The Parliamentary Labor Party (also known as the Premiers' Plan Labor Party or Ministerial Labor Party) was a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

active in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

from August 1931 until June 1934. The party came into existence as a result of intense dispute, especially within 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 ...

, about the handling of the response to the Great Depression in Australia. In June 1931, a meeting of state premiers agreed on the Premiers' Plan, which involved sweeping austerity measures combined with increases in revenue. When the Premiers' Plan came up for a vote in South Australia, 23 of Labor's 30

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible gover ...

members and two of Labor's four Legislative Council members voted for it. In August 1931, the South Australian state conference of the Labor Party expelled all of the MPs who supported the Premiers' Plan, including Premier

Lionel Hill Lionel Laughton Hill (14 May 1881 – 19 March 1963) was an Australian politician who served as the thirtieth Premier of South Australia, representing the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party. Early life Born in Adelaide, So ...

and his entire Cabinet. Expelled MPs (23) in the

: * Frederick Birrell *

Alfred Blackwell Alfred Joseph Blackwell (9 April 1876 – 16 October 1955) was an Australian politician who represented the South Australian House of Assembly multi-member seat of West Torrens from 1918 to 1938 for the Labor Party, excluding the 1931–34 L ...

Thomas Butterfield Thomas Butterfield (circa 1871 – 13 October 1943) was an Australian politician and minister in the South Australian Parliament. Political career In 1910/11 Butterfield was a councillor for the Tumby Bay ward in the Tumby Bay Council and wa ...

* Clement Collins * George Cooke * Jack Critchley *

Bill Denny William Joseph Denny (6 December 1872 – 2 May 1946) was an Australian journalist, lawyer, politician and decorated soldier who held the South Australian House of Assembly seats of West Adelaide from 1900 to 1902 and then Adelaide fro ...

* Thomas Edwards * Even George *

William Harvey William Harvey (1 April 1578 – 3 June 1657) was an English physician who made influential contributions in anatomy and physiology. He was the first known physician to describe completely, and in detail, the systemic circulation and prope ...

Leonard Hopkins Leonard Anver Hopkins JP (22 October 1891 – 11 December 1950) was a bootmaker and politician in the State of South Australia. Hopkins was born at Rosewater to James Robert Hopkins (died 1901) and his wife Charlotte, née Booth (died 1933). ...

Robert Hunter Robert Hunter may refer to: Arts * Robert Hunter (painter) (died 1780), Irish portrait painter * Robert Hunter (encyclopædist) (1823–1897), British editor of the ''Encyclopædic Dictionary'' *Robert Hunter (author) (1874–1942), American sociol ...

* Beasley Kearney * Arthur McArthur * Sydney McHugh * John McInnes * John Pedler * Robert Richards * Eric Shepherd * Frank Staniford * Albert Thompson *

Walter Warne Walter John William Warne (17 July 1898 – 23 June 1962) was an Australian politician who represented the South Australian House of Assembly multi-member seat of North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and sub ...

Expelled MPs (2) in the Legislative Council: * James Jelley *

Stanley Whitford Stanley R. Whitford (5 January 1878 – 13 December 1959) was a unionist and Labor politician in the State of South Australia. History Stanley Whitford was born the youngest son of Richard Whitford (ca.1835 – 27 April 1898) and Emma Prior W ...

Upon the failure of a November appeal to the federal executive of the Labor Party, the expelled MPs definitively constituted themselves as a separate parliamentary party. Having soundly lost its majority, the PLP ministry stayed in office until the 1933 election with the support of the conservative opposition—the

Liberal Federation The Liberal Federation was a South Australian political party from 16 October 1923 to 1932. It came into existence as a merger between the rival Liberal Union and National Party, to oppose Labor. Encouraged by the overwhelming success of the ...

to 1932 and the Liberal and Country League afterward. Hill, facing increasing political challenges, had himself appointed Agent-General in London and abruptly quit politics in February 1932. Robert Richards briefly succeeded him as Premier, and led the party into the 1933 election. The party, along with the official Labor Party and the rival splinter Lang Labor Party, performed poorly at the 1933 election. Of the 23 MPs the party had going into the election, only five – Blackwell, McInnes, Pedler, and Richards in the House of Assembly, and Whitford in the Legislative Council, were reelected. The three Labor factions won only 13 seats between them, against 29 for the LCL. Two of the three Lang Labor Party MHAs elected at the 1933 state election,

Bob Dale Robert Jenkins Dale (31 October 1931 – 2007), born in Irlam, Lancashire, was a professional footballer who played as a wing half. He played for Altrincham in non-league football, and played league football for Bury Bury may refer to: *The ...

and Tom Howard, left the party in 1933 post-election after falling out with leader

Doug Bardolph Douglas Henry Bardolph (18 February 1893 – 2 February 1951) was an Australian journalist, trade unionist and politician. History Henry Bardolph (ca.1854 – 22 June 1933) and Mary Bardolph (née Taggart) had five sons, and lived at Manly, New ...

and formed their own party, the South Australian Lang Labor Party (SALLP). The four Labor parties merged back into the official Labor Party in June 1934 under the leadership of Andrew Lacey of the official Labor faction, following a successful unity conference. Whitford, the party's sole upper house member, had left the party to sit as an independent by the time of the conference, and was not re-admitted.

References

{{Reflist Defunct political parties in South Australia Political parties established in 1931 Political parties disestablished in 1934 Politics of South Australia Australian Labor Party breakaway groups

See also

References