Australian Labor Party

trade Union movement, with which it maintains close ties.
The party has individual and collective membership (affiliated trade unions that jointly determine party policy, select governing bodies, and determine candidates for public office). Most unions are affiliated with the ALP, and their membership fees make up a significant part of the party's finances. The party also has about 50,000 individual members.
The leader of the party is elected by parliamentarians who are members of the labour faction.
The party is a member of the Progressive Alliance and a former member of the Socialist international.

in the UK and New Zealand.
Starting in 1892, when the "Manifesto of the Queensland labor party" was read at the foot of the "tree of knowledge", the labor movement spread in certain States of Australia (New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria).In 1899, in Queensland, labor formed a minority local government for the first time in the world, but it lasted only a week.
With the formation of the Australian Union in 1901, state labor entered the country's Parliament and established the national party. The then-adopted program combined democratic and progressive demands (the introduction of universal suffrage and old-age pensions, mandatory arbitration in labor disputes, the abolition of conscription and the creation of the army on a voluntary basis) with the racist white Australia policy (against immigration to the country of Asian origin), which was only dropped in the 1960s.
Three years later, in 1904, party leader Chris Watson became Prime Minister and formed the first labour Cabinet in the Commonwealth. Over the next decade, the ALP formed a government three times: in 1904, 1908, 1910-1913 and 1914-1915, but then until 1941 came to power only in 1929-1931, and the rest of the time was ruled by the cabinets of the liberals and the Agrarian party.

world war, the party left its leader and Prime Minister Billy Hughes-a fierce advocate of total war, who created his own National labor party, then merged with the Liberal party of Australia, becoming the Nationalist party.
In 1920, a number of left-wing labor members left it to form the Communist party of Australia (in 1921-1922, the entire labor party and its associated unions moved to a more left-wing position under the influence of the 1917 revolution in Russia, declaring their goal to be "the socialization of industry, production, distribution and trade").
In 1931, part of the right wing led by Tasmanian Prime Minister Joseph Lyons formed the conservative United Australia Party, which was in power in 1931-1941. In 1955, another right — wing conservative splinter split from the ALP-the Australian labor party (anti-Communist), which later adopted the name Democratic labor party (DLP). The DLP was inspired by Catholic activist Bob Santamaria, the party's Federal President was former ALP MP Robert Joshua.

Liberal and National parties led by Robert Menzies, the ALP was in opposition in 1949-1972, losing even regional influence in the States by the 1960s. At the beginning of the Menzies government, labor supported his bill to ban the Communist party, but failed a referendum to make changes (including anti-Communist ones) to the Australian Constitution.
In 1957, at the 22nd Federal conference, the party's program declared its goal to be "the democratic socialization of industry, production, distribution, and exchange to the extent necessary to eliminate exploitation and other anti-social phenomena"; in addition, during its time in opposition, labor paid much attention to the development of economic planning programs.

During world war II, the labor government under John Curtin (1941-1945) sent Australian troops to the Pacific theater of operations, laying the Foundation for the future ANZUS Alliance with the United States.
After Curtin's death, Ben Chifley, who led the government in 1945-1949, under pressure from the left wing of the ALP, especially the trade unions, tried to implement the policy of democratic socialism by nationalizing a number of important industries and developing the public sector of the economy. In 1945, part of rail and air transport was nationalized, but the nationalization of banking was overturned by the Supreme court of Australia in 1947. Reforms were implemented in the sphere of social security and higher education, 40-hour working week was guaranteed, and benefits for miners were introduced. At the same time, the ALP tried to restrict the right to strike and suppressed strikes by force.

1949-1972: in opposition

conference defined the party as" democratic socialist", when in 1983 labor was able to form a one-party Cabinet again, it already stood on the position of economic liberalism. In the face of increasing economic crises, budget deficits and growing external debt, Prime Minister Bob hawke and his internal party rival, Finance Minister Paul Keating, led a policy of "austerity", privatization, the abolition of the tariff system for privatized state-owned industries, ending subsidies for unprofitable industries, cutting social spending, allowing foreign banks to enter the country.
Although Bob hawke led labor to relatively easy victories in the 1984 and 1987 elections and achieved some success (in the campaign against AIDS, in open dialogues between indigenous people and the government, on environmental issues), none of the labor governments was subjected to such criticism from party members as his. On the main issues of socio-economic policy, a sharp struggle developed between the right and left wings of the party, which reached a peak at the 36-38 conferences of the ALP in 1984-1988.
In 1991, the new party leader and Prime Minister was Paul Keating, who defeated Hawke in an internal party election.

Returning to power under the Premiership of Gough Whitlam (1972-1975), the party achieved a number of political and economic reforms — the abolition of the death penalty and universal military service, the provision of universal medical care, the introduction of free education in Universities, increased scholarships, increased public spending on primary and secondary education, and reduced tariffs. Some racial laws were repealed, and the natives received subsidies from the state. Australia stopped participating in the Vietnam war, and also normalized relations with the PRC, where Australian wheat began to be supplied.
The socially oriented political course of labor caused a negative reaction of large capital, and despite winning the election in 1974, in 1975, during the political crisis caused by opposition in the country's Parliament, the Governor-General of Australia, John Kerr, dissolved the Whitlam government and called new parliamentary elections, which were won by the center-right parties.

Edward Gough Whitlam (best known as Gough Whitlam) was an Australian statesman and the twenty - first Prime Minister of the country. Whitlam led the Australian labor party to power during the 1972 election and retained power after the 1974 election.

since the 1970s they have formed into official factions. The largest of them are:
"Labor Unity" (right) — supports the principles of the free market and the Union with the United States, is less sensitive to social issues;
"Socialist Left" (left) — stands for increased state intervention in the economy and against the Union with the United States, actively raises the topic of women's rights and aborigines. Julia Gillard, although formally part of the moderate wing of this faction (the"Ferguson left"), in practice conducted a social-liberal policy.
Since the 1980s, the labour party has drawn closer in its views to the liberal-national coalition, so that the differences between them are almost insignificant nuances.
Specifics of the labour party's approach:
support for state intervention in the economy and public life. The state must provide basic income and a "decent standard of living" for all members of society, quality and affordable housing, education and health care.
support for the principles of a free market, reducing trade barriers, and deregulating industry. At the same time, labour promises to mitigate the impact of these measures on ordinary people and implement them at a slower pace.
support for higher levels of immigration.
protection of the rights of aborigines and additional rights of sexual minorities, the right to abortion and euthanasia.
criticism of some aspects of Australia's relations with the US and the UK. At the same time, the party officially supports maintaining a close Alliance with the United States. Labor opposed the US invasion of Iraq (2003), but supported the invasion of Afghanistan (2001).
support for closer integration with Asian countries.

1991-96 (Prime Minister 1991-96)
Kim Beazley 1996-2001
Simon Crean 2001-03
Mark Latham 2003-05
Kim Beazley 2005-06
Kevin Rudd 2006-10 (Prime Minister 2007-10)
Julia Gillard 2010-13 (Prime Minister 2010-13)
Kevin Rudd in 2013 (Prime Minister in 2013)
Bill Shorten since October 2013

Chris Watson 1901-08 (Prime Minister 1904)
Andrew Fisher 1908-15 (Prime Minister 1908-09, 1910-13, 1914-15)
Billy Hughes 1915-16 (Prime Minister 1915-23, expelled from the party in 1916 and created the Nationalist party of Australia)
Frank Tudor 1916-22
Matthew Charlton 1922-28
James Scullin 1928-35 (Prime Minister 1929-32)
John Curtin 1935-45 (Prime Minister 1941-45)
Ben Chifley 1945-51 (Prime Minister 1945-49)
Herbert Evatt 1951-60
Arthur Colwell 1960-67
Gough Whitlam 1967-77 (Prime Minister 1972-75)