Socialist Left (Australia)

Tanya Plibersek, Deputy ALP Leader and Socialist Left member.

The Socialist Left also known as Labor left or the Broad Left in some states, is a faction of the Australian Labor Party. The Left is an organised political faction that advocates within the party for traditionally Labor interventionist and socialist economic policies. However, since the party reforms by Gough Whitlam in the 1970s, the Left has also been the principal champion in the party of socially liberal values, such as women's rights, gay rights, reconciliation with Aboriginal Australians and land rights. It advocates an independent foreign policy which benefits Australia and its citizens rather than its foreign allies as many members of the faction are unenthusiastic about the Australia–US Alliance.

History of the Socialist Left faction

Historically, the name "Socialist Left" is a truncation of the full faction's name, the "Combined Unions Socialist Left". This was first adopted by the left-wing of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party.

Federal executive intervention

The NSW 'Steering Committee', or the 'Socialist Left' began as a reaction movement to the anti-communist campaigns by the 'Groupers' led by B.A. Santamaria in 1955.

Industrial Groups of the ALP existed to counter Communist Party of Australia activities within trade unions. In 1955, the majority of the branches and members of the Victorian branch were expelled with similar moves, although to a much lesser extent, in New South Wales.

The formation of the faction occurred after intervention by the Federal Executive of the party into the Victorian branch. The Federal Executive's intervention resulted in the sacking of its elected officers and dissolution of the branch in 1970. Gough Whitlam sought to modernise the Victorian branch to increase its chances of electoral success. Dismissed officers are tabled below.

Response to dismissals

In response to their dismissal, Hartley and Crawford formed the Socialist Left as a rank and file organisation to propagate socialist views within the Australian Labor Party. It published a fortnightly newspaper called Action that covered union, community and internal party matters. The faction emerged from intervention as the largest faction with strong discipline and a program of monthly general meetings.

The faction also drew considerable support from the trade union movement, especially from figures such as Ken Carr and Jim Roulston. Incidentally, George Crawford was also a prominent leader in the Plumbers and Gasfitters Employees Union of Australia.

The faction's membership included several notable members of state and federal parliament including Bill Brown, Jim Cairns, Kim Carr, Moss Cass, Bruce Childs, Joan Coxsedge, Arthur Gietzelt, Gerry Hand, Brian Howe, Dr Harry Jenkins, Joan Kirner, Andrew Theophanous and Tom Uren.

Expulsion of Bill Hartley

Founding faction chairman, Bill Hartley was expelled from the Australian Labor Party in 1986, despite being regularly elected to Federal Executive and the National Conference of the ALP, because he was found to have brought the Party into disrepute by reason of his persistent public criticism of Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke.

Contemporary Left Faction

The Left is the smaller of the two main factions in the federal Caucus. Under factional agreements, the Labor Leader in the Senate comes from the Left, their Deputy from the Right, ordinarily the reverse of the situation in the House of Representatives. Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard of the left is a historical exception. Key members of the Left include the Deputy Leader and Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek, former Keating, Rudd & Gillard government minister, Senator John Faulkner, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Penny Wong, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Rudd & Gillard government minister and current Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Anthony Albanese and Shadow Ministers Jenny Macklin & Mark Butler. Most Labor state premiers and chief ministers usually come from the Right, notable recent exceptions being Queensland's Anna Bligh, South Australia's Jay Weatherill, Tasmania's Lara Giddings and the Australian Capital Territory's Katy Gallagher. On a state and territory branch level, the Broad Left is currently the dominant faction in Western Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and has recently taken back control over the Queensland branch from the major right-wing faction, the AWU-aligned Labor Forum after over two decades.^[1]

Labor Left factions from all jurisdictions

Federal Members of the Left

References

Further reading

• Barcan, Alan, (1960) The socialist left in Australia 1949-1959 Sydney : Australian Political Studies Association (Occasional monograph (Australian Political Studies Association)) no. 2.
• Leigh, Andrew, (2000) Factions and Fractions: A Case Study of Power Politics in the Australian Labor Party Australian Journal of Political Science, 2000, volume 35, issue 3, pages 427-448
• Bongiorno, Frank (2014) The New South Wales Left at 60 NSW Left Website

External links

• http://www.challengemagazine.com.au Challenge website (A Publication of the Socialist Left)
• http://www.nswleft.com/ NSW Socialist Left website
• http://www.plus.org.au/ SA Socialist Left website
• http://theleft.org.au/ QLD Socialist Left website
• http://www.chifleyshill.com/ National Young Labor Left website