Democratic Labor Party
Encyclopedia
The Democratic Labor Party (DLP) is a political party in Australia
that espouses social conservatism
and opposes neo-liberalism. The first "DLP" Senator in decades, party vice-president John Madigan
was elected to the Australian Senate
with 2.3 percent of the primary vote in Victoria at the 2010 federal election, serving a six-year term since July 2011.
, a conservative Catholic
-based anti-communist political party which existed from the 1955 split
in the Australian Labor Party
(ALP) until the 1978 DLP vote for dissolution, and which until 1974 played an important role in Australian politics. The Australian Electoral Commission
considers the current DLP to be legally the same as the earlier DLP, and so the party was not affected by laws from the John Howard
era (1996–2007) which deregistered parties which had never had a parliamentary presence and prohibited party names that include words from another party's name. A party named the Democratic Labor Party has competed in all elections since 1955.
The original DLP resulted from the conservative Catholic National Civic Council's anti-communist entryist tactics within the ALP and Australian trade union movement, which triggered the 1955 split. Subsequently, the DLP used the Alternative Vote electoral system to direct electoral preferences away from the ALP at state and federal levels, until its membership and party organisation declined sufficiently to render it electorally impotent in the early seventies. Its primary interests were related to industrial relations and foreign policy. It fell afoul of Australian resistance to that nation's involvement in the Vietnam War
and suffered accordingly in terms of its electoral representation.
In 1978, DLP branches in all states, including Victoria, voted to dissolve. In Victoria, the vote passed by a few votes and 14 voters were found to be concurrently members of other political parties. Three-quarters of the Victorian branch's executive rejected the vote and continued the party in that state. In 1986, unions affiliated with the DLP, which had been unaffiliated since 1978, re-affiliated with the ALP.
from the Family First Party
on a primary vote of 1.88 in Victoria to the Senate. The DLP thereafter formed state parties in other states.
, the DLP won parliamentary representation for the first time when it won a seat in the Victorian Legislative Council
, after fielding candidates in the eight regions of the reformed Council, where proportional representation
gave the party the best chance of having members elected. The DLP received 2.7 percent of the primary vote in the Western Victoria Region, enough to elect Peter Kavanagh
on ALP preferences. They briefly looked set to have a second member elected, party leader John Mulholland, in the Northern Metropolitan Region on 5.1 percent, but this result was overturned after a recount.
The Labor government required an additional two non-Labor upper house members to pass legislation, which gave the balance of power
to the Greens
who held three seats. Kavanagh failed to retain his seat at the 2010 Victorian election
.
looked likely to be elected as the sixth and final Senator
for Victoria
, which was confirmed a few weeks later. Preference counts indicated that the primary DLP vote of 2.33 percent (75,145 votes) in Victoria reached the 14.3 percent quota required by gaining One Nation, Christian Democratic
and Building Australia
preferences to edge out Steve Fielding
of the Family First Party
who received a primary vote of 2.64 percent. The DLP received Family First preferences, and when the Australian Sex Party
candidate was excluded, the DLP gained Liberal Democratic Party
preferences, overtaking the third Liberal/National
candidate and gaining their preferences to win the last seat.
Elected for a six-year term from 1 July 2011, Madigan is the first Senator to be elected as a federal member of a party under the name of "Democratic Labor Party" since the 1970 Senate-only election
. The ALP government currently holds 31 seats in the Senate, eight short of a majority, with the Greens
on nine seats, a sole balance of power
position, therefore, like Kavanagh, Madigan's vote is unlikely to be a decider in a senate division because the Green bloc paired with either Labor or the coalition is enough to win a division in the current 2011-14 Senate composition.
Madigan takes an anti-abortion stance, describing himself as "unashamedly pro-life
". He has stated he would oppose gay marriage. He is against the sale of public infrastructure. Madigan indicated he is opposed to a carbon tax on behalf of the DLP, stating "We're not in favour of a carbon tax because we believe it's a tax on people and a tax on life." Madigan is an advocate for shops closing at midday on Saturdays. Madigan addressed the Inaugural Jack Kane
Dinner in July 2011, where he advocated Chifley
protectionist economics.
In his maiden speech to the Senate on 25 August 2011, Madigan denounced "inhumane" abortion laws and committed to help restore Australia's dwindling manufacturing sector. He called for a "good Labor government that will bring something better to the people". He said that the DLP and ALP differed in a number of ways, however "We both came from the same lineage and however some members on both sides may dislike it, we are kin, of sorts. The ALP has a chance to reaffirm its commitment to that unchanging labour movement. The DLP intends to pursue that vision":
, claiming that "The DLP remains the only political party in Australia which is pro-family, pro-life and genuinely pro-worker." Critics have charged that this policy orientation reflects a sectarian, conservative Catholic position that endangers the religious freedom of others, as well as faith/state separation
The DLP website claims to be not “left” or “right” but centre-“decentralist”. The DLP’s stated principles are “democracy”, “liberty” and “peace”. Its policies promote:
These policies are not dissimilar to the five primacies of the National Civic Council (NCC). However, the DLP does not market itself as a Catholic or Christian party as such, although critics have argued that in its original incarnation, it was one of a number of NCC "front groups.' Others include the Australian Family Association
and related organisations. An examination of its policies indicate that the DLP is opposed to libertarianism
in the form of economic rationalism (neo-liberalism) and “progressive” social liberalism
.
Following the election of DLP candidate Peter Kavanagh
, attention has been given to the DLP platform of opposition to abortion and poker machines and its concern to deal with HIV/AIDS health risks associated with homosexual practice.
The party's policies include a "Progressive Expenditure Tax" (with no tax payable on any income that is saved or invested), universal living allowance tied to basic per capita living costs, rejection of the Goods and Services Tax
(GST) and other taxes for general revenue that it views as regressive, federal funding for the education of students attending non-government schools to be based on an equitable distribution and increased diversification in overseas trade to broaden the base for growth, and on opposition to abortion
, euthanasia
, therapeutic cloning and same-sex marriage
. The former DLP had the patronage of the Catholic Church in Victoria, but not in NSW.
reported that the DLP was facing several internal divisions between Kavanagh's faction, which also sought to include evangelical
and fundamentalist Protestants within the party, and 'hardline' conservative Catholics. Right to Life Australia
President Marcel White and a close associate, Peter McBroom, were reported to be emphasising Catholic doctrinal and devotional concerns, like Marian apparitions
, Catholic prayer, praying the rosary
and campaigns against the "evils of contraception
". Reportedly, Kavanagh may leave the organisation if the current 'hardline' elements triumph within the Victorian DLP.
, Australian Electoral Commission
and Victorian Supreme Court over his claims that he is still "party secretary", despite expulsion from the party in January 2010. Kavanagh and other DLP officials stated that Mulholland engaged in "poor receipt keeping" during his period as secretary, over the last twenty-five years.
On 18 March 2011 the Victorian Supreme Court handed down a reserved judgment confirming Mulholland's valid removal as secretary.
A Senate petition in August 2011 from Mulholland requested that current DLP Senator John Madigan
be removed from the Senate, with the petition lodged using a residual standing order of the chamber that has not been deployed successfully by anyone for more than a century. In his petition, Mulholland says Madigan put himself forward in the 2010 election as a DLP candidate "although the DLP federal executive did not authorise or recognise his candidacy or have any part in his nomination".
family bankrolled the DLP's High Court
legal challenge against the Australian Electoral Commission
, which wanted the DLP deregistered. The challenge failed but the DLP survived. It ended up being McGauran who lost his Victorian Senate seat as the third Liberal/National candidate at the 2010 election to the successful DLP candidate John Madigan
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
that espouses social conservatism
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
and opposes neo-liberalism. The first "DLP" Senator in decades, party vice-president John Madigan
John Madigan (Australian politician)
John Joseph Madigan is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Democratic Labor Party , elected to the Australian Senate with 2.3 percent of the primary vote in Victoria at the 2010 federal election, serving a six-year term since July 2011.-Early life:Born into a Catholic family, Madigan...
was elected to the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
with 2.3 percent of the primary vote in Victoria at the 2010 federal election, serving a six-year term since July 2011.
Original DLP: 1955-1978
The DLP has its origins in the historical Democratic Labor PartyDemocratic Labor Party (historical)
The Democratic Labor Party was an Australian political party that existed from 1955 until 1978.-History:The DLP was formed as a result of a split in the Australian Labor Party that began in 1954. The split was between the party's national leadership, under the then party leader Dr H.V...
, a conservative Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
-based anti-communist political party which existed from the 1955 split
Australian Labor Party split of 1955
The Australian Labor Party split of 1955 was a splintering of the Australian Labor Party along sectarian and ideological lines in the mid 1950s...
in the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
(ALP) until the 1978 DLP vote for dissolution, and which until 1974 played an important role in Australian politics. The Australian Electoral Commission
Australian Electoral Commission
The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC, is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections and referendums. State and local government elections are overseen by the Electoral Commission in each state and territory.The Australian Electoral Commission...
considers the current DLP to be legally the same as the earlier DLP, and so the party was not affected by laws from the John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
era (1996–2007) which deregistered parties which had never had a parliamentary presence and prohibited party names that include words from another party's name. A party named the Democratic Labor Party has competed in all elections since 1955.
The original DLP resulted from the conservative Catholic National Civic Council's anti-communist entryist tactics within the ALP and Australian trade union movement, which triggered the 1955 split. Subsequently, the DLP used the Alternative Vote electoral system to direct electoral preferences away from the ALP at state and federal levels, until its membership and party organisation declined sufficiently to render it electorally impotent in the early seventies. Its primary interests were related to industrial relations and foreign policy. It fell afoul of Australian resistance to that nation's involvement in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and suffered accordingly in terms of its electoral representation.
In 1978, DLP branches in all states, including Victoria, voted to dissolve. In Victoria, the vote passed by a few votes and 14 voters were found to be concurrently members of other political parties. Three-quarters of the Victorian branch's executive rejected the vote and continued the party in that state. In 1986, unions affiliated with the DLP, which had been unaffiliated since 1978, re-affiliated with the ALP.
Elections
The old DLP was wound up in 1978, but a small group of DLP activists in Victoria formed a new DLP and contested elections. At the 2004 federal election, the DLP received 1.94 percent of the primary vote in the Senate in Victoria which contributed to the election after preferences of Steve FieldingSteve Fielding
Steven "Steve" Fielding , was a Senator representing the state of Victoria and the federal parliamentary leader of the Family First Party in Australia. Elected to the Senate at the 2004 federal election on two percent of the Victorian vote, he failed to gain re-election at the 2010 federal election...
from the Family First Party
Family First Party
The Family First Party is a socially conservative minor political party in Australia. It has two members in the South Australian Legislative Council...
on a primary vote of 1.88 in Victoria to the Senate. The DLP thereafter formed state parties in other states.
State member 2006-2010
At the 2006 Victorian electionVictorian state election, 2006
An election for the 56th Parliament of Victoria took place on Saturday, 25 November 2006. Just over 3 million Victorians registered to vote elected 88 members to the Legislative Assembly and, for the first time, 40 members to the Legislative Council under a proportional representation system...
, the DLP won parliamentary representation for the first time when it won a seat in the Victorian Legislative Council
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to...
, after fielding candidates in the eight regions of the reformed Council, where proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
gave the party the best chance of having members elected. The DLP received 2.7 percent of the primary vote in the Western Victoria Region, enough to elect Peter Kavanagh
Peter Kavanagh (Australian politician)
Peter Kavanagh , Australian politician, is a former member of the Victorian Legislative Council representing the Democratic Labor Party .Kavanagh was born into a family with a long connection with the DLP...
on ALP preferences. They briefly looked set to have a second member elected, party leader John Mulholland, in the Northern Metropolitan Region on 5.1 percent, but this result was overturned after a recount.
The Labor government required an additional two non-Labor upper house members to pass legislation, which gave the balance of power
Balance of power (parliament)
In parliamentary politics, the term balance of power sometimes describes the pragmatic mechanism exercised by a minor political party or other grouping whose guaranteed support may enable an otherwise minority government to obtain and hold office...
to the Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
who held three seats. Kavanagh failed to retain his seat at the 2010 Victorian election
Victorian state election, 2010
The 2010 Victorian state election was held on 27 November. The incumbent centre-left Australian Labor Party government, led by John Brumby, was defeated by the centre-right Liberal/National Coalition opposition, led by Ted Baillieu....
.
Senator elected in 2010
Shortly after counting began in the aftermath of the 2010 federal election, DLP candidate, federal DLP vice-president, and state DLP president John MadiganJohn Madigan (Australian politician)
John Joseph Madigan is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Democratic Labor Party , elected to the Australian Senate with 2.3 percent of the primary vote in Victoria at the 2010 federal election, serving a six-year term since July 2011.-Early life:Born into a Catholic family, Madigan...
looked likely to be elected as the sixth and final Senator
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
for Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, which was confirmed a few weeks later. Preference counts indicated that the primary DLP vote of 2.33 percent (75,145 votes) in Victoria reached the 14.3 percent quota required by gaining One Nation, Christian Democratic
Christian Democratic Party (Australia)
The Christian Democratic Party is a right-wing political party in Australia. Its leader is Fred Nile, a Congregational Church minister and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.-Formation:...
and Building Australia
Building Australia Party
The Building Australia Party is a minor political party in Australia, advocating the rights of the building industry. First registered in New South Wales, it achieved federal registration in June 2010....
preferences to edge out Steve Fielding
Steve Fielding
Steven "Steve" Fielding , was a Senator representing the state of Victoria and the federal parliamentary leader of the Family First Party in Australia. Elected to the Senate at the 2004 federal election on two percent of the Victorian vote, he failed to gain re-election at the 2010 federal election...
of the Family First Party
Family First Party
The Family First Party is a socially conservative minor political party in Australia. It has two members in the South Australian Legislative Council...
who received a primary vote of 2.64 percent. The DLP received Family First preferences, and when the Australian Sex Party
Australian Sex Party
The Australian Sex Party is a Australian political party founded in 2009 in response to concerns over the influence of religion in politics. The party was born out of adult-industry lobby group, the Eros Association. Party leader, Fiona Patten, is CEO of Eros and the party's Registered Officer,...
candidate was excluded, the DLP gained Liberal Democratic Party
Liberal Democratic Party (Australia)
The Liberal Democratic Party is a classical liberal Australian political party founded in 2001.-Party name:In 2007 the party tried to register federally under the name "Liberal Democratic Party" but this was opposed the by the Liberal Party, so the party chose to register as the "Liberty and...
preferences, overtaking the third Liberal/National
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
candidate and gaining their preferences to win the last seat.
Elected for a six-year term from 1 July 2011, Madigan is the first Senator to be elected as a federal member of a party under the name of "Democratic Labor Party" since the 1970 Senate-only election
Australian Senate election, 1970
Half-senate elections were held in Australia on 21 November 1970.Independents: Reg Turnbull , Michael Townley , Syd Negus -See also:*Candidates of the Australian Senate election, 1970...
. The ALP government currently holds 31 seats in the Senate, eight short of a majority, with the Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
on nine seats, a sole balance of power
Balance of power (parliament)
In parliamentary politics, the term balance of power sometimes describes the pragmatic mechanism exercised by a minor political party or other grouping whose guaranteed support may enable an otherwise minority government to obtain and hold office...
position, therefore, like Kavanagh, Madigan's vote is unlikely to be a decider in a senate division because the Green bloc paired with either Labor or the coalition is enough to win a division in the current 2011-14 Senate composition.
Madigan takes an anti-abortion stance, describing himself as "unashamedly pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
". He has stated he would oppose gay marriage. He is against the sale of public infrastructure. Madigan indicated he is opposed to a carbon tax on behalf of the DLP, stating "We're not in favour of a carbon tax because we believe it's a tax on people and a tax on life." Madigan is an advocate for shops closing at midday on Saturdays. Madigan addressed the Inaugural Jack Kane
Jack Kane
John Thomas "Jack" Kane was an Australian politician. Born in Burraga, New South Wales, he was educated at Catholic schools in Lithgow, after which he became a coalminer. He was Vice-President of the Transport Workers' Union 1952-1956 and Assistant General Secretary of the New South Wales Labor...
Dinner in July 2011, where he advocated Chifley
Ben Chifley
Joseph Benedict Chifley , Australian politician, was the 16th Prime Minister of Australia. He took over the Australian Labor Party leadership and Prime Ministership after the death of John Curtin in 1945, and went on to retain government at the 1946 election, before being defeated at the 1949...
protectionist economics.
In his maiden speech to the Senate on 25 August 2011, Madigan denounced "inhumane" abortion laws and committed to help restore Australia's dwindling manufacturing sector. He called for a "good Labor government that will bring something better to the people". He said that the DLP and ALP differed in a number of ways, however "We both came from the same lineage and however some members on both sides may dislike it, we are kin, of sorts. The ALP has a chance to reaffirm its commitment to that unchanging labour movement. The DLP intends to pursue that vision":
During my time here there will no doubt be a number of controversial bills proposed. I do not intend to be deliberately controversial simply for a few cheap headlines but on some issues I cannot be complicit by my silence.
Politics of the DLP
The party has a comprehensive policy platform, and Peter Kavanagh has referred to the heritage of the historic Democratic Labor PartyDemocratic Labor Party (historical)
The Democratic Labor Party was an Australian political party that existed from 1955 until 1978.-History:The DLP was formed as a result of a split in the Australian Labor Party that began in 1954. The split was between the party's national leadership, under the then party leader Dr H.V...
, claiming that "The DLP remains the only political party in Australia which is pro-family, pro-life and genuinely pro-worker." Critics have charged that this policy orientation reflects a sectarian, conservative Catholic position that endangers the religious freedom of others, as well as faith/state separation
The DLP website claims to be not “left” or “right” but centre-“decentralist”. The DLP’s stated principles are “democracy”, “liberty” and “peace”. Its policies promote:
- against abortion, euthanasia and the destruction of human embryos
- opposition to giving homosexual unions the same status as marriage
- "sharing out/decentralising power and resources"DistributismDistributism is a third-way economic philosophy formulated by such Catholic thinkers as G. K...
- policies and values influenced by Christian thought as to the definition of "decency"
- building up defensive capacity
These policies are not dissimilar to the five primacies of the National Civic Council (NCC). However, the DLP does not market itself as a Catholic or Christian party as such, although critics have argued that in its original incarnation, it was one of a number of NCC "front groups.' Others include the Australian Family Association
Australian Family Association
The Australian Family Association is a conservative political organisation with the aim of supporting and strengthening traditional family values. It was founded in 1980 by the National Civic Council's then president, B. A...
and related organisations. An examination of its policies indicate that the DLP is opposed to libertarianism
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
in the form of economic rationalism (neo-liberalism) and “progressive” social liberalism
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
.
Following the election of DLP candidate Peter Kavanagh
Peter Kavanagh (Australian politician)
Peter Kavanagh , Australian politician, is a former member of the Victorian Legislative Council representing the Democratic Labor Party .Kavanagh was born into a family with a long connection with the DLP...
, attention has been given to the DLP platform of opposition to abortion and poker machines and its concern to deal with HIV/AIDS health risks associated with homosexual practice.
The party's policies include a "Progressive Expenditure Tax" (with no tax payable on any income that is saved or invested), universal living allowance tied to basic per capita living costs, rejection of the Goods and Services Tax
Goods and Services Tax (Australia)
The GST is a broad sales tax of 10% on most goods and services transactions in Australia. It is a value added tax, not a sales tax, in that it is refunded to all parties in the chain of production other than the final consumer....
(GST) and other taxes for general revenue that it views as regressive, federal funding for the education of students attending non-government schools to be based on an equitable distribution and increased diversification in overseas trade to broaden the base for growth, and on opposition to abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
, therapeutic cloning and same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
. The former DLP had the patronage of the Catholic Church in Victoria, but not in NSW.
Internal dissent
In late August 2009, Melbourne newspaper The AgeThe Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
reported that the DLP was facing several internal divisions between Kavanagh's faction, which also sought to include evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
and fundamentalist Protestants within the party, and 'hardline' conservative Catholics. Right to Life Australia
Right to Life Australia
Right to Life Australia is an organisation which advocates pro-life positions in issues such as abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research.Right to Life was started in 1973 by Margaret Tighe as Right to Life Victoria...
President Marcel White and a close associate, Peter McBroom, were reported to be emphasising Catholic doctrinal and devotional concerns, like Marian apparitions
Marian apparitions
A Marian apparition is an event in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed to have supernaturally appeared to one or more people. They are often given names based on the town in which they were reported, or on the sobriquet which was given to Mary on the occasion of the apparition...
, Catholic prayer, praying the rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
and campaigns against the "evils of contraception
Contraception
Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...
". Reportedly, Kavanagh may leave the organisation if the current 'hardline' elements triumph within the Victorian DLP.
Infighting and financial issues
It was reported in June 2010 that the party was on the brink of collapse, with rampant party infighting and less than $10,000 in the bank. Police were also investigating the disappearance of potentially tens of thousands of dollars, attributed to the Victorian DLP's former secretary, John Mulholland, who has lost cases before the Victorian Civil and Administrative TribunalVictorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal is a government agency in the state of Victoria, Australia. The name is pronounced 'vee-cat'...
, Australian Electoral Commission
Australian Electoral Commission
The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC, is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections and referendums. State and local government elections are overseen by the Electoral Commission in each state and territory.The Australian Electoral Commission...
and Victorian Supreme Court over his claims that he is still "party secretary", despite expulsion from the party in January 2010. Kavanagh and other DLP officials stated that Mulholland engaged in "poor receipt keeping" during his period as secretary, over the last twenty-five years.
On 18 March 2011 the Victorian Supreme Court handed down a reserved judgment confirming Mulholland's valid removal as secretary.
A Senate petition in August 2011 from Mulholland requested that current DLP Senator John Madigan
John Madigan (Australian politician)
John Joseph Madigan is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Democratic Labor Party , elected to the Australian Senate with 2.3 percent of the primary vote in Victoria at the 2010 federal election, serving a six-year term since July 2011.-Early life:Born into a Catholic family, Madigan...
be removed from the Senate, with the petition lodged using a residual standing order of the chamber that has not been deployed successfully by anyone for more than a century. In his petition, Mulholland says Madigan put himself forward in the 2010 election as a DLP candidate "although the DLP federal executive did not authorise or recognise his candidacy or have any part in his nomination".
Party deregistration attempt
In 2004, the Julian McGauranJulian McGauran
Julian McGauran , Australian politician, was a member of the Australian Senate, representing the state of Victoria. Elected as a member of the National Party, he resigned from the Nationals and joined the Liberal Party of Australia in February 2006...
family bankrolled the DLP's High Court
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
legal challenge against the Australian Electoral Commission
Australian Electoral Commission
The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC, is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections and referendums. State and local government elections are overseen by the Electoral Commission in each state and territory.The Australian Electoral Commission...
, which wanted the DLP deregistered. The challenge failed but the DLP survived. It ended up being McGauran who lost his Victorian Senate seat as the third Liberal/National candidate at the 2010 election to the successful DLP candidate John Madigan
John Madigan (Australian politician)
John Joseph Madigan is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Democratic Labor Party , elected to the Australian Senate with 2.3 percent of the primary vote in Victoria at the 2010 federal election, serving a six-year term since July 2011.-Early life:Born into a Catholic family, Madigan...
.