Labor Right
Labor Right | |
---|---|
National Convenor(s) | Matt Thistlethwaite, Don Farrell and Raff Ciccone[1] |
Student wing | Student Unity |
Ideology | |
Political position | Centre to centre-left[5] |
National affiliation | Australian Labor |
Colours | Red |
Seats in the House of Representatives | 42 / 151 |
Seats in the Senate | 11 / 76 |
Federal Caucus | 53 / 103 |
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Labour politics in Australia |
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The Labor Right, also known as Modern Labor or Labor Unity, is a political faction of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) at the national level that is characterised by being more economically liberal and, in some cases, more socially conservative.[6] The Labor Right is a broad alliance of various state factions and competes with the Labor Left faction.
State branches
Factional power usually finds expression in the percentage vote of aligned delegates at party conferences. The power of the Labor Right varies from state to state, but it usually relies on certain trade unions, such as the Australian Workers' Union (AWU), Transport Workers Union (TWU), the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) and the Health Services Union (HSU). These unions send delegates to the conference, with delegates usually coming from the membership, the administration of the union or local branches covered by their activists.
State-based factions (national sub-factions) which make up Labor Right include:
- New South Wales
- Centre Unity.
- Queensland
- Labor Forum (dominated by the AWU).[7]
- Australian Capital Territory[8]
- Centre Coalition.
- Victoria
- Labor Centre Unity (The Shorts: consisting of branch members and unions aligned with Bill Shorten, in particular the Australian Workers Union).[9]
- Labor Unity (Formerly the Cons: Consisting largely of Branch Members aligned to and supporters of Labor Deputy Leader Richard Marles and the Transport Workers Union).
- Moderate Labor (Mods: defectors from the Shoppies).[9]
- Shoppies (SDA: also known as Labor Unity, largely union-based).
- Western Australia
- WA Labor Unity (AWU, SDA, TWU).
- Progressive Labor (Consists of AWU, SDA, TWU and CFMEU).[10][11] An alliance between WA Labor Unity and the 'Industrial left' unions of WA, formed in 2019 for the purpose of binding at State conferences against some subgroups within WA's Broad left; such as the UWU. Historically, the MUA and CFMEU have voted at State conferences in alignment with the Broad left.
- Northern Territory
- Labor Unity.
- South Australia
- Labor Unity (dominated by the SDA).[12]
- Tasmania
- Labor Unity.
Political views
An overriding stated theme of the more moderate wing of Labor governance is balance between progressive social change and conservative economic management as the pathway to community development and growth. Many Roman Catholics have been prominent and influential in the Labor Party, both inside and outside the auspices of the Labor Right faction. Their influence had been criticised by many older Labor socialists and Protestant conservatives for being beholden to religious authority. However, this sentiment has decreased since the 1970s with the erosion of religious sectarianism in Australian politics.
The Labor Right views itself as the more mainstream and fiscally conservative faction within Labor.[citation needed] The faction is most famous for its support of Third Way economic policies over Labor's traditional early twentieth century social democratic policies,[citation needed] such as the economic rationalist policies of the Bob Hawke and Paul Keating governments, including floating the Australian dollar in December 1983, reductions in trade tariffs, taxation reforms such as the introduction of dividend imputation to eliminate double-taxation of dividends and the lowering of the top marginal income tax rate from 60% in 1983 to 47% in 1996, changing from centralised wage-fixing to enterprise bargaining, the privatisation of Qantas and Commonwealth Bank, making the Reserve Bank of Australia independent, and deregulating the banking system.
Youth Wing
While the senior faction is broken into various state- and union-based groupings the Young Labor Right is organised around the various parliamentarian factional leaders and power brokers. The Victorian Young Labor Right is currently divided between the Conroy aligned (Young Labor Unity), the SDA (Victorian Labor Students), the TWU (Labor Progressive Unity), AWU (Young Labor Centre Unity), the NUW (Young Labor Action) and Moderate aligned grouping.[citation needed] The NSW Young Labor Right known as Young Centre Unity is the largest Labor Right youth faction.[citation needed]
Federal Members of the Labor Right
Name | Parliamentary seat | Other positions | State/Territory | Sub-faction/union |
---|---|---|---|---|
Richard Marles[13] | Member for Corio | Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Defence |
Victoria | TWU, 'Cons' |
Dr Jim Chalmers[13] | Member for Rankin | Treasurer | Queensland | AWU |
Tony Burke[13] | Member for Watson | Minister for Industrial Relations | New South Wales | SDA |
Mark Dreyfus KC[13] | Member for Isaacs | Attorney–General | Victoria | AWU, 'Shorts' |
Bill Shorten[14] | Member for Maribyrnong | Minister for Government Services Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme |
Victoria | AWU, 'Shorts' |
Don Farrell[15] | Senator for South Australia | Special Minister of State Minister for Trade and Tourism |
South Australia | SDA |
Chris Bowen[13] | Member for McMahon | Minister for Climate Change and Energy | New South Wales | |
Joel Fitzgibbon[15] | Former Member for Hunter | New South Wales | ||
Jason Clare[15] | Member for Blaxland | Minister for Education | New South Wales | |
Michelle Rowland[16] | Member for Greenway | Minister for Communications | New South Wales | |
Amanda Rishworth[16] | Member for Kingston | Minister for Social Services | South Australia | SDA |
Steve Georganas[16] | Member for Adelaide | South Australia | ||
Madeleine King[17] | Member for Brand | Minister for Resources Minister for Northern Australia |
Western Australia | |
Shayne Neumann[15] | Member for Blair | Chair of Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Chair of Standing Committee on Procedure |
Queensland | ASU |
Clare O'Neil[14] | Member for Hotham | Minister for Home Affairs Minister for Cyber Security |
Victoria | NUW |
Matt Keogh[17] | Member for Burt | Minister for Veterans' Affairs Minister for Defence Personnel |
Western Australia | AWU |
Matt Thistlethwaite[18][19] | Member for Kingsford Smith | Assistant Minister for Defence Assistant Minister for Veterans' Affairs Assistant Minister for the Republic |
New South Wales | AWU |
Tim Watts[20][21] | Member for Gellibrand | Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs | Victoria | 'Cons' |
Glenn Sterle‡[17] | Senator for Western Australia | Chair of Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee Deputy Chair of Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee |
Western Australia | TWU |
Emma McBride | Member for Dobell | Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health |
New South Wales | |
Chris Hayes | Former Member for Fowler | New South Wales | AWU | |
Justine Elliot | Member for Richmond | Assistant Minister for Social Services Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence |
New South Wales | |
Alison Byrnes | Member for Cunningham | New South Wales | ||
Ed Husic | Member for Chifley | Minister for Industry and Science | New South Wales | CEPU (CWU) |
Deborah O'Neill | Senator for New South Wales | Chair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services Deputy Chair of Select Committee on Work and Care Deputy Chair of Standing Committee of Privileges |
New South Wales | SDA |
Helen Polley | Senator for Tasmania | Chair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement | Tasmania | AWU, SDA |
Rob Mitchell | Member for McEwen | Chair of Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests Chair of House Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Resources |
Victoria | 'Cons' |
Catryna Bilyk | Senator for Tasmania | Chair of the Senate Standing Committee of Senators' Interests | Tasmania | ASU, TWU |
Anthony Chisholm | Senator for Queensland | Assistant Minister for Education Assistant Minister for Regional Development |
Queensland | AWU |
Peter Khalil | Member for Wills | Victoria | AWU | |
Milton Dick | Member for Oxley | Speaker of the House of Representatives Chair of Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings Chair of Selection Committee Chair of Standing Committee on Appropriations and Administration |
Queensland | AWU |
Matt Burnell | Member for Spence | South Australia | TWU | |
Meryl Swanson | Member for Paterson | Chair of Standing Committee on Agriculture | New South Wales | |
Luke Gosling | Member for Solomon | Chair of Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport | Northern Territory | SDA |
David Smith | Member for Bean | Government Whip | Australian Capital Territory | Professionals Australia |
Raff Ciccone | Senator for Victoria | Deputy Government Whip in the Senate Chair of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee Deputy Chair of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee Deputy Chair of Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills |
Victoria | SDA |
Dr Daniel Mulino | Member for Fraser | Chair of Standing Committee on Economics | Victoria | SDA |
Josh Burns | Member for Macnamara | Chair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights | Victoria | 'Cons' |
Anika Wells | Member for Lilley | Minister for Aged Care Minister for Sport |
Queensland | AWU |
Marielle Smith | Senator for South Australia | Chair of Community Affairs Legislation Committee Deputy Chair of Community Affairs References Committee |
South Australia | SDA |
Tony Sheldon | Senator for New South Wales | Chair of Education and Employment Legislation Committee Deputy Chair of Education and Employment References Committee |
New South Wales | TWU |
Dr Mike Freelander | Member for Macarthur | Chair of Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport | New South Wales | |
Cassandra Fernando | Member for Holt | Victoria | SDA | |
Jana Stewart | Senator for Victoria | Victoria | TWU | |
Sam Rae | Member for Hawke | Victoria | TWU, 'Cons' | |
Pat Dodson | Senator for West Australia | Special Envoy for Reconciliation and Implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart | West Australia | |
Andrew Charlton | Member for Parramatta | New South Wales | ||
Sally Sitou | Member for Reid | New South Wales | ||
Kristy McBain | Member for Eden-Monaro | New South Wales | ||
Dan Repacholi | Member for Hunter | New South Wales | ||
Joanne Ryan | Member for Lalor | Chief Government Whip | Victoria | |
Michelle Ananda-Rajah | Member for Higgins | Victoria | ||
Tania Lawrence | Member for Hasluck | Western Australia | ||
Sam Lim | Member for Tangney | Western Australia | ||
Gordon Reid | Member for Robertson | New South Wales |
‡ Sterle was formerly a member of the now-defunct Centre Left.
See also
- Labor Left
- Category: Labor Right politicians, current and former parliamentary members of the Labor Right
- Moderates (Centrist faction in the Liberal Party of Australia)
- New Democrats (centrist faction in the Democratic Party of the United States)
- Blue Dogs (conservative faction in the Democratic Party of the United States)
- Progress (organisation associated with the Labour Party (UK))
- Seeheimer Kreis (conservative faction in the Social Democratic Party of Germany)
References
- ^ Massola, James (25 June 2022). "The power behind the PM – who are Labor's powerbrokers in government?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ Jingjing Huo (2009). Third Way Reforms: Social Democracy After the Golden Age. Cambridge University Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-521-51843-7.
- ^ "Labor 'Shoppies' still powerful: Senator".
- ^ "What's happened to the conservative wing of the Australian Labor Party?". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 October 2013.
- ^ Brown, Greg (8 October 2018). "Kimberley Kitching caters for Labor's conservative core". The Australian.
- ^ Massola, James (14 February 2021). "What are Labor's factions and who's who in the Left and Right?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
- ^ "Left takes over Queensland Labor in historic shift". The Australia. 31 July 2014.
- ^ "Contest in ACT comes down to the ALP machine versus genuine locals". Crikey. 9 April 2010.
- ^ a b Rundle), Guy (18 July 2018). "The instability of Labor's latest factional stability deal". Crikey.
- ^ Butterly, Nick; Delalande, Joanna. "WA Labor's Progressive faction fractures". PressReader. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "Historic union pact formed to take on the Left". The West Australian. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Liberals' donations double Labor Party's ahead of SA election". ABC. 11 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "The 12 Labor figures who will do the heavy lifting in government". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ a b Probyn, Andrew. "The strain within Labor's Left and Right bubbles over as the party wrestles over its future". ABC News. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d Tewksbury, Marc. "Labor MP Jason Clare dismisses Otis group". news.com.au. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ a b c "Labor's new-look shadow ministry". SBS News. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ a b c Hondros, Nathan. "WA Labor MPs named as part of pro-coal, right-wing 'Otis Group'". WAtoday. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ "Shorten stands by Gillard as leader". 9news.com.au. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ Chan, Gabrielle (25 July 2015). "Bill Shorten wins freedom to use boat turnbacks, but leadership split on issue". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "Leaked texts show Somyurek's influence among federal Labor ranks". skynews.com.au. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ Ilanbey, Sumeyya (28 January 2020). "Tensions between Labor's Right and Left factions at boiling point". theage.com.au. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
Further reading
- Cumming, Fia (1991) Mates : five champions of the Labor right. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86373-021-4. Library catalogue summary: Paul Keating, Graham Richardson, Laurie Brereton, Bob Carr and Leo McLeay recount events which shaped the Australian labour movement from the 1960s to the 1980s.
- Richardson, G (1994) Whatever It Takes, Bantam Books, Moorebank, NSW. Library catalogue summary: Graham Richardson recounts his career and outlines the philosophy and operation of the NSW and National Labor Right during his time in the ALP.