Labor's reconciliation with federalism

Abstract

Until the 1960s, the federal Labor party was formally pledged to the abolition of federalism and its replacement by a system in which the central government would have plenary powers and the states only delegated administrative responsibilities. This article examines how the ALP's platform was progressively changed during the 1960s and 1970s. The modification of Labor's commitment to abolish federalism and the Senate was due partly to a more realistic sense of what was feasible and partly to a more sophisticated approach towards working the existing system. But, as well, Labor's social and economic goals had been moderated to ones that were congenial to middle Australia and private enterprise. Progressive changes to Labor's platform were an important precondition for the Whitlam government's 'new federalism' in the 1970s, and the Hawke government's current initiative of 'closer partnership with the states' for reforming the practical working of the federal system.

Frustrated, reconciled or divided? The Australian labor party and federalism

“…Likewise, any proposition about 'Labor's reconciliation with federalism' certainly needs to make clear-as its principal proponents (Galligan and Mardiste 1992) do in the detail and elaboration of their argument-that 'Labor' here refers to the 'national ALP'. To suggest that the state Labor governments of the 1980s and 1990s needed to go through a process of reconciliation with their own existence and their own powers is to stretch credulity and is clearly not the intention of the proponents of the 'reconciliation thesis'.…”

“…According to Galligan and Mardiste (1992) Keating's important speech to the National Press Club in October 1991, Whitlamesque to its core, was a direct challenge to the 'reconciliation thesis': I believe that one of the gravest dangers we face as a nation today is the dismembering of the national government, which would inevitably follow from surrendering revenue and other national responsibilities to the States. ...…”

“…Analysis of the changing national platform, as well carried out by Galligan (1981) and Galligan and Mardiste (1992), might provide an insight into changing ideological prescriptions at the national level-and thus perhaps into the legitimisation of values-but does not address the deeper interest-based divisions.…”

“…Galligan and Mardiste (1992) explore in detail how the transformation from 'frustration' to 'reconciliation' is reflected in the ALP's changing national platform over the years and in 'changes in the policy orientation of Labor governments'.…”

Federalism: a fork in the road?

“…Over its long history, the Australian Labor Party has had a complicated and sometimes inconsistent engagement with federalism (Galligan and Mardiste 1992;Parkin and Marshall 1994). The Rudd Labor government, over its truncated lifespan of less than three years, earned itself a special place in this history by embodying and projecting many elements of this complicated inconsistency.…”