What is it called when two parties form an alliance for a specific purpose?

Many political parties have members elected to the Australian Parliament. In this fact sheet, learn more about how they are organised, coalitions of parties, party meetings and the history of political parties in Australia.

A political party is an organisation that represents a particular group of people or set of ideas. It aims to have members elected to Parliament so their ideas can affect the way Australia is governed.

Political party organisation

Political parties have branches located around Australia. Party members in each branch suggest ideas for party policies. They help pre-select - choose - party candidates for local, state and federal elections. They also assist with election campaigns, distribute 'how to vote' cards on Election Day, and help scrutinise - closely examine - the counting of votes. Before a political party can enter a candidate in an election, it must officially register with the Australian Electoral Commission. It also has to meet certain regulations under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, such as having a written constitution and at least 500 members who are on the electoral roll.

Parliamentary parties

A political party becomes a parliamentary party when it has party members elected to a parliament at the federal, state or territory level.

Parliamentary parties are powerful because their members work as a team and generally vote the same way on issues before the parliament.

Coalitions

A coalition is formed when 2 or more political parties join together. In any parliament, parties may form a coalition to create a bigger group and gain more power.

In the Australian Parliament, parties that form a coalition sit next to each other in the Senate and the House of Representatives. They generally vote the same way, although they may have different ideas on particular bills - proposed laws. Each party in a coalition usually holds separate party meetings.

A coalition that forms government may choose several ways of working together. For example:

• the Prime Minister is usually drawn from the larger party
• the Deputy Prime Minister is usually drawn from the smaller party
• ministries may be shared between the 2 parties according to the ratio of seats held by the 2 parties.

The Liberal Party of Australia and the Nationals have formed the longest-running coalition in the Australian Parliament.

Minor parties

Minor parties only have a small number of members elected to Parliament. They may form part of the government or the opposition through a coalition or agreement with another party. If this is not the case, they sit with the independents on the seats that curve around at the end of the Senate and House. These seats are often called the crossbenches.

Sometimes minor parties can hold the balance of power. This means that their vote may decide the outcome of an issue if the government and opposition disagree.

Party meetings

During sitting weeks, each parliamentary party has a party meeting which is held in their party room.

The main purpose of party meetings is to decide how the party will work as a team in Parliament. In party meetings, members of parliament may:

• elect office-holders such as the party leader, ministers and the whips
• debate and make decisions about party policy
• discuss tactics and organise party members to speak on particular bills
• resolve potential conflict and differences of opinion to ensure party unity.

Party meetings are only for party members and are confidential.

When not in Parliament, political parties also hold branch meetings. These meetings are generally open to all members of the party, as well as members of the public who are interested in becoming involved.

History

In the first decade after Federation, the major parties in the Australian Parliament were the Free Trade Party, the Protectionist Party and the Australian Labor Party. The Australian Labor Party is the oldest Australian political party and was formed by the trade union movement in the 1890s.

Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)

This graphic shows the steps required to form a political party: register with the Australian Electoral Commission, have at least 500 members, and write a party constitution.

A political party can be defined as a group of people having a similar ideology, who come together, so as to take part in the elections and gain power in the government by getting the maximum votes and seats. The coalition is a popular strategy adopted by the political parties to gain or remain in power, commonly known as coalition politics.

When a number of parties contest elections and more than two parties have a winning chance, either according to the seats gained by them on their own or by forming an alliance or coalition with other parties. Such a system is termed as a multi-party system.

In this session, we will discuss the difference between alliance and coalition.

Content: Alliance Vs Coalition

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

Definition of Alliance

Alliance can be defined as a formal agreement between two parties, groups, organizations or nations, etc. to work together, for mutual support and cooperation, so as to attain a definite objective. In can take place in politics, business, army, etc. The members who join the alliance are known as allies.

A political alliance is one in which a political party hold hands with like-minded parties so as to contest elections, often against the common rival, and gaining power in the government. In an alliance, the political parties may bunch up, pool their resources and work collectively, to defeat a common enemy in the election and maximize their vote share.

Further, it is a fact that if there is just one political alliance, contesting elections against individual opposition parties, then the winning chances of the alliance is higher than the individual ones. However, if the number of the alliance is increased to two and they are equally strong, then either of the two parties may get the majority to form the government.

Nevertheless, if there are more than two alliances in the election, the result will be – either one of them will win or none of them will win. And in such a situation, the government is formed by a coalition between two or more alliances.

Definition of Coalition

In simple words, the coalition refers to the union of the political parties for a definite objective. A coalition is a temporary agreement or partnership amidst multiple political parties, so as to attain more influence or power than a single party can achieve solely.

When no individual party gains sufficient majority to constitute the single-party government, the coalition government is formed, wherein several small groups agree to join hands by removing their specific differences to form a majority. It involves sharing of power among the various political parties and so, there are more than one ruling party in a coalition government.

In this way, a number of small parties get a chance to come together and form a government, and the leadership role lies in the hands of a single largest constituent. It is based on a mutually agreed common programme.

Coalition arrangements have a limited span of life, in the sense that it dissolves when the objectives for which it is formed is achieved. The political parties seek a short term electoral gain. The objective can be election or referendum, passing a resolution in the assembly, forming the government, managing the process by the process of sharing power, etc.

It can take place at three levels – Electoral, Parliamentary and Governmental.

Types of Coalitions

1. Based on Timing
   • Pre-poll electoral Alliance
   • Post Election Coalition
2. Based on Number of Parties
3. Based on Legislative Strength
   • Majority Coalition
   • Minority Coalition
4. Based on Ideological Orientation
   • Ideological Homogeneous Coalition
   • Ideological Heterogeneous Coalition

Coalitions mainly vary as per the timing of its formation. There are instances when the political parties remain independent until after the election results are declared, and then they form a coalition on the basis of the requirement of the seats.

But there are also certain instances in which the coalition exists before the elections and the parties in alliance share the campaigning cost, as well as they, campaign for the coalition and not for their own party.

The differences between alliance and coalition are listed below:

1. An alliance is a formal association of two or more parties, groups, firms or countries, who have agreed to work together, for a common interest or goal. On the other hand, when no single political party gains majority seats in an election, thus finding it difficult to gain power, then the parties join hands with the other parties, with similar ideology, so as to form a coalition government.
2. A political alliance is one that takes place prior to the elections. As against, the coalition can take the form of pre-poll alliance or post-poll coalition, which can be before the elections/electoral campaign or after the elections respectively.
3. The coalition is a broader term than alliance, as coalition includes an alliance of political parties.
4. The main objective of forming an alliance is to win elections by securing the majority seats. On the contrary, the coalition is mainly done to form the government by joining hands with other parties, with similar ideology or interest.
5. The dissolution of the political alliance may have certain repercussions on the political landscape, whereas, the dissolution of the coalition government may lead to the collapse of the government, which is followed by immediate elections.

Conclusion

With the emergence of a multiparty system in the politics, nowadays elections are contested not among the political parties but a coalition of parties, wherein the nature of competition, alliance and major players differ from one place to another.