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The Victorian Country Party, 1917 to 1945

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The Victorian Country Party, 1917 to 1945 OF MEASURES AND MEN The Victorian Country Party, 1917 to 1945 Antony Lamb A Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Institute for Social Research Faculty of Life and Social Sciences Swinburne University of Technology 2009 ABSTRACT This thesis is concerned with how the Country Party in Victoria from its formation in 1917 until 1945 differed from its counterparts in the other states and federally and formed alliances with the Labor Party to restrict the conservative parties (variously named) to the opposition benches. The often close cooperation of the non-Labor parties federally and in other states was rarely replicated in Victoria. The central argument of the thesis is that the ‘difference’ in the political behaviour of the agrarian party in Victoria was the product of five related factors. First, the harsh farming conditions in the Mallee and Wimmera regions often led farmers to adopt more political ‘radical’ stances (especially over wheat marketing) than elsewhere in Australia. Second, Victoria manifested a very high level of anti-Melbourne electoral malapportionment during the period under review, which aided the Country Party. Third, the local Labor Party had a prolonged gestation and was particularly weak, being unable to form a majority government until 1952. Fourth, the Liberal/Nationalist/United Australia Party in Victoria was notably conservative and was heavily influenced by Melbourne financial and Western District pastoral interests. Fifth, all the Victorian parties (including the Country Party) were highly schismatic which helped produce an unstable political environment in which minority parties could exercise influence beyond their parliamentary numbers or their voter support. Given these factors, it is not surprising that there was no majority government in Victoria between 1917 and 1952. The central argument is expanded upon in the Introduction which analyses the theory and practice of minoritarianism and coalitionism. Chapter 1 provides the history of the early development of the Country Party and deals with the interaction between achieving the objectives of the new party and the accommodation of the personalities and beliefs of those appointed and elected to achieve those objectives. Chapter 2 deals with the early maturation phase of the Country Party and the consequent complications of the newly emerged three-party political system and the reactions by the established Labor and conservative parties to the infant Country Party. i The chapter also highlights the strains between the parliamentary party, the general party membership and the Central Council (the party’s ‘executive’). Chapter 3 concentrates on the division within the Country Party on whether to employ alliances to keep Labor or the Nationalists out of government. The reasons for the 1926 split and the creation of two Country Parties are analysed. Chapter 4 examines the dependence of the Country Parties on electoral malapportionment for their existence and expansion. Chapter 5 covers the lead-up to the Great Depression and the interaction between the federal and state governments’ reactions to implementation of the Premiers’ Plan. The new bonds between the non-Labor parties and the splits within Labor are examined. Chapter 6 introduces a new major player, businessman A E Hocking, into Country Party politics and studies his influence on the party and his conflicts with Premier Albert Dunstan. Chapter 7 deals with the 1935 Victorian election campaign and the installation of the first Country Party minority government supported by Labor and its subsequent performance. Chapter 8 uses the early days of the UCP-Labor alliance to answer the question whether such arrangements can deliver much of the platforms of the two parties in the face of a hostile upper house of parliament and an antagonistic federal coalition government which included members of the UCP. Chapter 9 addresses the continuing debate within the UCP regarding the relative benefits of minority and coalition governments and the clash between the federal and state parliamentary bodies which led to a split in the Victorian branch of the party. One issue explored is why the UCP was the only state branch so hostile to coalitions. Chapter 10 reveals the importance of competing leadership and personalities in political arrangements, regardless of unity on policies, and how and why Premier ii Dunstan campaigned for his preferred supporters against members of his own caucus, seemingly impervious to the consequences. Chapter 11 analyses the impact of the Second World War on party relations in Victoria and the influence of federal alliances. Chapter 12 considers the reunion of the two country parties and the political controversy over electoral malapportionment. The Conclusion summarises the findings of the thesis and briefly discusses the political legacy of this period of Country Party dominance. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Acknowledgements need to be extended to those who have assisted me directly and indirectly with this thesis. Indirectly my family provided me with the inspiration and development on which the thesis topic rests. My widowed aunt, Florence Rodan, who raised me after I was orphaned at an early age, was active in the Victorian Country Party in the mid-1940s then the Labor Party through the 1950s after a short period as an independent. She encouraged me to be interested in politics and be active in the Labor Party. She was the twin sister of my father, Hamilton Lamb, MLA, and left me much of his writings and records. Also I was encouraged to study history by my late brother, Winston Lamb, BA (Hons) BEd (Melbourne), a secondary school history teacher with the Victorian Education Department. He was later senior examiner of history with the department and compiled and published several resource books for history students.1 My sister, Professor Ainslie Lamb, AM, of Wollongong University, who also published,2 was another immediate example to follow academically and practically. Experience and contacts during my time in federal parliament also must be acknowledged as they contributed to my continuing interest and intimate knowledge of parliament and the relationship between the Labor Party and rural representatives of other parties. These periods emphasised the importance of the written media and party publications as a source of relevant information and opinion. Since my decision in 2003 to undertake further university study, many academics have been central to my PhD candidature. Dr Dennis Woodward of Monash University advised me when I undertook my preparation for a MA Prelim. He taught me the importance of analysis and documentation while encouraging my narrative style. On his return from overseas, Dr Brian Costar assumed the role of my supervisor. He recommended, in light of my political experience, that I be examined as a possible PhD candidate. Before the panel could meet to determine this he moved to Swinburne University of Technology to become Professor of Victorian State Parliamentary 1 The Observers and The Vanguard, Jacaranda, Brisbane, 1969 and 1972 2 Lamb, A and Littrich, J, Lawyers in Australia, Federation Press, Sydney, 2007 iv Democracy. I thank Dr Paul Strangio, Senior Lecturer in the School of Political and Social Inquiry at Monash University, and others at Monash for persuading me to transfer to Swinburne to be with Professor Costar. Professor Costar supported my application to enrol as a PhD student and agreed with Dr Woodward that the original focus of my thesis be narrowed (see Preface) to an examination of the Victorian political parties between the two World Wars. Professor Costar’s guidance and advice, his regular and painstaking comments and suggestions by telephone and email were greatly appreciated. As I was a distance student, he made time available to me on his visits to Canberra and when I attended Swinburne in Melbourne. During the writing of this thesis I was indebted to the cooperation and generosity of the staff at the State Library of Victoria, the Victorian Parliamentary Library, the National Library and the Federal Parliamentary Library who directed and advised me on access to relevant periodicals, newspapers, books and other references. The University of Melbourne Library provided me with a copy of J B Paul’s MA thesis, ‘The premiership of Sir Albert Dunstan,’ which had restricted access. It proved to be one of the few publications on Dunstan until the timely publication of The Victorian Premiers 1856- 2006.3 Thanks go to the head office of the National Party in Melbourne who forwarded their collection of bound issues of the Farmers’ Advocate and the Countryman to the National Library, enabling me to have ready access to those publications in the newspaper public reading room. Finally, a note of thanks to David Hudson at Swinburne who fulfilled the onerous task of editing the final manuscript. Antony Lamb Canberra July 2009 3 Strangio, P and Costar, B (eds), The Victorian Premiers 1856-2006, Federation Press, Sydney, 2006 v Declaration This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma, except where due reference is made in the text of the thesis. To the best of my knowledge, this thesis contains no material previously published or written by any other person except where due reference is made in the text of the thesis. David Hudson (Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology) edited this thesis. The editing addressed only style
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