00:00Two major parties dominate Australian politics, the Labor Party and the Liberal Party.
00:06If you don't follow politics much, here's what they're all about.
00:08Typically, Labor is more to the left of the political spectrum,
00:10and the Liberals are more conservative, to the right.
00:12They don't always behave exactly that way though, but that's mostly the position they sit in.
00:16Currently, the Labor Party is in government.
00:18The party is driving values, strengthening workers' rights,
00:21access to health care and education for all,
00:23and a strong social safety net for the most vulnerable.
00:25Labor first formed government in 1904,
00:27and it's responsible for historic policies like Medicare,
00:30government-provided paid parental leave, and the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
00:33Labor is backed by the Labor Movement, aka unions.
00:36This is something that attracts both praise and criticism, depending on who you ask.
00:40Critics say they're too close to the unions, that they don't crack down on them enough.
00:43But fans of the party say the connection to the Labor Movement
00:46means the party better represents the interests of everyday workers.
00:49It's led by the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese.
00:51We're going to have a video on him soon, so you can find out a bit more about him.
00:53The Liberal Party is in opposition.
00:55They're in a partnership with the Nationals, called a coalition.
00:57These two parties are always in coalition,
00:59because without it, neither of them would actually really have a hope
01:01of forming a majority government.
01:03Of the two, the Liberals are the bigger party.
01:05We're going to cover what the Nats are all about in our next video on minor parties.
01:08The Liberals' key values are smaller government with less regulation and rules
01:11to make the private sector more efficient,
01:13freedom of the individual to do, say and believe what you want,
01:16and free enterprise.
01:17The modern version of the Liberal Party was founded in 1944.
01:20Over the years, when they were in government,
01:22they implemented strong gun control laws after the Port Arthur Massacre.
01:25They established the GST,
01:26and they set up Australia's nuclear submarine pact with the US and the UK,
01:30known as AUKUS.
01:31The Liberals are often viewed as aligned with business,
01:34and like the relationship between Labor and the unions,
01:36this draws both praise, but also pushback.
01:38Some say the party represents the needs of small businesses,
01:41and others argue it advances the interests of big businesses
01:44over those of the wider community.
01:45The party's leader is Peter Dutton.
01:47We're going to be putting up a video on him soon, too.
01:49So you might know who you want to vote for,
01:51but what about how to vote?
01:53Check out the rest of Politics Explained
01:55for more info on how, when and where to do it.
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