AUSTRALIA AND THE EMERGENCE OF THE MODERN 2-PARTY SYSTEM

Although the Australian party system is accepted in some literature as a ''classic'' example of a two-party system, information about how th is system came about does not feature prominently in international stu dies on political parties. It is here argued that Australia indeed bla zed the trail for the two-party model by being the first to link parli amentary organisation directly to a mass electorate.