The great shrinking of the vote for Australia's major political parties

Not much joy for the Liberal-National coalition and the Labor Party in today's political research news. In The Australian Newspoll had the two parties share of the vote at just 72%. That's five percentage points down on the share at the last election. And in The Sydney Morning Herald a report on what focus groups have found about the current feeling of voters towards the big two had this to say:
The distaste for both major parties did seem to create an opportunity for the minor parties; One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and independent senator Derryn Hinch were praised for speaking their minds. Some voters named the Greens as a potential alternative yet none could name the party leader, Richard Di Natale, nor his predecessor.
No hint there of a change in the long-term trend that has seen a steady shrinking of the support for Australia's major parties.


Major party first preference votes
(House of Representatives)
PeriodNumber of electionsAverage major party vote
1950s494.2
1960s490.5
1970s492.4
1980s492.2
1990s484.4
2000s383.6
2010s379.1

The decline is even more pronounced in Senate voting figures.

Major party first preference votes
(Senate)
PeriodNumber of electionsAverage major party vote
1940s195.3
1950s492.0
1960s388.3
1970s486.7
1980s484.4
1990s480.5
2000s378.8
2010s368.9

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