Jump to content

Australian Party: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Confuse|Australia Party|Katter's Australian Party}}
{{For|the similarly named pre-Democrats political party during the 1960s and 1970s|Australia Party}}
{{For|the party of the same name from the 1950s|Australian National Socialist Party#Formation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Infobox political party
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2016}}
| name = Australian Party
The '''Australian Party''' can refer to a number of political parties in Australia's history, {{As of|2016|lc=y}} referring to the party started in 2011 by [[Queensland]] independent MP [[Bob Katter]] known as [[Katter's Australian Party]].
| logo =The Australian Party.jpg
| logo_size =
| caption = Cover page of the party's 1930 manifesto
| colorcode = #FB607F
| leader = [[Billy Hughes]]
| founder = [[Billy Hughes]]
| founded = 1929
| dissolved = 1931
| merger =
| split = [[Nationalist Party of Australia|Nationalist Party]]
| predecessor =
| merged = [[United Australia Party]]
| successor =
| headquarters = [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]]
| membership_year =
| membership =
| ideology =
| position =
| colors = <!-- or: | colours = -->
| slogan = ''United, white, free, prosperous''
| blank1_title =
| blank1 =
| blank2_title =
| blank2 =
| blank3_title =
| blank3 =
| blank4_title =
| blank4 =
| seats1_title = [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Reps]] (max.)
| seats1 = {{Composition bar|3|75|colour=#FB607F|hex=#FB607F}}
| seats2_title = [[Australian Senate|Senate]] (max.)
| seats2 = {{Composition bar|1|36|colour=#FB607F|hex=#FB607F}}
| country = Australia
}}
The '''Australian Party''' was a political party founded and led by [[Billy Hughes]] after his expulsion from the [[Nationalist Party of Australia|Nationalist Party]]. The party was formed in 1929, and at its peak had four members of [[Parliament of Australia|federal parliament]]. It was merged into the new [[United Australia Party]] in 1931, having never contested a federal election.


==History==
== Australian Party (1930s) ==
===Background===
Hughes was a former Nationalist [[Prime Minister of Australia|prime minister]] with a background in the [[Australian Labor Party|Labor Party]].<ref>[http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hughes-william-morris-billy-6761 Hughes, William Morris (Billy) (1862–1952)], ''[[Australian Dictionary of Biography]]''.</ref> By 1928, he was the ''de facto'' leader of a group of [[backbench]]ers hostile to the government of [[Stanley Bruce]] (who had replaced him as Nationalist leader in 1923). He and his supporters began to frequently [[cross the floor]] and vote against the government, particularly on the controversial subject of industrial relations. On 22 August 1929, Hughes and [[Edward Mann (Australian politician)|Edward Mann]] were expelled from the Nationalist Party for voting in favour of an unsuccessful censure motion against the government. Tensions finally came to a head on 10 September, when Hughes successfully moved an amendment to the government's flagship ''Maritime Industries Bill''. Bruce took this to be a [[vote of no confidence]], and called [[Australian federal election, 1929|an election for 12 October]]. Labor under [[James Scullin]] won a landslide victory, while Hughes and two other ex-Nationalists were re-elected as independents.<ref>{{cite book|first=Laurie|last=Fitzhardinge|title=William Morris Hughes: A Political Biography / Vol. II: The Little Digger, 1914–1952|year=1979|publisher=Angus & Robertson Publishers|page=569–579}}</ref>


===Formation===
A short-lived party created by former [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[Billy Hughes]] in 1930, after his expulsion from the [[Nationalist Party of Australia|Nationalist Party]] in 1929. He was its leader until 1931 when he wound the party up and rejoined most of his former Nationalist colleagues in the newly formed [[United Australia Party]].<ref>Adam Carr [http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1929/1929repsnsw.txt Commonwealth legislative election of 12 October 1929: North Sydney, New South Wales] Psephos</ref> It also counted Hughes's fellow Nationalist defectors [[Walter Marks (politician)|Walter Marks]] and [[George Maxwell (Australian politician)|George Maxwell]] as members.
After the 1929 election, Hughes made unsuccessful attempts to rejoin both the Nationalists and the Labor Party, in the hopes that he could return as prime minister. He eventually resolved to form his own party, which he hoped would secure the [[balance of power]].<ref name=p591>Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 591.</ref> The new party – titled the Australian Party – was launched on 2 December 1929. Three other federal MPs joined Hughes as members – [[Walter Marks (politician)|Walter Marks]], [[George Maxwell (Australian politician)|George Maxwell]], and Senator [[Walter Leslie Duncan|Walter Duncan]].<ref name=p592>Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 592.</ref> The press regarded the party as a simply a vehicle for Hughes' ambitions; ''[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]]'' – a tabloid – was the only paper to give it favourable publicity. The party claimed 75 branches and 4,000 members at its peak, but the only real activity took place in the electorates of its MPs. It was predominantly based in New South Wales, with a limited presence in Victoria and a failed attempt to expand to South Australia.<ref>Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 593.</ref> Hughes and Marks were the party's chief financial backers, as membership fees were deliberately kept low and one of the party's planks was to refuse corporate donations. However, Hughes in particular was stingy with his money, sending the party treasurer only £100 out of a requested £250 for expenses and even then complaining about the cost.<ref name=p594>Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 594.</ref>


===Elections===
== Australian Party (1950s) ==
The first election the Australian Party contested was a [[by-election]] to the [[New South Wales Legislative Assembly]] in July 1930, in the [[Electoral district of Lane Cove|Lane Cove constituency]]. With Frederick Dunn (a former [[List of mayors of Lane Cove|mayor of Lane Cove]]) as their candidate, the party polled 25.6% of the vote, putting it in third place behind Labor (30.7%) and the Nationalists (43.5%). Despite it being a [[safe seat]] for the Nationalists, it was suggested by some that the Australian Party would have won if Labor had not contested the election.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Michael |last1=Hogan|first2=David|last2=Clune|title=The People's Choice: Electoral Politics in Twentieth Century New South Wales / Volume Two: 1930 to 1965|publisher=Federation Press |year=2001|page=21}}</ref>


At the [[New South Wales state election, 1930|October 1930 state election]] in New South Wales, the Australian Party fielded candidates in 18 seats (all but two in Sydney). It polled 9.8% of the vote in seats it contested, but only 2.1% state-wide. The campaign was widely regarded as a failure, given that the party had hoped to win multiple seats. Hughes had little interest in state politics, and campaigned mainly on federal issues. He presented his party as an alternative to the incumbent Nationalist government of [[Thomas Bavin]], but anti-government voters overwhelmingly voted for [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]]'s Labor Party, which won a landslide victory with 55.0% of the vote.<ref>Hogan & Clune (2001), p. 33.</ref> Hughes complained frequently about the lack of press coverage his party received, calling the media "as conformist as fascist Italy or Soviet Russia in following a party line".<ref>Hogan & Clune (2001), p. 31.</ref>
Formed in September 1955 by right-wing journalist [[Frank Browne (journalist)|Frank Browne]], it never had a serious following, though the party received some media attention and generally advocated [[far right]] positions.<ref name=Jaensch/> Vigorously anti-communist, its principles included the perpetuation of the [[White Australia policy]], a defence policy focused on threats from Asia, and the total annexation of [[New Guinea]]. The party was disbanded in September 1957. Some party members formed the [[Australian Nationalist Workers' Party]], a precursor to the [[Australian National Socialist Party]].<ref name=Harcourt>{{cite book|last=Harcourt|first=David|title=Everyone Wants to be Fuehrer: National Socialism in Australia and New Zealand|year=1972|publisher=[[Angus and Robertson]]|pages=4–6|isbn=0207124159}}</ref>


===Demise===
== Australian Party (1960s) ==
George Maxwell resigned from the party in May 1930 to rejoin the Nationalists, citing policy differences.<ref>Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 595.</ref> The party secretary, W. F. Jackson, did likewise in August, personally attacking Hughes in an open letter to ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]''.<ref>Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 596.</ref> In September, Hughes published a 16-page pamphlet titled "Bond or Free? Sir Otto Niemeyer’s Report", which sold nearly 50,000 copies in a month (at threepence each). It was widely quoted in newspapers. The statement effectively placed the Australian Party to the left of the federal Labor government on economic issues, and close to the radical views held by [[Lang Labor]]. ''The Sun'' withdrew its support of the party, and Walter Marks resigned his membership, citing Hughes' failure to consult him.<ref>Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 597.</ref>


The Australian Party virtually ceased to exist after the 1930 state election. On 15 April 1931, [[John Latham (judge)|John Latham]] – the Nationalist leader and [[Leader of the Opposition (Australia)|leader of the opposition]] – wrote to Hughes, [[Joseph Lyons]], and [[Earle Page]] suggesting that they unify their parties and factions and form a united opposition to the Scullin Government. Hughes and Lyons accepted, and the new [[United Australia Party]] (UAP) officially came into existence on 7 May with Lyons as leader. Hughes and Walter Duncan, the Australian Party's sole remaining parliamentary members, joined the new UAP, as did Marks and Maxwell.<ref>Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 604.</ref>
Formed in 1966; it released the policy statement: "In domestic matters we want the word "Commonwealth" to have true meaning. Land would be available to all who need it and at reasonable prices. Land profiteering would be a criminal offence. In foreign policy we advocate recognition of a New [[Asia]] and a world which is utterly different from that of even ten years ago. Immediate action to improve greatly the transport system will necessitate a major road plan, ruthless modernisation of the railways."<ref name=Jaensch>{{Cite book
| last = Jaensch
| first = Dean
| authorlink =
|author2=Mathieson, David
| title = A plague on both your houses: minor parties in Australia
| publisher = [[Allen and Unwin]]
| year = 1998
| location =
| pages = 80, 87
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NMrav_dyyY0C&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&dq=%22Engineered+Australia+Plan+Party%22&source=bl&ots=mth28vQNFD&sig=yctRYbykiyok9WMPK2MRjsQT1Os&hl=en&ei=UgRpS7jNI5aekQW-obW2DQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CAkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Australian%20Party%22&f=false
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 1-86448-421-7}}</ref>


According to Hughes' biographer [[Laurie Fitzhardinge]]: "The party had no popular roots, but had been created from above, and only the untiring efforts of Hughes and Duncan kept it going. It lacked experience, it lacked a coherent programme, and above all it lacked finance".<ref name=p594/>
== Australian Party (2010s) ==
{{further|Katter's Australian Party}}
In 2011 independent MP [[Bob Katter]] launched his own incarnation of the [[Katter's Australian Party|Australian Party]], aimed at providing "more support for the dairy industry, increasing the use of ethanol fuel and reducing the market share of the two major supermarkets".<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/05/3235909.htm Katter's Australian Party launched in Brisbane] [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]</ref> Katter said that he did not want his new party becoming a re-badged "old [[Australian Country Party (1920)|Country Party]]".<ref>Tony Koch and Rosanne Barrett [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/bob-katters-new-party-plan-we-will-deliver/story-fn59niix-1226060714126 "Bob Katter's new party plan: we will deliver"] [[The Australian]]</ref>


==Sources==
==Platform==
[[File:Australian Party office.jpg|thumb|right|Arthur O'Keefe, secretary of the Australian Party, at the party's office in Sydney.]]
{{reflist}}
The Australian Party presented itself as apolitical. It had a "vague and eclectic platform" which mixed left-wing populism and economic nationalism.<ref name=p592/> Hughes wanted the party to be "democratic and progressive […] indeed so democratic that any Labor man may join and support it".<ref name=p591/> Some policies were more or less lifted directly from the Labor platform, such as the abolition of [[Governors of the Australian states|state governors]] and [[Parliaments of the Australian states and territories|legislative council]]s. Hughes nonetheless denounced the Labor Party as controlled by communists, while simultaneously attacking the Nationalists as responsible for the Great Depression. Other Australian Party policies reflected Hughes' pet interests, such as amending the constitution to increase the federal government's powers over commerce and industrial relations. In general the party platform put forward few specifics, and the party was almost wholly reliant on the personal appeal of Hughes for its support.<ref>Hogan & Clune (2001), pp. 21–23.</ref>


==Notable members==
{{Defunct Australian political parties}}
;Members of parliament
* [[Billy Hughes]]
* [[Walter Duncan]]
* [[Walter Marks (politician)|Walter Marks]]
* [[George Maxwell (Australian politician)|George Maxwell]]


;Other members
[[Category:Defunct political parties in Australia]]
* [[Stan Lloyd (politician)|Stan Lloyd]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1930]]
* [[George Treloar]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 1931]]
* [[John Waddell (politician)|John Waddell]]


==External links==
* [https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-525277705/view?partId=nla.obj-525287526 Pamphlet outlining the Australian Party's platform (National Library of Australia)]


==References==
{{Australia-party-stub}}
{{reflist}}

[[Category:1929 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:1931 disestablishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Defunct political parties in Australia]]

Revision as of 14:53, 12 January 2018

Not to be confused with Australia Party or Katter's Australian Party.
For the party of the same name from the 1950s, see Australian National Socialist Party § Formation.
Australian Party
LeaderBilly Hughes
FounderBilly Hughes
Founded1929
Dissolved1931
Split fromNationalist Party
Merged intoUnited Australia Party
HeadquartersSydney, New South Wales
SloganUnited, white, free, prosperous
House of Reps (max.)
3 / 75
Senate (max.)
1 / 36

The Australian Party was a political party founded and led by Billy Hughes after his expulsion from the Nationalist Party. The party was formed in 1929, and at its peak had four members of federal parliament. It was merged into the new United Australia Party in 1931, having never contested a federal election.

History

Background

Hughes was a former Nationalist prime minister with a background in the Labor Party.[1] By 1928, he was the de facto leader of a group of backbenchers hostile to the government of Stanley Bruce (who had replaced him as Nationalist leader in 1923). He and his supporters began to frequently cross the floor and vote against the government, particularly on the controversial subject of industrial relations. On 22 August 1929, Hughes and Edward Mann were expelled from the Nationalist Party for voting in favour of an unsuccessful censure motion against the government. Tensions finally came to a head on 10 September, when Hughes successfully moved an amendment to the government's flagship Maritime Industries Bill. Bruce took this to be a vote of no confidence, and called an election for 12 October. Labor under James Scullin won a landslide victory, while Hughes and two other ex-Nationalists were re-elected as independents.[2]

Formation

After the 1929 election, Hughes made unsuccessful attempts to rejoin both the Nationalists and the Labor Party, in the hopes that he could return as prime minister. He eventually resolved to form his own party, which he hoped would secure the balance of power.[3] The new party – titled the Australian Party – was launched on 2 December 1929. Three other federal MPs joined Hughes as members – Walter Marks, George Maxwell, and Senator Walter Duncan.[4] The press regarded the party as a simply a vehicle for Hughes' ambitions; The Sun – a tabloid – was the only paper to give it favourable publicity. The party claimed 75 branches and 4,000 members at its peak, but the only real activity took place in the electorates of its MPs. It was predominantly based in New South Wales, with a limited presence in Victoria and a failed attempt to expand to South Australia.[5] Hughes and Marks were the party's chief financial backers, as membership fees were deliberately kept low and one of the party's planks was to refuse corporate donations. However, Hughes in particular was stingy with his money, sending the party treasurer only £100 out of a requested £250 for expenses and even then complaining about the cost.[6]

Elections

The first election the Australian Party contested was a by-election to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in July 1930, in the Lane Cove constituency. With Frederick Dunn (a former mayor of Lane Cove) as their candidate, the party polled 25.6% of the vote, putting it in third place behind Labor (30.7%) and the Nationalists (43.5%). Despite it being a safe seat for the Nationalists, it was suggested by some that the Australian Party would have won if Labor had not contested the election.[7]

At the October 1930 state election in New South Wales, the Australian Party fielded candidates in 18 seats (all but two in Sydney). It polled 9.8% of the vote in seats it contested, but only 2.1% state-wide. The campaign was widely regarded as a failure, given that the party had hoped to win multiple seats. Hughes had little interest in state politics, and campaigned mainly on federal issues. He presented his party as an alternative to the incumbent Nationalist government of Thomas Bavin, but anti-government voters overwhelmingly voted for Jack Lang's Labor Party, which won a landslide victory with 55.0% of the vote.[8] Hughes complained frequently about the lack of press coverage his party received, calling the media "as conformist as fascist Italy or Soviet Russia in following a party line".[9]

Demise

George Maxwell resigned from the party in May 1930 to rejoin the Nationalists, citing policy differences.[10] The party secretary, W. F. Jackson, did likewise in August, personally attacking Hughes in an open letter to The Sydney Morning Herald.[11] In September, Hughes published a 16-page pamphlet titled "Bond or Free? Sir Otto Niemeyer’s Report", which sold nearly 50,000 copies in a month (at threepence each). It was widely quoted in newspapers. The statement effectively placed the Australian Party to the left of the federal Labor government on economic issues, and close to the radical views held by Lang Labor. The Sun withdrew its support of the party, and Walter Marks resigned his membership, citing Hughes' failure to consult him.[12]

The Australian Party virtually ceased to exist after the 1930 state election. On 15 April 1931, John Latham – the Nationalist leader and leader of the opposition – wrote to Hughes, Joseph Lyons, and Earle Page suggesting that they unify their parties and factions and form a united opposition to the Scullin Government. Hughes and Lyons accepted, and the new United Australia Party (UAP) officially came into existence on 7 May with Lyons as leader. Hughes and Walter Duncan, the Australian Party's sole remaining parliamentary members, joined the new UAP, as did Marks and Maxwell.[13]

According to Hughes' biographer Laurie Fitzhardinge: "The party had no popular roots, but had been created from above, and only the untiring efforts of Hughes and Duncan kept it going. It lacked experience, it lacked a coherent programme, and above all it lacked finance".[6]

Platform

Arthur O'Keefe, secretary of the Australian Party, at the party's office in Sydney.

The Australian Party presented itself as apolitical. It had a "vague and eclectic platform" which mixed left-wing populism and economic nationalism.[4] Hughes wanted the party to be "democratic and progressive […] indeed so democratic that any Labor man may join and support it".[3] Some policies were more or less lifted directly from the Labor platform, such as the abolition of state governors and legislative councils. Hughes nonetheless denounced the Labor Party as controlled by communists, while simultaneously attacking the Nationalists as responsible for the Great Depression. Other Australian Party policies reflected Hughes' pet interests, such as amending the constitution to increase the federal government's powers over commerce and industrial relations. In general the party platform put forward few specifics, and the party was almost wholly reliant on the personal appeal of Hughes for its support.[14]

Notable members

Members of parliament
Other members

References

  1. ^ Hughes, William Morris (Billy) (1862–1952), Australian Dictionary of Biography.
  2. ^ Fitzhardinge, Laurie (1979). William Morris Hughes: A Political Biography / Vol. II: The Little Digger, 1914–1952. Angus & Robertson Publishers. p. 569–579.
  3. ^ a b Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 591.
  4. ^ a b Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 592.
  5. ^ Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 593.
  6. ^ a b Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 594.
  7. ^ Hogan, Michael; Clune, David (2001). The People's Choice: Electoral Politics in Twentieth Century New South Wales / Volume Two: 1930 to 1965. Federation Press. p. 21.
  8. ^ Hogan & Clune (2001), p. 33.
  9. ^ Hogan & Clune (2001), p. 31.
  10. ^ Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 595.
  11. ^ Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 596.
  12. ^ Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 597.
  13. ^ Fitzhardinge (1979), p. 604.
  14. ^ Hogan & Clune (2001), pp. 21–23.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Australian_Party&oldid=820004862"