Faceless men is a term fromAustralian politics. The term is generally used to refer topolitical party members who exert political influence over elected representatives of their party.[1] The term originated in 1963, when it was used with great success by Prime MinisterRobert Menzies, as an election tactic to discredit theAustralian Labor Party. It has since been used occasionally against different political parties. It has been suggested that the term is used inconsistently, with the influence of members being depicted negatively for some parties but not for others.[2]
The term was first used in 1963 byAlan Reid, a journalist working forSir Frank Packer's conservative SydneyDaily Telegraph, to refer to the 36 members of theAustralian Labor Party's Federal Conference, which at that time decided elements of the party's election policy. In the run-up to the campaign for the1963 federal election, Reid commissioned a photograph ofLabor LeaderArthur Calwell and his Deputy LeaderGough Whitlam standing outside theKingston Hotel inCanberra, where the Conference was meeting, waiting to be told on what policy they were to fight the election. Neither Calwell or Whitlam were delegates to the Conference, which then consisted of six delegates from each of the six states. Reid commented that the ALP was ruled by "36 faceless men". In fact, there was a woman,Phyllis Benjamin ofTasmania, among the delegates at the Conference at the time.[1]
The line was used effectively by theLiberal Party and its leader, Prime MinisterRobert Menzies. The Liberal Party produced a leaflet headed: "Mr Calwell and the Faceless Men". The leaflet described Conference delegates as "36 unknown men, not elected to Parliament nor responsible to the people."[3] This tactic helped Menzies win the election with an increased majority, and led directly to Whitlam's campaign to reform the Labor Party's structure when he succeeded Calwell as party leader in 1967.[4]
The term "faceless men" henceforth became a permanent part of Australia's political lexicon, nearly always being used in a pejorative sense when making reference to the Labor Party.[5]
The term was revived in 2010 when a group of Labor factional leaders, includingBill Shorten,David Feeney,Mark Arbib andDon Farrell, with the support of the union leaderPaul Howes, arranged for the Labor Prime MinisterKevin Rudd to be removed as party leader and replaced by deputy leaderJulia Gillard.[6][7][8] Howes later published a book calledConfessions of a Faceless Man.[9] The expression was also used to refer to the figures in theNSW branch of the Labor Party, such asKarl Bitar and Arbib who brought about the successive removals ofMorris Iemma andNathan Rees asPremier of New South Wales.[10][11][12]
The term returned to prominence in February 2012, when Rudd resigned asMinister for Foreign Affairs and announced he would challenge Gillard in an attempt to regain the Labor leadership. Rudd stated:[13]
"In recent days, Minister Crean and a number of other faceless men have publicly attacked my integrity and therefore my fitness to serve as a minister in the government.... I deeply believe that if the Australian Labor Party, a party of which I have been a proud member for more than 30 years, is to have the best future for our nation, then it must change fundamentally its culture and to end the power of faceless men. Australia must be governed by the people, not by the factions.
— Kevin Rudd: Transcript of resignation speech, 2012.
Rudd later stated that "..reform of the Labor Party itself, so that our party is equipped for the tasks of the 21st century. And that means a party which is not governed by the faceless men."[14] A prominent Rudd supporter, SenatorDoug Cameron, said that "Labor's faceless men" had forced Rudd's resignation as Foreign Minister.[15] In response, Labor MPMichael Danby, a Gillard supporter, said that Rudd had his own "faceless men", notably the lobbyistBruce Hawker.[16] Hawker replied: "I don't want to be a faceless man. I actually want to address issues."[17] Opposition leader at the time,Tony Abbott, attempted to use Rudd's comments to highlight instability in Labor and its preference deals withThe Greens.[18][19]
James Mahoney, a senior lecturer in public relations at theUniversity of Canberra, wrote of this revival of the "faceless men" epithet:[20]
"The greatest curiosity of the Labor leadership brawl is Kevin Rudd's 'faceless men' line, which seems to refer to prominent parliamentary colleagues with very recognisable faces. But there is method in the way he is using it. When Robert Menzies described the then Labor national executive as 'faceless men' he was stating the obvious: the 36 people who ran the party were all men who were barely known publicly, and who took decisions in secret... In a strategic communication sense, Kevin Rudd’s use of 'faceless men' in recent days is a tactical message designed to support his long-standing argument against the faction leaders who now run the party. He is suggesting that faction leaders do their work well out of public view, including organising numbers for pre-selections, and leadership challenges."
The term continued to be used throughout the duration of theRudd – Gillard – Rudd governments.[21][22]
In late 2017 it was reported that four unnamed union officials were faceless men who would control theVictorian branch of the Labor Party – and through it, influence on the party'snational executive.[23]
During 2014 and 2016 respectively, motions were put to the State Delegate Councils ofGreens New South Wales andTasmanian Greens to empower non-parliamentary elected representatives, or "faceless men and women", to direct NSW GreensMLCs andMPs andTasmanian MPs how to vote when their respective partyrooms were unable reach consensus.[24][25]
When referring to theLiberal Party, the members and benefactors of theInstitute of Public Affairs have been referred to as faceless men;[26] as has formerNSW Liberal MP and lobbyist,Michael Photios;[27][28][29] and various members of theAbbott government andMinistry.[30]