Origins of Labor in Parliament
The Australian Labor Party is Australia's oldest political party, formed in 1891 and thus more than a century old. It is approximately 30 years older than the Country Party and more than 50 years older than the Liberal Party.
Labor became a federal party when the former colonies of Australia federated in 1901. Separate labour parties had been established in the colonies during the formative decade of the 1890s. These parties were sponsored by the trade union movement, to help get sympathetic politicians elected to colonial parliaments. In Western Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, there were no strong and coherent labour parties until after federation. However, by 1900 strong labour parties had emerged in Queensland and New South Wales, quickly taking up a prominent role in parliamentary politics. Australia's first Labor Government took office in Queensland in 1899, lasting seven days. Indeed this was the first labour government in the world.
Although these early labour parties were strongly influenced by the trade unions, they were never confined to union membership and interests. Their earliest programs and platforms show that they sought the support of farmers, small businessmen and non-union employees, including clerical and other white-collar workers. From the start the Labor Party was essentially a pragmatic and non-doctrinaire party, representing a broad range of social and economic interests. It was broad in appeal and moderate in aims, although this did not stop its opponents from attacking it as extremist.
The Australian Labor Party entered federal politics at the first Commonwealth elections of 1901, when 16 Labor members were elected to the House of Representatives and eight to the Senate. They met before the first sitting of Parliament on 8 May 1901 and agreed to form a federal Labor Party. JC (Chris) Watson, a Sydney printer and former member of the New South Wales Parliament, was elected the first leader of the Party.
During the early years of the ALP, the Party was referred to by various titles differing from colony to colony. It was at the 1908 Interstate (federal) Conference that the name 'Australian Labour Party' was adopted. In its shortened form the Party was frequently referred to as both 'Labor' and 'Labour', however the former spelling was adopted from 1912 onwards, due to the influence of the American labor movement.
First Labor Government
During the first decade of the Commonwealth, when the Australian Parliament was divided on the tariff issue between Free Traders, Protectionists and the Labor Party, the ALP gradually increased its numbers and influence. Initially the Labor Party was numerically weaker but more coherent and tightly organised than the amorphous free trade and protectionist factions. The support of the Labor Party was often decisive in getting important measures through the Parliament. Australia's first federal Labor Government took office in May 1904, with Chris Watson as the first Labor Prime Minister. It was a minority Government and lasted just over three months.
In the following years, the Labor Party mostly supported the liberal protectionist policies of Alfred Deakin. In October 1907 Watson was succeeded as leader by Andrew Fisher, a miner from Gympie in Queensland. Fisher formed the second Labor Government in October 1908, a minority Government which, with Deakin's support, lasted until 1909. At the elections of April 1910, Labor won a majority in both Houses and for the first time was able to embark on a program of reform and innovation. It founded a Commonwealth Bank, introduced a maternity allowance, established the Australian Navy, brought more employees within the scope of federal industrial law, took over the issuing of bank notes, and introduced a per capita system of payments to the states.
The Government was defeated in May 1913, but won a subsequent double dissolution election in September 1914. Fisher was again elected Prime Minister as Australia entered World War One. The Fisher Government was committed to the war and to the strong patriotic sentiments which it aroused. In October 1915, Fisher resigned to become Australian High Commissioner in London, and WM (Billy) Hughes, who had been prominent in Labor politics for more than 20 years, became Prime Minister.
Division and Frustration in Office
The ALP was the world's first successful Labor Party by an overwhelming margin; by 1915 it had formed three governments in the federal Parliament and had governed in all states, although only very briefly in Victoria. During the Great War Labor became, in effect, a victim of its rapid progress. Whereas Labor's equivalents in other nations involved in the conflict merely had to react to their respective governments' administration of the war, Labor in Australia had the onerous undertaking of directing their country's involvement in a conflagration far beyond anyone's expectation or experience. The resulting pressures created acute difficulties for the Party.
Labor's success at winning office meant that its governments could be judged on their record, and despite some achievements, inevitably sections of the labour movement were disappointed. In particular, important elements of the union leadership in the powerful states of Victoria and New South Wales were disappointed at what Labor governments had achieved, usually in times of economic difficulty. As employers in industries such as state railways and other state utilities, state Labor governments did not completely satisfy their union constituencies.
Bread and butter irritants became mixed with broader social and political differences among elements of the labour movement, and these pressures culminated in the great struggles over conscription in 1916 and 1917. Conscription was supported by a majority of leading Labor politicians and opposed by nearly all union leaders. The union officials and other elements within the Party used their control over the Party organisation to eject pro-conscriptionist politicians from the Party. In the process, the Federal Labor Government was destroyed. Hughes and 23 ALP parliamentarians left the Party and joined with the Opposition to form a Nationalist Government.
A weakened Labor Party struggled through the next ten years trying to re-establish the political supremacy it had lost in the conscription split. It was lead by Frank Tudor, who replaced Hughes, and then by Matthew Charlton. Both were solid trade unionists who could not match the popular appeal of the Nationalist Party leaders, Hughes and Stanley Melbourne Bruce. The Party did not recover until 1929 when the National-Country Party Coalition was defeated after it tried to impose punitive industrial legislation. The ALP won the election of October 1929, and its leader, JH (James) Scullin, became Prime Minister.
The Scullin Government was soon engulfed in a world-wide depression that hit Australia hard. Under such trying economic times it proved incapable of devising the policies needed to maintain living standards and social services, although it was badly hampered because it did not control the Senate. JA (Joseph) Lyons, a Minister in the Scullin Government, left the Labor Party with a group of dissidents opposed to the Government's economic policy. They joined with the Opposition to form the United Australia Party with Lyons as Prime Minister. The Scullin Government was defeated by the new Lyons group in the Parliament in November 1931 and lost the subsequent election.
Discontent which had simmered between the industrial and political wings of the labour movement broke out into open factional warfare during the 1930s. A number of Labor politicians at both federal and state levels were expelled, and splinter parties were formed.
The Curtin and Chifley Governments
Factional disputes within the Party were not quelled until late in the decade. Scullin was succeeded as federal leader in 1935 by John Curtin, who gradually rebuilt the federal Party and restored its electoral appeal and effectiveness. Curtin became war-time Prime Minister in October 1941. He gave resolute and inspiring leadership to the Australian people during the war and a group of experienced and capable ministers provided the administrative back-up needed for a successful war effort. The Curtin Government also devoted considerable attention to drawing up a blueprint for post-war reconstruction of Australia.
Curtin died in office in July 1945 and was succeeded by JB (Ben) Chifley, who implemented the ALP's plans for post-war reconstruction. The Chifley Government achieved some other notable, historic reforms, but was hampered by constitutional impediments. Electoral reaction against war-time austerity and post-war rationing and controls was an important factor in the defeat of the Chifley Government in December 1949. Chifley remained leader of the Parliamentary Party until his death in June 1951. Dr HV (Herbert) Evatt was subsequently elected leader. Labor narrowly lost the federal election of 1954 after the Coalition Government used the Petrov Royal Commission and anti-communist scare tactics as a cynical diversion.
The Split
Labor stayed out of government for 23 years after the defeat of the Chifley Government, largely due to 'the split' of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) from the ALP. During the 1940s and early 1950s strong pressures had built up within the labour movement over the activities of communists in the trade unions. The Communist Party was then a united and coherent political unit and a number of its members reached prominent positions in trade unions. This created problems for the ALP because it meant that part of its affiliated membership was under the leadership and influence of another political party. Counter movements were formed within and outside the ALP to fight communism.
In 1945 the ALP had set up Industrial Groups in some states to oppose Communists in union elections. 'The Movement', which operated as a secret organisation led by BA Santamaria, dominated many of the Industrial Groups and built up increasing influence within the Party itself. In a protracted struggle between 1954 and 1957, supporters of The Movement and the Industrial Groups were forced out of the ALP, which tacitly gave up any claim to intervene directly in union affairs. In the following years, the Communist Party split into three competing factions. No longer was there any large, powerful and united group of union leaders outside the ranks of the ALP.
The great purge of The Movement and the Industrial Groups left the ALP in an extremely weakened position. The Party lost three elections under Evatt, who resigned in 1960. Under a new leader, Arthur Calwell, Labor almost won the 1961 election, when the electorate swung strongly against the Menzies Government after a stringent credit squeeze. The Party's political fortunes declined in the following years, plunging to a disastrous defeat in the 1966 election, which was dominated by the participation of Australian troops in the Vietnam War and Labor's opposition to the war.
The Whitlam Years
Under a new leader, EG (Gough) Whitlam, the Party rapidly recovered in the closing years of the 1960s. Whitlam embarked on an ambitious program of policy reform, linking it with important changes in the Party machinery. Labor narrowly lost the 1969 election, but won comfortably in 1972 on the back of a ground breaking, modern campaign and an ambitious set of policy proposals.
Between 1972 and 1975 the Labor Government attempted a wide-ranging program of reform covering every area of public policy. It made many significant advances but its efforts were frustrated by an Opposition majority in the Senate. This sparked a double dissolution election in May 1974 which Labor won with a reduced majority, although it failed narrowly to win a majority in the Senate.
The Whitlam Government continued its program of reform and innovation, but during 1975 it was embroiled in a series of controversies. Opposition from the Senate mounted until October 1975, when it refused to pass supply for the functions of Government. This sparked a protracted political crisis which was resolved when the Governor General, Sir John Kerr, dismissed the Labor Government and appointed the Opposition led by Malcolm Fraser. Whitlam remained Party leader and oversaw two devastating defeats in the subsequent elections of 1975 and 1977.
Bill Hayden was elected leader of the ALP after the disastrous 1977 election defeat. His first tasks were to rebuild morale within the Party, and to re-establish its credentials as a genuine alternative government and manager of public finance. He presided over a comprehensive review of the Platform and organisational structure. In 1980 Hayden led the Party to within 13 seats of winning Government, providing the foundation for Labor's success over the next decade. Hayden stood aside as Labor leader for the popular former trade union leader, RJL (Bob) Hawke, on the eve of the 1983 election.
The Hawke and Keating Labor Governments
Labor was returned to office on 5 March 1983 with the election of the first Hawke Government. The new Government's first priority was to restore economic and employment growth, with a simultaneous attack on the high levels of unemployment and inflation, to tackle the legacy of economic mismanagement and social neglect of the Fraser Government. The improvements in Australia's economic performance, especially in employment and job security, flowed from the implementation of an innovatory economic policy, embodied in the Prices and Incomes Accord struck by the ALP and the trade union movement. This corporatist approach included greater consultation with the community, best illustrated by the National Economic Summit Conference, the Tax Summit, the Economic Planning Advisory Council (EPAC) and the Australian Labor Advisory Council (ALAC).
Bob Hawke remains federal Labor's most electorally successful leader. His Government was re-elected in 1984, 1987 and 1990, setting a Labor record of 4 successive terms. However, by late 1991, many in the labour movement had become concerned that the economic and political outlook was deteriorating severely, and with it the electoral prospects of the Government, and in December 1991 Paul Keating replaced Bob Hawke as Prime Minister after defeating him in a ballot for the leadership of the Party.
The Keating Government immediately set about addressing a wide range of social and economic issues facing Australia. Economic recession prompted the release of a package of stimulatory measures in a package titled 'One Nation'. Unemployment was also a major problem, countered by the release of 'Working Nation', a detailed employment policy. Enterprise bargaining was introduced in the industrial relations sphere, and financial assistance for families on low incomes was improved. At the same time, proposals were detailed to increase Australia's competitiveness on the international market, placing special emphasis on increasing trade with particular Asian countries. Indigenous affairs and the debate over an Australian head of state were also high on the Keating Government's list of priorities. Paul Keating went on to win a fifth term for Labor at the election held 13 March 1993, defeating the Liberal-National Coalition led by John Hewson.
The Hawke and Keating Labor Governments were responsible for a number of important reforms, including: the establishment of Medicare, designed to ensure a universal, comprehensive and fair system of health insurance guaranteeing a fair system of health cover for all Australians; the creation of more than 2 million jobs; increased financial assistance to families, especially those on low incomes, to help meet the cost of raising children; the introduction of policies to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of Australian industry and the introduction of enterprise bargaining into industrial relations; the establishment of the Prices and Incomes Accord which reduced industrial disputes to record low levels, an increase in the social wage, giving workers access to superannuation and creating a safer and fairer working environment; extensive reform of the taxation system, making it fairer and more efficient for individuals, as well as creating a competitive financial system attuned to the needs of the business sector; the integration of employment, education and training policies, to create job opportunities and, through Labor's training initiatives, to improve the skills of our workforce; improved school retention rates - under Labor seven out of 10 students completed secondary school compared with three in 10 in the early 1980s; increased emphasis on environmental issues, focussing on the importance of protecting the environment for the future, and on ecologically sustainable development; progress towards reconciliation with Aboriginal Australians, including the introduction of the Native Title Act (Mabo) in response to the decision of the High Court to recognise native title in Australia; the development of a National Agenda for Women, designed to keep women's issues on the political agenda, as well as promoting justice and equality for women, notably through the establishment of the Affirmative Action Agency; and the consideration of options, in consultation with the Australian community, for an Australian republic.
Despite this impressive record, Labor was comprehensively defeated at the election held 2 March 1996, ending the Party's 13 year reign.
Opposition
After the 1996 defeat Kim Beazley was elected unopposed as Labor's new federal leader. At the 1998 election, under Beazley, Labor was able to claw back much of the support lost in 1996. Labor's strong anti-GST campaign won 51 percent of the two party preferred vote, and saw the Party fall only a handful of seats short of government. In 2001, Labor was again narrowly beaten, this time after the Howard Government's cynical exploitation of asylum seeker issues in the aftermath of the arrival off Australian shores of the ship Tampa. After Labor's loss in the 2001 poll, Kim Beazley resigned from the leadership. His replacement, Simon Crean, was elected unopposed shortly after the 2001 election and immediately embarked on an aggressive program of policy revision and Party reform.
Mark Latham, replaced Simon Crean as Labor Leader on 2 December 2003. Under Mark Latham, Labor was defeated in the 2004 election. Mark Latham resigned as Labor Leader and Member for Werriwa on 18 January 2005. The Federal Labor Caucus elected Kim Beazley Labor leader unopposed on 28 January 2005.
On 4 December 2006 Kevin Rudd was elected leader of the Australian Labor Party, in a ballot of members of the Federal Parliamentary Party.
2007: The Rudd Labor Government
At the federal election of 24 November 2007, the ALP was elected to government, with Kevin Rudd as the new Prime Minister. To read Kevin Rudd's victory speech, click here. And to read an analysis of the campaign by ALP National Secretary Tim Gartrell, click here.