Coalition (Australia)
|
Liberal/National Coalition
|
|
|---|---|
   
|
|
| Leader | Malcolm Turnbull |
| Deputy Leader | Barnaby Joyce |
| Founded | 1923 |
| House of Representatives |
76 / 150
|
| Senate |
29 / 76
|
|
Coalition Lower House Seats
(and endorsed parties) |
|
|---|---|
| NSW Parliament |
52 / 93
|
| Vic Parliament |
38 / 88
|
| QLD Parliament |
41 / 89
|
| WA Parliament |
37 / 59
|
| SA Parliament |
21 / 47
|
| Tas Parliament |
15 / 25
|
| ACT Parliament |
11 / 25
|
| NT Parliament |
2 / 25
|
The Coalition, also known as the Liberal–National Coalition, is a political alliance of centre-right liberal and conservative parties, which has existed in Australian politics in various forms since 1923.
The Coalition is composed of the Liberal Party of Australia (formerly the United Australia Party, the Nationalist Party of Australia and the Commonwealth Liberal Party) and the National Party of Australia (formerly named the Country Party and the National Country Party), as well as the Liberal National Party (LNP) in Queensland and the Country Liberal Party (CLP) in the Northern Territory.
The extent to which the parties are in alliance varies at state and territory level. At one extreme, the non-Coalition National Party of Western Australia and The Nationals South Australia currently compete alongside Coalition parties, while the CLP and LNP, contesting elections only in the Northern Territory and Queensland, respectively, were formed from mergers of Liberal and National state branches. A Liberal–National merger at a national level has been proposed on several occasions, without much progress.
When in government at the federal level, the Liberal Party leader usually serves as Prime Minister of Australia and the National Party leader as Deputy Prime Minister, as is currently the case with Malcolm Turnbull and Barnaby Joyce, respectively. This situation derives from the Liberal Party's consistently superior numbers in the Parliament of Australia, and is usually reflected at state level, with Liberal Party leaders of state branches generally serving as Premiers (or Chief Ministers in territories). The most notable exception to this rule was in Queensland, where the National Party was generally the stronger coalition partner, and also occasionally in Victoria and Western Australia. At all levels of government, the Coalition's strongest opponent is most often the Australian Labor Party. Based on the traditional definition of what a Coalition is, it currently only exists in federal, New South Wales and Victorian politics.
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