Australian Labor Party National Executive
The Australian Labor Party National Executive is an internal body of the Australian Labor Party, one of the major political parties in Australia. Twenty members of the National Executive are elected by the party's National Conference, which is the highest representative body of the party's state and territory branches. The other eight members are party ex-officio members. Members on the Executive may be officials of trade unions affiliated to the party or members of federal or state Parliaments. The ex-officio members are the National President, the National Secretary and two National Vice-Presidents (who are directly elected by Labor members), and the Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party,[1] but of these only the party Leader has a vote.
The National Executive is concerned mainly with organisational matters. It does not decide party policy, which is determined by the National Conference. The National Executive does not elect the party's parliamentary leaders, which is done by a ballot of both the Parliamentary Caucus and by the Labor Party's rank-and-file members. The National President or Vice-President are elected by party members. Its most public role is to act as the final arbiter of disputes about parliamentary candidacies (preselections). On these matters the National Executive usually votes on factional lines. The Labor Right faction holds a majority on the National Executive,[2] though it did not hold a majority at the 2015 National Conference.[3]
The power of the National Executive extends to the reorganisation of a State Branch. For example, in 1970 to improve the party's chances of electoral success, the National Executive intervened in the Socialist Left controlled Victorian Branch, involving the sacking of State officers and dissolution of the Branch. Less drastic forms of intervention are more common, such as the final arbiter of preselection disputes.[4] The executive has authority over policy as it can interpret the party’s constitution, platform and conference decisions.[2][5]
Members of the National Executive
As of June 2020, the current members of the National Executive are:[1]
Member type | Member name | Position / title | Faction | State/territory | Voting member |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ex-officio members | Wayne Swan | National President | Right[6] | Queensland | No |
Paul Erickson | National Secretary | Left | Victoria | No | |
Mark Butler, MP | Senior Vice-President | Left[6][7] | South Australia | No | |
Mich-Elle Myers | Junior Vice-President | Left[8] | Victoria | No | |
Anthony Albanese, MP | Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party | Left | New South Wales | Yes | |
Jason Byrne | National President, Young Labor | Right | South Australia | No | |
Elected members | Anthony Albanese, MP | Federal Member for Grayndler | Left[9] | New South Wales | Yes |
Tim Ayres | New South Wales branch Secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union | Left[10] | New South Wales | Yes | |
Chris Brown | National Secretary of the Health Services Union | Left | Tasmania | Yes | |
Senator Kim Carr | Senator for Victoria | Left[11] | Victoria | Yes | |
Russ Collison | New South Wales branch Secretary of the Australian Workers Union | Right[12] | New South Wales | Yes | |
Senator Stephen Conroy | n/a | Right[13] | Victoria | Yes | |
Gerard Dwyer | National Secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association | Right[14] | New South Wales | Yes | |
Nadine Flood | National Secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union | Left[15] | New South Wales | Yes | |
David Gray | Left[16] | South Australia | Yes | ||
Tim Kennedy | National Secretary of the National Union of Workers | Right[17] | Victoria | Yes | |
Senator Sue Lines | Senator for Western Australia | Left[18] | Western Australia | Yes | |
Peter Malinauskas, MP | n/a | Right[19] | South Australia | Yes | |
Senator Claire Moore | Senator for Queensland | Left[20] | Queensland | Yes | |
Tara Moriarty | New South Wales branch Secretary of the Liquor and Hospitality Division, United Voice | Right[21] | New South Wales | Yes | |
Charis Mullen, MLA | n/a | Right | Queensland | Yes | |
Kaila Murnain | State Secretary of the Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) | Right[22] | New South Wales | Yes | |
Michael Ravbar | National Vice President of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union | Left[23] | Queensland | Yes | |
Michelle Roberts, MLA | n/a | Right[24] | Western Australia | Yes | |
Shannon Threlfall-Clarke | Vice President of the Australian Workers Union, Victorian Branch | Right[25] | Victoria | Yes | |
Linda White | Assistant National Secretary of the Australian Services Union | Left[26] | Victoria | Yes |
Executive leaders
National Presidents
National President | Period |
---|---|
John Ferguson | 1950–1953 |
Denis Lovegrove | 1953 – 1 May 1955 |
Joe Chamberlain | 1 May 1955 – 1961 |
James Stout | 1961 – July 1962 |
Jim Keeffe | July 1962 – August 1970[27] |
Tom Burns | August 1970 – 7 June 1973 |
Bob Hawke | 7 June 1973 – 2 August 1978 |
Neil Batt | 2 August 1978 – 8 September 1980 |
Neville Wran | 8 September 1980 – 3 July 1986 |
Mick Young | 3 July 1986 – 7 April 1988 |
John Bannon | 7 April 1988 – 25 June 1991 |
Stephen Loosley | 25 June 1991 – 6 June 1992 |
Barry Jones | 6 June 1992 – 31 July 2000 |
Greg Sword | 31 July 2000 – 1 January 2004 |
Carmen Lawrence | 1 January 2004 – 1 January 2005 |
Barry Jones | 1 January 2005 – 28 January 2006 |
Warren Mundine | 28 January 2006 – January 2007 |
John Faulkner | January 2007 – 27 February 2008[28] |
Mike Rann | 27 February 2008 – 27 December 2008 |
Linda Burney | 27 December 2008 – 30 July 2009[29] |
Michael Williamson | 30 July 2009 – August 2010 |
Anna Bligh | August 2010 – 1 July 2011[30] |
Jenny McAllister | 1 July 2011 – 17 June 2015 |
Mark Butler | 17 June 2015 – 18 June 2018 |
Wayne Swan | 18 June 2018 – present |
National Secretaries
National Secretary | Period |
---|---|
Cyril Wyndham | 1963–1969 |
Mick Young | 1969–1973 |
David Combe | 1973–1981 |
Bob McMullan | 1981–1988 |
Bob Hogg | 1988–1993 |
Gary Gray | 1993–2000 |
Geoff Walsh | 2000–2003 |
Tim Gartrell | 2003–2008 |
Karl Bitar | 2008–16 March 2011 |
George Wright | 19 April 2011–September 2016 |
Noah Carroll | September 2016–July 2019 |
Paul Erickson | 16 August 2019–present |
- Cyril Wyndam was the first full time Secretary. Prior to 1963 the position was not full time[31]
References
- "Australian Labor Party National Executive". Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- The Australian, 2 July 2015: Vote change to shift Labor’s power to the Left
- Sydney Morning Herald, 18 June 2015: Labor powerbrokers lose control with reform back on the agenda
- ABC News, 4 November 2015: ALP national executive pulls rank on WA branch attempt to dump MPs Gary Gray and Alannah MacTiernan
- The Age, 27 July 2005: Labor Left accuses Right of stacking branch rules
- "NATIONAL PRESIDENT ELECTION". Australian Labor Party. 18 June 2018. Archived from the original (Press release) on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- Kenny, Mark. "Left's Mark Butler wins ALP presidency". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- Carey, Adam (13 April 2018). "Unions dump Butler, back one of their own in run for ALP president". The Age. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- "Crikey List: which MPs were involved in student politics?". Crikey. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- Morris, Sophie (19 July 2014). "Faulkner expects state conference defeat on party reform". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- "ALP meeting leaves some unhappy" (transcript). PM (ABC Radio). Australia. 7 October 2002.
- Summers, Anne (24 August 2013). "Master of the maze". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- Millar, Royce (25 November 2013). "Labor factions show scant regard for democracy push". The Age. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- Bramston, Troy. "The power of one faction". The Australian. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- Crook, Andrew. "Bonhomie thick at ALP conference as the deal-making begins". Crikey. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- Martin, Sarah. "Powerbrokers labour behind the scenes". The Advertiser.
- Schneiders, Ben. "Gone with a text. The demise and possible rise of unions". The Age. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- Crook, Andrew (12 April 2013). "Louise Pratt shafted in WA Labor Senate battle". Crikey. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- Will, Daniel. "Reshuffle: Peter Malinauskas and Leesa Vlahos set to join Jay Weatherill's Cabinet". The Advertiser. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- Elks, Sarah. "Meanwhile, in Queensland: who's who on LNP, Labor Senate tickets". The Australian.
- Maher, Sid (30 May 2011). "Labor heavy Tara Moriarty leans on Andrew Wilkie". The Australian. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- Nicholls, Sean (13 February 2016). "New Labor general secretary Kaila Murnain wants to drive cultural change in the party membership". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- Crook, Andrew (21 August 2009). "Queensland ALP embraces intra-factional bloodsports". Crikey. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- "Ripper promotes leadership rival: analysts". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- Willingham, Richard (12 May 2011). "Young Labor, same old rifts". The Age. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- Hannan, Ewin (8 December 2009). "Unions at war over ACTU leadership". The Australian. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- Senate Biographies - Keeffe, James Bernard
- http://www.nla.gov.au/ms/findaids/4985.html