Senate Lecture Series by George Megalogenis - Annual Harry Evans Lecture: Australia's multi-party system and its influence on scrutiny and accountability. · Polyfact

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Senate Lecture Series by George Megalogenis - Annual Harry Evans Lecture: Australia's multi-party system and its influence on scrutiny and accountability.

11 September 2026

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Contents updated on 11 Sept 2026

Introduction to the Harry Evans Lecture and its focus on the erosion of Australia’s two‑party system, followed by a historical account of Australia’s democratic foundations and the emergence of the Labor–Liberal duopoly as a centrist, non‑revolutionary party system.

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Lecture opening and origins of party system

12:44

Opening of Harry Evans Lecture and framing

12:44

Opening — Clerk introduces Harry Evans Lecture

12:44

Megalogenis — anecdote, Trump era and lecture aims

15:17

Historical democratic foundations and party system

17:56

Foundations of democracy and the male worker myth

17:56

Early two-party system and Lenin’s 1913 critique

22:07

Erosion of two-party dominance and Senate effects

25:28

Major-party decline and rise of multi-party politics

25:28

Graph 1 — Long-run decline of major party primary votes

25:28

Graph 2 — Historical third-party waves and current fragmentation

28:44

Senate dynamics under fragmented vote

32:26

Senate composition under multi‑party volatility

32:26

Demographic change and electoral realignment in Australia

37:15

Migration-driven demographic change and territorial identities

37:15

Identity shock — Australia becomes majority‑migrant

37:15

Capital–regional identity inversion and migration flows

41:24

Evolving voter demographics and party gender balance

45:32

Diverging migrant profiles and Liberal losses in cities

45:32

Median voter redefined — migrant professional woman

49:07

Parliamentary gender balance and party quotas

54:11

Electoral realignment — metro, regions and city–country split

59:43

Metro vs non‑metro primary votes since 2010

59:43

Farrer by‑election and regional city–country split

01:02:10

South Australia results — regional multi-party realignment

01:05:16

Media fragmentation, political identities and civic space

01:08:52

Media fragmentation, globalised identities and party system strain

01:08:52

Media ecosystem shift and weakening shared facts

01:08:52

Lowy poll — One Nation voters and Trump/Albanese perceptions

01:11:44

Emerging globalised identities and institutional strain

01:16:10

Q&A — political messaging, common language and civic space

01:19:20

Chair — transition to constrained Q&A

01:19:20

Q&A — common language, fear of electorate and depoliticised spaces

01:20:44

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Senate Lecture Series by George Megalogenis - Annual Harry Evans Lecture: Australia's multi-party system and its influence on scrutiny and accountability.

11 September 2026

Special Events Fri, 11 Sept 2026 Australian Parliament

12:44 - 14:08

Speaker 1

Good afternoon and welcome to the 2024 Harry Evans Lecture. My name is Richard Pye, I'm the Clerk of the Senate. Welcome to the theatre at Parliament House, Canberra. We meet here today where people have met for thousands of years, and I acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, who are the traditional custodians of the Canberra region. Pay my respects to their elders past and present, extend that respect to any indigenous people here today and watching us online, because today's lecture is being screened online on our YouTube channel and on the web.

You have to say these things these days. Today is the 10th annual lecture in honour of the late Harry Evans, the longest-serving Clerk of the Senate.

I'd like to extend a warm welcome to members of Harry's family who are here with us again today for this special occasion. I also want to acknowledge the presence in the audience today of the President of the Senate, Senator the Honorable Sue Lines. We have some other senators and members registered to attend today, so welcome. I'd like to extend a warm welcome to my predecessor, Dr. Rosemary Laing, former clerk of the Senate. Thank you for being here again, Rosemary, to honor our great mentor.

It's my pleasure to introduce today's presenter, George Megalogenis.

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