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What are Labor’s factions and who’s who in the Left and Right?

Feb 13 2021

Shorten stands by Gillard as leader

9news.com.au

State branches

Factional power usually finds expression in the percentage vote of aligned delegates at party conferences. The power of the Labor Right varies from state to state, but it usually relies on certain trade unions, such as the Australian Workers' Union (AWU), Transport Workers Union (TWU), the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA), Plumbing and Pipe Trades Employees Union (PPTEU) and the Health Services Union (HSU). These unions send delegates to the conferences, with delegates usually coming from the membership, the administration of the union or local branches covered by their activists.

State-based factions (national sub-factions) which make up Labor Right include:

New South Wales

• Centre Unity⁴

Queensland

• Labor Forum (dominated by the AWU)⁵⁶⁷

Australian Capital Territory

• Centre Coalition⁸

Victoria

• Labor Centre Unity (AWU: Consisting of Branch Members, Student Clubs, both federal and state members of parliament aligned with the Victorian branch of the Australian Workers' Union, and representatives from the Plumbing and Pipe Trades Employees Union)⁹¹⁰
• Labor Progressive Unity (The Cons: Consisting largely of Branch Members aligned to and supporters of Labor Deputy Leader Richard Marles and the Transport Workers Union)
• Labor Unity (The Shoppies: Consisting largely of branch members aligned to and supports of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association)

Western Australia

• WA Labor Unity (AWU, SDA, TWU).
• Progressive Labor (Consists of AWU, SDA, TWU and CFMEU)¹¹¹² An alliance between WA Labor Unity and the 'Industrial left' unions of WA, formed in 2019 for the purpose of binding at State conferences against some subgroups within WA's Broad left; such as the UWU. Historically, the MUA and CFMEU have voted at State conferences in alignment with the Broad left.

Northern Territory

• Labor Unity

South Australia

• Labor Unity (dominated by the SDA).¹³

Tasmania

• Labor Unity

Political views

The faction is most famous for its support of Third Way policies such as the economic rationalist policies of the Bob Hawke and Paul Keating governments, including floating the Australian dollar in December 1983, reductions in trade tariffs, taxation reforms such as the introduction of dividend imputation to eliminate double-taxation of dividends and the lowering of the top marginal income tax rate from 60% in 1983 to 47% in 1996, changing from centralised wage-fixing to enterprise bargaining, the privatisation of Qantas and Commonwealth Bank, making the Reserve Bank of Australia independent, and deregulating the banking system.¹⁴

Alongside these economic reforms, Labor Right also supported more traditional social democratic policies, such as the introduction of Medicare¹⁵ under Bob Hawke in 1984 and compulsory superannuation under Paul Keating in 1992. The faction also supported significant socially progressive policies, including the blocking of the Franklin River Dam construction¹⁶ and the passage of the Native Title Act¹⁷ in 1993 following the High Court's Mabo decision.

Federal members of the Labor Right

‡ Sterle was formerly a member of the now-defunct Centre Left.

See also

• Labor Left
• Category: Labor Right politicians, current and former parliamentary members of the Labor Right
• Moderates – Centrist faction in the Liberal Party of Australia
• New Democrats – centrist faction in the Democratic Party of the United States
• Blue Dogs – conservative faction in the Democratic Party of the United States
• Progress – organisation associated with the Labour Party (UK)
• Seeheimer Kreis – conservative faction in the Social Democratic Party of Germany

Further reading

• Cumming, Fia (1991). Mates: Five Champions of the Labor Right. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-86373-021-1. – Paul Keating, Graham Richardson, Laurie Brereton, Bob Carr and Leo McLeay recount events which shaped the Australian labour movement from the 1960s to the 1980s.
• Richardson, Graham (1994). Whatever It Takes. Moorebank, NSW: Bantam Books. ISBN 978-1-86-359332-8. – Graham Richardson recounts his career and outlines the philosophy and operation of the NSW and National Labor Right during his time in the ALP.

References

1. Massola, James (14 February 2021). "What are Labor's factions and who's who in the Left and Right?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 December 2024. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/what-are-labor-s-factions-and-who-s-who-in-the-left-and-right-20210210-p5718j.html ↩

2. Hogan, Michael (2009). "Template for a Labor Faction: The Industrial Section and the Industrial Vigilance Council of the NSW Labor Party, 1916-19". Labour History (96): 79–100. ISSN 0023-6942. JSTOR 27713745. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27713745 ↩

3. "Locking Out the Left: The Emergence of National Factions in Australian Labor". jacobin.com. Retrieved 10 November 2024. https://jacobin.com/2020/07/australian-labor-party-factions ↩

4. "NSW CENTRE UNITY". centreunity.org.au. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240906200815/https://www.centreunity.org.au/ ↩

5. McKenna, Michael (31 July 2014). "Left takes over Queensland Labor in historic shift". The Australian. Archived from the original on 30 October 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024. https://archive.today/20241030002011/https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/left-takes-over-queensland-labor-in-historic-shift/news-story/2416368889d7a258967a957d4bab051b?amp&nk=f2fc89badcfab3cb1e988c30d54ec684-1730247621 ↩

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14. Black, Susan; Kirkwood, Joshua; Rai, Alan; Williams, Thomas (2012). "1980s to Today: Deregulation and Capital Account Liberalisation | RDP 2012-09: A History of Australian Corporate Bonds". Research Discussion Papers (December). https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/rdp/2012/2012-09/dereg-capital-acct-liberalisation.html ↩

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16. corporateName=National Museum of Australia; address=Lawson Crescent, Acton Peninsula. "National Museum of Australia - Franklin Dam and the Greens". www.nma.gov.au. Retrieved 25 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/franklin-dam-greens ↩

17. "Thirty years ago the Native Title Act was passed. But what is it, how does it work and is it enough?". NITV. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2025. https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/thirty-years-ago-the-native-title-act-passed-how-far-have-we-come/php3so2kz ↩

18. "The 12 Labor figures who will do the heavy lifting in government". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 14 March 2020. https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/the-12-labor-figures-who-will-do-the-heavy-lifting-in-government-20181213-h1937u ↩

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20. Tewksbury, Marc. "Labor MP Jason Clare dismisses Otis group". news.com.au. Retrieved 14 March 2020. https://www.news.com.au/national/labor-mp-jason-clare-dismisses-otis-group/video/4d8fad22f94e6b07319c3abb2489c2d0 ↩

21. "The 12 Labor figures who will do the heavy lifting in government". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 14 March 2020. https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/the-12-labor-figures-who-will-do-the-heavy-lifting-in-government-20181213-h1937u ↩

22. "The 12 Labor figures who will do the heavy lifting in government". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 14 March 2020. https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/the-12-labor-figures-who-will-do-the-heavy-lifting-in-government-20181213-h1937u ↩

23. "Labor's new-look shadow ministry". SBS News. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/labor-s-new-look-shadow-ministry ↩

24. Probyn, Andrew. "The strain within Labor's Left and Right bubbles over as the party wrestles over its future". ABC News. Retrieved 14 March 2020. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-01/labor-left-and-right-battle-over-the-partys-future/11659570 ↩

25. "The 12 Labor figures who will do the heavy lifting in government". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 14 March 2020. https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/the-12-labor-figures-who-will-do-the-heavy-lifting-in-government-20181213-h1937u ↩

26. Tewksbury, Marc. "Labor MP Jason Clare dismisses Otis group". news.com.au. Retrieved 14 March 2020. https://www.news.com.au/national/labor-mp-jason-clare-dismisses-otis-group/video/4d8fad22f94e6b07319c3abb2489c2d0 ↩

27. "Labor's new-look shadow ministry". SBS News. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/labor-s-new-look-shadow-ministry ↩

28. Hondros, Nathan. "WA Labor MPs named as part of pro-coal, right-wing 'Otis Group'". WAtoday. Retrieved 14 March 2020. https://www.watoday.com.au/politics/western-australia/wa-labor-mps-named-as-part-of-pro-coal-right-wing-otis-group-20200213-p540h9.html ↩

29. Probyn, Andrew. "The strain within Labor's Left and Right bubbles over as the party wrestles over its future". ABC News. Retrieved 14 March 2020. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-01/labor-left-and-right-battle-over-the-partys-future/11659570 ↩

30. Hondros, Nathan. "WA Labor MPs named as part of pro-coal, right-wing 'Otis Group'". WAtoday. Retrieved 14 March 2020. https://www.watoday.com.au/politics/western-australia/wa-labor-mps-named-as-part-of-pro-coal-right-wing-otis-group-20200213-p540h9.html ↩

31. "Shorten stands by Gillard as leader". 9news.com.au. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2020. https://www.9news.com.au/national/shorten-stands-by-gillard-as-leader/35243655-3142-4c81-9084-996f5960d91c ↩

32. Chan, Gabrielle (25 July 2015). "Bill Shorten wins freedom to use boat turnbacks, but leadership split on issue". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 November 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jul/25/bill-shorten-wins-freedom-to-use-boat-turnbacks-but-leadership-split-on-issue ↩

33. "Leaked texts show Somyurek's influence among federal Labor ranks". skynews.com.au. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020. https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6164180576001 ↩

34. Ilanbey, Sumeyya (28 January 2020). "Tensions between Labor's Right and Left factions at boiling point". theage.com.au. Retrieved 7 November 2020. https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/tensions-between-labor-s-right-and-left-factions-at-boiling-point-20200128-p53vg0.html?ref=rss ↩

35. Hondros, Nathan. "WA Labor MPs named as part of pro-coal, right-wing 'Otis Group'". WAtoday. Retrieved 14 March 2020. https://www.watoday.com.au/politics/western-australia/wa-labor-mps-named-as-part-of-pro-coal-right-wing-otis-group-20200213-p540h9.html ↩

36. "Labor's new-look shadow ministry". SBS News. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/labor-s-new-look-shadow-ministry ↩

37. Tewksbury, Marc. "Labor MP Jason Clare dismisses Otis group". news.com.au. Retrieved 14 March 2020. https://www.news.com.au/national/labor-mp-jason-clare-dismisses-otis-group/video/4d8fad22f94e6b07319c3abb2489c2d0 ↩