The National Labor Party was a brief-lived political party in the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n state of Queensland. Although sharing similarities to the federal party of the same name, it was actually founded over two years after its federal counterpart merged into the Nationalist Party. It did not enjoy electoral success and soon faded away.

History

In Queensland the Australian Labor Party split of 1916 had only a minor impact. Only one state MP, John Adamson, and one federal MP,

Fred Bamford Frederick William Bamford (11 February 184910 September 1934) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian House of Representatives from the inaugural 1901 federal election until his retirement in 1925, representing the elec ...

, left the party and there was no breakaway state party. Instead

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

T. J. Ryan worked hard to successfully keep the party together in the state with only limited losses. Adamson joined the federal Nationalist Party but did not initially seek to organise a new state party, instead unsuccessfully standing as an "Independent Democrat" against John Fihelly, one of the strongest anti-conscriptionists at the 1918 state election. Although the federal National Labor Party lasted only a few months in 1916-1917, in October 1919 Adamson was involved in the setting up of a state party for ex-Labor supporters. This allied with, but did not join, the National Political Council which sought to combine and co-ordinate anti-Labor activity in the state. The party contested three seats in Brisbane in the 1920 state election but won none of them. The party subsequently faded from the scene.

References

{{reflist Defunct political parties in Queensland Political parties established in 1919 Political parties disestablished in 1920 1919 establishments in Australia 1920 disestablishments in Australia