The Australian Liberal Party: Ideas, Organisation and Policy Challenges in a Changing World

Abstract

This panel offers an in‑depth exploration of Volume 1 and Volume 2 of the new two‑part collection The Australian Liberal Party (Routledge 2026), co-edited by Zareh Ghazarian, Matteo Bonotti, and Marija Taflaga. Together, the two volumes provide the most comprehensive contemporary analysis of the Liberal Party of Australia to date. The volumes examine the party’s historical development, organisational evolution, ideological traditions, policy approaches, and electoral behaviour, situating the Liberal Party within broader debates about the role and resilience of major right‑of‑centre parties in liberal democracies. They bring together leading scholars to assess how the party has navigated shifting social values, demographic change, internal factionalism, and increasing volatility in the Australian party system. Collectively, the volumes illuminate how political parties mediate between societal pressures and institutional continuity, and how their organisational choices shape both policy outcomes and democratic stability. While the panel will provide an overview of the themes and contributions across both volumes, it will place particular emphasis on four chapters that highlight some of the most significant pressures confronting the Liberal Party today. From Volume 1, Chapter 12: ‘“Dark Forces”: The Liberal Party in South Australia’ (Rob Manwaring and Josh Sunman) examines the long‑standing factional and ideological divides that have undermined the South Australian division’s electoral performance. Even under Steven Marshall’s reform‑oriented leadership, persistent internal conflict and competing traditions contributed to instability and ultimately defeat, offering a revealing case study of the broader identity challenges facing moderate liberalism. From Volume 2, three chapters illustrate national‑level pressures. Chapter 1: ‘Total Control: The Liberal Party and Asylum Seekers’ (Amy Nethery) traces how the Liberals came to politically ‘own’ Australia’s deter‑and‑punish asylum policy over several decades, using the immigration portfolio to cultivate strong leadership credentials and wedge Labor electorally. Chapter 4: ‘Do the Liberals have a “Woman Problem”?’ analyses the party’s gender crisis—manifested in underrepresentation, declining support among women voters, and a toxic internal culture—and its consequences for electoral competitiveness. Chapter 8: ‘Are Millennials and Gen Z Voters Endangering the Australian Liberal Party?’ (Intifar Chowdhury) examines the generational realignment that has produced declining support among younger voters, driven by shifting values, climate concerns, and the erosion of traditional partisan loyalties. Together, these chapters underscore how organisational instability, policy hardening, gendered cultures, and demographic transformation intersect to shape the Liberal Party’s contemporary challenges and future trajectory. The panel brings together scholars of Australian politics, party organisation, and comparative political studies to spark new conversations about how major parties can remain effective, cohesive, and electorally viable in an era of rapid political change.

Title	Details
‘Dark forces’: The Liberal Party in South Australia	View Paper Details
Total Control: The Liberal Party and Asylum Seekers	View Paper Details
Do the Liberals Have a ‘Woman Problem’?	View Paper Details
Are Millennials and Gen Z Voters Endangering the Australian Liberal Party?	View Paper Details