The Queensland Labor Party (QLP) was a political party of
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
,
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 ...
formed in 1957 by a breakaway group of the then ruling
Labor Party Government after the expulsion of Premier
Vince Gair
Vincent Clair Gair (25 February 190111 November 1980) was an Australian politician. He served as Premier of Queensland from 1952 until 1957, when his stormy relations with the trade union movement saw him expelled from the Labor Party. He was e ...
. In 1962 the party became the Queensland section of the
Democratic Labor Party (DLP). The party continued to hold seats in the Queensland state parliament until 1972, then suffered a collapse in its vote and wound itself up in 1978.
History
In Queensland,
Vince Gair
Vincent Clair Gair (25 February 190111 November 1980) was an Australian politician. He served as Premier of Queensland from 1952 until 1957, when his stormy relations with the trade union movement saw him expelled from the Labor Party. He was e ...
became Labor leader and premier in 1952.
[
]
The Central Executive of the ALP expelled Gair on 24 April 1957 because of his support of the
Groupers
Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes.
Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is u ...
.
A total of 25 Labor
MLAs
The Max Launch Abort System (MLAS) was a proposed alternative to the Maxime Faget-invented "tractor" launch escape system (LES) that was planned for use by NASA for its Orion (spacecraft), Orion spacecraft in the event an Ares I malfunction du ...
left the party with him, including all the Cabinet except Deputy Premier
Jack Duggan, to form the Queensland Labor Party. The two ex-Labor Independents joined the QLP. The ALP was left with 23 members with Duggan as leader. The
Country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
and
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
Parties had a combined 24 seats.
Gair tried to gain Country Party support for his
minority government
A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and Cabinet (government), cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or Coalition government, coalition of parties do ...
, but talks with
Frank Nicklin
Sir George Francis Reuben Nicklin, (6 August 1895 – 29 January 1978) was an Australian politician. He was the Premier of Queensland from 1957 to 1968, the first non-Australian Labor Party (Queensland Branch), Labor Party premier since 1932. broke down when federal Country Party leader
Arthur Fadden
Sir Arthur William Fadden, (13 April 189421 April 1973) was an Australian politician who served as the 13th prime minister of Australia from 29 August to 7 October 1941. He was the leader of the Country Party from 1940 to 1958 and also served ...
(himself a Queenslander) told Nicklin that he had a chance to become Premier himself.
[ On 12 June, the ALP, now led by Duggan, voted to deny "]supply
Supply may refer to:
*The amount of a resource that is available
**Supply (economics), the amount of a product which is available to customers
**Materiel, the goods and equipment for a military unit to fulfill its mission
*Supply, as in confidenc ...
" (that is, the money needed to govern) to what was left of the Gair government. The Country-Liberal Coalition moved to block supply as well and brought the government down.[Frank Mines (1975), ''Gair'', Canberra City, ACT, Arrow Press. ]
A state election was called for 3 August 1957. At that time, Queensland had a unicameral parliament which was elected by first-past-the-post
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...
rather than the present preferential voting {{short description, Election systems
Preferential voting or preference voting (PV) may refer to different election systems or groups of election systems:
* Ranked voting methods, all election methods that involve ranking candidates in order of pr ...
system. Since all sitting ALP and QLP members were opposed by a candidate from the other faction, the Labor vote was split in many seats. While the Coalition actually suffered a small swing against it, the large number of three-cornered contests resulted in the ALP and QLP losing seats to the Coalition. The two Labor factions won only 31 seats between them to the Coalition's 42 (up from 24 previously). The QLP won 23.4% of the vote, second behind Labor, and 11 of the 75 seats. Nicklin became Premier and for the first time in 25 years and only the second time since 1915, a Labor Government was out of office in Queensland. Gair himself was reelected in South Brisbane.
At the 1960 state election, the QLP won only four seats, with even Gair losing his seat. Gair stood for the Senate in 1961 for the QLP, but was unsuccessful. Gair's QLP merged with the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) in 1962 to become the Queensland branch of the DLP. However this decision split the state parliamentarians with two, Bunny Adair
Herbert Arthur "Bunny" Adair (23 August 1905 – 10 October 1994) was a politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Early life
Herbert Arthur Adair was born 23 August 1905 at Wolfram Camp, Qu ...
and Ted Walsh
Ted Walsh (born 14 April 1950) is an Irish amateur jockey turned racehorse trainer who was born and raised in Co. Cork but based in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. Ted is also father to amateur Irish National Hunt jockey, Katie Walsh and profes ...
, opposing joining the DLP and instead becoming independent members. At the 1963 state election preferential voting was reintroduced. This enabled the DLP to not only draw votes away from the ALP, but also to direct their preferences to the Coalition. Gair became federal DLP leader in 1964, after his election to the Senate. From the 1963 election, the party's support in Queensland slipped below 8%, and the party retained only one seat in Queensland's unicameral parliament. The party's electoral support remained at about that level until the 1972 election when its last seat was lost in a redistribution. The DLP lost its raison d'être after 1972 when Labor won office at the federal level. At the time the state Country Party explored a merger with the DLP as part of a strategy of seeking greater unity with groups opposed to the federal Labor government, but this plan was soon abandoned. The DLP went into further decline in 1974 when Gair was forced to resign from the party as a result of the so-called Gair Affair
The Gair Affair was an episode in Australian political life in 1974, during the government led by the Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. Whitlam offered the post of Ambassador to Ireland to a non-government senator from Queensland, Vince Gair, i ...
. At the 1974 state election, the DLP did not contest all seats, and recorded only 1.91% of the vote. The DLP did not contest the 1977 state election and ceased to exist in 1978.
The ALP would remain in opposition in Queensland, even after the QLP and its successor the DLP had ceased to exist, returning to government in 1989 with Wayne Goss
Wayne Keith Goss (26 February 1951 – 10 November 2014) was Premier of Queensland from 7 December 1989 until 19 February 1996, becoming the first Labor Premier of the state in over thirty two years. Prior to entering politics, Goss was a solic ...
as leader.
Queensland election results
* In the 3 August 1957 Queensland election, the QLP won 23.4% of the vote, the second highest of the contesting parties, and won 11 seats in the Legislative Assembly.
* At the 28 May 1960 election, the QLP's vote dropped significantly to 12.28% and won only 4 seats in the Legislative Assembly.
* At the 1 June 1963 election the party's vote (now part of the DLP) had dropped further to 7.23% winning only 1 seat.
* At the 28 May 1966 election, the DLP won 6.25% of the vote and 1 seat.
* At the 17 May 1969 election, the DLP won 7.24% of the vote and 1 seat.
* At the 27 May 1972 election, the DLP won 7.69% of the vote and no seat.
* At the 7 December 1974 election, the DLP won 1.91% of the vote and no seat.
* By the 1977 election, the DLP did not contest the election and had ceased to exist in 1978.
QLP parliamentarians
;Federal
*Condon Byrne
Condon Bryan Byrne (25 May 1910 – 25 November 1993), Australian politician, was a Senator for the Australian Labor Party and later the Democratic Labor Party. Prior to entering politics he was private secretary to Vince Gair who was then Prem ...
(Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
), 1957–58, 1968–74
*Vince Gair
Vincent Clair Gair (25 February 190111 November 1980) was an Australian politician. He served as Premier of Queensland from 1952 until 1957, when his stormy relations with the trade union movement saw him expelled from the Labor Party. He was e ...
(Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
), 1965–74
;Legislative Assembly of Queensland
The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembl ...
*Bunny Adair
Herbert Arthur "Bunny" Adair (23 August 1905 – 10 October 1994) was a politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Early life
Herbert Arthur Adair was born 23 August 1905 at Wolfram Camp, Qu ...
(Cook
Cook or The Cook may refer to:
Food preparation
* Cooking, the preparation of food
* Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food
* Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry
* ...
), 1957–62 (left in opposition to joining the DLP)
*Mick Brosnan
Michael Timothy Brosnan (5 December 1907 – 20 July 1966) was a publican and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Biography
Brosnan was born in the outback Queensland town of Winton to parents Michael Brosnan and his wife Edith Eli ...
(Fortitude Valley
Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestri ...
), 1957
* Harold Collins ( Tablelands), 1957
*Viv Cooper
Vivian Joseph Northcote Cooper (19 June 1909 – 10 September 2000) was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Biography
Cooper was born at Parkhurst, a suburb in Rockhampton, Queensland, the son of Joseph Cooper and his wife Norah ...
( Keppel), 1957
*George Devries
George Henry Devries (4 July 1896 – 13 July 1957) was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Biography
Devries was born at Stretford, England, the son of John Arms Devries and his wife Elizabeth (née Ware). He was apprenticed as ...
( Gregory), 1957
*Les Diplock
Leslie Frank Louis "Les" Diplock Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, CMG (16 September 1899 – 6 November 1983) was an Australian politician.
Diplock was born in South Brisbane to house-painter Louis Diplock and Louisa May ...
( Condamine, Aubigny), 1957–72
*Alfred Dohring
Alfred Dohring (11 July 1896 – 13 July 1982) was an Australian politician. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Early life
Alfred Dohring was born on 11 July 1896 in Alpha, Queensland, the son of August Dohring and his ...
(Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
), 1957
*Charles English
Charles Bernard English (1902–1974) was a politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Early life
Charles English was born 30 January 1902 as Goonengerry near Lismore, New South Wales, the so ...
( Mulgrave), 1957
*Tom Foley
Thomas Stephen Foley (March 6, 1929 – October 18, 2013) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 49th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1989 to 1995. A member of the Democratic Party, Foley represent ...
( Belyando), 1957–60
*Vince Gair
Vincent Clair Gair (25 February 190111 November 1980) was an Australian politician. He served as Premier of Queensland from 1952 until 1957, when his stormy relations with the trade union movement saw him expelled from the Labor Party. He was e ...
(South Brisbane
South Brisbane is an inner southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 7,196 people.
Geography
The suburb is on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, bounded to the north-west, ...
), 1957–60
* Mick Gardner (Rockhampton
Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...
), 1957–60
*Bob Gardner
Robert S. Gardner (born c. 1954) is a legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. A United States Air Force veteran and attorney, Gardner was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Republican in 2006. From 2006 to 2012, he represen ...
(Bulimba
Bulimba is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Bulimba had a population of 6,843 people.
Geography
Bulimba is located north-east of the CBD on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, but it is by road.
Topo ...
), 1957
* Jim Hadley (Nundah
Nundah (previously called German Station) is an inner suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It contains the neighbourhood of Toombul. In the , Nundah had a population of 12,141 people.
Prior to European settlement, Nundah was i ...
), 1957
* Paul Hilton ( Carnarvon), 1957–63
* Arthur Jones (Charters Towers
Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits under ...
), 1957–60
* Greg Kehoe ( Nash), 1957
*Colin McCathie
Colin George McCathie (9 May 1910 – 1 September 1986) was an accountant and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Biography
McCathie was born in Gympie, Queensland, to parents George Critchley McCathie and his wife Isabella Falcone ...
( Haughton), 1957–60
* Bill Moore (Merthyr
Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
), 1957
*Tom Moores
Thomas James Moores (born 4 September 1996) is an English cricketer who plays for Nottinghamshire. He is a left-handed batsman who also plays as a wicket-keeper.
Domestic and franchise career
On 21 June 2016, Moores joined Lancashire on loan ...
( Kurilpa), 1957
* Bill Power (Baroona
Singleton is a town on the banks of the Hunter River in New South Wales, Australia. Singleton is 197 km (89 mi) north-north-west of Sydney, and 70 km (43 mi) north-west of Newcastle. At June 2018, Singleton had an urban po ...
), 1957–60
*Tom Rasey
Thomas William Rasey (10 June 1898 – 27 April 1989) was an Australian politician from Queensland. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Early life
Thomas Rasey served with the Australian army during World War I (1914-19 ...
(Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
), 1957
* Herbert Robinson ( Sandgate), 1957
* Alexander Skinner (Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
), 1957
*Norm Smith
Norman Walter Smith (21 November 1915 – 29 July 1973) was an Australian rules football player and coach in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After more than 200 games as a player with and , Smith began a twenty-year coaching career, inc ...
(Carpentaria
''Carpentaria acuminata'' (carpentaria palm), the sole species in the genus ''Carpentaria'', is a Arecaceae, palm native to tropical coastal regions in the north of Northern Territory, Australia.
It is a slender palm, growing to tall in the g ...
), 1957–60
*Ted Walsh
Ted Walsh (born 14 April 1950) is an Irish amateur jockey turned racehorse trainer who was born and raised in Co. Cork but based in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. Ted is also father to amateur Irish National Hunt jockey, Katie Walsh and profes ...
(Bundaberg
Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...
), 1957–62 (left in opposition to joining the DLP)
References
External links
University of Western Australia Election Database
House divided left Labor disarray
{{Defunct Australian political parties
Australian Labor Party breakaway groups
Defunct political parties in Queensland
Political parties established in 1957
Political parties disestablished in 1978
1957 establishments in Australia
1978 disestablishments in Australia