With the election for the 48th parliament of Australia approaching, perhaps the only thing more important than voting at all, is understanding who you’re voting for.
To make an educated and informed vote for who you believe would best represent your interests in the government, a good place to start is learning about the current major party leaders of Australia.
Who are Australia’s major party leaders?
Australian Labor Party: Anthony Albanese
Anthony Albanese is the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), and the current prime minister of Australia.
Before joining parliament, Albanese studied economics at the University of Sydney, while working part time at a local Commonwealth Bank branch.
He is the local member for the electoral division of Grayndler, located in inner-western Sydney.
The Australian Labor party is the major centre-left, progressive political party of Australia.
Liberal Party: Peter Dutton
Peter Dutton is the current leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and the Liberal-National Coalition, succeeding Scott Morrison.
He served as a Queensland Police officer for nine years, while studying a bachelor of business part time at the Queensland University of Technology.
Dutton now occupies the seat of Dickson, which covers a large portion of North-West Brisbane.
The Liberal Party of Australia makes up half of the Liberal-National Coalition, and is centre-right conservative on the political spectrum.
The Nationals: David Littleproud
David Littleproud recently succeeded Barnaby Joyce as the leader of The Nationals, an the deputy leader of the Liberal-National Coalition.
Littleproud worked as an agribusiness banker for the National Australian Bank and Suncorp for much of his early life.
He represents seat of Maranoa, which extends across the Southern Outback.
The National Party makes up the second half of the Liberal-National Coalition, and is a right-wing conservative political party.
The Greens: Adam Bandt
Adam Bandt is the leader of The Australian Greens.
Bandt graduated from Murdoch University as a qualified lawyer with bachelor’s degrees in both law and arts. He then worked as a partner at Slayter & Gordon Lawyers.
He is the MP for the Division of Melbourne, which encompasses much of inner Melbourne city.
The Australian Greens is the primary far-left progressive political party of the country.
One Nation: Pauline Hanson
Pauline Hanson is the leader of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation (commonly known as simply, One Nation).
Hanson entered Australian politics at age 40, before which she worked a range of part time gigs, including at her family’s fish & chip shop, Woolworths, a local chemist, a bowls club, and more.
She was originally a member of the LNP, however, was disendorsed by the party mid- election.
To the LNP’s surprise, the election ended in Hanson winning her seat. This resulted in her entering parliament as an independent, and later forming One Nation.
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is Australia’s most prominent far-right conservative political party.
How have they voted on key issues in the past?
Understanding how our major party leaders have consistently voted over the years can help voters gain valuable insight into what both them and their parties stand for.
For further research on any specific politicians past voting, the independent not-for-profit Open Australia Foundation has an online website They Vote For You where this information is accessible for free.
Build a Ballot is another free, independent online tool where you can find similar information about the candidates on your local electorate’s ballot papers.
The following information is sourced from They Vote For You, which draws from the public list of past and current parliamentary bills and legislation, as well as the Australian Hansard.
Taxation and the economy
This category includes policies related to Australia’s taxation rates, as well as changes to fiscal policy.
Reducing taxation on low income taxpayers
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
Reducing taxation on large corporations
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted against this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted for this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted for this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted against this.
- Pauline Hanson was absent two of the three times this was proposed in parliament.
Stopping tax evasion and abusive tax minimisation
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson has voted a mixture of for and against this.
Decreasing availability of Centrelink payment schemes
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted against this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted for this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted for this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted against this.
- Pauline Hanson has consistently voted for this.
Stopping weekend and public holiday pay rates
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted against this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted for this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted for this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted against this.
- Pauline Hanson has voted a mixture of for and against this.
Increasing prices of Medicare subsidised medicine
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted against this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted for this.
- David Littleproud was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted against this.
- Pauline Hanson was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
Increasing Indexation and Interest on university HECS debts
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted against this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted for this
- David Littleproud was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted against this.
- Pauline Hanson was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
Removing or increasing the maximum price limit of commonwealth supported university courses
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted against this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted for this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted for this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted against this.
- Pauline Hanson was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
Budget allocation
This category includes policies related to areas the government could allocate a larger share of funding within the federal budget.
Free TAFE/CIT
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
Increasing funding for university education
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson has consistently voted against this.
Increasing purchasing power of homebuyers
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson has consistently voted against this.
Increasing investment in sustainable energy
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson has consistently voted against this.
Increasing funding for rural and regional Australia
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
Federal Government action for public housing
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson has consistently voted against this.
Environment and climate change
This category includes policies relevant to the threats of climate change, global warming, pollution, finite resources, and the like.
Career transition assistance for coal industry employers and employees
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson has consistently voted against this.
Aiming to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson has consistently voted against this.
Adhering to the United Nations Paris Climate Agreement
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson has consistently voted against this.
Enforcing laws on illegal commercial logging
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson has consistently voted against this.
Increasing marine conservation efforts
- Anthony Albanese has voted consistently for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson has consistently voted against this.
Federal action to prevent further plant and animal extinctions
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
- Adam Bandt was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
- Pauline Hanson has consistently voted against this.
Social/ethical issues and equality
This category includes policies relevant to a range of social and ethical issues, as well as equality within society.
Women’s reproductive bodily autonomy and independence
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson was absent two of the three times this was proposed in parliament.
Same-sex couple and LGBT+ community equality and recognition
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud absent when this was proposed in parliament.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
Increasing availability of contraceptive medicine, birth control and abortion services
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
- Adam Bandt was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
- Pauline Hanson was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
Increasing gambling regulations
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson has consistently voted against this.
Business, government, and laws
This category includes policies related to the structure of the Australian Government, Regulations on large corporations, transparency, and consumer rights.
Selling government services, departments, and assets to private corporations
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted against this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted for this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted for this.
- Adam Bandt was absent one of the two times this was proposed in parliament.
- Pauline Hanson has consistently voted for this.
Limiting foreign ownership of Australian assets, businesses, land, etc.
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
- Adam Bandt was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
- Pauline Hanson was absent when this was proposed in parliament.
Increasing public information and transparency of large corporations
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson has voted a mixture of for and against this.
Increasing public information and transparency of parliament
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson has consistently voted against this.
Increasing consumer protections
- Anthony Albanese has consistently voted for this.
- Peter Dutton has consistently voted against this.
- David Littleproud has consistently voted against this.
- Adam Bandt has consistently voted for this.
- Pauline Hanson has voted a mixture of for and against this.
Canberra
Home to Parliament House and many of Australia’s key government departments, our nations capital is a young and rapidly growing city which recently ranked second globally for quality of life in the Oxford Global Cities index.
How do the major party leaders feel about our city?
Anthony Albanese
Following his election as prime minister, Anthony Albanese moved full-time to Canberra.
In a 2022 interview with The Canberra Times, Albanese said ” It’s the national capital. And that is important.”.
Anthony Albanese currently lives in The Lodge, located in Deakin, Canberra. It is the official primary residence for Australian prime ministers.
The Lodge is a historical and opulent mansion on a 4 acre property, however, despite its classic appearance, it underwent a major renovation in 2015, and now boasts all the comforts of a modern home.
“I’m already at The Lodge. I have moved most of my personal effects from my flat in Canberra there across to The Lodge plus some things down from Sydney,” said the Prime Minister.
“I’m pretty much a Canberran these days.”
Peter Dutton
The opposition leader currently lives in Dayboro, North Brisbane.
On air on KIIS 106.5, Peter Dutton revealed that he would not move to the capital city if elected prime minister in the upcoming election, and would choose Kiribilli House instead.
Living in The Lodge is not mandatory for prime ministers. Previous prime minister Scott Morrison opted to live full time in the official secondary residence, Kirribilli House, Sydney.
“We love Sydney, we love the harbour, it’s a great city, and so yes — I think I’ll take Sydney any day over living in Canberra,” he said.
In Dutton’s budget reply speech, he also announced that if elected, his party would work to reverse a range of Labor’s economic expansions, including in the public service.
“We will reverse Labor’s increase of 41,000 Canberra-based public servants,” said Dutton.
The smaller parties
Pauline Hanson is a proud Queenslander who has lived in the state for her whole life.
In her series of short cartoons Pauline Hanson’s Please Explain, she describes Canberra as a “Swamp.”
Hanson says the city is a “Murky world of red tape and bureaucrats.”
There are no records of Adam Bandt making positive nor negative comments about the capital city, however, he is hopeful for his Canberra Greens candidates in the election.
Christina Hobbs, Greens senate candidate was born in Canberra and believes “it is the most beautiful city in the world to live.”
“Canberrans are people who care about each other, about the beautiful and precious environment that we get to live in, they care about inequality,” Said Isabel Mudford, Canberra Greens candidate for the house of representatives.
Like Adam Bandt, David Littleproud has few comments on record regarding Canberra.
However, in an interview with the ABC he did say that the city could use some “common sense” and “diversity” which he believes federal Nationals candidate Mia Davies could bring.
This year’s federal election is shaping up to be one of the most dynamic of all time.
Whether you base your vote for our next prime minister on their personality, their policies, or how you believe they could benefit the city you call home, its important to stay informed to ensure you’re acting in your own best interest.
Every vote counts, to make sure you can correctly get yours in, visit the AEC How to Vote guide.