Trade Unions have enjoyed a central role within the Australian Labor Party (ALP) ever since it formed out of the individual Labor parties established by the Unions in the pre-federation Australian colonies. In recent years, however, the relationship has come under strain in the face of familiar trends seen elsewhere. Union density has declined dramatically in the face of economic liberalisation, de-industrialisation and globalisation, and the unionised workforce is increasingly found amongst white collar public sector workers, rather than the ALP’s traditional blue collar constituency; most of whom are employed in the private sector.
The subsequent pressure on the ALP to appeal to a broader, more fragmented, non-unionised electorate has led many to problematize the continued party-union link. Some commentators on the left have criticised the erosion of the ALP-union link whilst others have questioned the desirability of a continued close relationship. However, such is the integral role of the unions in the way in which the party operates, calls for ‘de-linking’ have been frustrated from within, with high-profile but ultimately ineffectual internal reviews recommending only modest adjustments to the relationship .
In this paper, we demonstrate how the electoral imperative for de-linking has been countered by continued union influence across three dimensions of inter-dependence:
• Party finance
• The organisational structure and rules of the ALP
• Elite recruitment.
We go on to examine how these three dimensions of inter-dependence are buttressed by highly organised party factions around which the internal life of the party is structured. We conclude by arguing that, whilst it may be critiqued in principle and strained in practice, the ALP-union link is robust and enduring.
