Against the Machines

The giant Labor and Coalition parties have dominated New South Wales politics since 1910 when the State settled into a two party system. Dominated but not monopolised. Minor parties and Independents have been a consistent presence outside this duopoly. Rodney Smith tells their story. He covers early challengers to the major parties, such as David Storey's Democrats, the sectarian Democratic Party and Protestant Independent Labor Party; he various minor parties sparked by the turbulent politics of the Lang era; post-war parties like the Democratic Labor Party; more recent parties such as the Australian Democrats, Greens, Fred Nile's Christian Democrats and One Nation; and key Independents like Frank Purdue, Douglas Darby, John Hatton, Ted Mack, Clover Moore and Richard Torbay.The book identifies the variety of political and policy ideas advanced by these minor parties and Independents. It traces their electoral activities, examining their campaigns, the way that their electoral chances have been affected by changes to electoral laws and their influence on election outcomes. It looks at their parliamentary influence, particularly in periods such as 1991 to 1995 when Independents held the balance of power in the Legislative Assembly. Finally, it discusses the organisational politics of minor parties and Independent supporter groups. For all their variety, these minor parties and Independents have been united in their opposition to major party machine politics.