Australian Labor Party National Executive

The Australian Labor Party National Executive, often referred to as the National Executive, is the executive governing body of the Australian Labor Party, charged with directly overseeing the general organisation and strategy of the party. Twenty members of the National Executive are elected by the party's National Conference, which is the highest representative body of the party's state and territory branches. The other eight members are party ex-officio members.

Top institution of the Australian Labor Party

Labor Party National Executive

Location|

* 5/9 Sydney Avenue, Canberra, ACT

Key people

* Wayne Swan
(National President)
* Paul Erickson
(National Secretary)
* Mark Butler
(Senior Vice-President)

Members on the Executive may be officials of trade unions affiliated to the party, members of federal or state Parliaments, or rank-and-file ALP members. The ex-officio members are the National President, the National Secretary and two National Vice-Presidents (who are directly elected by Labor members), and the Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party,[1] but of these only the party Leader has a vote.

The National Executive is concerned mainly with organisational matters. It does not decide party policy, which is determined by the National Conference. The National Executive does not elect the party's parliamentary leaders, which is done by a ballot of both the Parliamentary Caucus and by the Labor Party's rank-and-file members. The National President or Vice-President are elected by party members. Its most public role is to act as the final arbiter of disputes about parliamentary candidacies (preselections). On these matters the National Executive usually votes on factional lines. The Labor Right faction holds a majority on the National Executive,[2] though it did not hold a majority at the 2015 National Conference.[3]

The power of the National Executive extends to the reorganisation of a State Branch. For example, in 1970 to improve the party's chances of electoral success, the National Executive intervened in the Socialist Left controlled Victorian Branch, involving the sacking of State officers and dissolution of the Branch. Less drastic forms of intervention are more common, such as the final arbiter of preselection disputes.[4] The executive has authority over policy as it can interpret the party’s constitution, platform and conference decisions.[2][5]

## Members of the National Executive[edit]

As of September 2023[update], the current members of the National Executive are:[1]

Member type | Member name | Position | Faction | State/territory | Voting member

|
|
|
|
|

Ex-officio members | Wayne Swan | National President | Right[6] | Queensland |

Paul Erickson | National Secretary | Left | Victoria
Susan Close MP | Vice-President | Left[6][7] | South Australia
Mich-Elle Myers | Vice-President | Left[8] | New South Wales
Manu Risoldi | National President of Young Labor | Right | New South Wales
Trish Marinozzi  | National Labor Women's Network Co-Convenor  | Right  | New South Wales
Kay Densley  | National Labor Women's Network Co-Convenor  | Left  | Northern Territory
Anthony Albanese MP | Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party | Left[9] | New South Wales |

Yes

Elected members | Senator Tim Ayres | Senator for NSW | Left[10] | New South Wales
Gary Bullock | Queensland State Secretary, National Director of Politics and Vice President, National Executive Committee for United Workers Union | Left | Queensland
Melissa Donnelly | National Secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union | Left | Queensland
Josh Peak | Secretary of the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association South Australian Branch | Right | South Australia
Senator Raff Ciccone | Senator for Victoria | Right | Victoria
Kate Doust MLC | Member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia | Right | Western Australia
Gerard Dwyer | National Secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association | Right | New South Wales
Dylan Wight | Member of Victorian Legislative Assembly | Left | Victoria
Michelle O'Byrne | Member of Tasmanian House of Assembly | Left | Tasmania
Sandra Doumit | NSW Branch Vice President of the AWU | Right | NSW
Graeme Kelly | NSW State Secretary of the United Services Union | Right | New South Wales
Sam Rae MP | Member of Australian parliment for Hawke | Right | Victoria
Zach Smith | CFMEU construction division secretary | Left | Australian Capital Territory
Stacey Schinnerl |  | Right | Queensland
Carolyn Smith |  | Left | Western Australia
Senator Karen Grogan | Senator for WA | Left | South Australia
Gerard Hayes | National President of the HSU | Right | New South Wales
Wendy Streets | Queensland State Secretary of the Finance Sector Union | Left | Queensland
Shannon Threlfall-Clarke | Victorian State Vice President of the Australian Workers Union | Right[11] | Victoria
Linda White | Former Assistant National Secretary of the Australian Services Union | Left[12] | Victoria

## Executive leaders[edit]

### National Presidents[edit]

National President  | Period

|

John Ferguson | 1950–1953
Denis Lovegrove | 1953 – 1 May 1955
Joe Chamberlain | 1 May 1955 – 1961
James Stout  | 1961 – July 1962
Jim Keeffe | July 1962 – August 1970[13]
Tom Burns | August 1970 – 7 June 1973
Bob Hawke | 7 June 1973 – 2 August 1978
Neil Batt | 2 August 1978 – 8 September 1980
Neville Wran | 8 September 1980 – 3 July 1986
Mick Young | 3 July 1986 – 7 April 1988
John Bannon | 7 April 1988 – 25 June 1991
Stephen Loosley | 25 June 1991 – 6 June 1992
Barry Jones | 6 June 1992 – 31 July 2000
Greg Sword | 31 July 2000 – 1 January 2004
Carmen Lawrence | 1 January 2004 – 1 January 2005
Barry Jones | 1 January 2005 – 28 January 2006
Warren Mundine | 28 January 2006 – 10 January 2007
John Faulkner | 10 January 2007 – 27 February 2008[14]
Mike Rann | 27 February 2008 – 27 December 2008
Linda Burney | 27 December 2008 – 30 July 2009[15]
Michael Williamson | 30 July 2009 – August 2010
Anna Bligh | August 2010 – 1 July 2011[16]
Jenny McAllister | 1 July 2011 – 17 June 2015
Mark Butler | 17 June 2015 – 18 June 2018
Wayne Swan | 18 June 2018 – present

### National Secretaries[edit]

National Secretary  | Period

|

Cyril Wyndham | 1963–1969
Mick Young | 1969–1973
David Combe | 1973–1981
Bob McMullan | 1981–1988
Bob Hogg | 1988–1993
Gary Gray | 1993–2000
Geoff Walsh | 2000–2003
Tim Gartrell | 2 September 2003 – 20 September 2008
Karl Bitar | 17 October 2008 – 16 March 2011
George Wright | 19 April 2011 – 30 August 2016
Noah Carroll | 26 September 2016 – 26 July 2019
Paul Erickson | 16 August 2019 – present

* Cyril Wyndam was the first full time Secretary. Prior to 1963 the position was not full time[17]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "Australian Labor Party National Executive". Retrieved 15 June 2020.
2. ^ a b The Australian, 2 July 2015: Vote change to shift Labor’s power to the Left
3. ^ Sydney Morning Herald, 18 June 2015: Labor powerbrokers lose control with reform back on the agenda
4. ^ ABC News, 4 November 2015: ALP national executive pulls rank on WA branch attempt to dump MPs Gary Gray and Alannah MacTiernan
5. ^ The Age, 27 July 2005: Labor Left accuses Right of stacking branch rules
6. ^ a b "NATIONAL PRESIDENT ELECTION". Australian Labor Party. 18 June 2018. Archived from the original (Press release) on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
7. ^ Kenny, Mark (17 June 2015). "Left's Mark Butler wins ALP presidency". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
8. ^ Carey, Adam (13 April 2018). "Unions dump Butler, back one of their own in run for ALP president". The Age. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
9. ^ "Crikey List: which MPs were involved in student politics?". Crikey. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
10. ^ Morris, Sophie (19 July 2014). "Faulkner expects state conference defeat on party reform". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
11. ^ Willingham, Richard (12 May 2011). "Young Labor, same old rifts". The Age. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
12. ^ Hannan, Ewin (8 December 2009). "Unions at war over ACTU leadership". The Australian. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
13. ^ Senate Biographies - Keeffe, James Bernard
14. ^ "Australian Labor Party : Labor MPS, Senators & Officials". www.alp.org.au. Archived from the original on 5 February 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
15. ^ "Australian Labor Party : Labor MPS, Senators & Officials". www.alp.org.au. Archived from the original on 22 July 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
16. ^ "Australian Labor- Who We Are". www.alp.org.au. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
17. ^ "Records of the Australian Labor Party, Federal Secretariat".

* v
* t
* e

Australian Labor Party

Leaders|

* Chris Watson
* Andrew Fisher
* Billy Hughes
* Frank Tudor
* Matthew Charlton
* James Scullin
* John Curtin
* Ben Chifley
* H. V. Evatt
* Arthur Calwell
* Gough Whitlam
* Bill Hayden
* Bob Hawke
* Paul Keating
* Kim Beazley
* Simon Crean
* Mark Latham
* Kim Beazley
* Kevin Rudd
* Julia Gillard
* Kevin Rudd
* Bill Shorten
* Anthony Albanese

Deputy leaders|

* Gregor McGregor
* Billy Hughes
* George Pearce
* Albert Gardiner
* James Scullin
* Arthur Blakeley
* Ted Theodore
* Frank Forde
* H. V. Evatt
* Arthur Calwell
* Gough Whitlam
* Lance Barnard
* Jim Cairns
* Frank Crean
* Tom Uren
* Lionel Bowen
* Paul Keating
* Brian Howe
* Kim Beazley
* Gareth Evans
* Simon Crean
* Jenny Macklin
* Julia Gillard
* Wayne Swan
* Anthony Albanese
* Tanya Plibersek
* Richard Marles

Governments|

* Watson
* Fisher I
* II
* III
* Hughes
* Scullin
* Curtin
* Forde
* Chifley
* Whitlam
* Hawke
* Keating
* Rudd I
* Gillard
* Rudd II
* Albanese

Ministries|

* Watson
* Fisher 1
* 2
* 3
* Hughes
* Scullin
* Curtin 1
* 2
* Forde
* Chifley 1
* 2
* Whitlam 1
* 2
* 3
* Hawke 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* Keating 1
* 2
* Rudd 1
* Gillard 1
* 2
* Rudd 2
* Albanese

Shadow cabinets|

* Whitlam (1967–72)
* Whitlam (1975–77)
* Hayden
* Hawke
* Beazley (1996–2001)
* Crean
* Latham
* Beazley (2005–06)
* Rudd
* Shorten
* Albanese

State branches|

* Australian Capital Territory
* New South Wales
* Northern Territory
* Queensland
* South Australia
* Tasmania
* Victoria
* Western Australia

Party institutions|

* National Conference
* National Executive
* Australian Young Labor
* Australian Fabian Society
* Chifley Research Centre
* Federal Caucus
* John Curtin House

Factions|

| Current|

* Labor Right
* Labor Left
* Independent Labor

|

Historical|

* Ferguson Left
* Lang Labor

History|

* History of the Australian Labor Party
* 1916 split
* 1931 split
* 1955 split
* 1975 Australian constitutional crisis
* Faceless men
* Federal Labor (NSW)
* Gang of Four
* Industrial Groups
* The light on the hill
* Tree of Knowledge

Leadership votes|

* 1901
* 1907
* 1913
* 1915
* 1916
* 1920
* 1922
* 1928
* 1931
* 1935
* 1945
* 1951
* 1954
* 1956
* 1959
* 1960
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1976
* 1977 (May)
* 1977 (Dec)
* 1982
* 1983
* 1991 (Jun)
* 1991 (Dec)
* 1996
* 2001
* 2003 (Jun)
* 2003 (Dec)
* 2005
* 2006
* 2010
* 2012
* 2013 (Mar)
* 2013 (Jun)
* 2013 (Oct)
* 2019

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template