Labor Party, Australian

Labor Party, Australian (ALP) Australia's oldest political party emerged in 1891 as the Political Labor League out of a number of labour groups formed in the second half of the nineteenth century, becoming a national parliamentary party after the first federal elections in 1901. It gained a vital stimulus from the general strike wave of the 1890s, which galvanized local Labor groups into action to achieve Labor representation in the state parliaments. While always trying to extend its appeal to farming, professional, and middle-class interests, it has relied on the support of working-class constituencies, with much of its active support coming from the relatively poor and disadvantaged Catholic community. Prominent Catholics in the ALP included Scullin, Curtin, Chifley, Lyons, Lang, and Keating. Its effective organization at grass-roots and parliamentary level gave the party considerable weight in the various state parliaments early on, and led to the modernization of other parties.

Labor formed its first governments at state level in Western Australia (1904–5) and Southern Australia (1905–9), and its first national government under Watson in 1904, and then under Fisher in 1908–9, 1910–13, 1914–15. While these governments established the ALP's credentials as a party that could be entrusted with power, they were relatively weak, since for the most part they were minority governments and faced a hostile Senate. The party was fundamentally split over the issue of compulsory military service overseas for Australia's effort in World War I. Despite its advocacy by prominent ALP leaders, the feeling against conscription among the rank and file was such that in 1916 a motion was passed expelling from the party all those who were in favour of conscription.

The subsequent breakaway of the National Labor Party fundamentally weakened the ALP, which lost the subsequent elections to the Nationalist Party led by its erstwhile leader, Hughes. It remained out of office until 1929, only to be divided again by Scullin's handling of the Great Depression, which was opposed by senior ALP members like Lang and Lyons. Benefiting from internal divisions and the organizational weakness of the United Australia Party, it gained office under Curtin in 1941 and, as the party who led the country successfully through the war, remained in office under Chifley until 1949. It increased federal powers against the individual states, and introduced some notable social reforms, such as the national housing policy, whereby 200,000 new homes were built for those with low incomes, 1945–9.

Deeply affected by the Cold War, the ALP was fundamentally divided over its stance on Communism. Many members criticized Evatt's successful intervention against the outlawing of the Communist Party, and his controversial handling of the Petrov Affair. Encouraged by Mannix and the Catholic Social Movement, a fiercely anti-Communist group broke away in 1955 to form the Democratic Labor Party in 1957. It was only under the able and charismatic leadership of Whitlam that the party finally managed to resume power, though its over-ambitious legislative programme and (once again) a hostile Senate brought about his downfall in 1975.

The ALP's longest spell in power under Hawke and Keating (1983–96) was based on a successful shift of Labor appeal to the political middle ground. They reduced inflation, introduced harmonious industrial relations, and liberalized the financial markets. Their populist and nationalist rhetoric also displayed a remarkable receptiveness to public opinion. This broadened the ALP's support so that at times it commanded a majority even in the Senate. Labour lost the 1996 elections to the Liberal Party under Howard, whose successful policies of economic liberalization made it difficult for the ALP to regain the political initiative. They also eroded further the ALP's electoral base among the working classes. The ALP came close to unseating the Howard governments in 1998 and 2001, but on the last occasion was outwitted when Howard chose to fight the elections on the issue of immigration and law and order. After the elections, the ALP's leader since 1996, Kim Beazeley, resigned and was replaced by Simon Crean. Faced with low morale and an identity crisis caused by its successive polling debacles, Crean lost the confidence of his party's rank-and-file and resigned in 2003. He was succeeded by the outspoken Mark Latham (b. 1951). Latham represented generational change, but youthfulness was an ambiguous asset against an experienced and popular Prime Minister.

http://www.alp.org.au