The People's Party was a political organisation in the Australian state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. It was established in 1910 by farmers opposed to the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms t ...

(ALP). It co-ordinated political campaigns with other anti-Labor organisations, supporting the parliamentary Liberals and later the

Nationalists Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

after 1917. It merged into the National Federation in 1917, after an earlier abortive merger with the

Commonwealth Liberal Party The Liberal Party was a parliamentary party in Australian federal politics between 1909 and 1917. The party was founded under Alfred Deakin's leadership as a merger of the Protectionist Party and Anti-Socialist Party, an event known as the Fus ...

History

The People's Party arose after the 1910 federal election, which resulted in the

(ALP) forming a majority government for the first time. It was formed "mainly as a result of farmer reaction to Labor's land tax policy and the extension to rural employees of the '' Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Act''". The party was formally launched in

Horsham, Victoria Horsham () is a regional city in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. Located on a bend in the Wimmera River, Horsham is approximately northwest of the state capital Melbourne. As of the 2021 Census, Horsham had a population of 2 ...

, on 29 October 1910. The acting prime minister Billy Hughes described it as "one of those organisations that from time to time are launched upon a credulous public in the vain hope that by changing a name the situation is affected". The organisation grew rapidly, drawing on the membership base of the existing "farmer's leagues" and branches of the

Australian Women's National League The Australian Women's National League (AWNL) was an Australian political lobby group federation first established in 1904. It acted in many ways like a political party, with an extensive branch network and the capability to run its own candidates ...

(AWNL). According to

John La Nauze John Andrew La Nauze (9 June 1911 – 20 August 1990) was an Australian historian from Western Australia. He was born in the Goldfields town of Boulder. Shortly after his fourth birthday, his Mauritian-born father Captain Charles La Nauze was ...

, it was "apparently largely composed of the husbands and brothers of members of the AWNL". It claimed 16,000 members in September 1911 and 30,000 members a year later, spread across 388 branches. In the lead-up to the 1911 Australian referendum, the People's Party co-ordinated the "No" campaign in Victoria with the AWNL and Alfred Deakin's

(CLP). The success of the joint campaign led to an attempted merger with the CLP, which pre-emptively changed its name to the People's Liberal Party (PLP). However, the merger was called off at the last minute. The People's Party eventually merged into Billy Hughes' National Federation in October 1917, having supported the election of

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...

candidates at the 1917 federal election. However, the party's influence was already declining at this time due to the decision of the

Victorian Farmers' Union The Victorian Farmers' Union (VFU) was an association of farmers and primary producers formed in 1914 in the Australian state of Victoria. Although initially formed as an "absolutely non-political" entity, the VFU became a political party in 1916 ...

to enter electoral politics.

Notable members

Future federal government ministers Arthur Rodgers and

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, hi ...

were members of the People's Party. Rodgers served as a vice-president and helped draw up the party's manifesto, while Gibson served as secretary of the Lismore branch. James Bennett, who was briefly the federal MP for

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It cove ...

, was the inaugural secretary of the party and worked as a paid organiser. At state level, the party supported the candidacy of James Menzies at the

1911 Victorian state election The 1911 Victorian state election was held in the Australian state of Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Co ...

. His son Robert Menzies became prime minister of Australia. James Menzies was eventually defeated at the 1920 election by

Marcus Wettenhall Marcus Edwy Wettenhall (26 January 1876 – 25 January 1951) was an Australian politician. Born at Carrs Plains to grazier Holford Wettenhall (a former Legislative Council member) and Mary Burgess Dennis, he attended local state schools ...

, another former member of the People's Party.Browne, Geoff
'Wettenhall, Marcus Edwy (1876–1951)'
Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 1 May 2012.

References

Sources

* {{Defunct political parties in Australia 1910 establishments in Australia 1917 disestablishments in Australia Political parties in Victoria (Australia) Political parties established in 1910 Political parties disestablished in 1917