Race Mathews
Encyclopedia
Charles Race Thorson Mathews, always known as Race Mathews (born 27 March 1935) is a Co-operative economist
, and former member of Victoria
's State Parliament
and Australia
's Federal Parliament
for the Australian Labor Party
. He is currently a Senior Research Fellow at Monash University
's Faculty of Business and Economics.
From 1972 to 1975, Mathews was the Federal Member for Casey
, where he served as the Chairman of the House of Representatives Select Committee on Specific Learning Difficulties (1974-1975), and the Chairman of the Government Members' Committee on Urban and Regional Development. From 1979 to 1992, Mathews served as the State Member for Oakleigh
in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
during the Cain
Government. In this capacity, Mathews served as the Chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Co-operatives, the Minister for Community Services from 1987 to 1988, and Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for the Arts 1982-1987.
Mathews is the author, co-author, and editor of numerous books on politics and economics. These include "Building the Society of Equals: Worker Co-operatives and the A.L.P.," "Jobs of Our Own," "Australia's First Fabians," "Whitlam Re-visited: Policy Development, Policies and Outcomes," "Labor's Troubled Times," and "Turning the Tide: Towards a Mutualist Philosophy and Politics for Labor and the Left."
In the context of Co-operative Economics, Mathews supports Distributism
and strongly favours Worker cooperative
s as the basis of a left wing economic model.
beliefs, has led to some criticism by other academics. For instance, Jocelyn Pixley has attacked Mathews for his (apparent) support of the Cain Government's Co-operative Development Program, on the basis that Beatrice Webb
, a founder of the Fabian Society, was a prominent member of the Federalist
school of Co-operative economics, which supports Consumers' Co-operatives linked through co-operative wholesale societies
, and was a harsh critic of Workers' cooperatives. Pixley writes:
However, in spite of being a Minister in the Cain Government's Chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Co-operatives, and being a supporter of Workers Co-operatives, Mathews was a critic of the Cain Government's Co-operative Development Program, telling one magazine at the time that they were:
Co-operative economics
Co-operative economics is a field of economics, socialist economics, co-operative studies, and political economy, which is concerned with co-operatives.-History:...
, and former member of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
's State Parliament
Parliament of Victoria
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and consists of The Queen, represented by the Governor of Victoria; the Legislative Council ; and the Legislative Assembly...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's Federal Parliament
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
for the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
. He is currently a Senior Research Fellow at Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
's Faculty of Business and Economics.
From 1972 to 1975, Mathews was the Federal Member for Casey
Division of Casey
The Division of Casey is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1969 and is named for Richard Casey, who was Governor-General of Australia 1965-69. It is located in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne and includes the suburbs of Croydon, Montrose and Olinda...
, where he served as the Chairman of the House of Representatives Select Committee on Specific Learning Difficulties (1974-1975), and the Chairman of the Government Members' Committee on Urban and Regional Development. From 1979 to 1992, Mathews served as the State Member for Oakleigh
Electoral district of Oakleigh
The Electoral district of Oakleigh is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It covers the suburbs of Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale, Oakleigh East, Oakleigh and parts of Chadstone, Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley, Glen Huntly and Ormond.The seat is Labor Party...
in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
during the Cain
John Cain II
John Cain , Australian Labor Party politician, was the 41st Premier of Victoria, holding office from 1982 to 1990.-Biography:...
Government. In this capacity, Mathews served as the Chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Co-operatives, the Minister for Community Services from 1987 to 1988, and Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for the Arts 1982-1987.
Mathews is the author, co-author, and editor of numerous books on politics and economics. These include "Building the Society of Equals: Worker Co-operatives and the A.L.P.," "Jobs of Our Own," "Australia's First Fabians," "Whitlam Re-visited: Policy Development, Policies and Outcomes," "Labor's Troubled Times," and "Turning the Tide: Towards a Mutualist Philosophy and Politics for Labor and the Left."
In the context of Co-operative Economics, Mathews supports Distributism
Distributism
Distributism is a third-way economic philosophy formulated by such Catholic thinkers as G. K...
and strongly favours Worker cooperative
Worker cooperative
A worker cooperative is a cooperative owned and democratically managed by its worker-owners. This control may be exercised in a number of ways. A cooperative enterprise may mean a firm where every worker-owner participates in decision making in a democratic fashion, or it may refer to one in which...
s as the basis of a left wing economic model.
Controversy
Mathews' Co-operative Individualism, coupled with his strong Fabian SocialistFabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means. It is best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning late in the 19th century and continuing up to World...
beliefs, has led to some criticism by other academics. For instance, Jocelyn Pixley has attacked Mathews for his (apparent) support of the Cain Government's Co-operative Development Program, on the basis that Beatrice Webb
Beatrice Webb
Martha Beatrice Webb, Lady Passfield was an English sociologist, economist, socialist and social reformer. Although her husband became Baron Passfield in 1929, she refused to be known as Lady Passfield...
, a founder of the Fabian Society, was a prominent member of the Federalist
Co-operative Federalism
Cooperative federalism is a school of thought in the field of cooperative economics. Historically, its proponents have included J.T.W. Mitchell, Charles Gide, Paul Lambart, and Beatrice Webb...
school of Co-operative economics, which supports Consumers' Co-operatives linked through co-operative wholesale societies
Co-operative wholesale society
A Co-operative Wholesale Society, or CWS, is a form of Co-operative Federation , in this case, the members are usually Consumers' Co-operatives...
, and was a harsh critic of Workers' cooperatives. Pixley writes:
A 'prefigurative' argument, that [Workers] co-ops were 'pioneers of a new exciting territory', a 'testing ground' for socialism... formed the basis of one Labor politician's support [i.e. Mathews], among others. It is an interesting position for a professed Fabian to hold, given Beatrice Webb's harsh judgement that [Workers'] co-operatives were associations of small capitalists as fraudulent as any other."
However, in spite of being a Minister in the Cain Government's Chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Co-operatives, and being a supporter of Workers Co-operatives, Mathews was a critic of the Cain Government's Co-operative Development Program, telling one magazine at the time that they were:
"...'in most instances wretchedly managed, chronically under-performing and expressive of the attitude that the world owes their members a living.' He said that we should 'wipe what has already happened in this state in the field of co-operation.' It was 'an historical aberration,' and it 'would have been better if it had never been.'"