Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party (ALP, also Labor, was Labour before 1912) is a political party in Australia. The party has been in opposition at federal level since the 2013 election. Bill Shorten has been the party's federal parliamentary leader since 13 October 2013. The party is a federal party with branches in each state and territory. Labor is in government in the states of Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and in the Australian Capital Territory. The party competes against the Liberal/National Coalition for political office at the federal and state (and sometimes local) levels.

Labor's constitution states: "The Australian Labor Party is a democratic socialist party and has the objective of the democratic socialisation of industry, production, distribution and exchange, to the extent necessary to eliminate exploitation and other anti-social features in these fields". This "socialist objective" was introduced in 1921, but has since been qualified by two further objectives: "maintenance of and support for a competitive non-monopolistic private sector" and "the right to own private property". Labor governments have not attempted the "democratic socialisation" of any industry since the 1940s, when the Chifley government failed to nationalise the private banks, and in fact have privatised several industries such as aviation and banking. Labor's current National Platform describes the party as "a modern social democratic party", "the party of opportunity and security for working people" and "a party of active government".

Australian Labor Party (Australian Capital Territory Branch)

The Australian Labor Party (ACT Branch) (also ACT Labor) is the ACT branch of the Australian Labor Party. It is one of two major parties in the unicamerical Parliament of the Australian Capital Territory.

Originally a part of the Australian Labor Party (NSW Branch), the ALP National Conference established an autonomous ACT Branch in 1973. There have been four Labor Chief Ministers since self-government in 1989. The most recent is the current Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, who has served since 2014.

The current ACT Labor Platform notes that the objective of the party is social justice and the pursuit of a fair, just and equitable society.

History

Pre-1973 Autonomy (1930-1973)

In 1930, the first ACT ALP Branch was established as part of the NSW party. The first meeting was held at the Friendly Society's hall at Kingston. The party endorsed candidates for the Advisory council and also for the Canberra Community Hospital Board.

In 1931, the Branch called a meeting of trade union representatives which resulted in the formation of the ACT Trades and Labour Council. During the 1940s the party continued to grow. It met monthly in either the Civic or Kingston Hotels.

Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch)

The Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch) also known as Vic Labor is the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party. The parliamentary leader is elected from and by the members of the party caucus, comprising all party members in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council. The party factions have a strong influence on the election of the leader. The leader's position is dependent on the continuing support of the caucus (and party factions) and the leader may be deposed by failing to win a vote of confidence of parliamentary members. By convention, the premier sits in the Legislative Assembly, and is the leader of the party controlling a majority in that house. The party leader also typically is a member of the Assembly, though this is not a strict party constitutional requirement.

When the Labor party wins sufficient seats to be able to control a majority in the Legislative Assembly, the party leader becomes the State Premier and Labor will form the government. When the party is not in government, the party leader becomes the Leader of the Opposition. To become a Premier or Opposition Leader, the party leader must be or within a short period of time become a member of the Legislative Assembly.

Labor Party (United States, 19th century)

Labor Party was the name or partial name of a number of United States political parties which were organized during the 1870s and 1880s.

The Social Democratic Workingmen's Party of North America was formed in 1874. By 1877 the party changed its name to the Socialist Labor Party of North America, and continues under that name.

In 1877, the racist Workingman's Party was formed in California, led by Denis Kearney; by 1879 it was powerful enough to help re-write the state constitution of California, inserting provisions intended to curb the powers of capital and to abolish Chinese contract labor.

In 1878, the Greenback Party, under the influence of leaders of organized labor, changed its name to the Greenback Labor Party, and continued to operate in some states, electing a congressman as late as 1886; but by 1888 had dissipated. In 1886, a United Labor Party was organized in Chicago under the leadership of that city's Central Labor Union; It drew over 20,000 votes for its county ticket in the fall of 1886, and in the following spring elections garnered 28,000 votes for its candidate for Mayor; but by 1888 it had merged with the Democratic Party in that city.

Labor Party (Panama)

The Labor Party (Spanish: Partido Laborista) was a Panamanian political party.

The country's first communist-oriented party, the Labor Party, was founded in 1925 and affiliated with the Communist International. Its successor, the Communist Party of Panama (Partido Communista de Panamá, PCP) was officially established in 1930.

References

Labour Party (Turkey)

Labour Party (in Turkish: Emek Partisi, EMEP) is a political party in Turkey. Its chairman is Selma Gurkan. The party was founded as Emek Partisi (Labour Party, EP) in 1996. Due to its ban by the Constitutional Court, it was refounded with the name Emeğin Partisi (Party of Labour, EMEP), the same year. In 2005, the name "Emek Partisi" was reinstalled after the European Court of Human Rights held the ban was a violation of Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The party defines its ideology as "scientific socialism", referring to Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey as the "illegal revolutionary party of the working class". EMEP presents itself, on the other hand, as "an open worker's party". Its ideological stance is in accord with the line of ICMLPO. In its programme, EMEP identifies its goal as creating a "Independent and Democratic Turkey".

The party publishes the daily Evrensel (Universal), identified as "daily worker's newspaper" and as "a main tool of propaganda, agitation, and organisation activities".