Democracy: Key Terms
Minority Government
A minority government exists where a government lacking an outright majority of seats depends for its survival on the support of other parties or independents who hold the balance of power in the lower House.
A party or coalition does not have to have an outright majority of seats in the lower house to be able to form a government. The key to the survival of a government in a parliamentary system depends on its ability to maintain the confidence, or support, of the lower house.
Equally, a government lacking the support of a majority can survive if the other groups in the House are unable to unite to express a lack of confidence.
Minority governments were common at the federal level in the first decade of Federation, but the last time a federal government was in a minority was between 1940-43. Following the 1940 election, the ALP had 36 seats, as did the coalition parties. The balance of power was held by two independents, Arthur Coles and Alexander Wilson. In 1941, Coles and Wilson withdrew their support from the coalition parties, transferring it to the ALP, thus making John Curtin the Prime Minister.
The current Bracks Labor government in Victoria is a minority government which survives with the support of three independents in the Legislative Assembly.
| Legislative Assembly - Victoria 2002 |
|---|
| Party | No. Seats |
|---|
| ALP | 44 |
| Coalition | 41 |
| Independents | 3 |
| Total | 88 |
The government would have a majority in its own right if it had 45 seats, one more than all other groups combined.
A similar situation existed in Tasmania between 1996-98:
| House of Assembly - Tasmania 1996 |
|---|
| Party | No. Seats |
|---|
| ALP | 14 |
| Liberal | 16 |
| Greens | 4 |
| Independent | 1 |
| Total | 35 |
Even though it was outnumbered by the combination of all other groups, the Liberal Party governed because the ALP and the Greens were unwilling to work together, as they had done some years earlier. The ALP would not support a no-confidence motion against the government, hence the government survived, despite lacking a majority of seats in the lower house.
As of February 12, 2002, South Australia faces the prospect of minority government, following the recent election. The possible state of the parties in the House of Assembly is:
| House of Assembly - South Australia 2002 |
|---|
| Party | No. Seats |
|---|
| ALP | 23 |
| Liberal | 20 |
| National | 1 |
| Independent | 3 |
| Total | 47 |
On the basis of these figures, neither the ALP nor the Liberal Party will be able to form a majority government without the support of the independent members.
Negotiations with the independents may result in a deal being struck for their support, such as making one of their number the Speaker of the House, or a minister. Alternatively, one or more independents may offer their support to the Liberals or Labor in return for the implementation of particular policies by the government.
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