A crash course on the different political parties in Australia | Voting 101

Summary

This video script from Matilda Bosley of The Guardian Australia offers a beginner's guide to Australian politics, focusing on major parties like Labor, the Liberal-National Coalition, and the Greens. It discusses their historical backgrounds, traditional stances on workers' rights, business support, and environmental issues, and encourages viewers to make informed voting choices.

Takeaways

• 🗳️ Voting is important and should not be left to others to decide for you.
• 🏛️ Understanding the structure of parliament and how preferential voting works is crucial for informed voting.
• 👷 Labor Party, the oldest party, originated from the union movement and focuses on workers' rights.
• 🌐 Labor Party is center-left and tends to support progressive social issues and big government.
• 🏆 If Labor wins, Anthony Albanese would become the Prime Minister and Richard Marles the Deputy PM.
• 🤝 The Liberal and National parties form the Coalition, traditionally right of center on economic and social policies.
• 🏢 The Liberal Party supports business owners, while the National Party focuses on rural Australia and farm owners' rights.
• 💰 The Coalition is known for fiscal and social conservatism, preferring lower taxes and smaller government.
• 🌿 The Greens are a minor party focused on the environment, with the most left-wing economic and progressive social policies.
• 🏆 The Greens aim to influence the Labor Party by dragging them further to the left, especially in the upper house.
• 🔍 There are other minor parties and independent candidates with diverse political beliefs, many focusing on climate action.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the video script?

The main theme of the video script is to provide an introduction to the major political parties in Australia and their traditional stances, encouraging viewers to make informed decisions when voting.

How old is the Labor Party in relation to Australia's federation?

The Labor Party is older than Australia itself, as it formed out of the union movement prior to the federation.

What is the significance of the union movement in the formation of the Labor Party?

The union movement played a crucial role in the formation of the Labor Party, and even today, a big council of unions helps decide the proposed policies of the party.

What is the traditional focus of the Labor Party in terms of social issues?

The Labor Party traditionally leans to the more progressive side on social issues, being a center-left party of government.

How does the Labor Party's economic preference differ from the Coalition's?

Economically, the Labor Party prefers big government, meaning they are more likely to choose increasing the level of government support services over decreasing taxes.

Who would become the Prime Minister if the Labor Party wins the election?

If the Labor Party wins the election, Anthony Albanese, the Labor leader, would become the Prime Minister.

What is the relationship between the Liberal Party and the National Party in Australia?

The Liberal Party and the National Party form a coalition, governing the country together as they traditionally cannot win the majority of lower house seats on their own.

What are the traditional stances of the Liberal and National parties on economic and social policies?

Traditionally, both the Liberal and National parties are fiscally and socially conservative, preferring small government and lower taxes.

Who would remain the Deputy Prime Minister if the Coalition wins the election?

If the Coalition wins the election, Barnaby Joyce, the leader of the Nationals, would remain the Deputy Prime Minister.

What is the primary focus of the Greens party in Australia?

The Greens party primarily focuses on the environment and is generally the most economically left-wing and socially progressive party.

What is the role of minor parties like the Greens in the Australian political system?

Minor parties like the Greens often influence the policies of larger parties, such as dragging the Labor Party further to the left, especially in the upper house where minor parties are better represented.

What are some other political parties mentioned in the script?

Other parties mentioned include the Centre Alliance, One Nation, and the United Australia Party, which are all smaller parties with varying political stances.

What is the significance of independent candidates in Australian elections?

Independent candidates are not affiliated with any party and can bring diverse political beliefs to the election, often focusing on specific issues like stronger action on the climate crisis.

Outlines

00:00

🗳️ Understanding Australian Political Parties

This paragraph introduces the basics of Australian politics, focusing on the major parties and their traditional stances. It explains the Labor Party's origins from the union movement and its focus on workers' rights and progressive values. The Liberal and National parties, forming the Coalition, are described as center-right, with a history of supporting business and rural interests. The Greens are highlighted as a minor party with a strong environmental focus, while other minor parties and independent candidates are mentioned as having diverse platforms, some emphasizing climate action. The importance of informed voting and participating in the democratic process is emphasized.

05:01

🌿 The Role of Minor Parties and Independents

The second paragraph delves into the significance of minor parties and independent candidates in Australian politics. It discusses the role of the Greens in pushing the Labor Party towards more progressive stances, especially in the upper house. The paragraph also touches on other minor parties and independents, noting that many are running on platforms advocating for stronger climate action. The script encourages voters to use available resources to understand the candidates on their ballot and to make informed choices, suggesting that doing so will give them a sense of moral superiority over other voters.

Keywords

💡Politicians

Politicians are individuals who hold or seek positions in government. In the script, the term is used to discuss the common misconception that all politicians are the same, emphasizing the importance of understanding their differences when deciding who to vote for. This is crucial to the video's theme of encouraging informed voting.

💡Voting

Voting is the act of expressing one's choice for political representatives or policies by casting a ballot. The script discusses the process of voting, including how to fill out a ballot and the importance of making an informed decision, which is central to the video's message of participating in the democratic process.

💡Parliament

Parliament refers to the legislative body in a country, responsible for making laws. The script mentions understanding how the parliament is structured, which is essential for comprehending the political landscape and the role of different parties within it.

💡Preferential Voting

Preferential voting is a type of electoral system where voters rank candidates in order of preference. The script explains how this system works and its significance in the context of Australian elections, highlighting the importance of understanding voting mechanisms.

💡Labor Party

The Labor Party is a major political party in Australia, traditionally associated with workers' rights and progressive policies. The script describes its origins in the union movement and its evolution to appeal to a broader base of progressive voters, illustrating its role in the political spectrum.

💡Liberal National Coalition

The Liberal National Coalition is a partnership between the Liberal and National parties in Australia, traditionally representing more conservative economic and social policies. The script discusses their historical focus on supporting business owners and rural interests, contrasting them with the Labor Party.

💡Economic Policies

Economic policies refer to the strategies and actions a government takes to manage its economy. The script contrasts the economic policies of the Labor Party, which prefers big government and support services, with those of the Liberal National Coalition, which traditionally favors small government and lower taxes.

💡Social Issues

Social issues encompass a range of topics related to society's values and norms, such as equality and justice. The script notes that the Labor Party tends to lean towards more progressive stances on social issues, while the Liberal National Coalition is more conservative.

💡Greens

The Greens is a political party in Australia known for its focus on environmental issues and progressive social policies. The script describes the party's origins and its role in influencing other parties, particularly the Labor Party, by pushing for more progressive legislation.

💡Independent Candidates

Independent candidates are individuals who run for office without being affiliated with a political party. The script mentions the possibility of voting for independent candidates, who can bring diverse perspectives and may focus on specific issues like climate change.

💡Democratic Process

The democratic process involves the participation of citizens in the governance of their country, primarily through voting. The script emphasizes the importance of making informed choices and participating in the democratic process, which is central to the video's theme of encouraging active and knowledgeable citizenship.

Highlights

Edgy people often claim all politicians are the same, but this is not true.

Voting is essential, and it's crucial to decide who to vote for instead of letting others make the choice for you.

Matilda Bosley from The Guardian Australia provides an introduction to the Australian political landscape for the 2022 elections.

The Labor Party originated from the union movement and is historically focused on workers' rights.

Labor has evolved to also rely on progressive voters and is considered the center-left party.

The Liberal and National parties form a coalition, traditionally sitting right of center on economic and social policies.

The Liberal Party was created as an alternative to Labor, focusing on supporting business owners.

The National Party was formed to represent rural Australians and focuses on the rights of farm owners and small towns.

The Coalition is known for fiscal and social conservatism, preferring small government.

The COVID-19 pandemic has blurred traditional economic policies, with increased government spending during 2020.

If the Coalition wins, Scott Morrison will remain Prime Minister, and Barnaby Joyce will stay as Deputy PM.

The Greens are the largest minor party, formed from the environmental movement, focusing on ecological issues.

The Greens are economically left-wing and socially progressive, aiming to influence the Labor Party's policies.

Minor parties like the Greens can influence legislation, especially in the upper house where they are better represented.

Other minor parties include the Centre Alliance, One Nation, and the United Australia Party, each with distinct political positions.

Independent candidates offer a range of political beliefs and are not affiliated with any party.

Many independents are running on platforms of stronger climate action.

Resources are available online to help voters align their preferences with their values, including the AEC website.

Being informed and participating in the democratic process is crucial for making the best voting choices.

Transcripts

edgy people love to say all politicians

are the same this isn't true but even if

it were you're gonna have to vote for

one of them so we may as well figure out

who you can stand the most it's voting

101 for 2022 with matilda bosley from

the guardian australia

if you've been following along with this

series you now know how the parliament

is structured how preferential voting

works and how to actually fill out your

ballot on election day so it's probably

time to decide who you want to vote for

because for god's sake do not just let

your parents decide for you the best way

to pick this is to keep up to date on

political news but if you want a crash

course here's the gist of who the big

players are and what they traditionally

stand for this list won't include every

party or every policy though it's just

an intro to get you started so let's

begin with the oldest party labor which

actually started prior to the federation

so it's technically older than australia

itself so the labor party formed out of

the union movement

[Applause]

even today a big council of unions

actually get to vote to help decide what

proposed policies labor takes to each

election now obviously this means labor

has historically had a big focus on

workers rights which is why they

traditionally were the party of choice

for blue collar working class people now

labour still definitely draws electoral

support from that group but over the

last couple of decades they've also

moved to really relying on progressive

voters as well

essentially they're the center-left

party of government they're by no means

the most left-wing party in parliament

but when it comes to social issues they

tend to lean to the more progressive

side

economically labor prefers big

government and what this means is

basically if they have the choice

between decreasing taxes or increasing

the level of government support services

available to people

they're more likely to pick the support

services although as i'll show you

covert has blurred this dichotomy quite

a bit

in the 2022 election if they win labour

leader anthony albanese will become the

prime minister and the deputy leader of

the party richard miles would become the

deputy pm now that of course brings us

to labour's arch enemies the liberal

national coalition these two parties the

liberals and the nationals join forces

to run the government forming what is

known as the coalition basically neither

party can win the majority of lower

house seats to form government on their

own so they have a long-standing deal to

govern the country together now these

parties traditionally sit a little right

of center both when it comes to economic

and social policies the liberal party

was formed in the 1940s mostly as a way

to ensure that australians had an

alternative to labor their focus has

traditionally been on supporting

business owners both small and large the

national party on the other hand was

formed federally in the 1920s

mostly to ensure that those pesky city

slickers didn't ride a rough shot over

rural australians traditionally these

guys only really hold seats in regional

electorates and they have a big focus on

the rights of farm owners and small town

australia the coalition is known for

being both fiscally and socially

conservative preferring small government

to recap this means that traditionally

if they had the choice between lowering

taxes and beefing up governmental

support services

they'd be more likely to cut taxes of

course the pandemic rewrote these rules

at least during 2020 when the coalition

spent

billions to support people and

businesses and stimulate the economy if

they win the election liberal leader

scott morrison will stay prime minister

and nationals leader barnaby joyce will

remain deputy pm now let's move on to

the largest minor party

the greens as their name implies this

party was formed out of the

environmental movement in australia with

the help of the nuclear disarmament

movement and a sprinkling of communism

here or there naturally they have a big

focus on the environment and generally

they're the most economically left-wing

and socially progressive party they're

quite different from labor or the

coalition though as their goal in the

upcoming election isn't really to form

government they're far too small for

that instead people who vote greens tend

to like the way they drag the labour

party further to the left especially in

the upper house where minor parties are

better represented the more green

senators there are the more likely it is

that our labour government will need

their support to pass legislation oh and

just quickly you also have the center

alliance who are you guessed it

centrists uh you have one nation they

seek to represent working-class

australians but from a hard right-wing

position you have the united australia

party you've probably seen their ads

they're also populist right wingers

their party was formed by clive palmer

the mining guy and they're run by craig

kelly in the parliament there's also a

bunch of other political parties that

will probably be on your ballot but

don't currently hold seats in parliament

and then finally you can of course vote

for an independent candidate who

aren't affiliated with any party

obviously independents come in all

shapes and sizes and political beliefs

but this year there is a decent whack of

independence running on a platform of

stronger action on the climate crisis

good morning can i give you one of those

now this is barely scraping the surface

of what all these parties stand for but

good news you still have a bit of time

to figure out where you want your

preferences to go and there are heaps of

resources online that can help you

figure out which parties most align with

your values even just going on the aec

website to see what candidates will be

on your ballot and giving their names a

bit of a google is a really good place

to start and it also means you'll

probably be more prepared than 90 of the

other people who rock up on polling day

and what have i always said are the two

most important things

making informed choices that allow you

to correctly fill out your ballot and

participate in the democratic process

and moral superiority

two birds one stone