Industrial Labor Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Bob Heffron |
| Founded | September 1936 (1936-09) |
| Dissolved | 26 August 1939 (1939-08-26) |
| Split from | Australian Labor Party |
| Ideology | Socialism Industrialisation |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| NSW Legislative Assembly | 7 / 90 (1939) |
| NSW Legislative Council | 1 / 60 (1939) |
TheIndustrial Labor Party orHeffron Labor Party was a short-lived but influential political party active inNew South Wales between 1936 and 1939. It was a splinter group of theLabor Party (ALP) and was formed byBob Heffron after he andCarlo Lazzarini attempted to depose theparty leaderJack Lang (who had been Premier of New South Wales 1925-27 and again 1930-32). Both Heffron and Lazzarini subsequently lost their party endorsements for the1938 election.
At the 1938 election the ILP stood candidates in 6 of the 90 seats and won 3.7% of the popular vote.[1] Heffron and Lazzarini retained their seats in theLegislative Assembly.[2] The party was successful at two subsequent by-elections in the seats ofHurstville, won byClive Evatt,[3] andWaverley, won byClarrie Martin.[4] These victories were seen as evidence of Lang's diminishing political power. Three other MLAs,Mat Davidson (Cobar), andTed Horsington (Sturt)[5] joined the ILP in April 1939 whileFrank Burke (Newtown) joined the ILP in June 1939.[6]
Under pressure from the federal executive of the ALP, the ILP was readmitted into the ALP at a unity conference on 26 August 1939. Heffron andWilliam McKell then successfully combined to depose Lang on 5 September 1939.
| Name | Term | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Heffron (Leader) | August 1936 – 26 August 1939 | Botany |
| Carlo Lazzarini | August 1936 – 26 August 1939 | Marrickville |
| William Dickson | August 1936 – 26 August 1939 | Legislative Councillor |
| Clive Evatt | 18 March 1939 – 26 August 1939 | Hurstville |
| Clarrie Martin | 22 April 1939 – 26 August 1939 | Waverley |
| Mat Davidson | April 1939 – 26 August 1939 | Cobar |
| Ted Horsington | April 1939 – 26 August 1939 | Sturt |
| Frank Burke | 30 May 1939 – 26 August 1939 | Newtown |
