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Australian Democrats
160px
Leader	Senator Lyn Allison
Founded	1977
Office	711 South Road Black Forest, SA 5035
Political Ideology	social liberalism
Website	www.democrats.org.au

The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party which was formed in 1977 through a merger of the Australia Party and the Liberal Movement after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp as a high-profile leader^[1]. The new party was based on the principles of honesty, tolerance and compassion—and direct democracy through postal ballots of all members, so that there should be no hierarchical structure. . . by which a carefully engineered elite could make decisions for the members. ^[2] From the outset, members' participation was fiercely protected in national and divisional constitutions prescribing internal elections, regular meeting protocols, annual conferences—and monthly journals for open discussion and balloting. Dispute-resolution procedures were established, with final recourse to a party ombudsman and membership ballot.

Policies determined by the unique participatory method were socially progressive, promoting environmental awareness and sustainability, opposition to the primacy of economic rationalism, preventive approaches to human health and welfare, animal rights, rejection of nuclear technology and weapons. This actually reflected the first emergence of 'green' politics in Australia, and the Democrats took centre stage in forcing legislation for the cause célèbre of saving Tasmania's Franklin River. However, the former conservative affiliation of leader Don Chipp was recalled by competitors^[3] in an ongoing campaign to discredit the sincerity of the Democrats. The party's 'centreline' role was, therefore, always subjected to vindictive criticism from both the 'right' and 'left' of the political spectrum, a reality which was to torment later leaders and strategists who, by 1991, were proclaiming "the electoral objective" as a higher priority than the rigorous participatory democracy espoused by the party's founders.^[4]

In its first decade, the Democrats secured representation in the legislatures of South Australia, the ACT, New South Wales and Tasmania, and Senate seats in all six states. Its electoral support began to wane after 1998 and a low point was reached in 2004 when, for the first time, no Australian Democrats candidate succeeded in gaining election to the Senate. It now seems ulikely that the party's four senators elected in 2002 will be returned or replaced to continue a federal presence beyond 30 June, 2008. thumb|right|Cover of The Third Man, 1978

Contents 1 History 1.1 1977-79 1.2 1980-82 1.3 1990-91 2 Electoral fortunes 2.1 2004 federal election 2.2 2006 2.3 2007 3 Studebaker 4 Footnotes

[edit] History

[edit] 1977-79

On the evening of Friday, 29 April, 1977, Don Chipp addressed an overflowing Perth Town Hall meeting which unanimously passed a resolution to form a Centre Line Party^[5] —but Chipp refused to reverse his decision to quit politics. However, at a meeting in the Melbourne Town Hall on 9 May, Chipp received a standing ovation from 3000 people, including former prime minister John Gorton, and decided to commit himself to leading a new party which was already being constructed by a national steering committee.^[6] The name "Australian Democrats" was voted for by the membership, being the most favoured of 56 alternative names on the postal ballot paper.^[7]
The first Australian Democrats (AD) federal parliamentarian was Senator Janine Haines who filled Steele Hall's casual Senate vacancy for South Australia in 1977. She was not a candidate when the party contested the 1977 federal elections after Don Chipp had agreed to be leader and figurehead. Members and candidates were not lacking in electoral experience since the Australia Party had been contesting all federal elections since 1969 and the Liberal Movement in 1974 and 1975. The party's broad aim was to achieve a "balance of power" in one or more parliaments and to exercise it responsibly in line with policies determined by membership.

The grassroot support attracted by Chipp's leadership was measurable at the party's first electoral test on 10 December, 1977, when 9.38% of the total Lower House vote was polled and 11.13% of the Senate vote. At that time, with five Senate seats being contested in each state, the required quota was a daunting 16.66%. However, the first 6-year-term seats were won by Don Chipp (Vic) and Colin Mason(NSW).

[edit] 1980-82

At a Melbourne media conference in 1980, Chipp described his party's aim as "to keep the bastards honest" --the "bastards" being the major parties and/or politicians in general. This became a long-lived slogan for the Democrats.

The Australian Democrats' first national conference, on 16-17 February, 1980, was opened by the distinguished nuclear physicist and former governor of South Australia, Sir Mark Oliphant, who said:

I was privileged to be in the chair at the public meeting in Melbourne when [Don Chipp] announced formation of a new party, dedicated to preserve what freedoms we still retain, and to increase them. A party in which dictatorship from the top was replaced by consensus. A party not ordered about by big business and the rich, or by union bosses. A party where a man could retain freedom of conscience and not thereby be faced with expulsion. A party to which the intelligent individual could belong without having to subscribe to a dogmatic creed. In other words, a democratic party.^[8]

At the October 1980 election, the Democrats polled 9.25% of the Senate vote, electing Janine Haines (SA) and two new senators Michael Macklin (Qld) and John Siddons (Vic), bringing the party's strength to five Senate seats from 1 July, 1981.

[edit] 1990-91

1990 also saw the voluntary departure from the Senate of Janine Haines and the failure of her strategic goal of winning the House of Representatives seat of Kingston. Her casual vacancy was filled by Meg Lees several months before the arrival of Cheryl Kernot, elected to replace the retiring deputy leader Michael Macklin. The ambitious Kernot immediately contested the Senate leadership. Being unemployed at the time, she requested and obtained party funds to pay for her travel to address members in all seven divisions.^[9] In the event, Janet Powell was successful and John Coulter was chosen as deputy leader.

Despite the loss of Haines and the WA Senate seat (through an inconsistent national preference agreement with the ALP), the 1990 federal election heralded something of a rebirth for the party, with a dramatic rise in primary vote. This was at the same time as an economic recession was building, and events such as the Gulf War in Kuwait were beginning to shepherd issues of globalisation and the trade agendas of transnational corporations on to national government agendas.

Janet Powell made a spirited attack on both the government and opposition which had closed ranks in support of the oil war. Whereas the House of Representatives thereby avoided any debate about the war and Australia's participation^[10] the Democrats were able to do so, and the Hansard record is there to view.

Possibly because of the party's opposition to the Gulf War, there was mass-media coolness which some ascribed to poor performance by Janet Powell. Before 12 months of her leadership had passed, the South Australian and Queensland divisions were circulating the party's first-ever petition to criticise and oust the parliamentary leader. The explicit grounds related to Powell's alleged responsibility for poor AD ratings in Gallop and other media surveys. When this charge was deemed insufficient, interested party officers and senators reinforced it with odious media 'leaks' concerning her openly established relationship with Sid Spindler and exposure of an administrative blunder resulting in excessive overtime to a staff member. With national-executive blessing, the party room pre-empted the ballot by replacing the leader with deputy Coulter. In the process, severe internal divisions were generated which probably put an end to the party's original spirit of tolerant participatory democracy. One major collateral casualty was the experienced party whip Paul McLean who resigned and quit the Senate in disgust at what he recognised as violent infighting between close friends. The casual NSW vacancy was filled by Karin Sowada.

[edit] Electoral fortunes

The Democrats' electoral fortunes have fluctuated throughout their history.

During the Hawke and Keating Labor Governments (1983-96), the Democrats held the balance of power in the Senate: the numbers were such that they could team with Labor to pass legislation, or team with the Coalition to block legislation.

Their power was somewhat weakened in 1996 after the Howard government was elected, and a Labor Senator, Mal Colston, resigned from the Labor party. This meant that the Democrats now shared the parliamentary balance of power with 2 Independent Senators, and so the Coalition government could often bypass the Democrats, and pass legislation by negotiating with Colston and Brian Harradine. After the 1998 election the Democrats again held the balance of power, until the Coalition gained a Senate majority at the 2004 election.

The Hawke and Keating governments pursued economic rationalist neoliberal policies, and the Democrats positioned themselves to the left of the ALP government and thus at the left end of mainstream Australian politics. However, the party's progressive-liberal politics remained attractive to middle class Liberal supporters ("wet" Liberals) who were disaffected by the Liberal party's social conservatism.

[Temp paste] By 1990, seven Senate seats had been won and a presence established in the parliaments of South Australia and New South Wales.

Undoubtedly the peak of the Democrats' influence was reached in 1999 when leader Meg Lees was followed by all but two of her senators in amending and passing the Howard government's GST legislation. The party promised heavy amendments including removing the tax from essential goods and services such as fresh food, books, education and health. Still, there was discontent among senior party members in the way the ballot of the GST policy was handled, as the policy was described as allowing for a 'service tax' and not the GST in particular. All Democrat policies are voted on by the membership. There resulted acrimonious bickering and a series of leadership changes and resignations, notably that of Meg Lees herself. The Democrats' poll performance plummeted in every state, an eventuality from which the party never recovered. The party has since apologised ^[11].

Following poor performances at the 2004 federal election ^[12] and the 2006 South Australian election, the party's electoral annihilation seems imminent. All four Senators are up for re-election in the 2007 federal election, with only two of the incumbents recontesting their seats, Andrew Bartlett and Lyn Allison. The only MP left at a state level is South Australian Sandra Kanck. It is likely that the remaining Democrat Senate seats will be lost to other parties.

[end Temp paste]

The 1990 federal election heralded the party's rebirth, with a dramatic rise in its primary vote. This was at the same time as an economic recession was taking hold in Australia, with a sizable minority of voters looking leftward to improve things.

1990 also saw the voluntary departure from the Senate of Janine Haines and the failure of her strategic goal of winning the House of Representatives seat of Kingston. Her casual vacancy was filled by Meg Lees several months before Cheryl Kernot took her place, having been elected to replace the retiring deputy leader Michael Macklin. The ambitious Kernot and Lees both contested the Senate leadership. (Kernot, unemployed at the time, sought and obtained party funds to pay for her travel to address members in all seven divisions.^[13] Both were defeated by Janet Powell and John Coulter who became deputy leader. However, within 12 months, the South Australian and Queensland divisions were circulating the party's first-ever petition to defame and oust the parliamentary leader. The explicit grounds related to Powell's alleged responsibility for poor AD ratings in Gallop and other media surveys. When this charge appeared insufficient, interested party officers and senators reinforced it with unpleasant media publicity concerning her openly established relationship with Sid Spindler and, for good measure, exposure of an administrative blunder in overpaying overtime to a staff member. The challenge succeeded in replacing the leader (initially with deputy Coulter) but severe internal divisions were generated which probably put an end to the party's original spirit of balanced participatory democracy. A major collateral casualty was experienced party whip Paul McLean who resigned in disgust at what he saw as violent infighting between friends.

In due course, Cheryl Kernot achieved her leadership ambition and began introducing a top-down style both in the party room and the national executive. Her media appeal and performance were splendid, which greatly increased media and public awareness of herself and the party, though not necessarily of the Democrats' traditional policies and participatory ethos. She was known to have interests in industrial relations and was able to cultivate solid relationships with Labor government frontbenchers, which also added to her credibility in the press gallery.

When the Howard government was first elected in 1996, ending some 13 continuous years of Labor government, there was need to re-evaluate parliamentary tactics on the basis that there was now less of an opposition vacuum to be filled, and friendships made with Labor would now be less fruitful. Consideration was required as to whether the Democrats would operate on an economically centrist agenda (while still being socially liberal and environmentalist) and ready in most cases to negotiate with the government of the day; or would continue to occupy a position to the left of both major parties on economic as well as social policy, while maintaining the crossbench tradition of negotiating with both government and opposition.

Lack of clear direction other than, possibly, senators' common ambition to play a more productive role in government manifested itself in tensions over Cheryl Kernot's policy on industrial relations (see the Workplace Relations Act of 1996). Under Kernot, after negotiations and some compromises from the government, the Democrats voted for the Howard Government's right-leaning industrial relations legislation which decreased union power and allowed a larger role for individual employer-employee contracts.^{[citation needed]}

Kernot, however, remained both ambitious and broadly opposed to the Liberal government. This, together with her personal ambition for a role in government, lead her to defect to the ALP in 1997. Initially both Labor and the Democrats benefited from Kernot's move, with polls showing that the Democrats had attracted a significant "sympathy vote".^{[citation needed]} In the 1998 federal election, the Democrats' candidate John Schumann came within 3% of taking Liberal Foreign Minister Alexander Downer's seat of Mayo in the Adelaide Hills under Australia's preferential voting system.

Internal conflict over the government's proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST), during the 1998 federal election and in Parliament in 1999 was extremely damaging to the Democrats. Meg Lees campaigned on a modified GST platform, opposing the GST on food and books. After negotiations with Prime Minister Howard, Meg Lees and Andrew Murray (both part of the centrist element within the Democrats) agreed to support the GST legislation with exemptions for most food and some medicines. Many left-wing Democrat voters and a large number of party members regarded this as a betrayal, and two senators on the party's left, Natasha Stott Despoja and Andrew Bartlett, voted against the GST.

After very poor state election results in 2001, Lees was replaced by the articulate young left-leaning senator, Natasha Stott Despoja. Stott Despoja worked hard to bring disaffected former Democrat voters back in the 2001 federal election, although she was not able to bring back enough voters to prevent the loss of a seat to Greens Senator Kerry Nettle, indicating the loss of Democrat votes on the left.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)

(The task was not made any easier by the Tampa affair.) Ongoing tensions between Stott Despoja and Lees (who quit the party in 2002, but was supported by some of the Senators, nicknamed the Gang of Four by the media) forced a protracted leadership battle in 2002, which eventually led to the election of Senator Andrew Bartlett as leader. However, the tension led to Meg Lees leaving the party, becoming an independent and forming the Australian Progressive Alliance. This new party clearly followed the Democrat direction not taken by the Greens. It was very short-lived.

Since the decision to support the GST in 1999, and especially after the very public infighting in 2002, the Democrats have suffered a severe decline in public support. Although the left-right division within the parliamentary party and between the parliamentary party and the grass roots membership has existed for many years, the recent leadership battles have created bitterness within the party, and exposed the disunity to public scrutiny. With the Australian Greens picking up many of their voters on the left, and some voters from the centre returning to the Liberals, the Democrats are facing their greatest crisis to date.

At the height of the disunity in 2002, most political observers believed that the party would soon split or disappear as a serious force in Australian politics. Under Senator Bartlett's leadership the Democrats found a degree of stability and an end to public feuding.

On 6 December 2003, Andrew Bartlett stepped aside temporarily as leader of the party, after an incident in which he assaulted Liberal Senator Jeannie Ferris on the floor of Parliament while intoxicated. The party issued a statement stating that Deputy Leader Lyn Allison would serve as the Acting Leader of the party. Bartlett apologised to the Democrats, Jeannie Ferris and the Australian public for his behaviour and assured all concerned that it would never happen again. On January 29, 2004, after seeking medical treatment, Bartlett returned to the Democrats leadership. Andrew Bartlett has not consumed any alcohol since that incident.

[edit] 2004 federal election

Almost totally ignored by the media during the election campaign, the Democrats suffered a massive loss of support at the 2004 Federal election, reducing them to 1.24% of the national vote. Nowhere was this more noticeable than in their key support base of suburban Adelaide in South Australia, where they received between 7 and 31% of the Lower House vote at polling booths in 2001, and between 1% and 4% in 2004. None of their senators up for re-election survived the vote.

Most electoral analysts concluded that, while most of the party's left-wing support had gone to the Greens (who now had an equal number of Senate seats with the Democrats and seemed to have taken their place as the leading minor party), many of the party's centrist middle-class voters from a 'wet Liberal' background had returned to the Liberal Party, helping the Howard Government to win a majority in the Senate, the first government to do so for a quarter of a century. With their Senate numbers almost halved, the Democrats face complete annihilation at the next election if the 2004 result is repeated.

Following the loss, Bartlett did not stand for the normal post-election leadership ballot with Allison becoming the new leader and Bartlett the deputy. However, Allison, like Bartlett, has failed to gain any real media exposure or to increase the party's support in opinion polls.

On 1 July 2005 the Democrats lost most of their remaining parliamentary influence when the senators elected in 2004 were sworn in, giving the governing Coalition outright control of the Senate.

[edit] 2006

On 5 January 2006, the ABC reported that the Tasmanian Electoral Commission had de-registered that branch of the party for failing to provide a list containing the required number of members.^[14]

On 18 March 2006, at the 2006 South Australian State election, the Democrats were reduced to 1.7% of the Legislative Council (upper house) vote. Their sole member of Parliament up for re-election, Kate Reynolds, was subsequently defeated.

In the days following the election, rumours were reported that South Australian Senator Natasha Stott-Despoja, facing re-election at the next poll, might quit the party. She has denied these rumours. ^[15]

In early July, Richard Pascoe, National and South Australian party President, resigned, citing slumping opinion polls and the poor result in the 2006 South Australian Election as well as South Australian Parliamentary leader Sandra Kanck's comments regarding the drug MDMA that have been damaging to the party.^{[16] [17] [18]}

On 5 July 2006, Democrats senator Andrew Murray announced his intention not to seek re-election at 2007 federal election, citing the frustration arising from the Howard Government's control of both houses of Federal Parliament, and the long duration of any future Senate term.^[19]. He will, however, continue to sit as an Australian Democrats senator until the end of the current Senate term in 2008.

On 28 August, 2006 the founder of the Democrats, Don Chipp, died. Former prime minister Bob Hawke suggested that Chipp's death would hasten the death of the Australian Democrats.^[20]

On 22 October 2006, Democrats senator Natasha Stott Despoja announced her intention to not seek re-election at 2007 federal election due to health concerns.^[21] She will however continue to sit as an Australian Democrats senator until the end of the current Senate term in 2008. Her decision, as the Democrats senator with the highest profile and greatest chance for re-election, is widely expected to make it much more difficult for the Democrats to retain their South Australian Senate seat at the coming Federal Election.

The November 2006 Victorian State Election returned a poor result for the Democrats, their Legislative Council vote less than half that returned in 2002.

In the New South Wales state election of March 2007, the Democrats lost their last remaining NSW Upper House representative, Arthur Chesterfield-Evans. The party fared poorly, gaining only 1.8% of the Legislative Council vote. A higher vote was achieved in some of the Legislative Assembly seats selectively contested as compared to 2003. However, the statewide vote share fell because the party was unable to field as many candidates as in 2003.

[edit] 2007

Rhubarb(Harvard reference) ^[22]

[edit] Studebaker

The site of John's business is California Historic Landmark #142.^[23]

[edit] Footnotes