The Socialist Left also known as Labor left is a faction of 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...

. The Left is an organised political faction

Political faction

A political faction is a grouping of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. A faction or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, “parties within a party," which may be referred to as power blocs, or voting blocs. The individuals...

 that advocates within the party for traditionally Labor interventionist

Economic interventionism

Economic interventionism is an action taken by a government in a market economy or market-oriented mixed economy, beyond the basic regulation of fraud and enforcement of contracts, in an effort to affect its own economy...

 and socialist economic policies. However, since the party reforms by Gough Whitlam

Gough Whitlam

Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...

 in the 1970s, the Left has also been the principal champion in the party of socially liberal values, such as women's rights

Women's rights

Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...

, gay rights, reconciliation with Aboriginal Australians and land rights. It advocates an independent foreign policy which benefits Australia and its citizens rather than its foreign allies as many members of the faction are unenthusiastic about the Australian–US Alliance.

History of the Socialist Left faction

Historically, the name "Socialist Left" is a truncation of the full faction's name, the "Combined Unions Socialist Left". This was first adopted by the left-wing of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party.

Federal executive intervention

The NSW 'Steering Committee', or the 'Socialist Left' began as a reaction movement to the anti-communist campaigns by the 'Groupers' led by B.A. Santamaria in 1955.

Industrial Groups of the ALP existed to counter Communist Party of Australia

Communist Party of Australia

The Communist Party of Australia was founded in 1920 and dissolved in 1991; it was succeeded by the Socialist Party of Australia, which then renamed itself, becoming the current Communist Party of Australia. The CPA achieved its greatest political strength in the 1940s and faced an attempted...

 activities within trade unions. In 1955, the majority of the branches and members of the Victorian branch were expelled with similar moves, although to a much lesser extent in New South Wales.

The formation of the faction occurred after intervention by the Federal Executive of the party into the Victorian branch. The Federal Executive's intervention resulted in the sacking of its elected officers and dissolution of the branch in 1970. Gough Whitlam

Gough Whitlam

Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...

 sought to modernise the Victorian branch to increase its chances of electoral success. Dismissed officers are tabled below.

Position	Dismissed officers
Secretary	Bill Hartley
Assistant Secretary	Glyde Butler
President	George Crawford
Organiser	Bob Hogg Bob Hogg Robert Duncan Hogg AO is an Australian Labor Party identity, and former ALP National Secretary.-Career:* 1976-78: Secretary of the Victorian Branch of the ALP.* 1983-86: Senior adviser to then Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke...

Response to dismissals

In response to their dismissal, Hartley and Crawford formed the Socialist Left as a rank and file

Rank and file

In politics and labor unions the rank and file are the individual members of an organization, exclusive of its leadership. The phrase originated in the military, denoting the horizontal "ranks" and vertical "files" of individual foot-soldiers, exclusive of the noncommissioned officers....

 organisation to propagate socialist views within 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...

. It published a fortnightly newspaper called Action that covered union, community and internal party matters. The faction emerged from intervention as the largest faction with strong discipline and a program of monthly general meetings.

The faction also drew considerable support from the trade union movement, especially from figures such as Ken Carr and Jim Roulston. Incidentally, George Crawford was also a prominent leader in the Plumbers and Gasfitters Employees' Union.

The faction's membership included several notable members of state and federal parliament including Bill Brown

Bill Brown

Bill Brown may refer to:*Bill Brown , Australian cricketer*Bill Brown , Australian Senator*Bill Brown , Scottish football player...

, Jim Cairns

Jim Cairns

James Ford "J. F." Cairns , Australian politician, was prominent in the Labor movement through the 1960s and 1970s, and was briefly Deputy Prime Minister in the Whitlam government...

, Kim Carr

Kim Carr

Kim John Carr is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Senate since April 1993, representing the state of Victoria. He was elected to the Senate at the March 1993 election, and was due to take his seat on 1 July...

, Moss Cass

Moss Cass

Moses Henry Cass is a former member of the Australian House of Representatives. Born in Narrogin, Western Australia, Cass was educated in state schools before graduating in Medicine from the University of Sydney and worked as a Research Fellow at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne and as...

, Bruce Childs

Bruce Childs

Bruce Kenneth Childs is a former Australian politician. Born in Sydney, he was a tradesman in photo engraving and a secretary of the Printers' Union before becoming Assistant General Secretary of the New South Wales Labor Party 1971-1980. In 1980, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Labor...

, Joan Coxedge, George Crawford, Arthur Gietzelt

Arthur Gietzelt

Arthur Thomas Gietzelt, AO is a former Australian politician and minister.Gietzelt was educated at Hurstville High School. He served in the armed forces in New Guinea during World War II from 1941 to 1945....

, Gerry Hand

Gerry Hand

Gerard Leslie Hand is a former Australian politician, who was a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the seat of Melbourne...

, Brian Howe

Brian Howe

Brian Howe may refer to:*Brian Howe , Australian politician*Brian Howe , vocalist with the 80s and 90s versions of Bad Company*Brian Howe , American character actor best known for his major role in The Pursuit of Happyness...

, Dr Harry Jenkins

Harry Jenkins (senior)

Henry Alfred Jenkins AM , Australian Labor politician, was Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives during the term of the Labor government of Bob Hawke....

, Joan Kirner

Joan Kirner

Joan Elizabeth Kirner AM , Australian politician, was the 42nd Premier of Victoria, the first woman to hold the position, which she held for two years prior to a landslide election defeat.-Biography:...

, Andrew Theophanus, Tom Uren

Tom Uren

Thomas Uren, AO was a Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party. He helped establish the heritage and conservation movement in Australia and, in particular, worked to preserve the heritage of inner Sydney.-Early life:...

.

Expulsion of Bill Hartley

Founding faction chairman, Bill Hartley was expelled from the Australian Labor Party in 1986, despite being regularly elected to Federal Executive and the National Conference of the ALP, because he was found to have brought the Party into disrepute by reason of his persistent public criticism of Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke

Bob Hawke

Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....

.

Contemporary Left Faction

The Left is the smaller of the two main factions in the federal Caucus, having a total of 38 MPs. Under the current factional agreements, the Labor Leader in the Senate comes from the Left, their Deputy from the Right, the reverse of the situation in the House of Representatives. Key members of the Left include the party's National President for 2007 and former Minister for Defence, Senator John Faulkner

John Faulkner

John Philip Faulkner is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor member of the Australian Senate since 1989, representing the state of New South Wales. Following a period serving on various Senate Committees and as Deputy Whip, he was a Minister in the Keating Labor government 1993-96...

, the Leader of the Government in the Senate Chris Evans

Chris Evans (Australian politician)

Christopher Vaughan Evans is an Australian politician and a member of the Australian Senate for the state of Western Australia, representing the Australian Labor Party.-Early life:...

, the Manager of Government Business in the House of Representatives Anthony Albanese

Anthony Albanese

Anthony Norman Albanese , Australian politician, who serves as Leader of the House of Representatives and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport in the Gillard Ministry...

 and the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin

Jenny Macklin

Jennifer Louise Macklin , is an Australian politician. She is Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs in the Gillard Ministry...

. Under the leadership of Kevin Rudd

Kevin Rudd

Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...

, Victorian Senator Kim Carr

Kim Carr

Kim John Carr is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Senate since April 1993, representing the state of Victoria. He was elected to the Senate at the March 1993 election, and was due to take his seat on 1 July...

 rose to prominence as a powerful Left Faction power broker in the Labor caucus, with the Innovation, Industry, Science and Research portfolio, and 2010 Federal President and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh

Anna Bligh

Anna Maria Bligh is an Australian politician and the Premier of Queensland since 2007. The 2009 Queensland state election was the first time a female-led political party won or retained state or federal government in Australia...

.

Factions in federal Caucus

Federally, the Left is split internally between the "hard left

Hard left

Hard left is a name often given to an internal tendency within the British Labour Party. Similar terminology is used also in the context of the Australian Labor Party....

" who promote a more confrontational stance towards the dominant Labor Right

Labor Right

The Labor Right, or Labor Unity in some State branches, or Centre Unity in NSW, is the organised faction of the Australian Labor Party that tends to be more economically liberal and socially conservative than Labor Left....

 faction and some within the faction are considered far-leftist, and the "soft left

Soft left

The soft left was the name given to the more moderate left wing forces in the British Labour Party in the 1980s. They were first seen as a distinct movement when many previous left wingers such as Neil Kinnock refused to support Tony Benn in the election for the deputy leadership of the Labour...

" Ferguson group

Ferguson Left

The Independent Left, or the Ferguson Left or Soft Left as it is more commonly known, is a political faction within the Australian Labor Party. The faction was founded by Martin Ferguson, a former president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions...

 which includes Prime Minister Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard

Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...

 who are historically more acquiescent to policy initiatives of the Right.

Federal Members of the Left

Name	Position
Doug Cameron Doug Cameron (politician) Douglas Niven Cameron is an Australian politician and trade unionist. He has been a Labor member of the Australian Senate since July 2008, representing the state of New South Wales....	Left faction leader, Senator for NSW
Julia Gillard Julia Gillard Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...	Prime Minister Prime Minister of Australia The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful... , Member for Lalor Division of Lalor The Division of Lalor is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the outer western suburbs of Melbourne. It includes the suburbs of Werribee, Point Cook, Laverton, Rockbank and Melton....
Anthony Albanese Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese , Australian politician, who serves as Leader of the House of Representatives and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport in the Gillard Ministry...	Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Leader of the House Leader of the House (Australia) The office of Leader of the House in the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Australia exists in order for the management of government business, involving such matters as the following:* the order in which Government issues are to be dealt with... , Member for Grayndler Division of Grayndler The Division of Grayndler is an Australian Electoral Division in inner Metropolitan Sydney, New South Wales. It is one of Australia's smallest electorates, located in the inner-southern Sydney metropolitan area, including parts of the inner-west...
Jenny Macklin Jenny Macklin Jennifer Louise Macklin , is an Australian politician. She is Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs in the Gillard Ministry...	Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Member for Jagajaga Division of Jagajaga The Division of Jagajaga is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and lies north of the Yarra River...
Tanya Plibersek Tanya Plibersek Tanya Joan Plibersek, MP , is an Australian politician with the Australian Labor Party, and Federal Minister for Social Inclusion and Minister for Human Services. She has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives since October 1998, representing the seat of Sydney, New South Wales...	Minister for Human Services Minister for Human Services (Australia) The position of Minister for Human Services within Australian politics is currently held by the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP. The Minister is responsible for a number of welfare agencies and administers her portfolio through the Department of Human Services and its component bodies:* Child Support... , Member for Sydney Division of Sydney The Division of Sydney is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located around the central city area of Sydney, and includes many inner suburbs such as Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Ultimo, Redfern, Camperdown, Glebe, Annandale, Balmain, Potts Point and the Sydney...
Chris Evans Chris Evans (Australian politician) Christopher Vaughan Evans is an Australian politician and a member of the Australian Senate for the state of Western Australia, representing the Australian Labor Party.-Early life:...	Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator for Western Australia
Martin Ferguson Martin Ferguson Martin John Ferguson AM , Australian politician, has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1996, representing the Division of Batman, Victoria. He was born in Sydney, the son of Jack Ferguson, who was Deputy Premier of New South Wales from 1976...	Minister for Resources and Energy Minister for Resources and Energy (Australia) The Australian Minister for Resources and Energy is Martin Ferguson, appointed on 3 December 2007. The Minister administers his portfolios through the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism.-List of Ministers for Resources:... , Member for Batman Division of Batman The Division of Batman is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1906 , and is named after John Batman, one of the founders of the city of Melbourne. When it was created it covered the inner suburbs of Carlton and Fitzroy, but successive boundary changes have...
Penny Wong Penny Wong Penelope "Penny" Ying-yen Wong , is an Australian Labor Party senator for South Australia and the Federal Minister for Finance and Deregulation. Wong was the first Australian Minister for Climate Change and Water. Her appointment was amended on 26 February 2010, by the Prime Minister, to the...	Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Senator for South Australia
Greg Combet Greg Combet Gregory Ivan Combet AM MP is an Australian politician and trade unionist. He was Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions between 2000 and 2007...	Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Member for Charlton Division of Charlton The Division of Charlton is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1984 and is named for Matthew Charlton, who was Leader of the Australian Labor Party 1922-28. It is located in the Hunter Valley area of New South Wales, including the coal-mining towns of...
Kim Carr Kim Carr Kim John Carr is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Senate since April 1993, representing the state of Victoria. He was elected to the Senate at the March 1993 election, and was due to take his seat on 1 July...	Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator for Victoria
Mark Butler Mark Butler Mark Christopher Butler has been the Australian Labor Party representative for the electoral division of Port Adelaide in north-western Adelaide, South Australia since the 2007 federal election, succeeding prior Labor MP Rod Sawford....	Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Member for Port Adelaide Division of Port Adelaide The Division of Port Adelaide is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of South Australia. It is located in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, covering the area around the Barker Inlet, part of the Gulf St Vincent. It stretches from St Kilda in the north down to Grange Road, and is roughly...
Jan McLucas Jan McLucas Jan Elizabeth McLucas is an Australian politician, representing Queensland and the Australian Labor Party in the Australian Senate.-Biography:McLucas's parents are Ronald and Audrey McLucas...	Senator for Queensland
Claire Moore Claire Moore Claire Mary Moore is an Australian politician. Moore was elected to the Australian Senate from Queensland in July 2001, representing the Australian Labor Party. Her term began on 1 July 2002....	Senator for Queensland
John Faulkner John Faulkner John Philip Faulkner is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor member of the Australian Senate since 1989, representing the state of New South Wales. Following a period serving on various Senate Committees and as Deputy Whip, he was a Minister in the Keating Labor government 1993-96...	Senator for NSW
Kate Lundy Kate Lundy Kate Alexandra Lundy is a member of the Australian Senate, representing the Australian Capital Territory.Born in Sydney, Lundy dropped out of Year 11 without telling her parents and went to work on a construction site...	Senator for the ACT
Trish Crossin Trish Crossin Patricia Margaret "Trish" Crossin , Australian politician, has been a member of the Australian Senate for the Northern Territory since June 1998, representing the Australian Labor Party...	Senator for the Northern Territory
Daryl Melham Daryl Melham Daryl Melham , Australian politician, has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1990, representing the Division of Banks, New South Wales. He was born in Sydney, New South Wales, to a family of Lebanese descent and studied Law and Economics at...	Member for Banks Division of Banks The Division of Banks is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named for Sir Joseph Banks, the British scientist who accompanied James Cook on his voyage to Australia in 1770. It has always been based in the south-western suburbs of Sydney,...
Stephen Jones Stephen Jones (Australian politician) Stephen Patrick Jones is an Australian politician representing the Labor Party. He was elected to represent the federal seat of Throsby, New South Wales in 2010.-Early years and background:...	Member for Throsby Division of Throsby The Division of Throsby is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. It covers eastern Wingecarribee Shire, extending from Exeter, Lake Yarrunga and Upper Kangaroo Valley in the south to Aylmerton, Alpine, the Avon Dam, Lake Avon, Dombarton, and Kembla Grange in the north to the Pacific...
Harry Jenkins Harry Jenkins Henry Alfred "Harry" Jenkins , an Australian politician, is a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Division of Scullin, Victoria, since the 1986 by-election for the Australian Labor Party...	Member for Scullin Division of Scullin The Division of Scullin is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, including Epping, Lalor, Bundoora, Mill Park and Plenty....
Dick Adams	Member for Lyons Division of Lyons The Division of Lyons is an Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania. The division was created in 1984 to replace the abolished Division of Wilmot and is named for Joseph Lyons, Prime Minister of Australia 1931-39, Member for Wilmot from 1929-39, and his wife Dame Enid Lyons, the first woman...
Melissa Parke Melissa Parke Melissa Parke is an Australian Labor parliamentarian representing the Division of Fremantle, Western Australia, in the Australian House of Representatives. She was elected to office in November 2007 and re-elected in August 2010...	Member for Fremantle Division of Fremantle The Division of Fremantle is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia.The division was created at Federation in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election...

Further reading

• Barcan, Alan, (1960) The socialist left in Australia 1949-1959 Sydney : Australian Political Studies Association (Occasional monograph (Australian Political Studies Association)) no. 2.