South Australian Labor Party


The South Australian Labor Party is the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party. Originally formed in 1891 as the United Labor Party of South Australia, it is the major centre-left political party in South Australia and one of two major parties in South Australian politics, along with the centre-right South [Australian Liberal Party|Liberal Party]. The party has been in government since the 2022 [South Australian state election|2022 state election] with the Malinauskas government.
Since the 1970 election, marking the beginning of democratic fair representation and ending decades of pro-rural electoral malapportionment known as the Playmander, Labor have won 11 of the 15 elections. Spanning 16 years and 4 terms, Labor was last in government from the 2002 election until the 2018 election. Jay Weatherill led the Labor government since a 2011 leadership change from Mike Rann. During 2013 it became the longest-serving state Labor government in South Australian history, and in addition went on to win a fourth four-year term at the 2014 election. After losing the 2018 election, the party spent 4 years in opposition before leader Peter Malinauskas led the party to a majority victory in the 2022 election.
Labor's most notable historic Premiers of South Australia include Thomas Price in the 1900s, Don Dunstan in the 1970s, John Bannon in the 1980s, and Mike Rann in the 2000s.

Formation

A United [Trades and Labour Council of South Australia|United Trades and Labor Council] meeting with the purpose of creating an elections committee was convened on 12 December 1890, and held on 7 January 1891. The elections committee was formed, officially named the United Labor Party of South Australia with John McPherson the founding secretary. Four months later, Labor enjoyed immediate success, electing David Charleston, Robert Guthrie and Andrew Kirkpatrick to the South Australian Legislative Council. A week later, Richard Hooper won the 1891 Wallaroo by-election as an Independent Labor member in the South Australian [House of Assembly]. McPherson won the Adelaide by-election">Division of Adelaide">Adelaide by-election on 23 January, becoming the first official Labor leader and member of the House of Assembly.
Prior to party creation, South Australian politics had lacked parties or solid groupings, although loose liberal and conservative blocs had begun to develop by the end of the 1880s. The 1893 election was the first general election Labor would stand at, resulting in liberal and conservative leaning MPs beginning to divide, additionally with unidentified groupings and independents, as well as the subsequent formation of the staunchly anti-Labor National Defence League. The voluntary turnout rate increased from 53 to 68 percent, with Labor on 19 percent of the vote, and 10 Labor candidates including McPherson and Hooper were elected to the 54-member House of Assembly which gave Labor the balance of power. The Kingston liberal government was formed with the support of Labor, ousting the Downer conservative government. Kingston served as Premier for a then-record of six and a half years, usually implementing legislation with Labor support.
Thomas Price formed the state's first Labor minority government and the world's first stable Labor Party government at the 1905 election with the support of several non-Labor MPs to form the Price-Peake administration, which was re-elected at the 1906 double dissolution election, with Labor falling just two seats short of a majority. So successful, John Verran led Labor to form the state's first of many majority governments at the 1910 election, just two weeks after the 1910 federal election where their federal counterparts formed Australia's first elected majority in either house in the Parliament of Australia, the world's first Labor Party majority government at a national level, and after the 1904 Chris Watson minority government the world's second Labor Party government at a national level.
Known as the United Labor Party of South Australia until 1917, the Australian Labor Party at both a state/colony and federal level pre-dates, among others, both the British Labour Party and the New Zealand Labour Party in party formation, government, and policy implementation.

Premiers

Thirteen of the nineteen parliamentary Labor leaders have served as Premier of South Australia: Thomas Price, John Verran, Crawford Vaughan, John Gunn, Lionel Hill, Frank Walsh, Don Dunstan, Des Corcoran, John Bannon, Lynn Arnold, Mike Rann, Jay Weatherill and Peter Malinauskas . Robert Richards was Premier in 1933 while leading the rebel Parliamentary Labor Party of MPs who had been expelled in the Australian [Labor Party split of 1931|1931 Labor split]; he would later be readmitted and lead the party in opposition. Bannon is Labor's longest-serving Premier of South Australia, ahead of Rann and Dunstan by a matter of weeks. Every Labor leader for more than half a century has gone on to serve as Premier.

Deputy Premiers

Since the position's formal introduction in 1968, seven parliamentary Labor deputy leaders have served as Deputy Premier of South Australia: Des Corcoran, Hugh Hudson, Jack Wright, Don Hopgood, Frank Blevins, Kevin Foley, John Rau and Susan Close. Foley is the state's longest-serving Deputy Premier.

Current federal parliamentarians

House of Representatives

Senate

Historic party officials

Electoral performance

House of Assembly