| Part ofa series on |
| Socialism in Australia |
|---|
 |
Organisations(Defunct)
|
Literature Newspapers/Journals/Magazines Active Historical |
Socialism in Australia dates back at least as far as the late-19th century.[1] Notions ofsocialism inAustralia have taken many different forms includingutopiannationalism in the style ofEdward Bellamy, thedemocratic socialist andsocial democratic electoral project of theAustralian Labor Party (ALP), and the revolutionaryMarxism of parties such as theCommunist Party of Australia.[2]
Like otherhunter-gatherers, the variousAboriginal peoples of Australia practiced the sharing of resources, a practice which has been described asprimitive communism. However, early white Australian socialists drew little or no inspiration from Aboriginal society.
Pre-federation Australian socialism was highly influenced by philosophical ideologies arising from theUnited States and theUnited Kingdom. Social scientists who had visited Australia at the time noted the lack of influence from continental socialist ideologies such asMarxism, labelling Australia as having "socialism with no doctrine".[3] In particular, the works of the American authorEdward Bellamy were highly influential, which advocated for the democraticnationalisation of all industry.[4] The prominentAustralian Socialist League was by the 1890s "modelled on, of all things,Daniel De Leon'sSocialist Labor party".[3] Due to the significant influence of American socialist writers, the political sociologist Robin Archer considered that pre-federation "Australian leftism was more American thanAmerican leftism itself".[3]
In the late 1890s, the colonies of Cosme andNew Australia were founded inSouth America by groups of Australian socialists.
The settlement of New Australia was founded in 1893 by the supporters of the utopian socialistWilliam Lane. Lane's socialism was inspired by Edward Bellamy as well as his unorthodox belief thatrace played a role in preventing a socialist society from forming.[2] Due to these beliefs, New Australia was built around the values of creating "a brotherhood ofEnglish-speaking Whites" which preserved the "colour-Line" which was seen as necessary in order to achievecommunism.[5] After conflict over Lane's supposed incompetent management, 58 colonists left New Australia in 1894 to found the colony of Cosme several kilometres south, and the original colony was soon after dissolved.[6]
Founding of the Australian Labor Party
The predecessors to the then-democratic socialistAustralian Labor Party were founded throughout the 1890s, with Labor formed through the merger of various unions and socialist parties. The ALP briefly took power at the state level in Queensland in 1899 - the first socialist government in the world at any level.[7]
TheWaterside Workers' Federation of Australia was led by several Communist Party members during its history, such asJim Healy.[8] Under Healy, the Workers Federationwent on strike in 1938 to preventpig iron being shipped to Japan, to protest the invasion of China. In 1945, the union declared a ban on working Dutch ships, labelled the "Black Armada", during theIndonesian National Revolution.
Socialism was a major ideology behind theBuilders Labourers Federation and thegreen bans in the 1970s. The Victorian branch of the union was primarily led by members of theMaoistCPA (M-L) such asNorm Gallagher, while the New South Wales branch was led by members of theCommunist Party of Australia (CPA) such asJack Mundey.[9] In 1974, Gallagher and several affiliated Maoist workers occupied the New South Wales branch office and expelled CPA-affiliated unionists.[9] After union officials, including CPA members, agreed upon thePrices and Incomes Accord in 1983 which traded lower rates of industrial action for parliamentary reforms, it signalled "the end of the renegade, guerrilla actions of the BLF to stop work and take radical protest activities". The union was de-registered shortly afterwards, during theHawke Labor government, and members were blacklisted from working on construction sites.[9]
A number of socialists have been influential figures in ALP history. Notable among them wasJohn Curtin (Prime Minister of Australia),Jim Cairns (theDeputy Prime Minister of Australia underGough Whitlam),Jack Lang (the radicalPremier of New South Wales),Tom Uren,Eddie Ward, and many early figures in Labor history, includingJames Scullin andTed Theodore, who introduced Labor's socialist objective. Labor has undertaken some democratic socialist measures during its times in government, as well as many more decidedlyfree market measures since theHawke government.Ben Chifley famously attempted tonationalise Australian banks in the 1940s, a policy of the party only dropped in the 1970s.
Under Jack Lang during theGreat Depression, theNew South Wales branch of the Labor Party came to be dominated by the left wing. Socialisation units were established in party branches, advocating for the Labor government to begin to nationalise industry and abolishprivate property. Revolutionary elements were prominent; a sub-committee was established to produce strategies of socialism, producing the Payne Report. "The Payne Report was a bombshell within the units and within the party. It called for "social revolution, which means... complete destruction of the capitalist state apparatus...a dictatorship of the working class" following a "revolutionary conflict between the classes". If it remained vague on key points, it was nonetheless the clearest statement ever produced by the socialisation units of a revolutionary strategy for socialism..."[10]
Some recent, dissident figures in the party have attempted to pursue a more interventionist, democratic socialist agenda;Keating government ministerPeter Baldwin ran on aBennite programme, in which, "He promised to revive the “dead letter” of the ALP’s commitment to socializing themeans of production by advocating for the nationalization of industry as part of the next Labor government’s program. He argued that industrial democracy would be crucial to this goal."[11]
Some parts of theLabor Left continue to advocate for socialism. For example, the NSWYoung Labor Left state on their website: "We believe in participatory and representative democracy; trade unionism andworkers’ control of industry; the abolition ofexploitation for private profit; the implementation of the ALP’s socialist objective; environmentalism and sustainability; as well as feminism, queer rights, andFirst Nations justice."[12] Their policy proposals include support for an AustralianGreen New Deal,prison abolition,public ownership of industry,industrial democracy, and Labor Party democracy.[13]
Following the collapse of the communism in Europe from 1989 to 1991, belief in socialism collapsed, resulting in the fall of theCommunist Party of Australia and the shift ofLabor Left towards non-socialist ideologies.[14] TheCommunist Party of Australia was dissolved and the assets of the Communist Party were thereafter directed into theSEARCH Foundation,[15] a not-for-profit company set up in 1990 "to preserve and draw on the resources of the Communist Party of Australia and its archives."[16]
During the fall of the Communist Party, several organisations and individuals moved toward the Greens movement. Several ex-Communist Party andLabor Left members joined theGreens NSW, inspired by thegreen ban movement.[17] In Western Australia, members of the Alternative Coalition (consisting of members from the Communist Party of Australia, theSocialist Party of Australia, and theDemocratic Socialist Party) merged with theNuclear Disarmament Party to formGreens Western Australia.[17] An Alternative Coalition member,Christabel Chamarette, later became senator in 1992.[17] The Democratic Socialist Party established "Greens Alliance" parties in South Australia, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory.[17] However, in 1992 following the formation of the Australian Greens federation, the DSP was proscribed and members were banned from entering the Green parties.[17] The new Green parties were broad-left coalition, with the founding documents of the Sydney Greens stating:[18][19]
The Greens in Sydney come from many backgrounds. Environmental and resident activists.Nuclear disarmers. Dissidents from theLabor Party who have witnessed betrayals by both wings of that party.Feminists.Anarchists. Those inspired by theGerman Greens.Socialists of various kinds.What is distinctive and unifying about this new force in Sydney is the emphasis on encouraging people’s self-confidence in their right to have their say, their right to democratically determine matters – whether they are large or small – which affect their lives.
In 1996 theSocialist Party of Australia, a splinter party from the CPA, changed its name to theCommunist Party of Australia claiming the party was the rightful successor to the original party formed in 1920.[20]
In 2001, several socialist organisations formedSocialist Alliance in an attempt for left unity.[21] The organisations at foundation included theDemocratic Socialist Perspective,International Socialist Organisation,Freedom Socialist Party,Socialist Alternative,Socialist Democracy,Worker-communist Party of Iraq, Workers League,Worker's Liberty, and Worker's Power.[21] However, after several years, most affiliate organisations abandoned the Alliance. In January 2010, the last major organisation in the Alliance, the Democratic Socialist Perspective, voted to merge into the Socialist Alliance, in effect ceasing to exist as an affiliate organisation.[22]
Political historian Geoff Robinson describes the contemporary left as a "movement of parties andelectoral campaigning".[14] There are currently two federally registered socialist parties which run in elections: theSocialist Alliance and theVictorian Socialists.[23] AlthoughSocialist Action and theCommunist Party of Australia are not registered for federal elections, they have successfully contested local government elections in theCity of Yarra and theCity of Auburn. There are several organisations and parties which do not run in elections, either for ideological reasons or due to practical reasons, including theCommunist Party of Australia (Marxist–Leninist),Socialist Alternative, andSolidarity.
While not strictly having a socialist platform the Greens have elected socialists. IncludingLee Rhiannon[24] andMax Chandler-Mather.[25]
Left Renewal was established as a eco-socialist political faction of theNSW Greens in 2016.[26]
Formed in 1990 as the successor organisation of theCommunist Party of Australia.[27]
In 1961, the pro-China faction leaderTed Hill was expelled from the Communist Party of Australia during the events of thesplit between the USSR and China.[9] Hill in the following years led a split from the party which cumulated in the formation of theMaoist Communist Party of Australia (Marxist–Leninist).[9]
In 1971, a group split from the Communist Party of Australia due to the party criticising actions of theSoviet Union, and formed the Socialist Party of Australia.[28] In 1996, following the dissolution of the original Communist Party of Australia in 1991, the Socialist Party of Australia re-named itself to the Communist Party of Australia.[28]
Formed in 1995 by expelled members of theInternational Socialist Organisation.[29] In 2018, Alternative formed an electoral alliance with Socialist Alliance, forming theVictorian Socialists.[30]
Initially formed in 1972 as the Socialist Labour League. In 2010, the SLL was refounded as the Socialist Equality Party.[31]
Initially formed in 1971 as the Marxist Workers' Group, then later the International Socialist Organisation. In 1995 several members were expelled and formed Socialist Alternative. In 2008, the ISO merged with several other parties to form Solidarity.[32]
The Australian Communist Party was initially established in 1920.[33] Within the decade the party became aligned with the SovietCommunist International and renamed itself to the Communist Party of Australia.[33] Following the 1930s, the party followedMarxist-Leninism, until the party became increasingly critical of the USSR in the 1960s.[9] In 1967 the party ceased receiving funding from the USSR and from the 1970s onwards the party adoptedeurocommunist theories.[9] The Communist Party of Australia dissolved in 1991.[33] TheSEARCH Foundation was established as a successor organisation.[27]
Initially formed in 2001 by several socialist organisations in an attempt for left unity.[21] However, by 2010, most constituent parties had left and the last major organisation in the Alliance, the ex-TrotskyistDemocratic Socialist Perspective voted to merge into the Socialist Alliance.[22]
Initially formed in 1887 as the Australian Socialist League. In 1901, the ASL formed the Socialist Labor Party to contest the1901 Australian federal election.[34] Between the late 1890s and 1905, the party shifted towardsDe Leonism.[35][3] The party declined after the 1920s, however, the party maintained its newspaperThe People until the early 1970s where it then ceased its activities.
The Victorian Socialists is ademocratic socialist party established in 2018.[36] The party is anelectoral alliance of various socialist parties, organisations, community groups and trade unionists.
{{cite book}}:|website= ignored (help)We work to foster solidarity through authentic collective struggle and to demonstrate the need for, and legitimacy of, democratic socialism.