Australian Labor Party National Executive
The Australian Labor Party National Executive is an internal body of the Australian Labor Party, one of the major political parties in Australia.
Twenty members of the National Executive are elected by the party's National Conference, which is the highest representative body of the party's state and territory branches. The most recent National Conference was the 47th conference held from 24 to 26 July 2015.[1] Members on the Executive may be officials of trade unions affiliated to the party or members of federal or state Parliaments. Other members of the National Executive are the National President, the National Secretary and two National Vice-Presidents (who are directly elected by Labor members), and the Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party are ex-officio members of the Executive,[2] but only the party Leader has a vote.
The National Executive is concerned mainly with organisational matters. It does not decide party policy, which is determined by the National Conference. The National Executive does not elect the party's parliamentary leaders, which is done by a ballot of both the Parliamentary Caucus and by the Labor Party's rank-and-file members. The National President or Vice-President are elected by party members. Its most public role is to act as the final arbiter of disputes about parliamentary candidacies (preselections). On these matters the National Executive usually votes on factional lines. The Labor Right faction holds a majority on the National Executive,[3] though it did not hold a majority at the 2015 National Conference.[4]
The power of the National Executive extends to the reorganisation of a State Branch. For example, in 1970 to improve the party's chances of electoral success, the National Executive intervened in the Socialist Left controlled Victorian Branch, involving the sacking of State officers and dissolution of the Branch. Less drastic forms of intervention are more common, such as the final arbiter of preselection disputes.[5] The executive has authority over policy as it can interpret the party’s constitution, platform and conference decisions.[3][6]
Members of the National Executive
The current members of the National Executive are:[2]
Member type | Member name | Position / title | Faction | State/territory | Voting member |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ex-officio members | Mark Butler | National President | Labor Left[7] | South Australia | No |
Noah Carroll | National Secretary | Labor Right[8] | Victoria | No | |
Tim Hammond, MP | Senior Vice-President | Labor Right | Western Australia | No | |
Jane Garrett, MLA | Junior Vice-President | Labor Left[9] | Victoria | No | |
Bill Shorten, MP | Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party | Labor Right[10] | Victoria | Yes | |
Ben Rillo | National President, Young Labor | Labor Right | South Australia | No | |
Elected members | Anthony Albanese, MP | n/a | Labor Left[11] | New South Wales | Yes |
Tim Ayres | New South Wales branch Secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union | Labor Left[12] | New South Wales | Yes | |
Chris Brown | National Secretary of the Health Services Union | Labor Left | Tasmania | Yes | |
Senator Kim Carr | n/a | Labor Left[13] | Victoria | Yes | |
Russ Collison | New South Wales branch Secretary of the Australian Workers Union | Labor Right[14] | New South Wales | Yes | |
Senator Stephen Conroy | n/a | Labor Right[15] | Victoria | Yes | |
Gerard Dwyer | National Secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association | Labor Right[16] | New South Wales | Yes | |
Nadine Flood | National Secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union | Labor Left[17] | New South Wales | Yes | |
David Gray | Labor Left[18] | South Australia | Yes | ||
Tim Kennedy | National Secretary of the National Union of Workers | Labor Right[19] | Victoria | Yes | |
Senator Sue Lines | n/a | Labor Left[20] | Western Australia | Yes | |
Peter Malinauskas, MLC | n/a | Labor Right[21] | South Australia | Yes | |
Senator Claire Moore | n/a | Labor Left[22] | Queensland | Yes | |
Tara Moriarty | New South Wales branch Secretary of the Liquor and Hospitality Division, United Voice | Labor Right[23] | New South Wales | Yes | |
Charis Mullen | n/a | Labor Right | Queensland | Yes | |
Kaila Murnain | State Secretary of the Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) | Labor Right[24] | New South Wales | Yes | |
Michael Ravbar | National Vice President of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union | Labor Left[25] | Queensland | Yes | |
Michelle Roberts, MLA | n/a | Labor Right[26] | Western Australia | Yes | |
Shannon Threlfall-Clarke | Vice President of the Australian Workers Union, Victorian Branch | Labor Right[27] | Victoria | Yes | |
Linda White | Assistant National Secretary of the Australian Services Union | Labor Left[28] | Victoria | Yes |
Executive leaders
National Presidents
National President | Period |
---|---|
Tom Burns | 1970–1973 |
Bob Hawke | 1973–1980 |
Neville Wran | 1980–1986 |
Mick Young | 1986–1988 |
John Bannon | 1988–1991 |
Stephen Loosley | 1991–1992 |
Barry Jones | 1992–2000 |
Greg Sword | 2001–2004 |
Carmen Lawrence | 2004–2005 |
Barry Jones | 2005–2006 |
Warren Mundine | 2006–2007 |
John Faulkner | 2007–2008 |
Linda Burney | 2008–2009 |
Michael Williamson | 2009–2010 |
Anna Bligh | 2010 – 1 July 2011 |
Jenny McAllister | 1 July 2011 – 17 June 2015 |
Mark Butler | 17 June 2015 – date |
National Secretaries
National Secretary | Period |
---|---|
Cyril Wyndham | 1963–1969 |
Mick Young | 1969–1973 |
David Combe | 1973–1981 |
Bob McMullan | 1981–1988 |
Bob Hogg | 1988–1993 |
Gary Gray | 1993–2000 |
Geoff Walsh | 2000–2003 |
Tim Gartrell | 2003–2008 |
Karl Bitar | 2008 – 16 March 2011 |
George Wright | 19 April 2011 – September 2016 |
Noah Carroll | September 2016 - Present |
- Cyril Wyndam was the first full time Secretary. Prior to 1963 the position was not full time[29]
References
- ↑ ALP: Welcome to the 47th Australian Labor Party National Conference
- 1 2 Australian Labor Party National Executive
- 1 2 The Australian, 2 July 2015: Vote change to shift Labor’s power to the Left
- ↑ Sydney Morning Herald, 18 June 2015: Labor powerbrokers lose control with reform back on the agenda
- ↑ ABC News, 4 November 2015: ALP national executive pulls rank on WA branch attempt to dump MPs Gary Gray and Alannah MacTiernan
- ↑ The Age, 27 July 2005: Labor Left accuses Right of stacking branch rules
- ↑ Kenny, Mark. "Labor Left's Mark Butler wins ALP presidency". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ↑ Aston, Heath (23 September 2016). "ALP appoints Victorian party boss Noah Carroll to steer next federal election campaign". The Age. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- ↑ Wilson, Lauren; Rout, Milanda (5 October 2011). "Unionist slams national presidential candidate Jane Garrett over Left values". The Australian. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ Nicholson, Brendan (14 October 2013). "Star of the Left Tanya Plibersek helped Bill Shorten win". The Australian. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
- ↑ "Crikey List: which MPs were involved in student politics?". Crikey. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ↑ Morris, Sophie (19 July 2014). "Faulkner expects state conference defeat on party reform". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ "ALP meeting leaves some unhappy" (transcript). PM (ABC Radio). Australia. 7 October 2002.
- ↑ Summers, Anne (24 August 2013). "Master of the maze". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ Millar, Royce (25 November 2013). "Labor factions show scant regard for democracy push". The Age. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ Bramston, Troy. "The power of one faction". The Australian. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ↑ Crook, Andrew. "Bonhomie thick at ALP conference as the deal-making begins". Crikey. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ↑ Martin, Sarah. "Powerbrokers labour behind the scenes". The Advertiser.
- ↑ Schneiders, Ben. "Gone with a text. The demise and possible rise of unions". The Age. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ↑ Crook, Andrew (12 April 2013). "Louise Pratt shafted in WA Labor Senate battle". Crikey. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ Will, Daniel. "Reshuffle: Peter Malinauskas and Leesa Vlahos set to join Jay Weatherill's Cabinet". The Advertiser. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ↑ Elks, Sarah. "Meanwhile, in Queensland: who's who on LNP, Labor Senate tickets". The Australian.
- ↑ Maher, Sid (30 May 2011). "Labor heavy Tara Moriarty leans on Andrew Wilkie". The Australian. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ Nicholls, Sean (13 February 2016). "New Labor general secretary Kaila Murnain wants to drive cultural change in the party membership". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ↑ Crook, Andrew (21 August 2009). "Queensland ALP embraces intra-factional bloodsports". Crikey. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ "Ripper promotes leadership rival: analysts". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ Willingham, Richard (12 May 2011). "Young Labor, same old rifts". The Age. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ↑ Hannan, Ewin (8 December 2009). "Unions at war over ACTU leadership". The Australian. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ http://www.nla.gov.au/ms/findaids/4985.html