SM,

Yes there are - but they're growing in number - and
more are forming.

Indi: There are already plenty of 3rd parties to mop up the protest votes such as Katter's party, the greens, one nation, etc.

Well yes, but I've already said that. Katter, One Nation, Xenophon & Leyeshon, etc, should amalgamate to form a Centrist Party, ensuring Party's like the Lefty Greens & other extremist Right Wing Groups are excluded.

The Extremist can amalgamate & form their own Left or Right Extremist Party's.

Jayb in those very different partys you bring here great differences exist.
Too many in my view to ever let them live and work in one tent.
Labor will not produce a third way, it is moving toward the center voters but what other place could they occupy?
Democrats once had promise, Meg Lee was it? killed that party.
count the votes,see how people vote and why.
Small parties form, but have they truly got a future?
a center Liberal party would bring at least 20 percent with them.
And in short time many more.

There is no room between the left wing of the Libs and the right wing of the Labs to fit another so-called centrist party. No such thing will happen unless the Libs move to the right or the Labs move to the left to create such a space. But at the moment they are each respectively moving the other way.

A third force needs to find a large(ish) unrepresented group as a base and no such group currently exists. Whatismore it is unlikely to exist while economic and social times are stable or reasonably good.

But when 'interesting' times arrive, the political landscape will change - and I remain convinced the political picture will change as the economy unravels due to the devastation rising interest rates and declining Chinese demand will reek.

At that time a new force will have a chance. That force will be on the right of the Libs. My current guess is that we'll finally see a break-away group from the Liberal right combining with the Nats and the various right-of-centre minor parties to form a formidable alliance.

At that time Australia will become a true three party state where each election will require post-election coalition negotiations. And the instability of that will exacerbate the decline.

Australia 2050 will be way down the league tables of wealthy nations as compared to Australia 2000. Something to look forward to.

But hey, there's always an upside. Less boat-people will want to come here and emissions will be down because of lower activity and people not being able to afford to power their homes. So win-win due the failures of our current leadership class.

I am not that pessimistic, our country is not going down the drain.
Yes our big two need to move forward.
Both have quite a bit.
Any student of Australian politics will know Sir Robert Menzies, founder of today's Liberals, in fact invented and formed a center Liberal party, and won election soon after, record breaking number of times.
Look back at his policies, understand he, by his success drove the ALP to reform, it was unelectable until it did.
No wish to offend anyone, think about it yourselves, why on the right has one nation failed to hold its Queensland vote in the rest of the country?
Why have the Greens failed other than in the Senate, to grow?
Middle Australia, *clearly* wants the two who we say are the two party prefered.
Within both is room for many views and policies,Labor, following voters not leaving its base,will continue to evolve.
But give it some thought, a Liberal party retrieving some of the ground it left as it went further right, is favorite to become the third force by returning to its roots

Belly: Middle Australia, *clearly* wants the two who we say are the two party preferred.

I don't think it's that at all. It's just that people, like yourself, belly, would vote for the Party's they have always voted for even if it meant total destruction of the Australian way of life.

Usually my father voted xxxx & my grandfather voted for the same xxxx therefore I will always vote for xxxx. Hence the "Gotcha & Ego Government" we are cursed with now-a-days. It's the swinging voter that decides who will govern the Country.