The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party splinter groups, it was Australia's largest minor party from its formation in 1977 through to 2004 and frequently held the balance of power in the Senate during that time.
Natasha Jessica Stott Despoja AO is an Australian diplomat and former politician. Starting her career in student politics, she became an advisor to the Australian Democrats and was appointed to the Australian Senate in 1995 at the age of 26. At the time, she was the youngest woman to serve in federal Parliament. She went on to become deputy leader of the Democrats in 1997 and then federal leader from 2001 to 2002. She retired from the Senate in 2008 as the longest-serving senator from her party.
This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2005. Half of the state senators had been elected at the November 2001 election and had terms due to finish on 30 June 2008; the other half of the state senators had been elected at the October 1998 election and had terms due to finish on 30 June 2005. The territory senators were elected at the November 2001 election and their terms ended at the next federal election, which was October 2004.
Andrew John Julian Bartlett is an Australian politician, social worker, academic, and social campaigner who served as a Senator for Queensland from 1997 to 2008 and from 2017 to 2018. He represented the Australian Democrats in his first stint in the Senate, including as party leader from 2002 to 2004 and deputy leader from 2004 to 2008. In November 2017, he returned to the Senate as a member of the Australian Greens, replacing Larissa Waters after her disqualification during the parliamentary eligibility crisis. He resigned from the Senate in August 2018 in an unsuccessful attempt to win the House of Representatives seat of Brisbane, allowing Waters to fill his seat in advance of the 2019 election.
The 2004 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 9 October 2004. All 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 seats in the 76-member Senate were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia John Howard and coalition partner the National Party of Australia led by John Anderson defeated the opposition Australian Labor Party led by Mark Latham.
Lynette Fay Allison is an Australian politician. She was a member of the Australian Senate from 1996 to 2008, representing the state of Victoria. As of October 2019 she is the national president of the Australian Democrats.
Cheryl Zena Kernot is an Australian politician, academic, and political activist. She was a member of the Australian Senate representing Queensland for the Australian Democrats from 1990 to 1997, and the fifth leader of the Australian Democrats from 1993 to 1997. In 1997, she resigned from the Australian Democrats, joined the Australian Labor Party, and won the seat of Dickson at the 1998 federal election. She was defeated at the 2001 federal election. Kernot was an unsuccessful independent candidate to represent New South Wales in the Australian Senate in the 2010 federal election.
In Australia, liberalism has a vast interpretation and a broad definition. It dates back to the earliest Australian pioneers and has maintained a strong foothold to the present day. Modern-day Australian liberalism is the successor to colonial liberalism, and has been compared to British liberalism for its similarity. The primary representation of Australian liberalism is the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. Unlike in the United States, liberalism in Australia, and the term "liberal", is often associated with conservatism.
Meg Heather Lees is a former member of the Australian Senate from 1990 to 2005, representing the state of South Australia. She represented the Australian Democrats from 1990 to 2002, and was her party's leader from 1997 to 2001. After being deposed by Natasha Stott Despoja, she quit the party to sit as an independent senator in 2002, adopting the party designation Australian Progressive Alliance from 2003 until her electoral defeat in 2005. As party leader, she controversially facilitated passage of the Howard government's Goods and Services Tax (GST).
John Clifford Cherry was an Australian Democrats senator from 2001 to 2005, representing the state of Queensland and the Queensland Democrats. In March 2005 he became CEO of the Queensland Farmers Federation.
Janine Winton Haines, AM was an Australian politician who was a Senator for South Australia from 1977 to 1978 and again from 1981 to 1990. She represented the Australian Democrats, and served as the party's leader from 1986 to 1990, becoming the first female federal parliamentary leader of an Australian political party. She was pivotal in "shaping the Australian Democrats into a powerful political entity that held the balance of power in the Senate".
Janet Frances Powell was an Australian politician.
The Queensland Greens is a Green party in Queensland, Australia, and a state member of the Australian Greens. The party is currently represented in all three levels of government, by Larissa Waters and Penny Allman-Payne in the federal Senate; Stephen Bates, Max Chandler-Mather, and Elizabeth Watson-Brown in the House of Representatives; Michael Berkman and Amy MacMahon in the state Legislative Assembly; and Trina Massey and Seal Chong Wah in Brisbane City Council.
John Woodley is an ordained Methodist minister and was a Senator representing the state of Queensland, Australia, in the Australian Senate.
Shayne Michael Murphy, Australian politician, was a member of the Australian Senate, representing Tasmania, from 1993 to 2005. He represented the Australian Labor Party from his election until 2001, when he left the party and became an independent.
This article provides details on candidates who stood for the 2004 Australian federal election. The election was held on 9 October 2004.
This article provides information on candidates who stood for the 1990 Australian federal election. The election was held on 24 March 1990.
The following tables show state-by-state results in the Australian Senate at the 2004 federal election. Senators total 37 coalition, 28 Labor, four Green, one Family First, two non-coalition National and four Democrats. Senator terms are six years, and took their seats from 1 July 2005, except the territories who took their seats immediately. This is the most recent time a Government has had a majority in the senate.
This is a list of members of the Australian Senate following the 2019 Australian federal election held on 18 May 2019. Terms for newly elected senators representing the Australian states began on 1 July 2019. Terms for senators in the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory began on the day of the election, 18 May 2019.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Vermont on November 3, 2020. All of Vermont's executive officers were up for election, as well as Vermont's at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on August 11, 2020.
