Split, intervention, renewal: The ALP in Queensland 1957 – 1989 Susan Terrencia Yarrow Bachelor of Arts A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2014 School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics Abstract On 1 March 1980, the National Executive of the Australian Labor Party intervened in the affairs of its Queensland Branch, dissolving the existing party arrangements, seizing the financial statements and party assets, and creating a new administration. The conflict that precipitated this drastic step followed years of internal division and publicly aired disputes while the Queensland leadership delivered poor electoral results at both state and federal elections. This thesis examines the conflict in detail, its causes (including the lasting impact of the 1957 split), the combatants, and what the intervention reforms eventually delivered. In this thesis, I analyse the factors that led to intervention including the nature and outlook of the Queensland leaders, the ‘Old Guard’ often referred to as the Trades Hall Group, and the background and motivations of the reformers, the ‘New Guard.’ The Old Guard finally succumbed to reform, threatened from within by the influx of new members clamouring for change, and by the federal intervention from without. I examine how, over time, the party reformed, modernised and adapted to change and in so doing re-invented and renewed itself sufficiently, after 32 years in opposition, to once again win government in Queensland for 21 of the next 23 years. ii Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated there are no parts of my thesis that have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the General Award Rules of The University of Queensland, immediately made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. iii Publications during candidature Yarrow, Sue, ‘Top Dog to Old Hat: Jack Egerton and the Trades Hall Group — 1957 – 1980,’ The Queensland Journal of Labour History, No. 16, March 2013, p. 25 - 27. Publications included in this thesis No publications included. Contributions by others to the thesis No contribution by others. Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None iv Acknowledgements I wish to publicly thank and acknowledge my academic supervisors, Professor Peter Spearritt (Principal Supervisor) and Dr Danielle Miller (Associate Supervisor). Professor Bradley Bowden and Dr Chris Salisbury read the thesis and provided comments, for which I thank them. I also wish to publicly acknowledge and thank all the people listed below for their contributions to this thesis. Enthusiastic support was provided by: the 22 Queenslanders who agreed their interviews could be publicly available on Queensland Speaks; and, the three Interstate ALP National Executive members who participated in interviews: Joy Ardill Wilf Ardill Neil Batt Peter Beattie Nick Bos Ian Brusasco David Combe Barbara Cross Manfred Cross Jim Fouras Bob Gleeson David Hamill Terry Hampson Harry Hauenschild Bill Hayden Bob Henricks Errol Hodder Lindsay Jones Norma Jones Ian McLean Bob McMullan Greg Moran Mike Reynolds Anne Warner Rob Whiddon I also acknowledge the support of my family members: Wendy Turner, William Yarrow, David Yarrow and Bill Yarrow who read and re-read thesis versions, kept the computer going, gave helpful advice regarding the journal article mentioned above and kept discovering great and helpful books. v To my three ALP friends: Manfred Cross; Anne Warner and Terry Hampson, who helped shape and focus this thesis at the outset, my grateful thanks. To my comrade Terry Wood, thanks for editorial assistance. Thanks also, to the many interviewees who provided primary source material including journals, copies of letters, newsletters and photographs or lent me their books, and folders of newspaper clippings and meeting records: Terry Hampson who loved all things associated with the labour movement provided copies of media clippings and photographs used by the ALP to celebrate the 30th anniversary of intervention in 2010, as well as the DVD recording of the wake following Dr Denis Murphy’s funeral; Errol Hodder loaned me his treasured Mark Hearn and Harry Knowles book, One Big Union, an invaluable source of Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) history; Michael Kinnane for continuing encouragement and enthusiastically reading chapters as they were completed as well as for lending his copy of Cribb and Boyce, Politics in Queensland; Cath Rafferty for providing the book she co-edited Work & Strife in Paradise; Rob Whiddon who during his years working in Senator George George’s office sent reams of press clippings which have now been put to good use. Rob also checked through the Factional Nomenclature Appendix, and provided a full set of Mickey Spillall newsletters and attendance records from the ‘Bardon Meetings’; Bill Hayden shared his books on the Labor Party and labour movement; Ian McLean provided a letter sent to him as State Secretary of the Australian Telecommunications Employees Association (ATEA) by that union’s federal body and a copy of the first Labor Left Review; Manfred and Barbara Cross handed to me a file of media clippings, and copies of both state and federal ALP records relating to the intervention conflict and Manfred was the source of an original timeline of ALP intervention events; Anne Warner gave me a copy of her address to the gathering celebrating the 30 years anniversary of intervention; Fran Ross allowed me access to her manuscript about Terry Hampson; John Ransley provided invaluable material relating to the Toowoomba branches’ part in the reform process including extensive records of meetings and clippings from the Toowoomba Chronicle, and other media sources. To all those in the labour movement who helped shape the days and events in this thesis, my continuing grateful thanks. I also wish to acknowledge with gratitude and appreciation the historians upon whose works I have drawn to complete this thesis. vi Keywords Australian Labor Party, Queensland ALP, labour movement, intervention, reform, trade union movement, split Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) ANZSRC code: 160601, Australian Government & Politics, 50% ANZSRC code: 210303, Australian History, 50% Fields of Research (FoR) Classification FoR code: 1606, Political Science, 50% FoR code: 2103, Historical Studies, 50% vii Table of Contents Abbreviations ix Glossary xi Chapter 1 Introducing the thesis 1 Chapter 2 Queensland ALP to the mid-1960s 7 Chapter 3 A virtual tsunami of change 24 Chapter 4 Reformers want the ALP to win 46 Chapter 5 National Executive intervention 65 Chapter 6 Focussing on victory 78 Chapter 7 A blue-print for political renewal 88 Bibliography 96 Appendix 1 Factional Nomenclature 1970s and 1980s 114 Appendix 2 Comparison of Interviewees in factions (1980 – 1989) 120 Appendix 3 Queensland election results — state and federal 1956 – 1989 124 Appendix 4 List of interviewees 126 viii Abbreviations ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation ACTU Australian Council of Trade Unions ALP Australian Labor Party ADEM Australian Democrats AWU Australian Workers’ Union (faction of the ALP) see also AWU listed in Unions CP Country Party DLP Democratic Labor Party FDE Federal Divisional Executive (unit within the ALP) FPLP Federal Parliamentary Labor Party IND Independent LIB Liberal Party NP National Party NQL North Queensland Labor MACOS Man: A Course of Study MHR Member of the (Australian) House of Representatives MLA Member of the (Queensland) Legislative Assembly MP Member of Parliament QCE Queensland Central Executive of the ALP QCU Queensland Council of Unions QLP Queensland Labor Party SDE State Divisional Executive (unit within the ALP) SEMP Social Education Materials Project SEQEB South East Queensland Electricity Board SL Socialist Left (faction of the ALP) SPLP State Parliamentary Labor Party TAFE Technical and Further Education TLC (Queensland) Trades and Labour Council (now the Queensland Council of Unions) THG Trades Hall Group WEL Women’s Electoral Lobby WW1 World War 1 WW2 World War 2 UNIONS AMIEU Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union AMWSU Amalgamated Metalworkers and Shipwrights Union ARU Australian Railways Union ATEA Australian Telecommunications Employees Association AWU Australian Workers’ Union BWIU Building Workers Industrial Union ETU Electrical Trades Union