Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is a big political party in Australia. It is one of the two main parties in the country and has been around since 1891, making it the oldest active party in Australia. The party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum and is often called the party of unions because of its close ties to workers and trade unions.

The Labor Party started in 1891 and has been part of many important moments in Australian history. In 1904, it formed the world's first government led by a labour party. After Australia became a country in 1901, the Labor Party began taking part in national elections. In 1910, it became the first party in Australia to win a majority in the country's parliament.

Since 1910, the Labor Party has either been the ruling party or the opposition in every election. Today, it is the ruling party at the federal level, having won the 2022 federal election. The party also governs in five of the eight states and territories. It is part of a global group of progressive parties called the Progressive Alliance.

History

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is Australia's oldest active political party, founded in 1891. It is one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the Liberal–National Coalition.

People once spelled the party's name in different ways, using both "Labor" and "Labour". The party later chose "Labor" without the "u". It added "Australian" to its name to be clear and to show its focus on Australia.

The ALP started with workers' groups and unions, especially after a big strike in 1891. Early Labor leaders won seats in state parliaments and even formed the world's first stable Labor government in South Australia in 1905. At the national level, Labor first entered parliament in 1901 and formed its first minority government in 1904 under Chris Watson, the youngest prime minister in Australian history.

Labor later formed Australia's first elected federal majority government in 1910 under Andrew Fisher. Over the years, Labor has moved between being in government and in opposition. The party has supported workers' rights and social welfare. The party has also had some disagreements and splits.

In recent years, Labor has continued to move between government and opposition. Anthony Albanese led Labor to victory in the 2022 federal election, bringing the party back to power. The party has had both successes and challenges in state elections across Australia.

Party structure

The Australian Labor Party National Executive is the main group that helps run the party. It follows the rules set by the party's big meeting, called the national conference. This meeting happens every three years. People from each state and territory decide the party's plans and pick leaders.

The party has leaders in the government who help guide it. Right now, Anthony Albanese is the leader, and Richard Marles is the deputy leader.

The Australian Labor Party has groups in each state and territory. These groups work on elections and make decisions about the party's plans. People join by paying a fee, and many worker groups also support the party. Members meet to talk about the party's work and pick leaders for their areas.

The party also has a special group for younger members called Australian Young Labor. This group is for anyone under 26 years old. It helps bring new ideas and leaders to the party.

Ideology and factions

The Australian Labor Party calls itself a democratic socialist party. It wants to make work, making things, and trading fairer for all people. This idea began in 1921 but was later changed to also support private business and property rights. Since the 1940s, Labor governments have not tried to take over private businesses, and have even allowed some to be sold.

The party has different groups, called factions. The two biggest are the Labor Left, which supports democratic socialist ideas, and the Labor Right, which follows social democratic traditions. These groups have smaller factions in different states, like Centre Unity in New South Wales and Labor Forum in Queensland.

Some worker groups, called trade unions, support the Labor Party and align with these factions. Important unions for the right include the Australian Workers' Union, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, and the Transport Workers' Union of Australia. Important unions for the left include the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, United Workers Union, the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union, and the Community and Public Sector Union.

Policies

National platform

The Australian Labor Party has a plan called the National Platform. This plan is approved every three years by people who meet at the National Conference. Many people help make this plan, including members from different parts of Australia, local groups, and government teams. The plan helps guide the party in making decisions and trying to win elections.

Policy Action Caucuses

The Australian Labor Party has many groups to help members work together and support important ideas. These groups are called Policy Action Caucuses. They focus on different topics or help make sure everyone is included. These groups have different names in different parts of Australia, like Equity Groups in Queensland or forums and caucuses in other places.

Election results

House of Representatives

Results timeline

The Australian Labor Party has been in many elections. How well it does in these elections shows how much support it has from voters. The results help us understand the party’s history and its place in Australia’s government.

Election reviews

Donors

See also: Political funding in Australia

The Australian Labor Party gets most of its money from small donations and support from trade unions. In 2023–24, the party received money from different sources. One of its biggest donors gave a large amount. Other major donors included unions and some companies.

A report from 2019 showed that the Labor Party received a smaller amount of money from groups that support gun rights during a certain time period.