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4 - Queensland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2012

Jeremy Moon
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham
Campbell Sharman
Affiliation:
University of British Columbia, Vancouver
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Summary

The fundamentals of Queensland's political system were established in the initial decades of white settlement and colonial self-government. The contentious separation of the colony in 1859 from the already self-governing colony of New South Wales and the challenges of building communities in a largely tropical environment remained important factors shaping the polity. In addition, Queensland became the most decentralized mainland state, with rural populism being an important component of both the Labor and anti-Labor politics (Mullins 1986; P. Smith 1985) complemented by strong party leaders who often became autocratic and intransigent premiers. Elements of this country bias have persisted, especially among the anti-Labor parties, with the rural-based National Party remaining the largest anti-Labor party in terms of parliamentary representation.

More than any other state, Queensland politics has been characterized by hegemonic party rule. The main parties have enjoyed long periods of rule winning election after election with relatively stable voter support. The Australian Labor Party (ALP) governed from 1915 to 1957 with only one interruption; while the anti-Labor parties, usually in coalition, governed from 1957 until 1989. This winner-take-all hegemony has had a profound influence on the nature of state politics, on the configuration of the political institutions, and on Queensland's insular political culture. Threats to party hegemony have occurred only infrequently and the dominance of the governing party has been challenged only in times of war, depression or internal party crisis. Although Queensland politics has changed since the 1980s, elements of a culture of hegemonic party rule remain.

Type
Chapter
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Australian Politics and Government
The Commonwealth, the States and the Territories
, pp. 74 - 103
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2003

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  • Queensland
  • Edited by Jeremy Moon, University of Nottingham, Campbell Sharman, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
  • Book: Australian Politics and Government
  • Online publication: 05 September 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511756061.004
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  • Queensland
  • Edited by Jeremy Moon, University of Nottingham, Campbell Sharman, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
  • Book: Australian Politics and Government
  • Online publication: 05 September 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511756061.004
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Queensland
  • Edited by Jeremy Moon, University of Nottingham, Campbell Sharman, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
  • Book: Australian Politics and Government
  • Online publication: 05 September 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511756061.004
Available formats
×