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Democratic Labour Party (Australia, 1978)

This article is about the modern-day Australian political party founded after the dissolution of the original party of the same name. For other uses, see Democratic Labour Party.

The Democratic Labour Party (DLP), formerly known as the Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist), is an Australian political party which broke off from the Australian Labor Party (ALP) as a result of the 1955 ALP split. Following the partial dissolution of the party as a result of many members re-joining the ALP after the departure of Gough Whitlam in 1977, the DLP was re-formed by members of the original Democratic Labor Party

Democratic Labour Party
Labour DLP
Abbreviation
  • DLP
  • Labour DLP
Federal SecretaryRichard Howard[1]
Preceded byAustralian Labor Party (Anti-Communist)
HeadquartersCanberra, Australian Capital Territory
Ideology
Political positionCentre[4] to right-wing[9]
ReligionRoman Catholic
Colours
  •   Gold
  •   Navy
Website
dlp.org.au

In 2013, the party changed its name to reflect the standard Australian English spelling of "labour".[10]

The DLP had no parliamentary representation for a period of 28 years from 1978 to 2006. DLP candidates were then elected to the Victorian Legislative Council in 2006, 2014 and 2022, and a single senator was elected in 2010, with a platform focused more on social conservatism.

In March 2022, after the Australian Electoral Act was amended to raise the minimum number of members required for federal registration of a party from 500 to 1500, the DLP was federally de-registered by the Australian Electoral Commission .[11]

The party remains registered for territorial elections in the Australian Capital Territory[12] And for state elections in Western Australia.[13]

History

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Original DLP

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The Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist) was formed as a result of a split in the Australian Labor Party (ALP) which began in 1954.[14] The split was between the party's national leadership, under the then party leader Dr H. V. Evatt, and the majority of the Victorian branch, which was dominated by a faction composed largely of ideologically driven anti-Communist Catholics.[15] Many ALP members during the Cold War period, most but not all of them Catholics, became alarmed at what they saw as the growing power of the Communist Party of Australia within the country's trade unions. These members formed units within the unions, called Industrial Groups, to combat this alleged infiltration.[16]

The party renamed itself the Democratic Labor Party in 1957.

The party's policies were traditional Labor policies such as more spending on health, education and pensions, combined with strident opposition to communism, and a greater emphasis on defence spending.[17]

DLP disbands, new party formed

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Following the departure of Whitlam from ALP leadership in 1977, recognising that the split had assisted the rise of the radical left Whitlamite faction in the ALP, many DLP members rejoined the ALP. This greatly strengthened its right wing faction and subsequently helped the moderate Bob Hawke to take control of the ALP a few years later.[18]

By 1978 DLP branches in all states other than Victoria had ceased to operate. In March 1978, the Victorian branch voted to dissolve[19] The vote to dissolve was purportedly carried by 110 votes to 100.[20] However, some members of the party disputed the validity of the vote and instead formed a continuity DLP, which sought to continue the policies and objectives of the original DLP.[19]

This re-established DLP contested its first Victorian state election in 1979.

2006 Victorian state election

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At the 2006 Victorian state election, the DLP won parliamentary representation for the first time since the 1970s when it won a seat in the Victorian Legislative Council, after fielding candidates in the eight regions of the reformed Council, where proportional representation gave the party the best chance of having members elected. The DLP received 2.7 per cent of the primary vote in the Western Victoria Region, enough to elect Peter Kavanagh on ALP preferences. The party briefly looked set to have a second member elected, party leader John Mulholland, in the Northern Metropolitan Region on 5.1 per cent, but that result was overturned after a recount.[21] Following the election of Kavanagh, attention was given to the DLP platform of opposition to abortion and poker machines.[22]

The Labor government required an additional two non-ALP upper house members to pass legislation, which gave the balance of power to the Greens who held three seats. Kavanagh failed to retain his seat at the 2010 Victorian election.

In late August 2009, Melbourne newspaper The Age reported that the DLP was facing several internal divisions between Kavanagh's faction, which also sought to include evangelical and fundamentalist Protestants within the party, and 'hardline' conservative Catholics. Right to Life Australia President Marcel White and a close associate, Peter McBroom, were reported to be emphasising Catholic doctrinal and devotional concerns, like Marian apparitions, Catholic prayer, praying the rosary and campaigns against the "evils of contraception". Kavanagh was reported as threatening to leave the organisation if the 'hardline' elements were to triumph within the Victorian DLP.[23] In the end, the minority 'hardline' group was expelled from the party and it returned to its former non-sectarian position.

2010 federal election

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See also: John Madigan (Australian politician)

Shortly after counting began in the aftermath of the 2010 federal election, DLP candidate, federal DLP vice-president, and state DLP president John Madigan looked likely to be elected as the sixth and final Senator for Victoria, which was confirmed a few weeks later. Preference counts indicated that the primary DLP vote of 2.33 per cent (75,145 votes) in Victoria reached the 14.3 per cent quota required by gaining One Nation, Christian Democratic and Building Australia preferences to edge out Steve Fielding of the Family First Party who received a primary vote of 2.64 per cent. The DLP received Family First preferences, and when the Australian Sex Party candidate was excluded, the DLP gained Liberal Democratic Party preferences, overtaking the third Liberal/National candidate and gaining their preferences to win the last seat.[24][25][26]

Elected for a six-year term from 1 July 2011, Madigan was the first Senator to be elected as a federal member of the Democratic Labor Party of Australia since the 1970 Senate-only election.[27] Madigan was in a balance of power position following the 2013 election where an additional six non-government Senators were required to pass legislation. In his maiden speech to the Senate, Madigan denounced Victoria's "inhumane" abortion laws and committed to help restore Australia's dwindling manufacturing sector. He called for a "good Labor government that will bring something better to the people". He said that the DLP and ALP differed in a number of ways.[28][29]

In December 2011, Madigan launched the Australian Manufacturing and Farming Program, with Senator Nick Xenophon and MP Bob Katter, an initiative to provide a forum for discussion of issues impacting manufacturers and farmers, together with politicians.[30] As a representative of the DLP, Madigan took an unashamed anti-abortion stance.[31] His additional publicly stated positions on behalf of the DLP included opposition to same-sex marriage;[32] opposition to the sale of public infrastructure;[32] opposition to a carbon tax, stating "We're not in favour of a carbon tax because we believe it's a tax on people and a tax on life";[32] an advocate for shops closing at midday on Saturdays;[31] and at the Inaugural Jack Kane dinner in July 2011, Madigan advocated Chifley protectionist economics.[33] Also, Madigan has publicly expressed his concern for human rights in West Papua.[34][35]

Infighting and financial issues

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It was reported in June 2010 that the party was on the brink of collapse, with rampant party infighting and less than $10,000 in the bank. On 18 March 2011 the Victorian Supreme Court handed down a reserved judgment confirming John Mulholland's valid removal as secretary.[36] This decision was subsequently reversed by the full bench of the Victorian Supreme Court however the Court also rejected Mulholland's claim that he was still the secretary of the DLP at the time the ruling was handed down.[37] A Senate petition in August 2011 from Mulholland requested that current DLP Senator John Madigan be removed from the Senate, with the petition lodged using a residual standing order of the chamber that has not been deployed successfully by anyone for more than a century. In his petition, Mulholland says Madigan put himself forward in the 2010 election as a DLP candidate "although the DLP federal executive did not authorise or recognise his candidacy or have any part in his nomination".[38]

In September, 2014 Madigan resigned from the DLP and became an independent, citing long-term internal party tensions and claiming he had been undermined by a member of his staff.[39] DLP federal president Paul Funnell strongly rejected Madigan's claims and demanded that he resign from the Senate so that his seat could be taken by a DLP member.[40]

2014 Victorian state election

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The DLP was elected to the upper house region of Western Metropolitan, with candidate Dr Rachel Carling-Jenkins winning 2.6% of the vote, despite suffering a 0.5% swing.[41] On 26 June 2017, Carling-Jenkins resigned from the DLP to join Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives.[42][43][44]

In-fighting continued throughout the decade to 2022, with purges of the South Australian, New South Wales and Victorian branches by the federal executive, including repeated expulsions and high profile resignations. This culminated in yet another purge of the Victorian executive and their supporters in January 2022, causing the loss of many Victorian branches. This led to a significant decline in DLP membership levels over the decade in those states. However from 2020, recruiting drives in the ACT and later in Tasmania and NSW led to a substantial increase in memberships in those states, partially offsetting these losses and helping to refocus the party on contemporary policy issues including housing affordability, energy cost and reliability and the growing threat posed by China.

2022 Victorian state election

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Victorian upper house MP Bernie Finn joined the DLP after his expulsion from the Liberal Party.[45] Former Labor-turned-independent MP Adem Somyurek also joined the DLP just weeks before the state election, having resigned from parliament only days prior.[46] At the 2022 Victorian election, the DLP received 7.66% of the vote in its best seat and 3.51% (131,600 votes) overall in the upper house. This was the fifth highest vote of any party in Victoria and the best result the DLP had achieved since its re-establishment in 1978.[47] Adem Somyurek was elected to the upper house region of Northern Metropolitan with 4.75% of the vote. However, despite winning 5.16% of the vote, after preference distribution Bernie Finn narrowly missed out on re-election in the Western Metropolitan Region by only 210 votes, with Legalise Cannabis Party preferences instead electing a second Liberal candidate.[48]

Victorian deregistration

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Despite its strong performance in the state election, following a review of its membership by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) in 2024, the Victorian DLP was unable to prove it had more than the required 500 members and it was deregistered.[49]

On 25 March 2024, immediately following the announcement by the VEC that it intended to deregister the DLP, Somyurek resigned from the party.[50] The party was deregistered by the VEC on 16 May 2024.[51]

Electoral results

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Federal

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Election House of Representatives Senate
Votes % Seats Won +/– Votes % Seats Won Total Seats +/–
1980 25,456 0.31
0 / 125
   0 25,456 0.31
0 / 34
0 / 64
   0
1983 [a] 17,318 0.20
0 / 125
   0 47,206 0.59
0 / 64
0 / 64
   0
1984 49,121 0.57
0 / 148
   0 32,472 0.36
0 / 46
0 / 76
   0
1987 [a] 3,334 0.04
0 / 148
   0 50,894 0.54
0 / 76
0 / 76
   0
1990 2,564 0.03
0 / 148
   0 14,744 0.15
0 / 40
0 / 76
   0
1993 The DLP did not contest any House of Representatives seats in 1993, 1996, 1998, or 2001. 38,317 0.36
0 / 40
0 / 76
   0
1996 36,156 0.33
0 / 40
0 / 76
   0
1998 29,893 0.27
0 / 40
0 / 76
   0
2001 66,547 0.57
0 / 40
0 / 76
   0
2004 1,372 0.01
0 / 150
   0 58,042 0.49
0 / 40
0 / 76
   0
2007 6,018 0.05
0 / 150
   0 115,966 0.92
0 / 40
0 / 76
   0
2010 5,212 0.04
0 / 150
   0 134,987 1.06
1 / 40
1 / 76
   1
2013 36,086 0.28
0 / 150
   0 112,549 0.84
0 / 40
1 / 76
   0
2016 [a] 3,166 0.02
0 / 150
   0 94,525 0.68
0 / 76
0 / 76
   1
2019 18,287 0.13
0 / 151
   0 149,970 1.03
0 / 40
0 / 76
   0
2022 The DLP did not contest the 2022 election.

State

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Victoria

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Legislative Council
Election year No. of
overall votes 		% of
overall vote 		No. of
overall seats 		+/–
1979 3,212 0.15 #5
0 / 34
   0
1982 11,780 0.53 #5
0 / 34
   0
1992 118,244 4.54 #4
0 / 34
   0
1996 43,553 1.58 #5
0 / 34
   0
2006 58,722 1.97 #5
1 / 40
   1
2010 75,080 2.33 #5
0 / 40
   1
2014 79,308 2.32 #6
1 / 40
   1
2018 75,221 2.10 #8
0 / 40
   1
2022 131,600 3.51 #5
1 / 40
   1

Elected representatives

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Former

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Senate

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Victorian Legislative Council

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Moreland City Council

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Double dissolution

References

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  1. ^ https://dlp.org.au/contact/
  2. ^ Mathews, Race. Of Labour and Liberty: Distributism in Victoria, 1891–1966. University of Notre Dame Press. p. 348. ISBN 978-0-268-10343-9.
  3. ^ "A third-way that works..." dlp.org.au. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b Henriques-Gomes, Luke (10 May 2019). "Australian election 2019: how to avoid voting for a terrible micro party in the Senate". Guardian Australia. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019.
  5. ^ Orr, Graeme (16 August 2021). "Who's Liberal? What's Labor? New bill to give established parties control of their names is full of holes". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Former Labor MP Adem Somyurek to run alongside Bernie Finn in Victorian election". ABC News. 7 November 2022. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Former Labor powerbroker and minister Adem Somyurek has announced he will contest the upcoming state election for the socially conservative Democratic Labour Party.
  7. ^ Madden, Cathy. "The Democratic Labor Party: an overview". Parliamentary Library of Australia. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019.
  8. ^ Mathews, Race. Of Labour and Liberty: Distributism in Victoria, 1891–1966. University of Notre Dame Press. ISBN 978-0-268-10343-9.
  9. ^ "Australian Democratic Labor Party". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021.
  10. ^ Lyle Allan (2013), "Change of Spelling: the DLP." in Recorder (Australian Society for the Study of Labour History, Melbourne Branch), No. 278, December, p.3
  11. ^ Wright, Tony (8 March 2022). "The DLP, 65 years after The Split, has too few members to survive". The Age. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  12. ^ ACT, PositionTitle=Electoral Commissioner; SectionName=ACT Electoral Commission; CorporateName=Elections (11 November 2021). "Register of political parties". elections.act.gov.au.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "Registered Political Parties in WA". www.elections.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  14. ^ Robert Murray. The Split. Australian Labor in the fifties, Melbourne, Victoria, F.W. Cheshire (1970); ISBN 0-7015-0504-4
  15. ^ Paul Ormonde. The Movement, Melbourne, Victoria, Thomas Nelson (1972); ISBN 0-17-001968-3
  16. ^ Bruce Duncan. Crusade or Conspiracy? Catholics and the Anti-Communist Struggle in Australia (2001), University of New South Wales Press; ISBN 0-86840-731-3
  17. ^ Michael Lyons. 'Defence, the Family and the Battler: The Democratic Labor Party and its Legacy,' Australian Journal of Political Science, September 2008, vol 43-3, pp. 425-442[ISBN missing]
  18. ^ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Hawke
  19. ^ a b "The Democratic Labor Party an overview". Australian Parliament House.
  20. ^ "The DLP bows out", The Age, 1978/03/21
  21. ^ Fyfe, Melissa (20 June 2010). "State DLP on brink of collapse". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  22. ^ Taylor, Josie (13 December 2006). "Democratic Labor Party makes a comeback in Victoria". Australia: ABC News. Retrieved 14 December 2006.
  23. ^ Turning Hard Right: The Battle for Right to Life, Michael Bachelard, The Age 23 August 2009
  24. ^ "2010 election Victorian Senate preference flows: ABC Elections". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  25. ^ "Victorian 2010 Senate results". Australian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 17 September 2010.
  26. ^ Colebatch, Tim (18 September 2010). "Labor has edge in tightest race ever". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  27. ^ "John Madigan forges the heavy mettle of the DLP". The Australian. 1 June 2013.
  28. ^ Gullifer, Brendan (26 August 2011). "Senator Madigan calls to bring something better to the people". The Courier. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  29. ^ "Maiden Senate speech (video + transcript) 25 August 2011: Australian Parliament website". Archived from the original on 15 October 2011.
  30. ^ "About". Australian Manufacturing and Farming Program. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  31. ^ a b Fyfe, Melissa (12 September 2010). "Red-leather day for the DLP". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  32. ^ a b c Preiss, Benjamin (15 September 2010). "DLP stakes its position on issues". The Courier. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  33. ^ Ex-blacksmith may be needed to hammer out Senate deals, Gerard Henderson, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 August 2011|access-date=8 August 2013
  34. ^ "Questions and Answers on West Papua". The Papua Daily. Archived from the original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  35. ^ "From the sublime to the shamefully ridiculous – West Papua, the Australian Senate and Vikki Riley". Crikey. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  36. ^ "Mulholland v Victorian Electoral Commission & Anor 2011". Victorian Supreme Court. Austlii.edu.au. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  37. ^ "Mulholland v Victorian Electoral Commission & Anor [2012] VSCA 104 (14 June 2012)". 14 June 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  38. ^ Murphy, Katharine (18 August 2011). "It's my party: expelled DLP member". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  39. ^ Griffiths, Emma (4 September 2014). "Senator Madigan cuts ties with Democratic Labour Party, will serve out term as independent". ABC News. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  40. ^ Bourke, Latika (4 September 2014). "Give the seat back: Furious DLP officials slam John Madigan for quitting party". The Age. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  41. ^ "State Election 2014: Western Metropolitan Region results summary – Victorian Electoral Commission". vec.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014.
  42. ^ Bourke, Latika (25 June 2017). "Cory Bernardi strikes again, luring another MP to his Australian Conservatives". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  43. ^ "Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives secures Victorian DLP MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins". Australia: ABC News. 27 June 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  44. ^ "Victorian MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins set to defect to Australian Conservatives party". News.com.au. 27 June 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  45. ^ "Bernie Finn to lead DLP into the Victorian state election". 2 June 2022.
  46. ^ "Former Labor MP Adem Somyurek to run alongside Bernie Finn in Victorian election". ABC News. 6 November 2022.
  47. ^ "2022 State election results".
  48. ^ "Legislative Council Results - VIC Election 2022". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  49. ^ Deery, Shannon (26 March 2024). "Adem Somyurek quits DLP as internal power struggle erupts between opposing factions". Herald Sun. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  50. ^ "The Hon. Adem Somyurek". Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  51. ^ "No. G 20 Thursday 16 May 2024" (PDF). Victoria Government Gazette. 16 May 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024. Under sections 56(1)(b) and 56(7)(a) of the Electoral Act 2002, the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) is deregistered as the party no longer has at least 500 eligible members.
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