ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an analysis of how leaders are selected (both appointed and removed) in Australian political parties. The four political parties that won the largest respective first preference vote shares in the 2010 federal election are included in the analysis: the Australian Labor Party (ALP), the Liberal Party, the National Party and the Australian Greens. However, in order to fully evaluate leadership selection in Australia, the chapter also includes the Australian Democrats – a political party that existed from 1977 to 2008 with representation in the federal Senate. Although the party has now ceased to exist as a significant political force, as the chapter will illustrate, the Democrats’ leadership selection processes were unique amongst Australian parties and played an important role in shaping the leadership selection rules of the other parties in the Australian system.
