Socialist Left

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Categories: Politics stubs | Australia-related stubs

This article is about the Australian party faction, for the Norwegian political party, see Socialist Left Party

The Socialist Left faction of the Australian Labor Party (the Left) is an organised political faction that advocates within the party for traditionally Labor interventionist and socialist economic policies. However, since the party reforms by Gough Whitlam in the 1970s, the left has also been the principal champion in the party of socially liberal values, such as women's rights, gay rights, reconciliation with Aboriginal Australians and Land Rights. It advocates an independent foreign policy, which would involve curtailing the alliance between Australia and the United States.

Historically, the name "Socialist Left" was first adopted by the left-wing of the Victorian Branch of the Australian Labor Party. It is a truncation of the full faction's name, the Combined Unions Socialist Left. The formation occurred after a bitter intervention by the Federal Executive of the party into the Victorian branch resulting in the sacking of its elected officers and dissolution of the branch in 1970. Federal party leader Gough Whitlam sought to use the intervention to "modernise" the branch and increase its electoral success. Some have argued that this was a move to decrease the influence of the disciplined left-wing Victorian branch. This second point has been one of considerable contention with subsequent electoral results being inconclusive. The dismissed officers included Secretary Bill Hartley, Assistant Secretary Glyde Butler, President George Crawford and Organiser Bob Hogg. In response to their dismissal, Hartley and Crawford formed the Socialist Left as a rank and file organisation to propogate socialist views within the Australian Labor Party. It published a fortnightly newspaper called "Action" that coverred union, community and internal party matters. The faction emerged from the intervention as the largest faction with strong discipline and a program of monthly general mass meetings. The faction also drew considerable support from the trade union movement, especially from figures such as Ken Carr and Jim Roulston. Incidently, George Crawford was also a prominent leader in the Plumbers and Gasfitters Employees' Union. The faction's membership included several notable memebers of state and federal parliament. They include Joan Coxsedge, Dr Harry Jenkins, George Crawford, Jean McLean, Moss Cass, Bill Brown, Gerry Hand, Brian Howe, Andrew Theophanos, Barney Cooney, Kim Carr and Joan Kirner. Founding faction chairman, Bill Hartley was expelled from the Australian Labor Party in 1986, despite being regularily elected to Federal Executive and the National Conference of the ALP.

The name "Socialist Left" was adopted by the Steering Committee (the left-wing faction) in New South Wales in the 1980s.

The Left is currently the smaller of the two main factions in the federal Caucus, having a total of 38 MP's. Key members of the Left include Deputy Leader Jenny Macklin and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Chris Evans.

Federally, the Left is split internally between the "hard" left who promote a more confrontational and aggressive stance towards the dominant Labor Right, faction and the "soft" left who are more prepared to be more conciliatory and work with certain members of the Right.