Socialist Party (Australia)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Socialist Party is a small Trotskyist political party in Australia affiliated with the Committee for a Workers International. The group began in 1985 as a small faction within the Australian Labor Party but left the ALP in the early 1990s when Labor and most social democratic parties internationally moved to the right. It then became known as Militant and then the Militant Socialist Organisation before becoming the Socialist Party.
The Socialist Party has led several campaigns including an occupation of Richmond Secondary College and heroin reform. It has also been involved in the campaign for the rights of refugees. In recent years it initiated a campaign for casual workers rights called Unite Union (Australia). It has also been involved in the anti-globalisation and anti-war movements .
The Party has received high election results for socialist candidates despite its decision not to join the Socialist Alliance in 2001. In November 2004 it was successful in getting Stephen Jolly elected to Yarra City Council, the first socialist councillor in Melbourne for over 50 years.
The Party has branches in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle and Perth and supporters in all other states. It publishes a bi-monthly newspaper called The Socialist which contains a left-wing perspective on news and current issues.
It is not connected to the party which was known as the Socialist Party of Australia from 1971 to 1996, which is currently called the Communist Party of Australia.
