Labor Right Explained

Labor Right should not be confused with Labor rights.

Labor Right
Leader1 Title:National Convenor(s)
Leader1 Name:Matt Thistlethwaite, Don Farrell and Raff Ciccone[1]
National:Australian Labor
Colours: Red
Seats1 Title:Seats in the House of Representatives
Seats2 Title:Seats in the Senate
Seats3 Title:Federal Caucus
Country:Australia

The Labor Right is a political faction of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) at the national level that is characterised by being more economically liberal or more socially conservative than the Labor Left.[2] The Labor Right is a broad alliance of various state factions and competes with the Labor Left faction.

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) and the Health Services Union (HSU). These unions send delegates to the conference, 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
Queensland
Australian Capital Territory[4]
Victoria
Western Australia
Northern Territory
South Australia
Tasmania

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.

Federal Members of the Labor Right

NameParliamentary seatOther positionsState/TerritorySub-faction/union
Richard Marles[9] Member for CorioDeputy Prime Minister
Minister for Defence
VictoriaTWU, 'Cons'
Dr Jim ChalmersMember for RankinTreasurerQueenslandAWU
Don Farrell[10] Senator for South AustraliaSpecial Minister of State
Minister for Trade and Tourism
South AustraliaSDA
Tony BurkeMember for WatsonMinister for Home Affairs
Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
Minister for Cyber Security
Minister for the Arts
New South WalesSDA
Chris BowenMember for McMahonMinister for Climate Change and Energy
Amanda RishworthMember for KingstonMinister for Social ServicesSouth AustraliaSDA
Bill Shorten[11] Member for MaribyrnongMinister for Government Services
Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme
VictoriaAWU, 'Shorts'
Member for IsaacsAttorney–GeneralAWU, 'Shorts'
Jason ClareMember for BlaxlandMinister for EducationNew South Wales
Michelle Rowland[12] Member for GreenwayMinister for Communications
Madeleine King[13] Member for BrandMinister for Resources
Minister for Northern Australia
Western Australia
Ed HusicMember for ChifleyMinister for Industry and ScienceNew South WalesCEPU (CWU)
Clare O'NeilMember for HothamMinister for Housing
Minister for Homelessness
VictoriaNUW
Matt KeoghMember for BurtMinister for Veterans' Affairs
Minister for Defence Personnel
Western AustraliaAWU
Anika WellsMember for LilleyMinister for Aged Care
Minister for Sport
QueenslandAWU
Kristy McBainMember for Eden-MonaroMinister for Regional Development, Local Government and TerritoriesNew South Wales
Justine ElliotMember for RichmondAssistant Minister for Social Services
Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence
Matt Thistlethwaite[14] [15] Member for Kingsford SmithAssistant Minister for Defence
Assistant Minister for Veterans' Affairs
Assistant Minister for the Republic
AWU
Emma McBrideMember for DobellAssistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health
Anthony ChisholmSenator for QueenslandAssistant Minister for Education
Assistant Minister for Regional Development
QueenslandAWU
Tim Watts[16] [17] Member for GellibrandAssistant Minister for Foreign AffairsVictoria'Cons'
Glenn SterleSenator for Western AustraliaChair of Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee
Deputy Chair of Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee
Western AustraliaTWU
Steve GeorganasMember for AdelaideSouth Australia
Shayne NeumannMember for BlairChair of Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
Chair of Standing Committee on Procedure
QueenslandASU
Alison ByrnesMember for CunninghamNew South Wales
Deborah O'NeillSenator for New South WalesChair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services
Deputy Chair of Select Committee on Work and Care
Deputy Chair of Standing Committee of Privileges
New South WalesSDA
Helen PolleySenator for TasmaniaChair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law EnforcementTasmaniaAWU, SDA
Rob MitchellMember for McEwenChair of Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests
Chair of House Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Resources
Victoria'Cons'
Catryna BilykSenator for TasmaniaChair of the Senate Standing Committee of Senators' InterestsTasmaniaASU, TWU
Peter KhalilMember for WillsVictoriaAWU, "Shorts"
Milton DickMember for OxleySpeaker of the House of Representatives
Chair of Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings
Chair of Selection Committee
Chair of Standing Committee on Appropriations and Administration
QueenslandAWU
Matt BurnellMember for SpenceSouth AustraliaTWU
Meryl SwansonMember for PatersonChair of Standing Committee on AgricultureNew South Wales
Luke GoslingMember for SolomonChair of Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and TransportNorthern TerritorySDA
David SmithMember for BeanGovernment Whip Australian Capital TerritoryProfessionals Australia
Raff CicconeSenator for VictoriaDeputy Government Whip in the Senate
Chair of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee
Deputy Chair of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee
Deputy Chair of Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills
VictoriaSDA “Shoppies”
Dr Daniel MulinoMember for FraserChair of Standing Committee on EconomicsVictoriaSDA “Shoppies”
Josh BurnsMember for MacnamaraChair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human RightsVictoria'Cons'
Marielle SmithSenator for South AustraliaChair of Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Deputy Chair of Community Affairs References Committee
South AustraliaSDA
Tony SheldonSenator for New South WalesChair of Education and Employment Legislation Committee
Deputy Chair of Education and Employment References Committee
New South WalesTWU
Dr Mike FreelanderMember for MacarthurChair of Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and SportNew South Wales
Cassandra FernandoMember for HoltVictoriaSDA
Jana StewartSenator for VictoriaVictoriaTWU, 'Cons'
Sam RaeMember for HawkeVictoriaTWU, 'Cons'
Varun GhoshSenator for West AustraliaWestern Australia
Andrew CharltonMember for ParramattaNew South Wales
Sally SitouMember for ReidNew South Wales
Dan RepacholiMember for HunterNew South Wales
Joanne RyanMember for LalorChief Government WhipVictoria
Michelle Ananda-RajahMember for HigginsVictoria
Tania LawrenceMember for HasluckWestern Australia
Sam LimMember for TangneyWestern Australia
Gordon ReidMember for RobertsonNew South Wales
‡ Sterle was formerly a member of the now-defunct Centre Left.

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Massola . James . The power behind the PM – who are Labor's powerbrokers in government? . The Sydney Morning Herald . 25 June 2022 . 17 December 2022.
  2. Web site: Massola . James . 2021-02-14 . What are Labor's factions and who's who in the Left and Right? . The Sydney Morning Herald . en.
  3. Web site: Left takes over Queensland Labor in historic shift. 31 July 2014. The Australia.
  4. Web site: Contest in ACT comes down to the ALP machine versus genuine locals. 9 April 2010. Crikey.
  5. Web site: The instability of Labor's latest factional stability deal. Guy. Rundle). 18 July 2018. Crikey.
  6. Web site: Butterly . Nick . Delalande . Joanna . WA Labor's Progressive faction fractures . 20 October 2019 . PressReader.
  7. Web site: 2017-04-01 . Historic union pact formed to take on the Left . 2019-05-26 . The West Australian . en.
  8. Web site: Liberals' donations double Labor Party's ahead of SA election. 11 August 2017. ABC.
  9. News: The 12 Labor figures who will do the heavy lifting in government . 14 March 2020 . Australian Financial Review.
  10. News: Tewksbury . Marc . Labor MP Jason Clare dismisses Otis group . 14 March 2020 . news.com.au.
  11. News: Probyn . Andrew . The strain within Labor's Left and Right bubbles over as the party wrestles over its future . 14 March 2020 . ABC News.
  12. News: 30 May 2019. Labor's new-look shadow ministry. SBS News. 7 November 2020.
  13. News: Hondros . Nathan . WA Labor MPs named as part of pro-coal, right-wing 'Otis Group' . 14 March 2020 . WAtoday.
  14. News: 26 June 2013. Shorten stands by Gillard as leader. 9news.com.au. 7 November 2020.
  15. News: Chan. Gabrielle. 2015-07-25. Bill Shorten wins freedom to use boat turnbacks, but leadership split on issue. en-GB. The Guardian. 2020-11-07. 0261-3077.
  16. News: 15 June 2020. Leaked texts show Somyurek's influence among federal Labor ranks. skynews.com.au. 7 November 2020.
  17. News: Ilanbey. Sumeyya. 28 January 2020. Tensions between Labor's Right and Left factions at boiling point. theage.com.au. 7 November 2020.