Political parties: From private to public

Political parties can be distinguished in the degree to which they retain t heir status as private associations. A comparative framework based on this dimension is constructed for parties from different countries, and develope d in detail for Australian parties. Australian parties have sought the assi stance of the state, and in some cases changed their legal status, with the result that, inter alia, there is an increase in the likelihood that inter nal disputes will be resolved by the courts. This loss of privacy will resu lt not from a failure to maintain the integrity of their internal processes , or a conscious determination of the electorate to scrutinise their behavi our; but because they are becoming public organisations. Should their long history of self-regulation be overturned, the freedom of association which they have enjoyed may be curtailed by external regulation and scrutiny, wit h consequences for the way they operate.