A Plague on Both Your Houses Minor Parties in Australia

What will be the impact of Pauline Hanson and her One Nation party? Can it survive state and federal election campaigning. Could it come to hold a balance of power in the senate or state parliaments?

History says 'NO'. The Hanson party is the most recent of a long list of minor and single-issue parties which had similar hopes. Almost all failed. Only a handful escaped from a brief cycle of formation, involvement and disappearance.

But although minor parties have been the 'forgotten players' in Australian politics, they continue to be the source of new ideas, of new approaches; they are the signs of dissatisfaction with 'politics as usual'; they bring to the surface long-hidden concerns; they bring fresh views before the public. Not always serious, sometimes outrageous, usually focusing on 'fringe' issues, they can force the major parties to take notice of issues which otherwise would be ignored.

And, as voters show increasing volatility and proclaim a 'plague on both your houses', these minor players could become more influential.

This book is the first-ever study of these fascinating expressions of political grievance. It analyses their formation, nature, ideology, policies and success or failure. It describes their impact on the electorate, the party system, and the political imagination.