Socialist Labor Party (Australia)

Former New South Welsh political party

Socialist Labor Party

Founded| 4 May 1887; 137 years ago (4 May 1887), (as Australian Socialist League)
Dissolved| c. 1940
Headquarters| 107 Liverpool Street, Sydney, New South Wales[1]
Newspaper| The People
Membership (1893)|  <9,000[2][3][4]
Ideology|

* Marxism–De Leonism
* Syndicalism

Political position| Far-left

* Politics of Australia
* Political parties
* Elections

Part of the Politics series on

De Leonism
Daniel De Leon
Marxism
Concepts

* Industrial unionism
* Left Communism

DeLeonists

* Arnold Petersen
* Olive Johnson
* Eric Hass

Organizations

* Industrial Workers of Great Britain
* Socialist Labor Party (Australia)
* Socialist Labor Party (USA)
* Socialist Labour Party (UK)
* Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance
* Workers' International Industrial Union

Socialism portal

* v
* t
* e

Part of a series on

Socialism in
Australia

History

Early history

* New Australia
* 1891 Australian shearers' strike
* Red Flag riots

* * *

Great Depression and Aftermath

* Movement Against War and Fascism
* Egon Kisch incident
* Dalfram dispute
* Black Armada

* * *

Cold War

* 1948 Queensland railway strike
* 1949 Australian coal strike
* 1951 Australian Communist Party ban referendum

* * *

New Left

* Builders Labourers Federation
* Green ban

* * *

Contemporary

* S11
* G20 protests
* Occupy movement
* Occupy Sydney
* Occupy Melbourne
* Blockade IMARC

People

* Armstrong
* Bacon
* Blackburn
* Burgmann
* Curtin
* Foley
* Gallagher
* Garden
* Gould
* Healy
* Hill
* Jolly
* Judd
* Lane
* McQueen
* Mundey
* Noonuccal
* Origlass
* O'Shea
* Paterson
* Petersen
* Percy
* Rhiannon

Organisations (Active)

* Australian Labor Party
* Communist Party of Australia
* Communist Party of Australia (M–L)
* Jewish Labour Bund
* Left Renewal

* SEARCH Foundation
* Socialist Alliance
* Socialist Alternative
* Socialist Equality Party
* Solidarity
* Victorian Socialists

Organisations (Defunct)

* Australian Socialist Party
* Communist Party of Australia
* Communist Alliance
* Democratic Association of Victoria
* Democratic Socialist Perspective
* Gezerd
* Industrial Socialist Labor Party
* Progressive Labour Party
* Red Eureka Movement
* Socialist Action
* Socialist Labor Party
* Victorian Socialist Party

Literature

Newspapers/Journals/Magazines

Active

* Arena
* Green Left
* Overland
* Red Flag
* The Socialist

Historical

* Australian Left Review
* The International Socialist
* The People
* The Socialist
* The Tribune

Related topics

* Anarchism in Australia
* Australian labour movement
* New Australia
* Politics of Australia
* Socialism with no doctrine
* Sydney Push

* Socialism portal
* Organised Labour portal
* Australia portal

* v
* t
* e

Part of a series on

Labour politics
in Australia

Organisations (Active)

* Australian Fabian Society
* Australian Labor Party
* Labor Left
* Labor Right
* Democratic Labour
* SEARCH Foundation
* Victorian Socialists

Organisations (Defunct)

* Australian Socialist Party
* Australian Workers Party
* Blackburn-Mutton Labor Party
* Communist Party of Australia
* Democratic Labor (1955)
* Industrial Labor Party
* Industrial Socialist Labor Party
* Illawarra Workers Party
* Lang Labor
* Labor (Non-Communist)
* Lang Labor (SA)
* National Labor Party
* North Queensland Labor Party
* Official Labour Movement
* Parliamentary Labor Party
* Progressive Labor Party
* Protestant Labour Party
* Queensland Labor Party
* State Labor Party
* Socialist Labor Party

Related topics

* 1891 Australian shearers' strike
* 1998 Australian waterfront dispute
* Prices and Incomes Accord
* Politics of Australia
* WorkChoices

* Australia portal

* v
* t
* e

The Socialist Labor Party was a socialist political party of Australia that existed from 1901 to the 1970s. Originally formed as the Australian Socialist League in 1887, it had members such as George Black, New South Wales Premier William Holman and Prime Minister Billy Hughes.

## History

[edit]

### Australian Socialist League

[edit]

The Australian Socialist League, a multi-tendency organisation similar to the British Socialist League, was founded on 4 May 1887, and publicly launched several months later on 26 August at 533 George Street, Sydney, New South Wales Colony.[5] The Socialist League was largest within the state of New South Wales.[6] The League consisted of three major groups, the "Modern Socialists", the "Scientific socialists or Communist-Anarchists", and the "libertarian and individualist anarchists"[5] Labor historian Verity Burgmann describes the Modern Socialists as a unique historical tendency that "espoused a co-operativist strategy: it was a kind of micro-socialism in that it aimed to build socialist society in bits and pieces, by the voluntary establishment of worker-owned enterprises that would eventually form a socialist whole".[5] Between the late 1890s and 1905, the League shifted towards the radical unionist ideas of De Leonism.[7][8] The Socialist League and their ideas were influential within the 1890 Maritime strike and the 1891 Australian shearers' strike.[6]

In March 1888 the party sought to establish a Labor Party within New South Wales with the policies of the "nationalization of land and resumption of all monopolies".[6] The League supported the Trades & Labor Council's decision in 1891 to establish the Labor Electoral League of New South Wales, and actively campaigned and ran candidates within the party due to a belief the party would eventually establish the League's policies of state socialism.[6] During the 1891 New South Wales election, in some regions nearly half of all the Labor candidates were League members.[6] At its peak the League had several members elected within the Trades & Labor Council, and several elected members of parliament.[6] The League's list of parliamentarians included Billy Hughes, William Holman, George Black, and Arthur Hill Griffith.[6]

By the mid-1890s, the League became dissatisfied with the ability of the Labor Party in achieving its goals of socialism. The League established a newspaper in 1894 named The Socialist in an attempt to promote socialist ideas. In 1898 the League split from the Labor Party, leaving behind its affiliated Labor parliamentarians, and sought to establish their own Labor Party.[6]

### Socialist Labor Party

[edit]

The party was founded by the Australian Socialist League in 1901 to contest the Australian federal election of 1901.[9] The party nominated six candidates (known as the "Socialist Six") for the Senate seats of New South Wales: Andrew Thomson, James Moroney, Harry Holland, James Morrish, John Neil, and Thomas Melling.[10] None of the candidates came close to winning a seat.[11]

The Socialist Labor Party is credited with introducing the Industrial Workers of the World to Australia and establishing its first branch in 1908.[6]

In January 1920, the party merged with the Industrial Socialist Labor Party, which had broken away from the Labor Party in 1919, retaining the name Socialist Labor Party.[12] The amalgamated Socialist Labor party ran in the 1920 New South Wales state election,[13] with one of the members Percy Brookfield winning the seat of Sturt as a Socialist candidate.[14] Brookfield had the balance of power in the assembly following the election but was murdered the following year.[15][16] Several months before his death, in February 1921, Percy and several other members split from the Socialist Labor Party and reformed the independent Industrial Labor Party, citing they were "dissatisfied with the manner in which the affairs of that party have been carried on".[17] Michael Considine, Labor member for Barrier in the federal House of Representatives from 1917, joined the Socialist Labor Party in 1920 after his expulsion from the ALP, and unsuccessfully contested the seat of Darling for the party in 1922 as an Industrial Labor candidate.

Support for the party rapidly diminished after the ALP adopted the Socialist Objective in 1921, with many members returning to the ALP and others joining the newly founded Communist Party of Australia founded in the same year. Unlike many other socialist organisations, the Socialist Labor Party rejected the unity conferences which led to the Communist Party, labelling it as "a front for capitalist spies".[18] The party survived into the 1940s, under the leadership of E.E. Judd.[19]

The party was re-established at a significantly smaller size in 1961,[20][21] and maintained writing its newspaper The People until the 1970s.[22]

## Electoral results

[edit]

Senate results  Year  | Overall votes  | Vote %  | Seats won  | ±

|
|
|
|

1901 | 27,347[a] | 1.02  |

0 / 36

| +1.02
1903 | 69,769[a] | 2.43  |

0 / 36

| +1.41
1913 | 20,183[a] | 1.05  |

0 / 36

| –1.38
1917 | 32,692[a] | 0.51  |

0 / 36

| –0.54
1919 | 10,508[a] | 0.57  |

0 / 36

| +0.06
1922 | 8,551[a] | 0.55  |

0 / 36

| –0.02

## See also

[edit]

* Socialism in Australia

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f The party only contested one state: New South Wales.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Judd, E.E. (1925). "How To End Capitalism and Inaugurate Socialism". The People. New Series. No. 1.
2. ^ "Australian Socialist League – Institution – Reason in Revolt". reasoninrevolt.net.au. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
3. ^ In Our Time: Socialism and the rise of Labor, 1885–1905 p. 49
4. ^ "Australian Socialist League". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 October 1893.
5. ^ a b c Burgmann, Verity (1985). In Our Time: Socialism and the rise of Labor, 1885–1905. Allen & Unwin. p. 36\. ISBN 0868615293.
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i O'Farrell, P. J. (May 1958). "The Australian socialist league and the labour movement, 1887–1891". Historical Studies: Australia and New Zealand. 8 (30): 152–165\. doi:10.1080/10314615808595110.152-165&rft.date=1958-05&rft_id=info:doi/10.1080/10314615808595110&rft.aulast=O'Farrell&rft.aufirst=P.+J.&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Socialist+Labor+Party+(Australia)" class="Z3988">
7. ^ "Australian Socialist League - Institution - Reason in Revolt". Reason in Revolt. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
8. ^ Archer, Robin (2008). "Chapter 8 Socialism". Why is there no labor party in the United States?. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691149349.
9. ^ "THE AUSTRALIAN SOCIALIST LABOR PARTY". The People And The Collectivist. Vol. IV, no. 170\. New South Wales, Australia. 21 April 1900. p. 4. Retrieved 5 April 2018 - via National Library of Australia.
10. ^ "THE SOCIALIST LABOR PARTY". People. Vol. V, no. 212\. New South Wales, Australia. 9 February 1901. p. 3. Retrieved 5 April 2018 - via National Library of Australia.
11. ^ Carr, Adam. "1901 Senate New South Wales". Psephos.
12. ^ "Socialist Labor Party". Daily Observer. Vol. X, no. 12\. New South Wales, Australia. 15 January 1920. p. 1. Retrieved 5 April 2018 - via National Library of Australia.
13. ^ "PARTIES AMALGAMATE". The Northern Star. Vol. 44\. New South Wales, Australia. 15 January 1920. p. 4. Retrieved 4 November 2019 - via National Library of Australia.
14. ^ Green, Antony. "1920 election for Sturt". NSW Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
15. ^ "Burial of the late Mr P S Brookfield". The Barrier Miner. 26 March 1921. p. 1. Retrieved 12 May 2019 - via National Library of Australia.
16. ^ "Late Mr Percy Brookfield". The Observer. South Australia. 26 March 1921. p. 13. Retrieved 5 April 2018 - via National Library of Australia.
17. ^ "NEW LABOR ORGANISATION". The Grafton Argus And Clarence River General Advertiser. New South Wales, Australia. 5 February 1921. p. 4. Retrieved 4 November 2019 - via National Library of Australia.
18. ^ Farrell, Frank. "Judd, Ernest Edward Job Pullin (Ernie) (1883–1959)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
19. ^ "SOCIALIST VIEW". Daily Advertiser. New South Wales, Australia. 18 August 1944. p. 2. Retrieved 5 April 2018 - via National Library of Australia.
20. ^ "Manifesto of the Socialist Labor Party of Australia 1961". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
21. ^ "Adlib Internet Server 5 | Details". archival.sl.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
22. ^ Party (Australia), Socialist Labor (1960). "The people : official organ of the Socialist Labor Party of Australia". Trove. Sydney : The Party. Retrieved 3 July 2019.

* v
* t
* e

Socialist organisations in Australia

Groups|

| Active|

| Marxist–Leninist|

* Communist Party of Australia
* Communist Party of Australia (Marxist–Leninist)

|

Trotskyist|

* ISA Australia
* Freedom Socialist Party
* Radical Women
* Socialist Alternative
* Socialist Equality Party
* Solidarity

Democratic|

* Socialist Alliance
* Resistance: Young Socialist Alliance
* Victorian Socialists

Factions|

* Ferguson Left
* Labor Left
* Left Renewal

Other|

* Australian Fabian Society
* Jewish Labour Bund
* SEARCH Foundation
* Anarchism in Australia

Defunct|

| Marxist–Leninist|

* Communist Alliance
* Communist Party of Australia
* Queensland
* Red Eureka Movement

|

Trotskyist|

* Democratic Socialist Perspective/Socialist Workers Party
* Socialist Action

Other|

* Australian Socialist Party
* Democratic Association of Victoria
* Gezerd
* Industrial Socialist Labor Party
* Left Alliance
* Macedonian-Australian People's League
* Progressive Labour Party
* Socialist Labor Party
* Victorian Socialist Party

* v
* t
* e

Defunct political parties in Australia

Major parties|

* Country and Progressive National
* Democratic (1940s)
* Emergency Committee
* Free Trade
* Fusion Liberal
* Liberal (WA, 1910s)
* Liberal and Country League
* Liberal and Democratic Union
* Liberal Federation
* Liberal Reform (NSW)
* Liberal Union
* National Labor
* Nationalist
* Progressive (NSW, 1900s)
* Protectionist
* United Australia

Other parties represented
in federal or state parliaments|

* A Better Future For Our Children
* Abolish Self Government Coalition
* Australia Party
* Australian Conservatives
* Australian Family Movement
* Australian Liberal
* Australian Motoring Enthusiasts
* Australian Party
* Australian Progressive Alliance
* Blackburn-Mutton Labor
* Centre (Tas.)
* City Country Alliance
* Communist
* Country-National Organisation
* Country Progressive
* Conservative National
* Democratic (1920s)
* Executive Country (WA)
* Family First
* Glenn Lazarus Team
* Hare-Clark Independent
* Illawarra Workers
* Independent Labor Group
* Independents Group
* Industrial Socialist Labor
* Labor (Non-Communist)
* Lang Labor
* Lang Labor (SA)
* Liberal (1922)
* Liberal Country
* Liberal Movement
* Liberals for Forests
* Majority Labor
* National Alliance
* National Liberal
* New Conservative Group
* New Country
* New Liberal Movement
* No Self Government
* North Australia
* North Queensland Labor
* Northern Country
* Northern Territory Nationals
* Nuclear Disarmament
* Progress
* Progressive (NSW, 1920s)
* Progressive Labor (Vic.)
* Protestant Labor
* Queensland Labor
* Redistribution Liberals
* Reform the Legal System
* Residents Rally
* Revenue Tariff
* SA First
* Single Tax
* Socialist Labor
* Unite Australia
* Unity
* Victorian Farmers' Union
* Victorian Liberal
* Western Australian

Parties without representation
in any parliaments|

* 21st Century Australia
* Advance Australia
* Affordable Housing
* Aged and Disability Pensioners
* All for Australia League
* Arts
* Aus. First Nations
* Aus. Antipaedophile
* Aus. Better Families
* Aus. Commonwealth
* Aus. Defence Veterans
* Aus. Fishing and Lifestyle
* Aus. Independents
* Aus. National Alliance
* Aus. National Socialist
* Aus. Patriotic
* Aus. People's
* Australian Sports
* Aus. Workers
* Australians Against Further Immigration
* Bill of Rights
* Bullet Train
* Carers Alliance
* Centre (NSW)
* Climate Change Coalition
* Combined New Australia
* Commonwealth
* Commonwealth Centre
* Communist Alliance
* Confederate Action
* Conservative
* Conservative Nationalist
* CountryMinded
* Curtin Labor
* Deadly Serious
* Defence and Ex-Services
* Defence of Government Schools
* Defence Movement
* Democratic
* Democratic Association of Victoria
* Democratic Socialist
* Douglas Social Credit
* Drew Pavlou Democratic Alliance
* Drug Law Reform
* Earthsave
* Engineered Australia
* Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy
* Family Law Reform
* Fair Elections Coalition
* Federal
* Fishing
* Freedom and Prosperity
* Great Australians
* Grey Power
* Hear Our Voice
* Henry George Justice
* Hope
* Imperial British Conservative
* Independent Democratic
* Independent EFF
* Indigenous Peoples
* Liberal Democratic (1940s)
* Liberal Reform
* Libertarian
* Lower Excise Fuel and Beer
* Marijuana
* Marriage Equality
* Mature Australia
* Mental Health
* Middle Class
* Mutual
* National Front
* National Humanitarian
* National Socialist
* Nationalist (1958)
* Natural Law
* No Aircraft Noise
* No GST
* One Australia Movement
* One Australia Party
* One Parliament for Australia
* Online Direct Democracy
* Party! Party! Party!
* Pauline's United Australia
* Pensioner and Citizen Initiated Referendum
* Pensioner Power
* People Power
* People's (Vic.)
* Pirate
* Progressive Conservative
* Progressive Labour
* Progressive Nationalist Party
* Protestant People's Party
* Reclaim Australia: Reduce Immigration
* Referendum First
* Reform
* Renewable Energy
* Restore the Workers' Rights
* Rise Up Australia
* Republican
* Save the ADI Site
* Seniors United
* Services
* Services and Citizens
* Smokers' Rights
* Social Democratic
* State Labor
* Stop CSG
* Sun Ripened Warm Tomato
* Tasmania First
* Tasmania Senate Team
* Taxi Operators Political Service
* Together
* United Australia (SA)
* United Christian
* United Tasmania Group
* Uniting Australia
* Victorian Socialist Party
* Voluntary Euthanasia
* What Women Want
* WikiLeaks
* Women's Party (1995)
* Women's Party (2020)
* Yellow Vest
* Young Australia National

* Current Parties
* Politics of Australia
* Politics portal
* List of political parties

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