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History of the ALP

The ALP entered federal politics at the first Commonwealth elections of 1901, when 16 Labor members were elected to the House of Representatives and eight to the Senate.

Australia's first Labor Government took office in May 1904, with Chris Watson as the first Labor Prime Minister. It was a minority government which lasted for just over three months.

In October 1907 Watson was succeeded as leader by Andrew Fisher, who formed the second minority Labor Government in October 1908, which lasted until June 1909.At the elections of April 1910, Labor won a majority in both Houses and for the first time was able to embark on a program of reform and innovation.

This Government was defeated in May 1913, but Labor won a subsequent double dissolution election in 1914. Fisher was elected Prime Minister once again, as Australia entered World War I. Fisher resigned to become Australian High Commissioner in London and W.M. Hughes became the Prime Minister.

During World War I, the ALP split over the issue of conscription. In the process the Federal Labor Government was destroyed and Hughes and 23 ALP politicians left the Labor Party and joined with the Opposition to form a Nationalist Government. Hughes continued as Prime Minister, the only Prime Minister achieving the position under opposing parties.

A weakened Labor Party did not recover until 1929, when it won the election in October and J.H. Scullin became Prime Minister.

The Depression Split

The Scullin Government was soon engulfed in the world-wide depression and a crisis over proposals to cut salaries, pensions and government expenditure. J.A. Lyons, a Minister in the Scullin Government also left the Party with a group of dissidents opposed to the government economic policy. They joined with the opposition to form the United Australia Party with Lyons as Prime Minister.

The Curtin and Chifley Leadership

Factional disputes within the Party were not quelled until late in the decade. In 1935, John Curtin became federal leader. Curtin became Prime Minister of a minority Labor Government in 1941 and won the 1943 general election. He gave resolute and inspiring leadership to Australia during the war years. He died in July 1945 and was succeeded by Ben Chifley who implemented the ALP's plans for post-war reconstruction. Electoral reaction against war-time austerity and post-war controls were important factors in the defeat of the Chifley Government in December 1949. Chifley died in June 1951 and Dr. H.V. Evatt was elected leader. Under his and Arthur Calwell's leadership. Labor lost all subsequent Federal elections in the 1950s and 1960s. This was due to the successful diversion by the coalition Government with the Petrov Royal Commission and the split within the ALP over the activities of communists in the trade unions.

The Whitlam Years

Under a new leader, Gough Whitlam, Labor narrowly lost the 1969 election, but won comfortably in 1972. Between 1972 and 1975 the Labor Government attempted an ambitious program of policy reform. Its efforts however were frustrated by an Opposition majority in the Senate. This sparked a double dissolution election in May 1974 which Labor won with a reduced majority. Opposition from the Senate climaxed in October 1975, when it refused to pass supply for the functions of government. This sparked a constitutional crisis which saw the Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismiss the Whitlam Government on 11 November 1975 and appoint the Opposition minority as caretaker Government.

Labor was defeated in the 1975 and 1977 elections. It narrowly lost the 1980 election, under the leadership of Bill Hayden.

The Hawke and Keating Years

Labor was returned to office on 5 March 1983 with the election of the first Hawke Government. The Government's first priority was to restore economic and employment growth, with a simultaneous attack on prevailing high levels of inflation and unemployment. Labor won subsequent elections in 1984, 1987 and 1990, enabling it to continue its successful program of restructuring the economy.

In December 1991 Bob Hawke was replaced as Prime Minister by Paul Keating.

The 1993 election was one of the most important Labor victories ever. The ALP successfully overcame the Coalition's policies on industrial relations, health and Medicare, and their taxation proposals, especially the goods and services tax (GST).