A short history of the Democratic Labor Party

The Democratic Labor Party (DLP) in its current form began in the 1950s but is a legitimate heir to the Australian labour movement that began in the 1890s.

Following the disastrous Maritime and Shearers' strikes of the late nineteenth century, the labour movement in Australia organised politically to achieve its aims. It organised a Labour Party in each colony. In the process it largely created the Commonwealth of Australia itself! Commonwealth and State Governments were subsequently formed by the original Australian Labour Party, with Prime Ministers Andrew Fisher, Jim Scullin, John Curtin and Ben Chifley among its foremost, moderate-reformist leaders. From its earliest successes, the Australian labour movement was an important factor in Australia's worldwide renown as a "workers' paradise".

The Party embraced a broad spectrum of views but its democratic processes and the active involvement of the rank and file kept extremism contained.

The Communist threat

As a consequence of the Depression and World War Two, Communism gained very many adherents in Australia by the mid 1940s, despite the extreme poverty of the USSR and its part in instigating the war. Those followers ignored, refused to believe, or were ignorant of the extreme poverty, indeed, even deliberate, mass starvation that was a feature of the Soviet Union. The USSR had also played an important role in instigating the Second World War (such as jointly invading Poland with the Nazis). Australian Communists of this period nevertheless sought to emulate Stalinism and remake Australia in the image of the Soviet Union. A major element of their strategy was a "United Front" with the Australian Labour Party. This involved infiltrating and taking over the ALP. This strategy was not unique to Australia but was pursued throughout the world. It is largely the way the Communists achieved power in China for example.

By the late 1940s the Communist Party had taken over many major ALP-affiliated unions. The situation had become grave and rank and file 'industrial groups' were formed by ALP members. They organised against the communists in trade union elections.

By the early 1950's the industrial groups had almost completely curbed communist power in the ALP affiliated unions. However, under the leadership of Herb Evatt, in opposition, that success was reversed. Upon his failure to become Prime Minister in the 1954 election, Evatt made vicious attacks on unionists active in the industrial groups and, in a most astonishing switch, the ALP began supporting the communists, sponsoring "unity tickets" in trade union ballots.

Affiliated unions coming again under Communist Party control were then able to dictate ALP policy in critical areas, including foreign affairs and defence. For example, Evatt began to demand a "united front" government in Malaya, i.e., that Communists be given positions of power there.

The Rank and File fight back

Allowing the Labour Party to be infiltrated by communism was unacceptable to responsible members of the labour movement. They refused to collaborate, recognising communism for it for what it was - and would remain - an ideology inherently corrupt and expansionist, economically primitive, systematically murderous and brutally totalitarian. These dissidents were expelled from the Labour Party. These expulsions involved serious breaches of the ALP's own rules (recently admitted by Jim McClelland for example). The expelled members and supporters formed successively the Victorian Parliamentary Labour Party, the Coleman-Barry Party, the Barry Party, the Anti-Communist Labour Party and, in Queensland, the Queensland Labour Party and, finally, the Democratic Labor Party.

A clear majority of ALP members and an overwhelming majority of ALP branches in Victoria, where the Split began, joined with the expelled anti-communists.

Noble and Principled action

Dozens of Parliamentarians, including fourteen ministers and a State Premier lost their parliamentary seats in elections following the Split. Most of them knew that this would happen, especially after the 1955 State elections in Victoria. Many others voluntarily joined those who had been expelled. To protect the national interest and stop the Australian labour movement from becoming an apparatus of the Communist Party, with ALP connivance, these people took a stand. It was a noble stand; one that has endowed the Democratic Labor Party with the noblest of origins. No other political party in Australia can boast that its founders were prepared to sacrifice existing and future political careers to uphold a principle.

The elections included physical attacks though there was more noise than violence. The election for Stan Keon's federal seat became known, not altogether euphemistically, as "the battle for Yarra". The nailing of dead rats onto election posters was not unknown. At one point ALP supporters attempted to steal documents from the legitimate executive by destroying the building in which they were housed with sledgehammers, even while DLPers were inside. It certainly was a time of "tumult and the shouting".

Not only did a majority of Labour Party members in Victoria join the DLP. In the legal battles over succession, after the Split, the Victorian Supreme Court held in favour of those who became the Democratic Labor Party -- the legitimate Labor Party -- and against the renegade ALP that expelled them. The ultimate vindication for the DLP could be seen however as the collapse of the Soviet bloc and the revelations about the reality of communism that have followed.

Returning to the Senate

Holding to principle, the DLP fought back. Subsequent elections saw a number of its leaders returned to the Senate where, under successive governments, until 1974, they were to play a 'watchdog' role, scrutinising and approving vital legislation before it could be passed into law.

What the Democratic Labor Party offered was a distinct alternative to that of the other political parties. It brought a constructive balance to the Senate and this became its hallmark. The distinguished contribution by DLP Senators George Cole, Frank McManus, Jack Little, Vince Gair, Condon Byrne and Jack Kane ushered in an unprecedented period of stability, prosperity and growth.

Ideas that helped build the nation founded on principles

The DLP was a pacesetter in the sponsoring of progressive, original ideas and policy initiatives. The DLP's central concerns included the protection of the nation, and assistance to the vulnerable and those in need, especially the mentally ill, the aged and large families. Specifically, the DLP promoted (in nearly all cases before any other party):

The DLP was also instrumental in developing the Senate Committee system in Parliament itself, whereby legislation is, or at least should be, carefully reviewed and it supported, greatly to its cost, South Vietnam in its defence against invasion by the North.

The quiet years

In 1978 some DLP members, including some leading members, frustrated by years of media hostility, discontinued their efforts for the Party. The Party has nevertheless continued. With very limited resources and continued media hostility it has continued to struggle to contribute ideas and ideals, values and policies that promote life, liberty, prosperity and freedom. With very limited resources it has had some victories, for example keeping the extremist John Halfpenny out of the Senate in 1987.

In South Australia the DLP gave voters the opportunity to support its candidates right up until the mid-1970s. For many South Australians, the party was synonymous with the name of Mark Posa. The DLP's State Secretary and main candidate for much of that period, Mark was also one of the state's most respected football umpires.

Resurgence: new ideas, time-honored principles

The DLP continued to give voters, at least in Victoria, the opportunity to vote DLP at every State and Federal election, barring only one state election, since it's founding in the 1950s. At the last Victorian State Election, Peter Kavanagh became the first DLP candidate in a generation to claim a seat in an Australian parliament. Now, in 2010, voters in every mainland state have the opportunity to support DLP candidates in upcoming state and federal elections as this unique and most principled party.

The DLP has a unique history

The DLP has a noble past indeed. Today, this noble past and adherence to principle is attracting a new generation of supporters and candidates. Times, ideas and programs may change, but the foundations remain: sound, relevant and necessary as ever.