View source for Lang Labor

{{Redirect|Australian Labor Party (NSW)|the current New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party|New South Wales Labor Party}}
{{About|Lang Labor in New South Wales|the similarly-aligned party in South Australia|Lang Labor Party (South Australia)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2016}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = Lang Labor
| colorcode        = {{Australian politics/party colours|Lang Labor}}
| leader           = [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]]
| founder          = [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]]
| leader1_title    = Federal parliamentary leader
| leader1_name     = [[Jack Beasley]]
| founded          = 1931{{efn|As a political party.}}
| dissolved        = 1950
| split            = [[Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch)|Australian Labor Party]]
| ideology         = {{unbulleted list|
 |[[Langism]]
 |{{•}}[[Keynesianism|Revolutionary Keynesianism]]
 |{{•}}[[Anti-communism]] 
 |{{•}}[[Populism]] 
 |{{•}}[[Labourism]] 
 |{{•}}[[Australian nationalism]]
 |{{•}}[[Social democracy]] 
}}
| wing1_title      = Federal parliamentary party
| wing1            = *1931–1936: [[#Australian Labor Party (New South Wales)|Australian Labor Party (NSW)]]
* 1940–1941: [[Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist)]]
| national         = [[Australian Labor Party]] (before 1931, 1936–1940, 1941–1943)
| country          = Australia
}}
{{Labour politics in Australia}}
[[File:Lang Labor 1935.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Lang Labor members of the 14th Parliament, Old Parliament House, Canberra, 1935]]
'''Lang Labor''' was a faction of the [[Australian Labor Party]] (ALP) consisting of the supporters of [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]], who served two terms as [[Premier of New South Wales]] and was the party's state leader from 1923 to 1939. It controlled the [[Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch)|New South Wales branch]] of the ALP throughout most of the 1920s and 1930s. The faction broke away to form separate [[parliamentary party|parliamentary parties]] on several occasions and stood competing candidates against the ALP in state and federal elections.

By the early 1920s, Lang was the dominant ALP figure in New South Wales. He reached national prominence during the [[Great Depression in Australia|Great Depression]] by opposing the economic policies of [[James Scullin]]'s federal ALP government. The resulting [[Australian Labor Party split of 1931|party split of 1931]] saw the [[Australian Labor Party National Executive|Federal Executive]] expel the Lang-controlled New South Wales branch from the party. Led by [[Jack Beasley]], the Lang Labor members in federal parliament formed a separate party and in November 1931 voted to bring down the Scullin Government. Lang Labor candidates ran against the official ALP at the [[1931 Australian federal election|1931]] and [[1934 Australian federal election|1934 federal election]]s, and at its peak the faction held nine out of 74 seats in the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]. Lang also had supporters outside of New South Wales, most notably several state MPs in South Australia who won elections under his banner.

After a series of "unity conferences", Lang Labor was readmitted into the official ALP in 1936, with Lang remaining as the party's state leader in New South Wales. He was deposed in 1939, after which his influence waned. In 1940, he and his supporters left the ALP for a second time, forming the [[Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist)|Non-Communist Labor Party]] as an explicitly [[anti-communist]] body. It had a degree of success at the [[1940 Australian federal election|1940 federal election]], but rejoined official Labor in the lead-up to the [[1941 New South Wales state election|1941 state election]]. Lang was again expelled from the party in 1943 and ran separate candidates against the official ALP in several further elections. He served a single term in the House of Representatives from 1946 to 1949, while the last Lang Labor MPs in the Parliament of New South Wales were defeated [[1950 New South Wales state election|in 1950]]. 

==Background==
Lang was elected [[Leader of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales|leader]] of [[Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch)|New South Wales branch]] of the Labor Party in 1922 by the [[Caucus#In Commonwealth nations|NSW party caucus]], after two interim leaders had been appointed during a conflict between the NSW state executive of the party (dominated by the [[Australian Workers' Union]]), and the ALP [[Australian Labor Party National Executive|Federal Executive]]. From very early in his leadership, Lang faced opposition within the caucus due to his domineering manner. Particular areas of contention were the establishment of a [[Government Insurance Office]] and Lang's role in an attempt to increase the party's parliamentary majority through the appointment of [[Alick Kay]] as the consumer's representative on the Metropolitan Meat Board. However Lang continued to enjoy the overwhelming support of the party branches and he controlled a large majority at the annual conference, which was the party's ultimate forum.

Conflict within the caucus culminated in a leadership challenge in October 1926 by [[Peter Loughlin]], Lang's deputy leader. Lang survived this challenge on the casting vote of the Chairman. Lang responded to the challenge by calling a special meeting of the party conference in which, at his request, the conference took a supervisory role in the pre-selection of party candidates, took away from caucus the power to elect the parliamentary leader, and allowed the party leader to select the cabinet. In the press, these rule changes were referred to as "the red rules" or "the Lang dictatorship".

Lang still faced significant opposition within the caucus and the caucus appointed cabinet, but he was able to defeat his opponents by returning his commission as [[Premier of New South Wales|Premier]] to the [[Governor of New South Wales|Governor]], Sir [[Dudley de Chair]] on 25 May 1927. This automatically resulted in the dismissal of the cabinet. As there was no viable alternative government, De Chair recommissioned Lang to form a caretaker government on the condition that he would recommend a dissolution of the [[New South Wales Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]] and call an [[1927 New South Wales state election|election]]. The new government was formed solely of Lang supporters, and Lang used the four months prior to the election to ensure that his opponents were denied ALP pre-selection.  In part due to the switch to single-member electorates, the ALP lost the election. However, the ALP caucus that was elected was firmly under Lang's control, ensuring that he would dominate NSW Labor for the next 12 years.

==Australian Labor Party (New South Wales)==
{{more|Australian Labor Party split of 1931}}
With the support of the state party, the Labor [[Premier of New South Wales]], Lang announced a policy of foreign debt repudiation, known as the "Lang Plan", and imposed a moratorium on the New South Wales government's overseas loans. This policy was in contrary to the policy of the federal Labor government led by [[James Scullin]]. In March 1931, the [[Australian Labor Party National Executive|Federal Executive]] expelled the New South Wales branch from the party, including [[Jack Beasley]] and [[Eddie Ward]], a result of its disloyalty to the federal Labor government of Scullin. The expelled branch became a separate [[parliamentary party]] known as Australian Labor Party (New South Wales), commonly known as Lang Labor. In the federal parliament, Lang Labor was led by Beasley. 

Lang repudiated the [[Premiers' Plan]] agreed by a meeting of the [[Premiers of the Australian states]] in June 1931 for the economic management of the [[Great Depression in Australia]]. In November 1931, Lang Labor voted with the [[United Australia Party]] (UAP) opposition to bring down the Scullin Labor government and force an [[1931 Australian federal election|early election]]. Lang Labor then ran candidates against the official ALP at the election. Supporters of the federal party (led in New South Wales by [[Ted Theodore]] and [[Ben Chifley]]) were known as [[Federal Labor Party (NSW)|Federal Labor]] candidates. The election resulted in a landslide victory for the UAP and the election of Lyons as [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/scullin/in-office.aspx |title=James Scullin: In office |publisher=[[National Archives of Australia]] |work=Australia's Prime Ministers |access-date=31 August 2015 |archive-date=21 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721205219/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/scullin/in-office.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> Most of the Lang members had ultra-safe working class seats and survived, although Ward was narrowly defeated in [[Division of East Sydney|East Sydney]]. He would later return at the [[1932 East Sydney by-election]]. In total, Lang Labor won four seats, while nationwide the ALP retained only 14 seats after the loss of 32 seats, and won only three seats in New South Wales. Theodore and Chifley were both defeated ending Theodore's political career.

The party also ran in the [[1934 Australian federal election|1934 federal election]]. Lang Labor significantly increased its total vote, and won nine seats, at the election, which saw the ALP win only one seat in New South Wales ([[Division of Newcastle|Newcastle]]). 

At its peak, the faction held nine out of 74 seats in the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]. Lang also had some supporters outside of New South Wales, most notably several state MPs in South Australia who won elections under [[Lang Labor Party (South Australia)|his banner]].

==Reconciliation==
In September 1935, [[John Curtin]] succeeded Scullin as Federal Labor leader and in February 1936 he brought about a reconciliation with the New South Wales Branch after a series of "unity conferences", resulting in Labor running as a single party throughout the nation at the [[1937 Australian federal election|1937 federal election]].<ref name=langbio>{{Australian Dictionary of Biography |first=Bede |last=Nairn |title=Lang, John Thomas (Jack) (1876–1975)|id2=lang-john-thomas-jack-7027 |access-date=2021-11-26}}</ref> Lang remained as the party's state leader in New South Wales. Though Labor remained in opposition after the election, the party's competitiveness was restored with a large increase to their vote and seats held, becoming the largest single party in the House of Representatives on both votes and seats.

Lang's lack of success at state elections eroded his support within the labour movement.  In his 16 years as state Labor leader, he only won two elections, in 1925 and 1930; he was defeated in 1927, 1932, 1935 and 1938.  This led some members of caucus, including [[Bob Heffron]], to break away to form the [[Industrial Labor Party]]. In 1939, following intervention by the Federal Executive, the two factions were reunited at a state conference. This gathering also reversed the "red rules" and returned the power of selecting the party leader to the caucus. Lang was replaced as state leader by [[William McKell]].

==Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist)==
===1940–1941===
{{main|Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist)}}
In 1940, Lang seceded from Labor, along with several supporters, and formed a new party called the [[Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist)]], in retaliation of a policy opposing Australian involvement in [[World War II]], adopted by the state executive.<ref>{{citation |author1=Grayndler, Edward |title=Treachery to Labor |publication-date=1940 |publisher=The Worker Trustees |url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/38635403 |access-date=24 April 2015 |archive-date=1 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601042407/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/38635403 |url-status=live }}</ref> The breakaway party contested the [[1940 Australian federal election|1940 federal election]], but with only  minority support in the Labor movement of NSW.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article138987903 |title=TUMUT A.L.P. |newspaper=[[The Tumut and Adelong Times|The Tumut and Adelong Times (NSW: 1864 - 1867; 1899 - 1950)]] |location=NSW |date=7 May 1940 |access-date=24 April 2015 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia |archive-date=1 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601042402/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/138987903 |url-status=live }}</ref> Many of his old supporters such as [[Eddie Ward]] remained loyal to [[Australian Labor Party]] leader [[John Curtin]], and Lang candidates polled poorly. The Federal Executive again intervened in the NSW branch and expelled the leftist elements. Following the Federal intervention, prior to the [[1941 New South Wales state election|May 1941 state election]], Lang and nearly all of his followers rejoined the ALP.<ref>{{cite book |first=Bede |last=Nairn |title=Beasley, John Albert (Jack) (1895–1949) |publisher=[[Australian National University]] |work=[[Australian Dictionary of Biography]] |url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/beasley-john-albert-jack-9461 |access-date=18 November 2019 |archive-date=7 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191107110640/http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/lang-john-thomas-jack-7027 |url-status=live }}</ref> The reunification would help assist Curtin to become [[Prime Minister of Australia]] in October 1941, allowing Labor to form government.

===1943–1950===
In 1943, having published newspaper articles attacking McKell (NSW's Premier since 1941) and Prime Minister John Curtin, Lang was expelled from the ALP and restarted the Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist). This manifestation of Lang Labor contested the [[1944 New South Wales state election|1944 NSW election]], electing two members—Lang and [[Lilian Fowler]], Australia's first female mayor. When Lang transferred to federal politics, he was succeeded as the Lang Labor member for [[Electoral district of Auburn|Auburn]] by his son [[Chris Lang (politician)|James]]. Although Fowler and Chris Lang were both re-elected in the [[1947 New South Wales state election|1947 NSW election]], they were defeated in [[1950 New South Wales state election|1950]], leading to the party essentially being defunct.

During Lang's expulsion, the ALP continued to enjoy their greatest House of Representatives victory both in terms of proportion of seats and their strongest national two-party vote at the [[1943 Australian federal election|1943 federal election]] and additionally their first successful federal re-election attempt at the [[1946 Australian federal election|1946 federal election]]. During this election Lang was elected to the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] for the federal seat of [[Division of Reid|Reid]], being elected with the benefit of [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal Party]] preferences. Lang was a nuisance to the Labor government led, since 1945, by [[Ben Chifley]], whom he repeatedly castigated in public. He lost his seat at the [[1949 Australian federal election|1949 election]]. In the [[Australian electoral system|double dissolution]] [[1951 Australian federal election|1951 election]] he stood for the [[Australian Senate|Senate]], but was not elected.

==Aftermath==
Lang was re-admitted to the NSW branch ALP in 1971, at the age of 94, after a campaign by his protégé [[Paul Keating]]. He died four years later.
== Federal election results ==
=== House of Representatives ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;"
|-
! Election
! Leader
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! ±
! Status
|-
![[1931 Australian federal election|1931]]
|align=center| [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]]
| 335,309
| 10.60
| {{composition bar|4|76|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 4
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
![[1934 Australian federal election|1934]]
|align=center| [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]]
| 510,480
| 14.37
| {{composition bar|9|75|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 5
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
| colspan="7" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; font-size: smaller; text-align: center; " |Party merged back into the official ALP in 1936 and did not contest the [[1937 Australian federal election|1937 federal election]]
|-
![[1940 Australian federal election|1940]]
|align=center| [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]]
| 202,721
| 5.23
| {{composition bar|4|75|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 5
| {{no2|Opposition}} 
|-
![[1943 Australian federal election|1943]]
|align=center| [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]]
| 26,532
| 0.65
| {{composition bar|0|75|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 4
| {{no2|Extra-parliamentary}} 
|-
![[1946 Australian federal election|1946]]
|align=center| [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]]
| 69,138
| 1.59
| {{composition bar|1|75|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 1
| {{no2|Opposition}} 
|-
![[1949 Australian federal election|1949]]
|align=center| [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]]
| 32,870
| 0.71
| {{composition bar|0|123|hex={{party color|Australian Labor Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 1
| {{no2|Extra-parliamentary}} 
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* [[Antony Green|Green, Antony]] (2009). [https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/electionresults18562007/homepage.htm New South Wales Election Archive], [[Parliament of New South Wales]]
* Nairn, Bede (1995). ''Jack Lang the 'Big Fella': Jack Lang and the Australian Labor Party 1891-1949'', [[Melbourne University Press]], Melbourne {{ISBN|0-522-84700-5}}, {{OCLC|34416531}}.
* McMullin, Ross (1991). ''The Light on the Hill: The Australian Labor Party 1891–1991'', [[Oxford University Press]]
* [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Lang, J. T.]] (1970). ''The Turbulent Years'', Alpha Books
* Lang, J. T. (1956). ''I Remember'', Invicta Press

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Lang Labor}}

{{Australian Labor Party}}
{{Defunct Australian political parties}}
{{New South Wales political parties}}

[[Category:Defunct political parties in Australia]]
[[Category:Defunct political parties in New South Wales]]
[[Category:Australian Labor Party factions]]
[[Category:Australian Labor Party breakaway groups]]
[[Category:Political parties with year of establishment missing]]
[[Category:Political parties with year of disestablishment missing]]
[[Category:Lang Labor politicians|*]]