Back to the Liberal Links Page Structure of the Liberal Party Organisational and Parliamentary Wings The Organisational and Parliamentary wings of the Liberal Party each have clearly defined and separate roles. In the Liberal Party, the Organisational wing cannot dictate policy but consults with and advises the Parliamentary wing, particularly on the development of longer-term policies. The Organisational wing is based on the Party’s paid membership of supporters, and across Australia, the Liberal Party has more than 80,000 members in more than 2000 branches which are governed by their respective State Liberal Party structure - known as 'Divisions'. The Organisational wing is responsible for: the Party’s ‘Platform’ - the broad statement of Liberal fundamental beliefs and intentions; pre-selection of the Party’s candidates for elections; management and conduct of election campaigns; and fund-raising. The Parliamentary wing of the Liberal Party is made up of Federal and State parliamentarians. The Parliamentary wing is responsible for: the representation of electorates held by Liberal Party Members of Parliament the Liberal Party’s policies, strategies and parliamentary priorities guided by the principles contained in the ‘Party Platform.’ The Liberal Party of Australia is a federation of Divisions. There is one Division for each of the six states, as well as the Australian Capital Territory. The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party is an affiliate of the Liberal Party. Each of the Liberal Party’s seven Divisions are autonomous and have their own constitutions. Each Division has its own Party headquarters to service the State Organisation, as well as the State Parliamentary Party. They also assist Members of Federal Parliament in their home electorates. Each constitution of the Divisions lays out the structure of the Party for that State or Territory and lays down the rules of membership, election of office-bearers, pre-selection of candidates for both State and Federal Parliaments, and the policy advisory process. Each Division undertakes their own fund raising, their relations with other political parties, and the planning and conduct of their election campaigns, in conjunction with the Federal Secretariat. The Federal Secretariat The national headquarters of the Liberal Party is known as the Federal Secretariat. It is located in Canberra and provides professional support for both the Federal and State Organisations and the Parliamentary Party. The Federal Director is responsible for the overall co-ordination of the Secretariat’s activities and liaison with the State Divisions. The Secretariat is the Liberal Party’s national centre for administration, research and campaign planning. It offers assistance to the Divisions in State elections and is able to provide specialist support in such areas as policy development, research and strategic planning. It also co-ordinates the Liberal Party’s international relations. The Federal Secretariat is located at R.G. Menzies House in Canberra which was opened by the Party’s founder, Sir Robert Menzies in 1965. Committees The Federal Organisation has established a network of committees which contribute towards the maintenance and development of the Party’s Organisational objectives and policies and provides support to the Parliamentary party these include: Staff Planning Committee Advisory Committee on Policy Federal Finance Committee Federal Women’s Committee Federal Young Liberal Executive Federal Regional and Rural Committee Federal Secretariat staff also liaise with the Australian Liberal Students’ Federation and the Party’s overseas branches. Federal Council At the national level, the coordinating body of the Liberal Party is called the Federal Council. The Federal Council comprises eight delegates from each State - the State President, the State Parliamentary Leader, a representative of the Young Liberal Movement, a representative of the Women’s Section and four other delegates. The ACT has four delegates to Council. Other members of the Federal Council include Federal Parliamentary Leaders and Federal Office bearers of the Organisation. The Federal Council is responsible for the Party’s Federal Constitution and Federal Platform. It is the Organisational wing’s highest forum for debating Federal policies. Views of the Federal Council are not binding on the Parliamentary party, but do carry considerable weight as the stated position of the Organisation on a range of policy issues. Federal Executive Between meetings of Council, the management and control of the Party’s affairs are vested in the Federal Executive. The Executive, which is comprised of the Federal office bearers, the Divisional Presidents and the Federal Parliamentary Leadership Group, normally meets at least four times a year. The seven Divisions come together at the Federal level under a structure which draws together the self-contained Divisions into a national body and supports and services the needs of the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party. International Links The Liberal Party is a founding member of the Pacific Democrat Union and the International Democrat Union. These organisations link like-minded political parties around the world and work in co-operation to provide world-wide links on policy issues, campaigning techniques and foreign affairs matters.