Australian Labor Party facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Australian Labor Party
Leader	Anthony Albanese
Deputy Leader	Richard Marles
President	Wayne Swan
National Secretary	Noah Carroll
Founded	8 May 1901
Headquarters	161 London Circuit, Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2600
Youth wing	Australian Young Labor
Ideology	Social democracy Democratic socialism
Political position	Centre-left
International affiliation	Progressive Alliance Socialist International (Formerly)
House of Representatives	69 / 150
Senate	26 / 76
Politics of Australia Political parties

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is one of the two major political parties in Australia. The party was formed in 1891, and is the oldest political party in Australia. It is a social democratic party with strong links to the Trade Union movement. Since 1944, their main opponents have been the Liberal Party. Since the 2022 federal election, the Labor Party became the majority government of Australia with Anthony Albanese as prime minister.

In the state and territory parliaments, Labor governs in South Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.

Group photograph of Federal Labour Party MPs elected to the Australian House of Representatives and Australian Senate at the first 1901 election, including Chris Watson, Andrew Fisher, Billy Hughes, Frank Tudor, King O'Malley and Lee Batchelor.

History

In the 1860s the trade unions in Australia began to try to get better wages and working conditions for their members. They were defeated by employers, the legal system, and the governments of the Australian colonies. Workers soon decided that they needed to become active in politics, and make changes through parliament. The first meeting of the ALP is said to have taken place in Barcaldine, Queensland in 1891. A group of shearers, who were involved in a big strike action, held a meeting in the shade of a large ghost gum (eucalyptus) tree, Corymbia aparrerinja. This tree became known as the "Tree of Knowledge".

ALP Prime Ministers of Australia

• Chris Watson, 1904.
• Andrew Fisher, 1908–1909 and 1910–1913 and 1914–1915.
• Billy Hughes, 1915
• James Scullin, 1929–1932.
• John Curtin, 1941–1945.
• Frank Forde, 1945.
• Ben Chifley, 1945–1949
• Gough Whitlam, 1972–1975.
• Bob Hawke, 1983–1991.
• Paul Keating, 1991–1996.
• Kevin Rudd, 2007–2010.
• Julia Gillard, 2010–2013.
• Kevin Rudd, 2013.
• Anthony Albanese, since 2022.

Current leaders of states and territories of Australia

• Leader of the Opposition (New South Wales) – Luke Foley, since 2015.
• Premier of Victoria – Daniel Andrews, since 2014.
• Premier of Queensland – Annastacia Palaszczuk, since 2015.
• Premier of South Australia – Peter Malinauskas, since 2022.
• Leader of the Opposition (Tasmania) – Rebecca White, since 2021.
• Premier of Western Australia – Mark McGowan, since 2012.
• Chief Minister of the Northern Territory – Michael Gunner, since 2016.
• Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory – Andrew Barr, since 2014.

Images for kids

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  Anderson Dawson's ministry leaving Parliament House, Brisbane, after being sworn in on 1 December 1899. His was the first government formed by a Labour party in the world

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  Group photograph of Federal Labour Party MPs elected to the Australian House of Representatives and Australian Senate at the inaugural 1901 election

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  Labor Party policy launch before a crowd in the Sydney Domain on 24 November 1975.

See also

In Spanish: Partido Laborista Australiano para niños