Australian Workers party
See also: Workers party
The Australian Workers party ( Australian Labor Party in English, often shortened in ALP ) is a social democrat Political party in Australia resulting from the movement trade unionist.
The Australian workers party draws its origin from the founded Labor movements to the beginning of the year 1890 in the colonies which were going then to form the Australian federation, and in particular in Nouvelle Wales of the South and to the Queensland. It is besides in this last colony that Anderson Dawson, leader of the local members of the Labor Party, constituted the first social democrat government of the History. This one, however, lasted only one week, because it was minority.
One can however consider that the creation date of the ALP is that of May 8th, 1901, dates from the first meeting of the “parliamentary party” federal (i.e Labor deputies at the Australian federal Parliament).
History of the ALP
Very quickly, after its creation in fact on May 8th, 1901, the ALP took a place of very first plan in the Australian political life. In 1904, Chris Watson formed the first Labor federal government, while being based on a relative majority. In 1910, the Prime Minister Andrew Fisher could, him, to be based on an absolute majority. This same year, the ALP became majority in the rooms of the States of South Australia and Galle News of the South; the following year in Western Australia, and 1915 in Queensland.
These successes make ALP the first social democrat party reach the statute of governing party. It undoubtedly does not have with a militant base very popular and trade-union, but also very pragmatic, far away from the ideological debates which could divide the European Socialists. Without claiming Marxism, the ALP of the beginning of the 20th century set all the same like objective the construction of socialism, but did not undertake great reforms which would have called into question capitalism. If it creates a social protection system very advances some over its time and built a social legislation granting of the important rights to the workers, they does not attack the private property and forsakes possible nationalizations.
That does not prevent that the ALP lived internal difficult moments and serious attacks during its history.
In 1915, First Labor Minsitre, Billy Hughes, are repudiated by the majority of its deputies on the question of the concription. In full world war, it is favorable there, whereas its party disapproves. Hughes, which refuses to be subjected to this decision, is excluded from the party. With 24 of the 67 Labor deputies, it then founds the National Workers party (National Labor Party), which will amalgamate with the liberals to create, in 1917, the nationalist Party of Australia (Nationalist Party off Australia).
In 1931, it is the branch of Wales News of the South which makes secession of the federal party. At the origin, a basic dissension enters the Prime Minister of this state, Jack Lang, and the first federal minister about the policy to be carried out vis-a-vis the economic crisis. This internal cacophony with the party was not without consequences on the federal elections of this same year, where the ALP lost two thirds of its deputies. Lang and 3 of its close relations were elected. The scission will perdura until 1937, year when the ALP gave itself John Curtin as leader and introduced unit candidates in Wales News of the South. Jack Lang however caused a new scission in 1940. After having lost the direction of the members of the Labor Party of Wales News of the South to the profit of the left wing of the party, it impatienta vis-a-vis the excuses of the federal direction condemning its successors, who were in particular to pronounce against any implication of Australia in the War, approving the Pact Germano-Soviet tacitly. He created the Australian Workers party then (not-Communist), ALP (NC), which obtained 4 deputies with the elections of this year. The scission was regulated the following year, with the réadmission of all the elected officials of ALP (NC), except for Lang itself, within the federal party. ALP (NC), limited to the most restricted circle of the close relations of Lang, will perdura however until 1951.
The last important scission took place in 1954. Several elected officials of the State of Victoria, including 7 federal deputies, all catholics and very influenced by the social doctrines of the Church, constituted the Australian Workers party anticommunist (ALP-AC), after being excluded from the ALP for members of a splinter group activities. This party did not have any elected official with the elections of 1955, and changed its name into Democratic Workers party (Democratic Labor Party DLP), which never had a great influence on the Australian political life.
The ALP was excluded from the federal capacity of 1949 to 1972.
the ALP gained the elections of 1972, with Gough Whitlam like Prime Minister, but turned over in the opposition of 1975 to 1983. It was then with the capacity of 1983 until 1996 with Bob Hawke (1983-91), then Paul Keating. For this period (of 1974 to 1984), an increased conscience of the Australian specificity developed which resulted in particular in the referendum of 1977 on the exit of the Commonwealth and the adoption of the Australian national anthem Advance Australia Fair , distinct from traditional the God Save the Queen .
Since 1996, the ALP is in the opposition.
The current chief of the Australian workers party is Kevin Rudd. One of its more famous members is Peter Garrett, former singer of the group Midnight Oil, elected appointed in 2004. The ALP is member of the Internationale Socialist.
See too
Related articles
External bond
- Official site of the party
Simple: Australian Labor Party
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