Which party formed Australia's first government? Which other parties were in Parliament?
Sir Edmund Barton
NAA: A1200, L13582B
Sir Edmund Barton
NAA: A1200, L13582B
Description
Australia's first Prime Minister, Sir Edmund Barton. He was Prime Minister from 1901 to 1903.
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Australia's first government was formed by a group of members of parliament who agreed that Australia should use tariffs (taxes) to limit cheap imports. This group was known as the Protectionists and was led by Australia’s first prime minister, Sir Edmund Barton.
At this time, political parties were quite different to the strictly organised parties of today. Rather than belonging to a formal party, members of Australia’s first Parliament often worked in groups of people with similar ideas. These 3 groups were: the Protectionists, Free Trade and Labor. Because many members of the first Parliament weren’t official party members, they could vote independently, depending on the issue.
Following Federation and the 1901 election, there were 75 members of the House of Representatives:
- Protectionist – 32
- Free Trade – 27
- Labor Party – 16
There were 36 senators:
- Protectionist – 11
- Free Trade – 17
- Labor Party – 8
The Protectionists did not have a majority in the House of Representatives and had to form government with the support of other members of the House. They governed like a minority government might today. No group had a majority in the Senate either. Without a majority, the government had to negotiate and compromise a lot to get things done.