Australian Labor Party
Federal political party in Australia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also commonly known as the Labor Party or simply Labor,[lower-alpha 1] is the major centre-left political party in Australia and one of two major parties in Australian politics,[4] along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party has been in government since being elected at the 2022 federal election, and with political branches in each state and territory, they currently form government in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory. As of 2023, Tasmania is the only state or territory where Labor forms the opposition. It is the oldest continuous political party in Australian history, being established on 8 May 1901 at Parliament House, Melbourne, the meeting place of the first federal Parliament.
Australian Labor Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | ALP |
| Leader | Anthony Albanese |
| Deputy Leader | Richard Marles |
| Senate Leader | Penny Wong |
| President | Wayne Swan[1] |
| National Secretary | Paul Erickson |
| Founded |
|
| Headquarters | Barton, Australian Capital Territory |
| Think tank | Chifley Research Centre |
| Youth wing | Australian Young Labor |
| Women's wing | Labor Women's Network |
| LGBT wing | Rainbow Labor |
| Indigenous wing | Aboriginal Labor |
| Overseas wing | ALP Abroad[2] |
| Multicultural wing | Multicultural Labor Network |
| Membership (2020) |  60,085[3] |
| Ideology | Social democracy |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| International affiliation | |
| Union affiliate | ACTU |
| Affiliate parties | Country Labor (2000–2021) |
| Colours | Red |
| Slogan | "A Better Future" |
| Governing body | National Executive |
| Parliamentary party | FPLP |
| Party branches | |
| House of Representatives | 78 / 151 |
| Senate | 26 / 76 |
| State/territory governments | 7 / 8 |
| State/territory lower houses | 267 / 455 |
| State upper houses | 65 / 155 |
| Website | |
| alp.org.au | |
The ALP was not founded as a federal party until after the first sitting of the Australian parliament in 1901. It is regarded as descended from labour parties founded in the various Australian colonies by the emerging labour movement in Australia, formally beginning in 1891. Colonial labour parties contested seats from 1891, and federal seats following Federation at the 1901 federal election. The ALP formed the world's first labour party government and the world's first democratic socialist or social-democratic government at a national level.[5] At the 1910 federal election, Labor was the first party in Australia to win a majority in either house of the Australian parliament. In every election since 1910 Labor has either served as the governing party or the opposition. There have been 13 Labor Prime Ministers and 10 periods of Federal Labor governments. Of the major parties, it is the older one among them, since the Liberal Party was formed in 1944.
The Labor party is often called the party of unions due to its close ties to the labour movement in Australia, with the majority of trade unions being affiliated with the Labor party. The party is equally controlled by unions and rank-and-file party members through affiliated unions being granted 50% of delegates at each state and national conference.[6]
At the federal and state/colony level, the Australian Labor Party predates both the British Labour Party and the New Zealand Labour Party in party formation, government, and policy implementation.[7] Internationally, the ALP is a member of the Progressive Alliance, a network of progressive and social-democratic parties,[8] having previously been a member of the Socialist International.