Join the Barcaldine Academy
The Barcaldine Academy
Develop a sharper perspective and a broader playbook than anyone in your branch
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I want to represent Labor but don't know where to start?
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Engage with other Labor members here
Have questions? Want to share a story? Join the Labor Classroom here.
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My personal checklist
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Drafting a motion
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The Origins of Australian Labor
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The First Labor Split (1916)
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The Second Labor Split (1931-1932)
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The Third Labor Split (1955)
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NSW Labor
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NSW Booklet
The ultimate resource to guide your note taking and prepare you for your final challenge
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Module 1: The Class of '91 (1891-1900)
According to NSW, the party began in Sydney and NOT in Barcaldine, Queensland. Is that a true claim?
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Module 2: Road to Forming Government (1900-1910)
NSW Labor gets refined by the fire of a turbulent 1900s. No longer are they a militant minor party, but a real political force.
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Module 3: The First Government (1910-1918)
Labor finally gets elected in NSW… except they tear themselves apart during World War I.
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Module 4: Enter Jack Lang (1918-1929)
NSW Labor descends into organisational chaos and needs a messiah… enter Jack Lang
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Module 5: Lang Labor (1929-1939)
NSW Labor officially splits from federal Labor… yet somehow things only get crazier the next year.
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Module 6: The McKell Machine (1939-1952)
Lang is gone… and NSW can breathe with William McKell doing a masterful rebuild
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Module 7: The Survivors (1952-1965)
Recovering from the trauma of Lang, NSW Labor actually keep calm heads this time?
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Module 8: Bob Askin... (1965-1976)
NSW Labor finally face a Liberal titan… Bob Askin.
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Module 9: Neville Wran (1976-1995)
He becomes the longest serving premier since Henry Parkes - but how should Neville Wran really be remembered?
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Module 10: Glorious Failure (1995-2011)
Bob Carr was undeniably one of the most successful Labor premiers - yet they get SMASHED at the 2011 election. What happened?
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Your Assignment
Rank each of the following leaders from greatest to weakest Labor leaders. Include a justification
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Victoria Labor
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Victoria Booklet
The ultimate resource to guide your note taking and prepare you for your final challenge
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Module 1: Road to Labor (1889-1901)
Victorian unionists defy NSW. Rather than play the two non-Labor parties off of each other, Billy Trenwith makes an alliance with… the Liberals!?
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Module 2: Making up for lost time (1901-1911)
With Trenwith gone, Victoria Labor looks to build but they’re disrupted by an internal threat… the Victorian Socialists
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Module 3: Party at War (1911-1920)
A political firestorm ravages all of Australian Labor - conscription. Does the fire refine Victoria Labor?
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Module 4: Minority Government... (1919-1929)
“We are in office, but not in power” J.P Jones (1924).
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Module 5: Relegation and Promotion (1929-1943)
The Labor Party forms a coalition with… the Country Party?
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Module 6: Majority Government (1943-1955)
Finally!!!!
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Module 7: We blew it (1955-1982)
Labor was back for 3 years… it would take a literal generation to pass before they returned.
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Module 8: Cain vs Kirner (1982-1992)
Labor finally have a real majority government that lasts for a decade yet Jeff Kennett smashes them in the 1992 election.
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Module 9: Dominance (1993-2007)
Have Labor learned from the mistakes of the Cain/Kirner era?
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Your Assignment
Rank each of the following leaders from greatest to weakest Labor leaders. Include a justification
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Queensland Labor
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Qld Booklet
The ultimate resource to guide your note taking and prepare you for your final challenge
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Module 1: The Structure of Queensland Labor
We break chronology for this first one to provide a loose overview of how the party has see-sawed between rival factions
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Module 2: The T.J Ryan Years (1911-1919)
They’ve had two false starts but now Labor is finally in power in Queensland and T.J Ryan isn’t messing about it.
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Module 3: Unions Collide (1918-1929)
Tensions between the AWU and ARU are at breaking point while Red Ted goes on a generational run as premier.
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Module 4: William Forgan Smith
As Labor recovers from the devastating 1929 defeat, a new leader ushers in an unprecented era of stability, William Forgan Smith
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Module 5: Moving towards danger (1942-1952)
Labor are sitting comfortable in Queensland - almost too comfortable?
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Module 6: The Split (1952-1957)
Labor are sitting comfortable in Queensland - almost too comfortable?
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Module 7: The Dry Season (1957-1989)
Labor is out of office for 32 years… why?
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Module 8: Wayne Goss (1989-1996)
Wayne Goss has his hands full as he has to overrturn decades of Joh’s rule. He also has a new threat… the Greens.
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Module 9: Returning to the status quo (1996-2003)
Rob Borbidge has been beaten - but will Beattie be able to survive longer than Goss did?
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Module 10: The 21st century (2003-2011)
Beattie goes… and Anna Bligh has to fight to avert electoral disaster.
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Your Assignment
Rank each of the following leaders from greatest to weakest Labor leaders. Include a justification
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Western Australia Labor
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Western Australian Booklet
The ultimate resource to guide your note taking and prepare you for your final challenge
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Module 1: Getting a WA Labor Party (1890-1906)
WA goes from having no Labor Party in existence to having a Labor government at lightning pace
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Module 2: Getting a Majority Government (1906-1916)
Should Western Australia have a Legislative Council?
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Module 3: A Party Divided (1916-1919)
E.B Johnston rips government away from Scaddan until Scaddan himself defects from Labor…
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Module 4: Collier vs Mitchell (1919-1936)
The Messi vs Ronaldo of Western Australian history?
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Module 5: Generational Inertia (1936-1953)
It’s the golden era of WA Labor - Curtin’s the PM, Willcock’s the premier… yet they blow their lead?
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Module 6: Albert Hawke (1953-1959)
Bob Hawke’s uncle had skyhigh popularity… yet he still lost the election in 1959?
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Module 7: Joe Chamberlain... (1959-1970)
Hawke is desperate for a truce with the DLP but one man stands in the way, Joe Chamberlain. He also beefs with Gough Whitlam.
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Module 8: Charles Court... (1971-1983)
The 1955 split created a beast that Labor could no longer contain - the Charles Court government.
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Module 9: WA Inc (1983-1993)
Brian Burke wins a resounding election in 1983 but he ends up on trial for corruption?
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Module 10: The ghost of Brian Burke (1993-2017)
We’re not still talking about him are we?
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Your Assignment
Rank each of the following leaders from greatest to weakest Labor leaders. Include a justification
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South Australian Labor
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South Australian Booklet
The ultimate resource to guide your note taking and prepare you for your final challenge
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Module 1: Getting the SA Labor Party
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Module 2: The Road to Government (1897-1905)
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Module 3: The Road to Majority Government (1905-1912)
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Module 4: Crawford Vaughan (1912-1924)
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Module 5: The Interwar Years
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Module 6: Exile
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Module 7: The Dunstan Era
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Module 8: The New Order
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Keating's Economy
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The Greens
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Neville Wran
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Practical Tutorials
FAQ
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Each state module has quizzes that give instant feedback.
Each module also has a possible essay question which you can submit in your state’s google classroom. I’ll give it feedback. -
Entirely!
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Absolutely! You get to see a range of responses to specific issues (Depression, WWII GFC etc.) and you can cherry pick the best ideas from each one. It also gives you perspective on issues that are specific to each state in Australia
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Absolutely! Each state has a booklet with key leaders that you can print out. It will help prepare you for a final assessment of ranking each key Labor leader.