Australian Labor Party split of 1931

The Australian Labor Party split of 1931 was caused by severe divisions within the Australian Labor Party over their economic response to the Great Depression in Australia. Amidst intense disagreement between economically conservative and radical elements of the party, two senior ministers in the Scullin Labor government, Joseph Lyons and James Fenton, resigned from Cabinet in January 1931. Lyons, Fenton and their supporters would subsequently merge with the conservative opposition Nationalist Party of Australia to form the new United Australia Party, led by Lyons with the last Nationalist leader, John Latham, as his deputy.^[1]

In March 1931, the Labor Party split on the left as well, when Eddie Ward, a supporter of radical anti-austerity Premier of New South Wales Jack Lang, won a by-election, and was refused entry to the Labor caucus, resulting in six Lang supporters forming a Lang Labor party on the crossbench. In November, the United Australia Party and Lang Labor succeeded in defeating the Scullin government, resulting in the 1931 federal election in December. The election resulted in a landslide victory for the United Australia Party and the election of Lyons as Prime Minister.^[1]

While Lang Labor would eventually be largely reabsorbed into the Labor Party, the United Australia Party continued to be the main conservative force in Australia until replaced by the Liberal Party of Australia in 1945.^[1]

References

1 2 3 "James Scullin: In office". Australia's Prime Ministers. National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 31 August 2015.

Australian Labor Party

Leaders	Chris Watson Andrew Fisher Billy Hughes Frank Tudor Matthew Charlton James Scullin John Curtin Ben Chifley H. V. Evatt Arthur Calwell Gough Whitlam Bill Hayden Bob Hawke Paul Keating Kim Beazley Simon Crean Mark Latham Kim Beazley Kevin Rudd Julia Gillard Kevin Rudd Bill Shorten

Deputy leaders	Gregor McGregor Billy Hughes George Pearce Albert Gardiner James Scullin Arthur Blakeley Ted Theodore Frank Forde H. V. Evatt Arthur Calwell Gough Whitlam Lance Barnard Jim Cairns Frank Crean Tom Uren Lionel Bowen Paul Keating Brian Howe Kim Beazley Gareth Evans Simon Crean Jenny Macklin Julia Gillard Wayne Swan Anthony Albanese Tanya Plibersek

Governments	Watson Fisher Hughes Curtin Forde Chifley Whitlam Hawke Keating Rudd I Gillard Rudd II

Ministries	Watson Fisher 1 Fisher 2 Fisher 3 Hughes Scullin Curtin 1 2 Forde Chifley 1 2 Whitlam 1 2 3 Hawke 1 2 3 4 Keating 1 2 Rudd 1 Gillard 1 2 Rudd 2

Shadow cabinets	Whitlam (1967–72) Whitlam (1975–77) Hayden Hawke Beazley (1996–2001) Crean Latham Beazley (2005–06) Rudd Shorten

State branches	Australian Capital Territory New South Wales Northern Territory Queensland South Australia Tasmania Victoria Western Australia

Party institutions	National Conference National Executive Australian Young Labor Australian Fabian Society Australian Labor Party Caucus Chifley Research Centre

Factions	Labor Right Labor Left Ferguson Left

History	History of the Australian Labor Party 1916 split 1931 split 1955 split 1975 Australian constitutional crisis Faceless men Industrial Groups The light on the hill Tree of Knowledge

Leadership spills	1991 (Jun) 1991 (Dec) 1996 2001 2003 2005 2006 2010 2012 2013 (Mar) 2013 (Jun) 2013 (Oct)

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Australian Labor Party split of 1931

See also

References