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South Australian Labor Party#Formation

{{Short description|Affiliate of the Labor Party in South Australia}}

{{redirect|United Labor Party||United Labour (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox political party

| country = Australia

| name = South Australian Labor

| native_name = South Australian Labor Party

| logo_size = 150px

| colorcode = {{party color|Australian Labor Party}}

| logo = South Australian Labor Logo.png

| leader1_title = Leader

| leader1_name = Peter Malinauskas

| leader2_title = Deputy Leader

| leader2_name = Susan Close

| leader3_title = President

| leader3_name = Rhiannon Pearce

| leader4_title = Secretary

| leader4_name = Aemon Bourke{{cite news | url=https://indaily.com.au/news/2022/03/23/state-champion-ministry-bound-libs-out-for-new-blood/https://indaily.com.au/news/2022/03/23/state-champion-ministry-bound-libs-out-for-new-blood/ | title=State Champion ministry-bound, Libs out for new blood | work=Indaily | date=23 March 2022 | access-date=28 March 2022 | author=Richardson, Tom}}

| foundation = {{start date and age|1891|1|7|df=y}}

| ideology = Social democracy

| headquarters = 141 Gilles Street, Adelaide, South Australia

| youth_wing = South Australian Young Labor

| womens_wing = Labor Women's Network

| wing2_title = LGBT wing

| wing2 = Rainbow Labor

| colours = {{color box|{{party color|Australian Labor Party}}|border=silver}} Red

| position = Centre-left

| national = Australian Labor

| website = {{URL|http://sa.alp.org.au}}

| seats1_title = {{nowrap|House of Assembly}}

| seats1 = {{Composition bar|28|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| seats2_title = Legislative Council

| seats2 = {{Composition bar|9|22|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

}}

{{LGA seats

| seats1_title = Adelaide

| seats1 = {{Composition bar|4|12|hex={{party colour|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| seats2_title = Charles Sturt

| seats2 = {{Composition bar|4|17|hex={{party colour|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| seats3_title = Holdfast Bay

| seats3 = {{Composition bar|1|13|hex={{party colour|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| seats4_title = Marion

| seats4 = {{Composition bar|1|13|hex={{party colour|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| seats5_title = Port Adelaide Enfield

| seats5 = {{Composition bar|7|18|hex={{party colour|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| seats6_title = Prospect

| seats6 = {{Composition bar|1|9|hex={{party colour|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| seats7_title = Tea Tree Gully

| seats7 = {{Composition bar|2|14|hex={{party colour|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| seats9_title = West Torrens

| seats9 = {{Composition bar|4|15|hex={{party colour|Australian Labor Party}}}}

}}

The South Australian Labor Party, officially known as the Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch) and commonly referred to simply as South Australian Labor, is the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party, originally formed in 1891 as the United Labor Party of South Australia. It is one of two major parties in the bicameral Parliament of South Australia, the other being the South Australian Liberal Party.

Since the 1970 election, marking the beginning of democratic fair representation (one vote, one value) and ending decades of pro-rural electoral malapportionment known as the Playmander, Labor have won 11 of the 15 elections. Spanning 16 years and 4 terms, Labor was last in government from the 2002 election until the 2018 election. Jay Weatherill led the Labor government since a 2011 leadership change from Mike Rann. During 2013 it became the longest-serving state Labor government in South Australian history, and in addition went on to win a fourth four-year term at the 2014 election. After losing the 2018 election, the party spent 4 years in opposition before leader Peter Malinauskas led the party to a majority victory in the 2022 election.

Labor's most notable historic Premiers of South Australia include Thomas Price in the 1900s, Don Dunstan in the 1970s, John Bannon in the 1980s, and Mike Rann in the 2000s.

Formation

Image:SAULP1893.jpeg.]]

A United Trades and Labor Council meeting with the purpose of creating an elections committee was convened on 12 December 1890, and held on 7 January 1891. The elections committee was formed, officially named the United Labor Party of South Australia (unlike state Labor, prior to 1912 their federal counterparts included the 'u' in their spelling of Labour) with John McPherson the founding secretary. Four months later, Labor enjoyed immediate success, electing David Charleston, Robert Guthrie and Andrew Kirkpatrick to the South Australian Legislative Council. A week later, Richard Hooper won the 1891 Wallaroo by-election as an Independent Labor member in the South Australian House of Assembly. McPherson won the 1892 East Adelaide by-election on 23 January, becoming the first official Labor leader and member of the House of Assembly.

Prior to party creation, South Australian politics had lacked parties or solid groupings, although loose liberal and conservative blocs had begun to develop by the end of the 1880s. The 1893 election was the first general election Labor would stand at, resulting in liberal and conservative leaning MPs beginning to divide, additionally with unidentified groupings and independents, as well as the subsequent formation of the staunchly anti-Labor National Defence League. The voluntary turnout rate increased from 53 to 68 percent, with Labor on 19 percent of the vote, and 10 Labor candidates including McPherson and Hooper were elected to the 54-member House of Assembly which gave Labor the balance of power. The Kingston liberal government was formed with the support of Labor, ousting the Downer conservative government. Kingston served as Premier for a then-record of six and a half years, usually implementing legislation with Labor support.

Thomas Price formed the state's first Labor minority government and the world's first stable Labor Party government at the 1905 election with the support of several non-Labor MPs to form the Price-Peake administration, which was re-elected at the 1906 double dissolution election, with Labor falling just two seats short of a majority. So successful, John Verran led Labor to form the state's first of many majority governments at the 1910 election, just two weeks after the 1910 federal election where their federal counterparts formed Australia's first elected majority in either house in the Parliament of Australia, the world's first Labor Party majority government at a national level, and after the 1904 Chris Watson minority government the world's second Labor Party government at a national level.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ecsa.sa.gov.au/publications?view=document&id=480 |title=History of South Australian elections 1857–2006, volume 1 – ECSA |access-date=5 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302093736/http://www.ecsa.sa.gov.au/publications?view=document&id=480 |archive-date=2 March 2014 |url-status=dead }}[https://books.google.com/books?id=9N87xauZghkC&dq=%22united+labor+party%22+south+australia+mcpherson&pg=PA160 Sound of Trumpets: History of the Labour Movement in South Australia – By Jim Moss][http://klarbooks.com/academic/labcris.html Why did a 'labour movement' emerge in South Australia in the 1880s? – By Nicholas Klar]

Known as the United Labor Party of South Australia until 1917, the Australian Labor Party at both a state/colony and federal level pre-dates, among others, both the British Labour Party and the New Zealand Labour Party in party formation, government, and policy implementation.{{Cite web|url=http://australianpolitics.com/political-parties/alp|title=Australian Labor Party|website=AustralianPolitics.com|date=6 October 2013|access-date=11 December 2014}}

Premiers

{{Infobox Political post

| post = Parliamentary Party Leader

| image = Peter Malinauskas (cropped).png

| incumbent = Peter Malinauskas

| incumbentsince = 9 April 2018

| deputy = Susan Close

}}

Thirteen of the nineteen parliamentary Labor leaders have served as Premier of South Australia: Thomas Price (1905–1909), John Verran (1910–1912), Crawford Vaughan (1915–1917), John Gunn (1924–1926), Lionel Hill (1926–1927 and 1930–1931; expelled from party but continued as Premier until 1933), Frank Walsh (1965–1967), Don Dunstan (1967–1968 and 1970–1979), Des Corcoran (1979), John Bannon (1982–1992), Lynn Arnold (1992–1993), Mike Rann (2002–2011), Jay Weatherill (2011–2018) and Peter Malinauskas (2022–Present) . Robert Richards was Premier in 1933 while leading the rebel Parliamentary Labor Party of MPs who had been expelled in the 1931 Labor split; he would later be readmitted and lead the party in opposition. Bannon is Labor's longest-serving Premier of South Australia, ahead of Rann and Dunstan by a matter of weeks. Every Labor leader for more than half a century has gone on to serve as Premier.

Deputy Premiers

Since the position's formal introduction in 1968, seven parliamentary Labor deputy leaders have served as Deputy Premier of South Australia: Des Corcoran (1968 and 1970–1979), Hugh Hudson (1979), Jack Wright (1982–1985), Don Hopgood (1985–1992), Frank Blevins (1992–1993), Kevin Foley (2002–2011), John Rau (2011–18) and Susan Close (2022– Present). Foley is the state's longest-serving Deputy Premier.

List of parliamentary leaders

class="wikitable"
|Nocolspan="2" |Party leader

!Constituency

class="unsortable" |Assumed officeclass=unsortable|Left officePremierReason for departure
align=center

!1

| John McPherson

| 85px

|East Adelaide

(1892–1897)

| 23 February 1892

13 December 1897Died
align=center

!2

| Lee Batchelor

| 85px

|West Adelaide

(1893–1901)

| 1897/1898

12 December 1899Joined federal parliament
align=center

!3

| Tom Price

| 85px

|Sturt/Torrens

(1893–1909)

| 12 December 1899

31 May 19091905–1909Died
align=center

!4

| John Verran

| 85px

|Wallaroo

(1901–1917)

| 1909

26 July 19131910–1912Lost party room challenge to Vaughan
align=center

!5

| Crawford Vaughan

| 85px

|Torrens/Sturt

(1905–1918)

| 26 July 1913

12 February 19171915–1917Quit party
align=center

!6

| Andrew Kirkpatrick

| 85px

|Leg. Council
(1891–1897;
1900–1905)
Newcastle
(1915–1918)

| 6 March 1917

15 February 1918Retired
align=center

!7

| John Gunn

| 85px

|Adelaide

(1915–1926)

| 18 April 1918

18 August 19261924–1926Resigned
align=center

!8

| Lionel Hill

| 85px

|East Torrens /
Port Pirie
(1915–1933)

18 August 192615 August 19311926–1927;
1930–1933		Expelled from party
align=center

!9

| Edgar Dawes

| 85px

|Sturt

(1930–1933)

| 12 May 1932

22 April 1933Lost seat in 1933 election
align=center

!10

| Andrew Lacey

| 85px

|Port Pirie

(1933–1946)

| 22 April 1933

1 April 1938Stepped down after splinter parties merged
align=center

!11

| Robert Richards

| 85px

|Wallaroo

(1918–1949)

| 1 April 1938

27 October 1949(1933)Retired
align=center

!12

| Mick O'Halloran

| 85px

|Burra Burra
(1918–1927)
Frome
(1938–1960)

| 27 October 1949

22 September 1960Died
align=center

!13

| Frank Walsh

| 85px

|Goodwood /
Edwardstown
(1941–1968)

22 September 1960
{{small|Acting until 5 October 1960}}		1 June 19671965–1967Retired
align=center

!14

| Don Dunstan

| 85px

|Norwood

(1953–1979)

| 1 June 1967

15 February 19791967–1968;
1970–1979		Resigned
align=center

!15

|Des Corcoran

|

|Millicent /
Coles /
Hartley
(1962–1982)

|15 February 1979
{{small|Acting until 15 March 1979}}

|2 October 1979

|1979

|Resigned after 1979 election loss

align=center

!16

|John Bannon

|85px

|Ross Smith
(1977–1993)

|2 October 1979

|4 September 1992

|1982–1992

|Resigned

align=center

!17

|Dr Lynn Arnold

|85px

|Salisbury /
Ramsay /
Taylor
(1979–1994)

|4 September 1992

|20 September 1994

|1992–1993

|Resigned

align=center

!18

|Mike Rann

|85px

|Briggs /
Ramsay
(1985–2012)

|20 September 1994

|21 October 2011

|2002–2011

|Lost party room challenge to Weatherill

align=center

!19

|Jay Weatherill

|85px

|Cheltenham

(2002–2018)

|21 October 2011

|9 April 2018

|2011–2018

|Resigned after 2018 election loss

align=center

!20

|Peter Malinauskas

|85px

|Leg. Council
(2015–2018)
Croydon
(since 2018)

|9 April 2018

|

|2022–

|

List of deputy parliamentary leaders

class="wikitable"
Party deputy leaderclass="unsortable" |Assumed officeclass="unsortable" |Left officeDeputy Premier
John Fitzgerald21 April 193322 June 1934{{cite news |date=22 April 1933 |title=LABOUR REMNANTS |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/254320636 |access-date=6 February 2024 |newspaper=Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette |page=7 |via=Trove}}
Robert Richards22 June 19341 April 1938
Andrew Lacey1 April 19384 September 1946
Mick O'Halloran4 September 194627 October 1949
Frank Walsh

|27 October 1949

|5 October 1960

|

Cyril Hutchens5 October 19601 June 1967
Des Corcoran1 June 196715 March 19791967–1968;
1970–1979
Hugh Hudson15 March 19792 October 19791979
Jack Wright

|2 October 1979

|16 July 1985

|1982–1985

Dr. Don Hopgood26 July 19854 September 19921985–1992
Frank Blevins4 September 199214 December 19931992–1993
Mike Rann14 December 199320 September 1994
Ralph Clarke20 September 199431 December 1996
Annette Hurley1 January 1997Feb 2002
Kevin Foley

|Feb 2002

|7 February 2011

|2002–2011

John Rau

|7 February 2011

|9 April 2018

|2011–2018

Susan Close

|9 April 2018

|

|2022–

Current federal parliamentarians

=House of Representatives=

=Senate=

Historic party officials

Electoral performance

=House of Assembly=

class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
Election

! Leader

! Votes

! %

! Seats

! +/–

! Position

! Status

1893

| rowspan=2 | John McPherson

| 16,458

| 18.8

| {{Composition bar|10|54|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 10

| {{increase}} 3rd

| {{no2|Crossbench}}

1896

| 39,107

| 24.3

| {{Composition bar|12|54|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 2

| {{steady}} 3rd

| {{no2|Crossbench}}

1899

| Lee Batchelor

| 40,756

| 25.4

| {{Composition bar|11|54|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 1

| {{steady}} 3rd

| {{no2|Crossbench}}

1902

| rowspan=3 | Thomas Price

| 48,515

| 19.9

| {{Composition bar|5|42|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 6

| {{steady}} 3rd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1905

| 148,550

| 41.3

| {{Composition bar|15|42|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 10

| {{increase}} 1st

| {{yes2|Minority}}

1906

| 143,577

| 44.8

| {{Composition bar|20|42|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 5

| {{steady}} 1st

| {{yes2|Minority}}

1910

| rowspan=2 | John Verran

| 197,935

| 49.1

| {{Composition bar|22|42|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 2

| {{steady}} 1st

| {{yes2|Majority}}

1912

| 253,163

| 46.7

| {{Composition bar|16|40|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 6

| {{decrease}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1915

| Crawford Vaughan

| 153,034

| 45.9

| {{Composition bar|26|46|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 10

| {{increase}} 1st

| {{yes2|Majority}}

1918

| Andrew Kirkpatrick

| 145,093

| 44.7

| {{Composition bar|17|46|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 9

| {{decrease}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1921

| rowspan=2 | John Gunn

| 179,308

| 44.6

| {{Composition bar|16|46|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 1

| {{steady}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1924

| 192,256

| 48.4

| {{Composition bar|27|46|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 11

| {{increase}} 1st

| {{yes2|Majority}}

1927

| rowspan=2 | Lionel Hill

| 243,450

| 47.9

| {{Composition bar|16|46|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 11

| {{decrease}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1930

| 102,194

| 48.6

| {{Composition bar|30|46|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 14

| {{increase}} 1st

| {{yes2|Majority}}

1933

| Edgar Dawes

| 48,273

| 27.8

| {{Composition bar|6|46|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 24

| {{decrease}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1938

| Andrew Lacey

| 57,124

| 26.1

| {{Composition bar|9|39|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 3

| {{steady}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1941

| rowspan=3 | Robert Richards

| 56,062

| 33.3

| {{Composition bar|11|39|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 2

| {{steady}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1944

| 105,298

| 42.5

| {{Composition bar|16|39|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 5

| {{steady}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1947

| 133,959

| 48.6

| {{Composition bar|13|39|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 3

| {{steady}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1950

| rowspan=4 | Mick O'Halloran

| 134,952

| 48.1

| {{Composition bar|12|39|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 1

| {{steady}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1953

| 166,517

| 50.9

| {{Composition bar|14|39|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 2

| {{steady}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1956

| 129,853

| 47.4

| {{Composition bar|15|39|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 1

| {{steady}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1959

| 191,933

| 49.3

| {{Composition bar|17|39|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 2

| {{steady}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1962

| rowspan=2 | Frank Walsh

| 219,790

| 53.9

| {{Composition bar|19|39|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 2

| {{increase}} 1st

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1965

| 274,432

| 55.0

| {{Composition bar|21|39|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 2

| {{steady}} 1st

| {{yes2|Majority}}

1968

| rowspan=5 | Don Dunstan

| 292,445

| 51.9

| {{Composition bar|19|39|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 2

| {{steady}} 1st

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1970

| 305,478

| 51.6

| {{Composition bar|27|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 8

| {{steady}} 1st

| {{yes2|Majority}}

1973

| 324,135

| 51.5

| {{Composition bar|26|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 1

| {{steady}} 1st

| {{yes2|Majority}}

1975

| 321,481

| 46.3

| {{Composition bar|23|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 3

| {{steady}} 1st

| {{yes2|Majority}}

1977

| 383,831

| 51.6

| {{Composition bar|27|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 4

| {{steady}} 1st

| {{yes2|Majority}}

1979

| Des Corcoran

| 300,277

| 40.8

| {{Composition bar|20|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 7

| {{decrease}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1982

| rowspan=3 | John Bannon

| 353,999

| 6.3

| {{Composition bar|24|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 5

| {{increase}} 1st

| {{yes2|Majority}}

1985

| 393,652

| 48.2

| {{Composition bar|27|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 3

| {{steady}} 1st

| {{yes2|Majority}}

1989

| 346,268

| 40.1

| {{Composition bar|22|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 5

| {{decrease}} 2nd

| {{yes2|Minority}}

1993

| Lynn Arnold

| 277,038

| 30.4

| {{Composition bar|10|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 12

| {{steady}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

1997

| rowspan=4 | Mike Rann

| 312,929

| 35.2

| {{Composition bar|21|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 11

| {{steady}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

2002

| 344,559

| 36.4

| {{Composition bar|23|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 2

| {{increase}} 1st

| {{yes2|Minority}}

2006

| 424,715

| 45.2

| {{Composition bar|28|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 5

| {{steady}} 1st

| {{yes2|Majority}}

2010

| 367,480

| 37.5

| {{Composition bar|26|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 2

| {{steady}} 1st

| {{yes2|Majority}}

rowspan=3 | 2014

| rowspan=4 | Jay Weatherill

| rowspan=3 | 364,420

| rowspan=3 | 35.8

| rowspan=3 | {{Composition bar|23|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| rowspan=3 | {{decrease}} 3

| rowspan=3 | {{steady}} 1st

| {{yes2|Minority {{small|(2014)}}}}

{{yes2|Majority {{small|(2014–2017)}}}}
{{yes2|Minority {{small|(2017–2018)}}}}
2018

| 343,896

| 32.8

| {{Composition bar|19|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{decrease}} 4

| {{decrease}} 2nd

| {{no2|Opposition}}

2022

| Peter Malinauskas

| 436,134

| 40.0

| {{Composition bar|27|47|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}

| {{increase}} 8

| {{increase}} 1st

| {{yes2|Majority}}

See also

References

{{reflist}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}

{{Australian Labor Party}}

{{Leaders of the Australian Labor Party (SA division)}}

{{SACurrentMHAs}}

{{SACurrentMLCs}}

South Australia

Category:Political parties in South Australia

Category:1891 establishments in Australia

Category:Political parties established in 1891