TAS
A
Sustainable Australia Party - Universal Basic Income
An odd mix of progressive policies and anti-immigration dogwhistling. Progressive parties are like cake recipes - if you want them to rise you have to add ingredients that make sense. A bunch of leftish flavour on evidence-based decision making, environment, housing, but unfortunately they've thrown in a big cup of fairly rancid immigration policies. Had to get rid of their Tasmanian candidate for being a transphobe, because they only have room for one kind of prejudice thank you very much.
Political leaning: Left sliding right
Likes: The first half of old sci fi movies where everything *seems* lovely.
Dislikes: Intersectionality, Kiwis (they want to abolish the open borders Trans Tasman Travel Arrangement with New Zealand)
"For those who've come across the seas We've boundless plains to share"
- Australia's National Anthem, but from the second verse which *doesn't count*
B
Liberal
You know who these guys are. The Liberal Party was founded to oppose the labour movement and socialism, and to champion the ideas of liberalism such as relying on individual freedoms to make a better society for everyone. These days they typically promote harsher jail sentencing for youth offenders and making trips across the country to appear at billionaire iron ore magnate birthday parties. Much irony.
Political leaning: Right
Likes: Cuts, Gina Rinehart, Gas Nuclear Power, Forgetting to switch accounts when they compliment themselves on Facebook
Dislikes: Boats, Taxes, Height limits on trucks
"He is not a monster."
- A stirring endorsement from Ms Dutton
C
Trumpet of Patriots
General far-right populist sludge with racism included. The 'Trump' in the name isn't an accident - policies are copy-pasted from the US, including a 'Department of Govt Efficiency'. The only positive thing that you can say about them is that Clive Palmer might solve the legacy Australian media's budget crisis through sheer weight of unrestricted campaign ad spending. This time, when his own party coudn't get registered, he joined and took over another micro party.
Political leaning: Right wing populist
Likes: Candidates with criminal records, Tucker Carlson
Dislikes: Candidate vetting
"The Trumpet of Patriots will preference Labor and the Liberals last in the 2025 Federal Election to end the two-party duopoly and make Australia great."
- Clive Palmer
D
Legalise Cannabis Party
Single issue party that does what it says on the tin. Jeremy Buckingham, their NSW MP, was kicked out of the Greens for sexual harassment and joined after stumbling on the party while "googling how to grow really massive dope plants" (yes that is an actual quote).
Political leaning: Chill left
Likes: I think you can guess
Dislikes: The NSW Police
"You never see anyone at a McDonald's carpark get in a punch-on because they've had too many bongs."
- Jeremy Buckingham, Legalise Cannabis Party MP
E
Animal Justice Party
The only party to mandate that all candidates must be vegan, after a massive controversy in which a former AJP MP was seen eating fish once in a Sydney sushi restaurant. They're campaigning for animal welfare, afforable housing, animal welfare, fairer taxation, and animal welfare. They're even proposing the introduction of Veticare, which is like Medicare, but for pets and wildlife. Luckily our marsupials have pockets so they can carry their Veticare card.
Political leaning: Animal Left
Likes: Animals
Dislikes: Being photoshopped to look sexier by Channel 9
"I strayed for that moment; for that morsel."
- Former MP Mark Pearson, on eating fish that one time
F
The Greens
Either the smallest major party or the largest minor party, depending on your viewpoint. During the last term of parliament they've fought for renters, refugees, and endangered stingrays*. How much have they achieved? Good question, but either way they're definitely not getting paid for it, as none of those groups have disposable income and/or pockets. *Technically it's a skate, not a ray, and if you knew that already you're probably a greens voter.
Political leaning: Left
Likes: Spending way too much time writing fully costed policies.
Dislikes: Someone else implementing their policies and getting all the credit.
"Labor has excellent values when they're in opposition."
- Christine Milne, former leader of the Australian Greens
G
Jacqui Lambie Network
A "big tent" political party with only one member, circus ringleader Jacqui Lambie. The party acts as her mood ring, one minute she's a welfare warrior, the next she rails against 'dangerous' progressives under the banner of social conservatism. Good luck figuring out what policies she'll support next year.
Political leaning: Centre-Right
Likes: Veterans
Dislikes: People quitting her party immediately after getting elected
"They'd like us to go live back in caves with candles and eat tofu."
- Jacqui Lambie (on the Greens)
H
Libertarian
Libertarianism is supposed to be about having a small government with the individual having more control over their personal lives. So their policy of selling off the ABC and SBS, privatising schools, and relaxing gun laws makes perfect sense. Their opposition to people transitioning to a different gender on the other hand makes them look like conservative hypocrites who just want to pay less tax. Renamed themselves from the Liberal Democrats to align themselves better with their new stronger antivax positions.
Political leaning: Far-right
Likes: Personal freedoms (theirs)
Dislikes: Personal freedoms (other people's)
"You should be able to pay 99c for a litre of petrol, and 99c for a can of Tooheys New or VB."
- Libertarian party twitter
I
Pauline Hanson's One Nation
Still a bunch of racists, but now more broadly right-wing populist. Deny climate change, anti-LGBT, anti-abortion, anti-immigration, etc etc. In a major twist, Pauline Hanson's daughter is running in Tasmania - where you're considered to be an immigrant if you weren't born there.
Political leaning: Far-right
Likes: Racism.
Dislikes: When you turn my voice about.
"I don't like it."
- Pauline Hanson
J
Citizens Party
A venerable crackpot party that's been saying odd things since 1988, though they seem far less conspiracy-minded than they used to be. Imagine someone wearing a tinfoit hat in a suit talking about the Glass-Steagall Act. They want to abolish oligarchical things like the big 4 banks, AUKUS, the monarchy, ColesWorth and private energy companies. Keen on turning Australia Post into a people's bank. Climate change conspiracy theorists. Want a royal comission into the COVID-19 response. Have a strong policy focus on, of all things, banking reform.
Political leaning: Mixed
Likes: Local Post Offices
Dislikes: Duopolies, the US military
"John Lander...represented Australia at UNESCO, under Gough Whitlam, and has many funny stories."
- (party founder Craig Isherwood)
K
Australian Labor Party
It's Labor. You know, the ones currently in power. Love talking about Medicare. Represent the interests of workers and their trade unions, except the CFMEU union which can just stand in the corner and think about what it did for a while.
Political leaning: Centre-Left
Likes: Medicare
Dislikes: People remembering what the CFMEU did
"Look at this, I've got lollies here for some reason. Here you go. Don't say I've never given you anything."
- Albo, addressing the press gallery
L
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party
Somehow parked somewhere between liberatarian and progressive, like that one racist uncle at Christmas who suddenly starts passionately defending gay rights. They believe everyone in rural areas should have the same access to socialised medicine and education as the city slickers, but heaven forbid the government tell you what to do. They are also climate change deniers, despite the fact that a climate is rather important to having animals to shoot at.
Political leaning: On average, centrist?
Likes: Shooting, Fishing, and Farming. And going to BCF, presumably.
Dislikes: Gas Companies, Environmentalists
"Boating camping fishing, it's BCFing fun. HEY!"
- That ad that got stuck in our heads