The North Queensland Labor Party (known as the Hermit Park Labor Party before 1949 and the North Queensland Party after 1974) was a minor political party in Australia from 1942 to 1977. The party was formed when the Australian Labor Party in Queensland expelled its branch in Hermit Park,

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

and the latter's founder,

Tom Aikens Tom Aikens (born 1970), also named Tom Aitkens, is an English Michelin star, Michelin-starred chef. Aikens briefly worked for chefs in London and Paris restaurants. Under his tenure from 1996 to 1999 as head chef and then chef patron, Pied à T ...

, for Soviet sympathies. The branch often held events that aimed to support the Russian war effort during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The expelled branch established itself as a separate party. The NQLP held a majority within the

council from 1943 to 1949, having formed a coalition with local Communist councillors such as

Fred Paterson Frederick Woolnough Paterson (13 June 1897 – 7 October 1977) was an Australian politician, activist, unionist and lawyer. He is the only representative of the Communist Party of Australia to be elected to an Australian parliament. Early his ...

until 1946. Aikens was elected for the

Electoral district of Mundingburra Mundingburra is an Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral districts, electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland. It is currently held by Liberal National Party of ...

in the

1944 Queensland state election The 1944 Queensland state election was held on 15 April 1944 to elect all 62 members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The Labor Party, led by premier Frank Cooper, was elected to a fifth term in office, albeit with a reduced majority ...

and would serve in the state parliament for the next 33 years; in 1960 a redistribution turned his seat into the Electoral district of Townsville South. Although initially contesting a few other seats in northern Queensland the party only ever elected Aikens. He was defeated in the

1977 Queensland state election Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 12 November 1977 to elect the 82 members of the state's Legislative Assembly. The election resulted in a fourth consecutive victory for the National- Liberal Coalition under Joh Bjel ...

and the party subsequently folded. Rather than maintaining a set platform, the party was noted for being "merely a medium for Aikens’s political career". Aikens himself was termed the "perfect provincial populist" for his shifting views.

References

{{Defunct Australian political parties Defunct political parties in Queensland Political parties established in 1949 Political parties disestablished in 1974 1949 establishments in Australia 1977 disestablishments in Australia Australian Labor Party breakaway groups