Political Parties in Transition? reviews the recent developments affecting the major parties and the party system in Australia, and asks the question: are Australia’s major parties acting like a cartel?
The book includes detailed coverage about the evolution of the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal-National Party Coalition as well as the role of emergent parties such as the Greens. Consideration is given to whether these emergent parties have the capacity or indeed the opportunity to challenge major party dominance.
The book also examines the evidence for and against the idea that the major parties have colluded to maintain their dominance of the system. The authors consider whether recent policy and other changes affecting party resources and party positioning, have helped advantage the major parties. For example, cases where public funding disproportionately favours incumbents, or when elites of both major parties agree about policy fundamentals and thereby limit political choice.
With a depth of analysis suitable for postgraduate and undergraduate levels, Political Parties in Transition? is essential reading for students of political science and Australian studies, or anyone interested in Australian politics today.
Contributors include the following leading academics: Murray Goot, Gary Johns, Dean Jaensch, Raymond Miller, Ian Marsh, John O'Mahony, Rodney Smith, Nick Turnbull, Adriadne Vromen, and John Warhurst.