Australia’s Leadership Change

The top leadership job in Australia is like a revolving door: since 2007, not a single Prime Minister has been able to serve a full term. But why is this? Join us for a discussion on how the Australian political system, parties, and public all contribute to one of the toughest jobs in the Western democratic sphere.

The System

Australia is one of the few democracies which has mandatory voting. Yet despite voter turnout of over 95%, the country has had six Prime Ministers from both sides of the political spectrum in just over ten years. But this is not necessarily at the hands of the public: in Australia, the party determines the leader rather than the people.

The Process

When a Prime Minister loses the confidence of the party, they call for a “spill” vote among party members. These “life and death” votes within political parties have become a regular occurrence in Australian political life and have started a legacy of in-fighting, maneuvering, and grudges.

The Future

As China and the United States both look to Australia as a trading and strategic partner, does changing leadership help or hinder the nation down under on the global stage? And have the Australian populace given up on having a long term leader?

Dig Deeper

Take a look at some of our favorite articles that we came across while researching this topic:

Why Does Australia Keep Getting Rid of Its Prime Ministers? Billy Perrigo, Time Magazine

Politics In Australia: Turnbull’s Turn, The Economist

Why Australia Can’t Keep a Prime Minister In Power, David Fickling, Bloomberg