The Australian Fabians (also known as the Australian Fabian Society) is an Australian independent

left-leaning Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

that was established in 1947. The organisations said aims are to “contribute to progressive political thinking” as well as “progressive political culture.” The Australian Fabians have historically had close ties with 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 the f ...

(ALP). This is evidenced by the number of past ALP prime ministers, federal ministers and state premiers who were active members of the Australian Fabians while in office. The role of patron of the Australian Fabians is currently vacant and has been held by media and social commentator and feminist

Eva Cox Eva Maria Cox (née Hauser; born 21 February 1938) is an Austrian-born Australian writer, feminist, sociologist, social commentator and activist. She has been an active advocate for creating a "more civil" society. She was a long-term member of ...

and former Australian prime minister, the late

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...

. The Australian Fabians have had a significant influence on public policy development in Australia since the Second World War, with many of its members having held influential political offices in Australian governments.

History

An earlier experiment with Fabianism in Australia was initiated in Adelaide in 1891 by the Rev

Charles Marson Charles Latimer Marson (16 May 1859 – 3 March 1914) was an influential figure in the second wave of Christian socialism in England in the 1880s. Later between 1903 and 1906 he collaborated with his good friend Cecil Sharp in the collection and p ...

, who had joined the Fabians in London in 1885 and drew in trade unionists like David Charleston, Robert Guthrie and John McPherson as well as social reformers like James & Lucy Morice into the first overseas branch of the UK Fabian Society. The Australian members retained their membership for ten years until the Adelaide branch was wound up in 1902. During the 1960s, the Victorian branch was closely aligned with the Participants grouping within the Victorian Labor Party, "who became the centre of organised support for Whitlam and opposition to the hard-left dominated Victorian Central Executive". The Victorian Labor Party at the time was run by the historic left grouping, while Whitlam and other states were involved with the historic right grouping. In 2020 the Fabians began publishing the ''Australian Fabian Review'' a magazine featuring "...original essays, interviews, letters, book reviews and fiction from a wide range of important progressive voices, from politicians, union officials, and community leaders to academics, activists and Australian icons." The review is published bi-annually.

Purpose

The Australian Fabians' Statement of Purpose states:

''Australian Fabians promote the common good and foster the advance of social democracy in Australia through reasoned debate by:'' ''a) Contributing to progressive political thinking by generating ideas that reflect a level of thinking that meets the challenges of the times.''
''b) Contributing to a progressive political culture by disseminating these ideas and getting them into the public domain.''
''c) Creating an active movement of people who identify with, are engaged in and who encourage progressive political debate and reform, and''
''d) Influencing the ideas and policies of political parties, especially the Australian Labor Party.''

References

External links

* {{Australian Labor Party Political advocacy groups in Australia Think tanks based in Australia Think tanks established in 1947 Australian Labor Party 1947 establishments in Australia Socialist organisations in Australia