AUS Government Uptime Monitor

What is a government shutdown?

In some countries like the United States, when Congress fails to pass funding legislation, the federal government can enter a "shutdown" where non-essential services cease operation. Federal employees may be furloughed, and many government functions halt until funding is restored.

Why is Australia different?

Australia operates under a Westminster parliamentary system. Unlike the US system, the Australian government cannot experience a shutdown in the same way. If the government loses the confidence of Parliament or cannot pass supply (budget) bills, it typically triggers either a change of government or a general election, but essential government services continue to operate.

The 1975 Constitutional Crisis

The only major supply crisis in Australian history occurred in 1975 when the Opposition-controlled Senate blocked supply bills. This led to Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissing Prime Minister Gough Whitlam on November 11, 1975. Malcolm Fraser was appointed as caretaker Prime Minister, supply was passed, and elections were held. While this created a constitutional crisis, essential government services continued to operate throughout.

Service Outages vs Government Shutdowns

While Australia hasn't experienced government shutdowns, various government services have experienced technical outages over the years (myGov, Census, Medicare, etc.). These are tracked separately from political/constitutional disruptions and are shown in yellow on the timeline above.

Data Sources & Methodology

• Historical data from Parliament of Australia and Parliamentary Education Office
• Service outage data from ABC News, 9News, and official government announcements
• Current service status from official status pages (when available)
• All incidents are verified against multiple sources before being added

This site is inspired by usa-status.com and serves as an educational comparison of different governmental systems.

Want to contribute data or report an incident? Open an issue on GitHub