The Labor Right (LR), also known as Labor Forum, Labor Unity or simply Unity, is one of the two major political factions within the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It is characterised by social democratic and Third Way economic policies, in contrast with the Labor Left faction, which leans toward democratic socialism.
Labor Right is composed of autonomous groups in each state and territory of Australia. The groups within the Labor Right come together as a broad alliance at the national level. The faction includes members with a range of political perspectives, including centrism, Third Way, partial privatisation, Keynesianism, social democracy, and labourism.
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 Unity
Queensland Labor Forum (dominated by the AWU)
Australian Capital Territory Centre Coalition
Victoria Labor Centre Unity (AWU: Consisting of Branch Members and 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) 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) 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).
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.
Alongside these economic reforms, Labor Right also supported more traditional social democratic policies, such as the introduction of Medicare 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 construction and the passage of the Native Title Act in 1993 following the High Court's Mabo decision.
Federal members NameParliamentary seatOther positionsState/TerritorySub-faction/unionRichard MarlesMember for CorioDeputy Prime MinisterMinister for DefenceVictoriaTWU, 'Cons'Dr Jim ChalmersMember for RankinTreasurerQueenslandAWUDon FarrellSenator for South AustraliaSpecial Minister of StateMinister for Trade and TourismSouth AustraliaSDATony BurkeMember for WatsonLeader of the House Minister for Home AffairsMinister for Immigration and Multicultural AffairsMinister for Cyber SecurityMinister for the Arts New South WalesSDAChris BowenMember for McMahonMinister for Climate Change and EnergyNew South WalesAmanda RishworthMember for KingstonMinister for Employment and Workplace RelationsSouth AustraliaSDAJason ClareMember for BlaxlandMinister for Education New South WalesAWUMichelle RowlandMember for GreenwayAttorney-GeneralNew South WalesMadeleine KingMember for BrandMinister for ResourcesMinister for Northern AustraliaWestern AustraliaSDAEd HusicMember for ChifleyNew South WalesCEPU (CWU)Clare O'NeilMember for HothamMinister for HousingMinister for HomelessnessVictoriaAWU Matt KeoghMember for BurtMinister for Veterans' AffairsMinister for Defence PersonnelWestern AustraliaAWUAnika WellsMember for LilleyMinister for CommunicationsQueenslandAWUKristy McBainMember for Eden-Monaro Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories New South WalesJustine ElliotMember for RichmondAssistant Minister for Social ServicesAssistant Minister for the Prevention of Family ViolenceNew South WalesMatt ThistlethwaiteMember for Kingsford SmithAssistant Minister for ImmigrationNew South WalesAWUEmma McBrideMember for DobellAssistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide PreventionAssistant Minister for Rural and Regional HealthNew South WalesAnthony ChisholmSenator for QueenslandAssistant Minister for EducationAssistant Minister for Regional DevelopmentQueenslandAWUTim WattsMember for GellibrandAssistant Minister for Foreign AffairsVictoria'Cons'Mark Dreyfus Member for IsaacsVictoriaAWUGlenn Sterle‡Senator for Western AustraliaChair of Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation CommitteeDeputy Chair of Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References CommitteeWestern AustraliaTWUSteve GeorganasMember for AdelaideSouth AustraliaShayne NeumannMember for BlairChair of Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and TradeChair of Standing Committee on ProcedureQueenslandASUAlison ByrnesMember for CunninghamNew South WalesDeborah O'NeillSenator for New South WalesChair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial ServicesDeputy Chair of Select Committee on Work and CareDeputy Chair of Standing Committee of PrivilegesNew South WalesSDAHelen PolleySenator for TasmaniaChair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law EnforcementTasmaniaAWU, SDARob MitchellMember for McEwenChair of Committee of Privileges and Members' InterestsChair of House Standing Committee on Industry, Science and ResourcesVictoria'Cons'Peter KhalilMember for WillsVictoriaAWUMilton DickMember for OxleySpeaker of the House of RepresentativesChair of Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary ProceedingsChair of Selection CommitteeChair of Standing Committee on Appropriations and AdministrationQueenslandAWUMatt BurnellMember for SpenceSouth AustraliaTWUMeryl SwansonMember for PatersonChair of Standing Committee on Primary IndustriesNew South WalesLuke GoslingMember for SolomonChair of Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and TransportNorthern TerritorySDADavid SmithMember for BeanGovernment Whip Australian Capital TerritoryProfessionals AustraliaRaff CicconeSenator for VictoriaDeputy Government Whip in the SenateChair of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation CommitteeDeputy Chair of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References CommitteeDeputy Chair of Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of BillsVictoriaSDA “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 CommitteeDeputy Chair of Community Affairs References CommitteeSouth AustraliaSDATony SheldonSenator for New South WalesChair of Education and Employment Legislation CommitteeDeputy Chair of Education and Employment References CommitteeNew South WalesTWUDr Mike FreelanderMember for MacarthurChair of Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and SportNew South WalesCassandra FernandoMember for HoltVictoriaSDAJana StewartSenator for VictoriaVictoriaTWU, 'Cons'Sam RaeMember for HawkeVictoriaTWU, 'Cons'Varun GhoshSenator for West AustraliaWestern AustraliaSDAAndrew CharltonMember for ParramattaNew South WalesSally SitouMember for ReidNew South WalesAWUDan RepacholiMember for HunterNew South WalesJoanne RyanMember for LalorChief Government WhipVictoria'Cons'Michelle Ananda-RajahSenator for VictoriaVictoriaTWU, 'Cons'Tania LawrenceMember for HasluckWestern AustraliaSDASam LimMember for TangneyWestern AustraliaSDAGordon ReidMember for RobertsonNew South WalesAWUDavid MoncrieffMember for HughesNew South WalesRichard DowlingSenator for TasmaniaTasmaniaAWUCorinne MulhollandSenator for QueenslandQueenslandAWUEmma ComerMember for PetrieQueenslandAWUClaire ClutterhamMember for SturtSouth AustraliaMatt GreggMember for DeakinVictoriaAlice Jordan-BairdMember for GortonVictoria ‡ Sterle was formerly a member of the now-defunct Centre Left.
See also Labor Left Australian Labor Party Caucus Moderates – Centrist faction in the Liberal Party of Australia New Democrats – centrist faction in the Democratic Party of the United States Blue Dog Coalition – centrist faction in the Democratic Party of the United States Progress – organisation associated with the Labour Party (UK) Seeheimer Kreis – economically liberal faction in the Social Democratic Party of Germany
References
Further reading – 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. – Graham Richardson recounts his career and outlines the philosophy and operation of the NSW and National Labor Right during his time in the ALP.