Women and Representation: Cross-Party Collaboration in the Australian Federal Parliament

Abstract

The Parliament of Australia has been host to a rare phenomenon of ‘cross-party collaboration’ (CPC), in which politicians work together across party lines by co-sponsoring a bill or voting together in a conscience vote. CPC points to gaps in political parties' platforms, leading individual politicians to seek representation of issues outside party divisions. This article explores the phenomenon of CPC and outlines different ways it has been used by politicians. As will be demonstrated, CPC in the Australian context is relatively gendered as mainly women politicians have used it to advance socio-moral issues, suggesting an alternative style of representation.