The Sydney University Labor Club is the oldest political society in Australia. It is one of the most influential Australian university political societies. Many of the club's alumni have gone on to prominent political careers. The club is associated with the

left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relativ ...

of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...

History

In early 1925, a Labor group began orienting around

University of Sydney Union The University of Sydney Union (USU) is Australia's largest independent student-led member organisation located at University of Sydney in Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia. The current iteration of USU formed in 1972, as an amalgamation ...

debate nights. It was in April, though, that the club was officially formed, with a visit to

Sydney University The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

by a son of

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, where he led ...

; the club usurped an official Union dinner to host the visiting party first.

H.V. Evatt Herbert Vere "Doc" Evatt, (30 April 1894 – 2 November 1965) was an Australian politician and judge. He served as a justice of the High Court of Australia from 1930 to 1940, Attorney-General and Minister for External Affairs from 1941 to 194 ...

was the inaugural president of the club, which soon ceased to function after a 1927 split within the

New South Wales Labor Party The New South Wales Labor Party, officially known as the Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) and commonly referred to simply as NSW Labor, is the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The branch is the current ...

between Jack Lang and

Peter Loughlin Peter Ffrench Loughlin (12 December 1881 – 11 July 1960) was an Australian politician. Early life He was born in Braidwood to police constable John Loughlin and Sarah Jane, ''née'' Ffrench. He was educated at Girrinderra and Goulburn, b ...

. In 1931, the club was reformed and it affiliated to the Labor Party, sending one delegate to its state conference. Problems arose again with the figure of Lang. Disaffiliation followed in 1934 and the club renamed itself the 'Socialist Club'. The club's 1939 constitution was written by future governor-general John Kerr. In 1940, the club came under the control of the Hughes-Evans executive of the state party, and in 1944 followed the State Labor Party into the Communist Party. In 1949, students wary of communist influence split to form the ALP Club, which was more closely aligned with the Labor Party. It exists today as the official body of Young Labor Left at the University, and is controlled by the party's Soft Left faction. The club has been involved in both activist struggles and more institutional means of achieving change. Its members were prominent in the Freedom Rides, anti-Vietnam War protests, and the establishment of the Department of Political Economy in the 1960s and 1970s. From 1965, club members organised over 100 branches of High School Students Against the War in Vietnam in Sydney high schools. In late 1965, the club briefly changed its name to the 'Socialist Club' before returning to the original name in 1968. The communists retained control until the annual general meeting on 29 March 1966, when

New Left The New Left was a broad political movement that emerged from the counterculture of the 1960s and continued through the 1970s. It consisted of activists in the Western world who, in reaction to the era's liberal establishment, campaigned for freer ...

Labor activists, including Jennie George, Sandra Levy, and Jim Percy, were elected in a 19-14 vote. In early 1969, the club set up a shopfront at 67 Glebe Point Road in Glebe to coordinate its anti-Vietnam War activities. The club had a strong presence in Sydney University student politics in the new millennium, with every president of the Students' Representative Council from 2001 to 2013 being a member. Its influence in campus politics has declined dramatically. Only 5 of 33 student councillors elected at the 2016 elections came from the club. The club now intentionally avoids campus politics, using the slogan "Real politics, not student politics" on some of its materials. The club continues to participate in activism as a part of Young Labor Left. From 2013 the Club was rocked by internal strife over political direction, with part of National Labor Students, the university

Labor Left The Labor Left (LL), also known as the Progressive Left, Socialist Left or simply the Left, is one of the two major political factions within the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It is nationally characterised by social progressivism and democra ...

faction, leaving to establish a new grouping in Sydney Labor Students (now the Socialist Labor Society). A splinter club, the Young Workers' Club, formed in 2016 but ran for only one year because of low membership, with the Union deregistering it because of inactivity. More recently, the club has stabilised and become more active, and is associated with Young Labor Left.

Notable alumni

* John Kerr *

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from December 1972 to November 1975. To date the longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), he was notable for being ...

Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been the Leaders of the Australian Labor Party#Leader, leader of the Labor Party si ...

Verity Firth Verity Helen Firth (born 28 August 1973) is an Australian university executive and former politician. She is the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Social Justice and Inclusion) at the University of Technology Sydney. She was the chief executive officer of ...

Jenny McAllister Jennifer Ryll McAllister (born 21 February 1973) is an Australian politician. She has been a Senator for New South Wales since 2015 and previously served as National President of the Australian Labor Party from 2011 to 2015. She is from the So ...

James Spigelman James Jacob Spigelman (born 1 January 1946) is a former Australian judge who served as Chief Justice of New South Wales from 1998 to 2011, and also as Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales from 1998 to 2012. He served on the Court of Final ...

Andrew Leigh Andrew Keith Leigh (born 3 August 1972) is an Australian politician, author, lawyer and former professor of economics at the Australian National University. He currently serves as the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities ...

Daryl Melham Daryl Melham (born 26 November 1954) is an Australian former politician. He was a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the Division of Banks in New South Wales from 1990 to 2013. Early life and education Melham ...

Jeff Shaw (politician) Jeffrey William Shaw, QC (10 October 194911 May 2010) was an Australian lawyer, judge and former Attorney General of New South Wales. Early life and education Shaw was educated at Boronia Park and Chatswood public schools, and Hunters Hill ...

Dick Klugman Richard Emanuel Klugman (18 January 1924 – 21 February 2011) was an Australian doctor, activist and politician. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and served in the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives ...

Laurie Ferguson Laurie Donald Thomas Ferguson (born 7 July 1952) is a former Australian politician who was an Australian Labor Party member of the House of Representatives from March 1990, representing Reid until 2010 and Werriwa until May 2016, both in New ...

Tony Burke Anthony Stephen Burke (born 4 November 1969) is an Australian politician serving as Leader of the House, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for the Arts. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), and has served as member of ...

Bob Ellicott Robert James Ellicott, (15 April 1927 – 31 October 2022) was an Australian barrister, politician and judge. He served as Solicitor-General of Australia (1969–1973) before entering the House of Representatives at the 1974 federal election ...

* Charles Firth *

Adam Searle Adam Searle (born 29 April 1969) is an Australian barrister and Labor Party politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from May 2011 until March 2023. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council ...

* Sholto Macpherson * Joseph Ormond Aloysius Bourke * Andrew West (journalist) *

Reba Meagher Reba Paige Meagher (born 11 September 1967) is a former Australian politician who was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the electoral district of Cabramatta. She was a minister in various portfolios from 2003 to ...

* Hall Greenland *

Rose Jackson Rose Butler Jackson is an Australian Labor Party politician serving as a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 8 May 2019. Since 5 April 2023, she has been serving in the Minns ministry as Minister for Water, Minister for Hous ...

References

External links

USU Labor Club page
{{Authority control Student politics in Australia University of Sydney 1925 establishments in Australia Student organisations in Australia Student organizations established in 1925 Student political organizations Organisations based in Sydney Clubs and societies in New South Wales