natural Law Party Leaders:
1. Bob Brown (1981-99, resigned)
2. Kerry Nettle (1999-2008, resigned)
3. Sarah Hanson-Young (2008-15, resigned)
4. Scott Ludlam (2015-)

Patriotic Front Leaders:
1. Joh Bjelke-Petersen (1986-89, forced out after Fitzgerald Enquiry)
2. Graeme Campbell (1989-96, resigned)
3. Pauline Hanson (1996-2008, resigned after losing seat)
4. Rosa Lee Long (2008-10, folded party and became an independent)

Socialist Alternative/Anticapitalist Alliance Leaders:
1. Colin Hesse (1992-99, party incorporated some Natural Law members and renamed itself)
2. Lee Rhiannon (1999-)

Conservative Party Leaders:
1. Peter Costello (1999-2005, resigned)
2. Mark Vaile (2005-06, resigned)
3. Joe Hockey (2006-15, forced out of office)
4. Julie Bishop (2015-)

Family First Party Leaders:
1. Steve Fielding (2003-13, stepped down)
2. Bob Day (2013-)

Rural Voice
1. Bob Katter (2007-)

Justice Party
1.   Kevin Rudd (2012-)

Freedom Party
1. Clive Palmer (2013-)