Democratic Labour Party (Australia)

The Democratic Labour Party[note 1] (DLP) is a political party in Australia that espouses social conservatism and favours distributism. The first DLP Senator in decades, John Madigan was elected for a six-year term to the Australian Senate with 2.3 per cent of the primary vote in Victoria at the 2010 federal election, serving from July 2011 until the July 2016 double dissolution election. In September 2014, Madigan resigned from the party and served the rest of his term as an independent, citing long-term internal party tensions.[8] Madigan and the DLP later reconciled and he was offered honorary membership[9][10].

This article is about the modern-day Australian political party founded after the dissolution of the original party of the same name. For the earlier party, see Democratic Labor Party (historical). For other uses, see Democratic Labour Party.

Democratic Labour Party
PresidentRosemary Lorrimar[1]
SecretaryStephen Campbell[1]
Founded1955 (1955)
Split fromAustralian Labor Party
HeadquartersMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
Youth wingYoung Democratic Labour Association (YDLA)
IdeologyChristian democracy
Social conservatism[2]
Distributism[3][4]
Political positionSocial: Right-wing[5]
Economic: Centre[6]
Colours          Orange and charcoal
Website
dlp.org.au
Part of a series on
Conservatism
in Australia
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Part of a series on
Labour politics
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The DLP won a seat at the 2014 Victorian state election in the Legislative Council, with Dr Rachel Carling-Jenkins being elected in the Western Metropolitan Region.[11] On 26 June 2017 it was revealed that Carling-Jenkins would be leaving the DLP to join Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives, resulting in the DLP once again being without any parliamentary representation in Australia.[12][13][14]

On 27 June 2013, the Australian Electoral Commission approved a change in the spelling of the party's name from "Democratic Labor Party" to "Democratic Labour Party"[7][15]—with the party stating that the change reflected the "correct Australian spelling" of the word 'labour', and also differentiated it from the Australian Labor Party.[16]

On 23 April 2015 the party was deregistered by the Australian Electoral Commission for 'failure to demonstrate requisite 500 members to maintain registration'.[17][18] On 1 March 2016, the Australian Electoral Commission upheld an appeal by the DLP against its deregistration and reregistered it.[19] The DLP has proven it has at least 500 members in Victoria alone and is registered with the Victorian Electoral Commission.[20]

Original DLP: 1955–1978
Further information: Democratic Labor Party (historical)

The DLP has its origins in the historical Democratic Labor Party,[21] a conservative Catholic-based anti-communist political party which existed from the 1955 split in the Australian Labor Party (ALP) until the 1978 DLP vote for dissolution, and played an important role in Australian politics.[22] The Australian Electoral Commission considers the current DLP to be legally the same as the earlier DLP, and so the party was not affected by laws from the John Howard era (1996–2007) which deregistered parties which had never had a parliamentary presence and prohibited party names that include words from another party's name.[23][24] A party named the Democratic Labor Party or Democratic Labour Party has competed in all elections since 1955.[25]

During the Second World War, the Communist Party of Australia commenced a takeover of the Labour movement, winning control of a number of important trade unions which wielded significant influence over ALP policy[26]. The original DLP resulted from the conservative Catholic National Civic Council's anti-communist entryist tactics within the ALP and Australian trade union movement in an effort to curb communist influence. Such action led to the then ALP leader H. V. Evatt publicly attacking the anti-communist "Groupers" and expelling them from the ALP, triggering the 1955 split. In Victoria, the Federal ALP then unconstitutionally elected a new, pro-Evatt executive at a special conference. The remaining anti-communist majority of 16 of the Victorian ALP executive members and over 200 of the 300 ALP branches, with 25 members of State and Federal Parliament, continued as the legal ALP in Victoria.[27] This group became the Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist), which in 1957 became the Australian Democratic Labor Party and today is the Democratic Labour Party.[28] The DLP claims that to this day in the State of Victoria, it is the legal continuation of the ALP prior to the split of 1955.[29].

By directing its second preferences away from the ALP at state and federal levels, the DLP exercised influence well beyond its numbers until its membership and party organisation declined sufficiently to render it electorally impotent in the early 1970s. Its primary interests were related to industrial relations and foreign policy, but the party was also a forerunner in campaigning to end the White Australia Policy, while supporting equal pay for equal work, the vote for 18-year-olds and family income splitting for tax purposes among other things.[28] The party held the balance of power in the Australian Senate during the 1960s and 1970s, until it fell afoul of Australian resistance to that nation's involvement in the Vietnam War and suffered accordingly in terms of its electoral representation.[30] In 1986, unions affiliated with the DLP, which had been unaffiliated since 1978, re-affiliated with the ALP.


DLP comeback onto Australian political landscape

Victorian state politics, since 2006

2006 State Election

At the 2006 Victorian election, the DLP won parliamentary representation for the first time since the 1970s when it won a seat in the Victorian Legislative Council, after fielding candidates in the eight regions of the reformed Council, where proportional representation gave the party the best chance of having members elected. The DLP received 2.7 per cent of the primary vote in the Western Victoria Region, enough to elect Peter Kavanagh on ALP preferences. The party briefly looked set to have a second member elected, party leader John Mulholland, in the Northern Metropolitan Region on 5.1 per cent, but that result was overturned after a recount.[31] Following the election of Kavanagh, attention was given to the DLP platform of opposition to abortion and poker machines.[32]

The Labor government required an additional two non-ALP upper house members to pass legislation, which gave the balance of power to the Greens who held three seats. Kavanagh failed to retain his seat at the 2010 Victorian election.

2013 Lyndhurst by-election

The DLP received 11 per cent of the primary vote at the 2013 Lyndhurst by-election in Victoria,[33] achieving double figures at the polls for the first time in many years.

2014 State Election

The DLP was elected to the upper house region of Western Metropolitan, with candidate Dr Rachel Carling-Jenkins winning 2.6% of the vote, despite suffering a 0.5% swing.[34]

2015 Polwarth by-election

The DLP received the fourth-highest primary vote at the 2015 Polwarth by-election, with candidate Carmel Kavanagh winning 8.12% of the vote, ahead of candidates for the Australian Sex Party, the Australian Country Party, the Australian Christians and a local independent.[35]

Federal politics, since 2010

Shortly after counting began in the aftermath of the 2010 federal election, DLP candidate, federal DLP vice-president, and state DLP president John Madigan looked likely to be elected as the sixth and final Senator for Victoria, which was confirmed a few weeks later. Preference counts indicated that the primary DLP vote of 2.33 per cent (75,145 votes) in Victoria reached the 14.3 per cent quota required by gaining One Nation, Christian Democratic and Building Australia preferences to edge out Steve Fielding of the Family First Party who received a primary vote of 2.64 per cent. The DLP received Family First preferences, and when the Australian Sex Party candidate was excluded, the DLP gained Liberal Democratic Party preferences, overtaking the third Liberal/National candidate and gaining their preferences to win the last seat.[36][37][38]

Elected for a six-year term from 1 July 2011, Madigan was the first Senator to be elected as a federal member of a party under the name of "Democratic Labor Party of Australia" since the 1970 Senate-only election.[39] Madigan was in a balance of power position following the 2013 election where an additional six non-government Senators were required to pass legislation.

In his maiden speech to the Senate, Madigan denounced Victoria's "inhumane" abortion laws and committed to help restore Australia's dwindling manufacturing sector. He called for a "good Labor government that will bring something better to the people". He said that the DLP and ALP differed in a number of ways, stating:[40][41]

We both came from the same lineage and however some members on both sides may dislike it, we are kin, of sorts. The ALP has a chance to reaffirm its commitment to that unchanging labour movement. The DLP intends to pursue that vision.... During my time here there will no doubt be a number of controversial bills proposed. I do not intend to be deliberately controversial simply for a few cheap headlines but on some issues I cannot be complicit by my silence.

— Senator John Madigan, first speech to the Australian Senate, 25 August 2011.

In December 2011, Madigan launched the Australian Manufacturing and Farming Program, with Senator Nick Xenophon and MP Bob Katter, an initiative to provide a forum for discussion of issues impacting manufacturers and farmers, together with politicians.[42] As a representative of the DLP, Madigan took an unashamed anti-abortion stance.[43] His additional publicly stated positions on behalf of the DLP included opposition to same-sex marriage;[44] opposition to the sale of public infrastructure;[44] opposition to a carbon tax, stating "We're not in favour of a carbon tax because we believe it's a tax on people and a tax on life";[44] an advocate for shops closing at midday on Saturdays;[43] and at the Inaugural Jack Kane dinner in July 2011, Madigan advocated Chifley protectionist economics.[45] Also, Madigan has publicly expressed his concern for human rights in West Papua.[46][47]

In September 2014 Madigan resigned from the DLP and became an independent Senator, citing long-term internal party tensions and claiming he had been undermined by a member of his staff.[8] DLP federal president Paul Funnell strongly rejected Madigan's claims and demanded that he resign from the Senate so that his seat could be taken by a DLP member.[48]

Policies of the DLP

The party has a comprehensive policy platform, and Peter Kavanagh has referred to the heritage of the historic Democratic Labor Party, claiming that "The DLP remains the only political party in Australia which is pro-family, pro-life and genuinely pro-worker."[49]

The DLP website[50] claims to be not "left" or "right", but centre – "decentralist". The DLP’s stated principles are "democracy", "liberty" and "peace". The website states:

"A basic element of our philosophy is that the interests of Australians may be best served by preserving, protecting and building on the family. It is a fundamental policy of the DLP to support a responsible elected government that will promote social and economic justice, a fair and decent society for families and a sense of national direction that will help to make Australia prosperous, self-reliant and secure."[51]

Some of its policies include[52]:

  1. Supporting the intrinsic value and dignity of every human life, regardless of age or ability
  2. The economic philosophy of distributism as an alternative to both socialism and capitalism
  3. The establishment of a state development bank to fund infrastructure projects
  4. The decentralisation of power (the principle of subsidiarity)
  5. Restoration of public ownership of public utilities like electricity, gas and water
  6. Opposition to privatisation
  7. Strong support for the Australian manufacturing and farming sectors; Australian-owned
  8. National food and fuel security
  9. Support for small business against monopolization
  10. Support for cooperative enterprise and employee-ownership
  11. Maintaining sovereignty over Australian land, resources and jobs
  12. Regional focus on foreign affairs, including human rights in West Papua
  13. An emphasis on student rights and higher education
  14. Regional development
  15. Building up defensive capacity
  16. Gambling reform; anti-poker machines
  17. Social justice approach to asylum seekers and refugees

Internal dissent

In late August 2009, Melbourne newspaper The Age reported that the DLP was facing several internal divisions between Kavanagh's faction, which also sought to include evangelical and fundamentalist Protestants within the party, and 'hardline' conservative Catholics. Right to Life Australia President Marcel White and a close associate, Peter McBroom, were reported to be emphasising Catholic doctrinal and devotional concerns, like Marian apparitions, Catholic prayer, praying the rosary and campaigns against the "evils of contraception". Kavanagh was reported as threatening to leave the organisation if the 'hardline' elements were to triumph within the Victorian DLP.[53] In the end, the minority 'hardline' group was expelled from the party.

Infighting and financial issues

It was reported in June 2010 that the party was on the brink of collapse, with rampant party infighting and less than $10,000 in the bank. On 18 March 2011 the Victorian Supreme Court handed down a reserved judgment confirming Mr John Mulholland's valid removal as secretary.[54] This decision was subsequently reversed by the full bench of the Victorian Supreme Court however the Court also rejected Mulholland's claim that he was still the secretary of the DLP at the time the ruling was handed down.[55] A Senate petition in August 2011 from Mulholland requested that current DLP Senator John Madigan be removed from the Senate, with the petition lodged using a residual standing order of the chamber that has not been deployed successfully by anyone for more than a century. In his petition, Mulholland says Madigan put himself forward in the 2010 election as a DLP candidate "although the DLP federal executive did not authorise or recognise his candidacy or have any part in his nomination".[56]

Party de-registration attempt

In 2001 the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) asked the DLP to provide names and details of at least 500 DLP members so it could check that they were valid members and also ensure there was no overlap with other parties' membership. DLP secretary John Mulholland refused to comply and the AEC gave notice, pursuant to section 137 of the Electoral Act, that it was considering de-registering the DLP as a political party. The DLP initiated legal action to restrain the AEC from de-registering the party on grounds including that the requirement to name 500 members, and the no-overlap rule, were invalid. The High Court of Australia unanimously dismissed the appeal in May 2004.[57] The DLP survived despite the court ruling. Its legal action had been funded by the McGauran family, so it was ironic that Liberal Party Senator Julian McGauran was defeated at the 2010 federal election by DLP candidate John Madigan.[58]

Party de-registration and re-registration

On 24 April 2015, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) announced the de-registration of DLP citing "Reason: s.137(6) – failure to demonstrate requisite 500 members to maintain registration."[59] On 1 March 2016 the Australian Electoral commission upheld an appeal by the DLP against its deregistration and reregistered it.[19] The DLP has proven it has at least 500 members in Victoria alone and is registered with the Victorian Electoral Commission.[20]

History of Party Federal Presidents
  • Rosemary Lorrimar, October 2016 – Present
  • Paul McCormack, July 2015 – October 2016
  • Rosemary Lorrimar, December 2014 – July 2015
  • Paul Funnell, August 2012 – December 2014
  • David McCabe, November 2009 – August 2012
  • Patrick Keelan, Unknown – November 2009
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Bibliography
  • Ross Fitzgerald: The Popes Battalions: Santamaria, Catholicism and the Labor Split: St Lucia: University of Queensland Press: 2003.
gollark: If it's two dimensional you'd just need 3, though the maths would still be a bit hard.
gollark: Which is a shame, since this sounds cool. I think if you had the volumes and some way to convert them into distances, and several computers/hypothetical listener things of known position, you could probably trilaterate the lighting's source pretty easily.
gollark: I do not believe there is a way for computers to detect sounds.
gollark: You probably *can't* run it in practical-CC, given limited RAM.
gollark: Well, you can't.

See also

Notes
  1. Until 27 June 2013, known as the Democratic Labor Party of Australia.[7]

References
  1. "Contact Us". Democratic Labour Party. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  2. Henriques-Gomes, Luke (10 May 2019). "Australian election 2019: how to avoid voting for a terrible micro party in the Senate". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  3. Henriques-Gomes, Luke (10 May 2019). "Australian election 2019: how to avoid voting for a terrible micro party in the Senate". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  4. https://dlp.org.au/about/distributism/
  5. Mitchell, Alex (5 May 2015). "Vale the Democratic Labour Party, Santamaria's little helper". Crikey. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  6. https://www.matthrkac.com/victoria2018/parties
  7. Australian Electoral Commission. (2013) Application for changed name and abbreviation approved – Democratic Labor Party (DLP) of Australia
  8. Griffiths, Emma (4 September 2014). "Senator Madigan cuts ties with Democratic Labour Party, will serve out term as independent". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  9. https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/6794900/completely-genuine-passionate-incredibly-decent-tributes-for-senator-john-madigan/
  10. https://dlp.org.au/vale-john-madigan/
  11. "Dr Rachel Carling-Jenkins MLC, Member for Western Metropolitan > About Rachel". rachelmp.com.au.
  12. Cory Bernardi strikes again, luring another MP to his Australian Conservatives: SMH 26 June 2017
  13. Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives secures Victorian DLP MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins: ABC 26 June 2017
  14. Victorian MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins set to defect to Australian Conservatives party: News Ltd 26 June 2017
  15. Allan, Lyle (2013), "Change of Spelling: the DLP." in Recorder (Australian Society for the Study of Labour History, Melbourne Branch), No. 278, December, p.3
  16. "DLP changes its name: 'Labor' to 'Labour'". Democratic Labour Party. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  17. "Democratic Labour Party". aec.gov.au.
  18. "Subscribe to The Australian". theaustralian.com.au.
  19. "Current register of political parties". Australian Electoral Commission.
  20. "Great News! DLP retains registration in Victoria". dlp.org.au.
  21. "Red-leather day for the DLP". The Age. Melbourne. 12 September 2010.
  22. Joe Sampson. The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and Bob Santamaria; a talk given at the Melbourne Unitarian Church on 8 July 2014. http://atheism.quantechsolutions.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/The-Democratic-Labour-Party-DLP-and-Bob-Santamaria2.pdf
  23. Kelly, Norm. (2007) What's in a name? Everything, apparently.
  24. AEC (2008) Electoral funding and disclosure report: Federal election 2007
  25. Commonwealth Parliament Library. (1998–1999). Federal election results, 1948–1998 Archived 19 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Research Paper No. 8.
  26. https://dlp.org.au/the-dlp-an-authentic-labour-party/
  27. https://dlp.org.au/the-dlp-an-authentic-labour-party/
  28. "History | Democratic Labour Party". Dlp.org.au. 18 May 1974. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  29. https://dlp.org.au/the-dlp-an-authentic-labour-party/
  30. Fitzgerald, Ross (2003). The Popes Battalions: Santamaria, Catholicism and the Labor Split. Saint Lucia: University of Queensland Press.
  31. Fyfe, Melissa (20 June 2010). "State DLP on brink of collapse". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  32. Taylor, Josie (13 December 2006). "Democratic Labor Party makes a comeback in Victoria". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 December 2006.
  33. "Results: 2013 Lyndhurst by-election". Abc.net.au. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  34. https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/Results/State2014/WesternMetropolitanRegion.html
  35. https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/Results/State2015/PolwarthDistrict.html
  36. "2010 election Victorian Senate preference flows: ABC Elections". Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  37. "Victorian 2010 Senate results". Australian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 17 September 2010.
  38. Colebatch, Tim (18 September 2010). "Labor has edge in tightest race ever". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  39. "John Madigan forges the heavy mettle of the DLP". The Australian. 1 June 2013.
  40. Gullifer, Brendan (26 August 2011). "Senator Madigan calls to bring something better to the people". The Courier. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  41. Maiden Senate speech (video + transcript) 25 August 2011: Australian Parliament website Archived 15 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  42. "About". Australian Manufacturing and Farming Program. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  43. Fyfe, Melissa (12 September 2010). "Red-leather day for the DLP". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  44. Preiss, Benjamin (15 September 2010). "DLP stakes its position on issues". The Courier. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  45. Ex-blacksmith may be needed to hammer out Senate deals, Gerard Henderson, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 August 2011|accessdate=8 August 2013
  46. "Questions and Answers on West Papua". The Papua Daily. Archived from the original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  47. "From the sublime to the shamefully ridiculous – West Papua, the Australian Senate and Vikki Riley". Crikey. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  48. Bourke, Latika (4 September 2014). "Give the seat back: Furious DLP officials slam John Madigan for quitting party". The Age. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  49. Kavanagh, Peter (27 May 2006). "DLP not eclipsed by Family First (letter)". National Civic Council (NCC). Archived from the original on 14 June 2006. Retrieved 17 December 2006.
  50. "Democratic Labour Party – Putting the YOU back into Labour". dlp.org.au.
  51. http://www.dlp.org.au/about/
  52. https://dlp.org.au/policies/
  53. Turning Hard Right: The Battle for Right to Life, Michael Bachelard, The Age 23 August 2009
  54. "Mulholland v Victorian Electoral Commission & Anor 2011". Victorian Supreme Court. Austlii.edu.au. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  55. "Mulholland v Victorian Electoral Commission & Anor [2012] VSCA 104 (14 June 2012)". 14 June 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  56. Murphy, Katharine (18 August 2011). "It's my party: expelled DLP member". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  57. "John Vincent Mulholland v Australian Electoral Commission" (PDF). High Court of Australia. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  58. Strong, Geoff (8 September 2011). "Ex-pollie takes a crack at being a class act". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  59. "AEC notice of de-registration". Retrieved 26 June 2013.
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