The Industrial Labor Party or Heffron Labor Party was a short-lived but influential political party active in New South Wales between 1936 and 1939. It was a splinter group of the Labor Party (ALP) and was formed by Bob Heffron after he and Carlo Lazzarini attempted to depose the party leader Jack Lang (who had been Premier of New South Wales 1925-27 and again 1930-32). Both Heffron and Lazzarini subsequently lost their party endorsements for the 1938 election.
Political party in Australia| Industrial Labor Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Bob Heffron |
| Founded | September 1936 (September 1936) |
| Dissolved | 26 August 1939 (26 August 1939) |
| Split from | Australian Labor Party |
| Ideology | Socialism Industrialisation |
| Political position | Left-wing |
At the 1938 election the ILP stood candidates in 6 of the 90 seats and won 3.7% of the popular vote. Heffron and Lazzarini retained their seats in the Legislative Assembly. The party was successful at two subsequent by-elections in the seats of Hurstville, won by Clive Evatt, and Waverley, won by Clarrie Martin. These victories were seen as evidence of Lang's diminishing political power. Three other MLAs, Mat Davidson (Cobar), and Ted Horsington (Sturt) joined the ILP in April 1939 while Frank Burke (Newtown) joined the ILP in June 1939.
Under pressure from the federal executive of the ALP, the ILP was readmitted into the ALP at a unity conference on 26 August 1939. Heffron and William McKell then successfully combined to depose Lang on 5 September 1939.
Parliamentarians
| Name | Term | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Heffron (Leader) | August 1936 – 26 August 1939 | Botany |
| Carlo Lazzarini | August 1936 – 26 August 1939 | Marrickville |
| William Dickson | August 1936 – 26 August 1939 | Legislative Councillor |
| Clive Evatt | 18 March 1939 – 26 August 1939 | Hurstville |
| Clarrie Martin | 22 April 1939 – 26 August 1939 | Waverley |
| Mat Davidson | April 1939 – 26 August 1939 | Cobar |
| Ted Horsington | April 1939 – 26 August 1939 | Sturt |
| Frank Burke | 30 May 1939 – 26 August 1939 | Newtown |
References
- Green, Antony. "1938 Totals". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- Green, Antony. "1938 Botany". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
Green, Antony. "1938 Marrickville". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 25 May 2020. - Green, Antony. "1938 Hurstville by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- Green, Antony. "1938 Waverley by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- "M.L.A. joins Heffron Labor". Tweed Daily. 31 May 1939. p. 5. Retrieved 5 April 2018 – via Trove.
- "Two more opponents of Mr Lang". Tweed Daily. 7 April 1938. p. 2. Retrieved 5 April 2018 – via Trove.
- Nairn, Bede (1995) Jack Lang the 'Big Fella': Jack Lang and the Australian Labor Party 1891-1949, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0-522-84700-5, OCLC 34416531.
