app/views/help/faq/_rebel.md
An MP or Senator rebels by voting against the
[party whip](https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/parliament-and-its-people/people-in-parliament/party-whip/). This is known as
[crossing the floor](https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/parliament-at-work/crossing-the-floor/).
Currently in the Australian Federal Parliament MPs and Senators nearly always vote along party lines.
Labor party members are not allowed to rebel. In the Liberal party
backbenchers are officially allowed to rebel but this is becoming increasingly uncommon in practise.
For more on the rules of the different political parties around rebellions see this 2002 Issues Brief from the Parliamentary library "[Free Votes in Australian and some Overseas Parliaments](http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Publications_Archive/CIB/cib0203/03CIB01#votes)"