Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist) facts for kids
The Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist) (ALP-AC) was a political group in Australia. It formed in 1955 when some members left the Australian Labor Party (ALP) because of disagreements. This group later changed its name to the Democratic Labor Party in 1957.
It is important not to confuse this group with the Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist). That was a different name used by supporters of New South Wales Premier Jack Lang in the 1930s.
How the Party Started
In April 1955, a big split happened in the Australian Labor Party. Seven federal Members of Parliament (MPs) and eighteen state MPs from Victoria were asked to leave the ALP. These MPs then decided to form their own group, which they called the Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist). A person named B. A. Santamaria had a lot of influence on this new party.
In the next elections, only one state MP from the ALP-AC was elected. Also, five members of the Victoria Legislative Council (a part of the state parliament) were not re-elected in 1958.
The seven federal MPs who formed the ALP-AC were:
- Tom Andrews
- Bill Bourke
- Bill Bryson
- Jack Cremean
- Bob Joshua
- Stan Keon
- Jack Mullens
Later, Frank McManus was elected to the Australian Senate for Victoria. Also, George Cole, who used to be an ALP senator, was re-elected to the Senate for Tasmania. In May 1955, Frank Scully won the seat of Richmond in the Victorian Legislative Assembly.
Who Were Its Members?
Most members of the ALP (Anti-Communist) were Roman Catholic. There were only two members who were not Catholic. One was its federal leader, Bob Joshua, who represented Ballarat in the Australian House of Representatives. The other was Jack Little, who led the party in the Victoria Legislative Council from 1955 to 1958.
Some people thought the party was mainly made up of people with an Irish background. They believed the split in 1955 was about Irish-Catholics leaving the ALP. However, many ALP (Anti-Communist) members were not Irish. The party also gained support from migrants from Catholic countries in southern Europe. It also attracted anti-Communist refugees from Eastern Europe. In 1957, the party officially became the Democratic Labor Party. This party eventually closed down in 1978.
Images for kids
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Historic logo of the Democratic Labor Party
