The Evolution of the Liberal Party of Australia Political Culture: from Classical Dogmas to Neoliberalism

The paper traces the main milestones in the history of liberal ideas and the political parties that arose on their basis in Australia. The process of shaping the ideology of the Australian bourgeoisie has been strongly influenced mainly by British and American political models and practices of the 19th and 20th centuries, adapted to local needs. As a result, by the beginning of the 21st century, the Australian liberals, turning to the neoliberal paradigm, completed the cycle in their development, returning, in fact, to those postulates that conservative by Australian standards politicians defended at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. However, these attitudes find few supporters in modern Australian society. At the same time, realizing their vulnerability in the contemporary situation, the leaders of the Liberal Party of Australia are nevertheless in no hurry to abandon the current rhetoric, preferring to adjust mainly the nuances of their political program.