Of measures and men: the Victorian Country Party, 1917 to 1945

This thesis is concerned with how the Country Party in Victoria from its formation in 1917 until 1945 differed from its counterparts in the other states and federally and formed alliances with the Labor Party to restrict the conservative parties (variously named) to the opposition benches. The often close cooperation of the non-Labor parties federally and in other states was rarely replicated in Victoria. The central argument of the thesis is that the 'difference' in the political behaviour of the agrarian party in Victoria was the product of five related factors. First, the harsh farming conditions in the Mallee and Wimmera regions often led farmers to adopt more political ‘radical’ stances (especially over wheat marketing) than elsewhere in Australia. Second, Victoria manifested a very high level of anti-Melbourne electoral malapportionment during the period under review, which aided the Country Party. Third, the local Labor Party had a prolonged gestation and was particularly weak, being unable to form a majority government until 1952. Fourth, the Liberal/Nationalist/United Australia Party in Victoria was notably conservative and was heavily influenced by Melbourne financial and Western District pastoral interests. Fifth, all the Victorian parties (including the Country Party) were highly schismatic which helped produce an unstable political environment in which minority parties could exercise influence beyond their parliamentary numbers or their voter support. Given these factors, it is not surprising that there was no majority government in Victoria between 1917 and 1952. The central argument is expanded upon in the Introduction which analyses the theory and practice of minoritarianism and coalitionism. Chapter 1 provides the history of the early development of the Country Party and deals with the interaction between achieving the objectives of the new party and the accommodation of the personalities and beliefs of those appointed and elected to achieve those objectives. Chapter 2 deals with the early maturation phase of the Country Party and the consequent complications of the newly emerged three-party political system and the reactions by the established Labor and conservative parties to the infant Country Party. The chapter also highlights the strains between the parliamentary party, the general party membership and the Central Council (the party’s 'executive'). Chapter 3 concentrates on the division within the Country Party on whether to employ alliances to keep Labor or the Nationalists out of government. The reasons for the 1926 split and the creation of two Country Parties are analysed. Chapter 4 examines the dependence of the Country Parties on electoral malapportionment for their existence and expansion. Chapter 5 covers the lead-up to the Great Depression and the interaction between the federal and state governments’ reactions to implementation of the Premiers’ Plan. The new bonds between the non-Labor parties and the splits within Labor are examined. Chapter 6 introduces a new major player, businessman A E Hocking, into Country Party politics and studies his influence on the party and his conflicts with Premier Albert Dunstan. Chapter 7 deals with the 1935 Victorian election campaign and the installation of the first Country Party minority government supported by Labor and its subsequent performance. Chapter 8 uses the early days of the UCP-Labor alliance to answer the question whether such arrangements can deliver much of the platforms of the two parties in the face of a hostile upper house of parliament and an antagonistic federal coalition government which included members of the UCP. Chapter 9 addresses the continuing debate within the UCP regarding the relative benefits of minority and coalition governments and the clash between the federal and state parliamentary bodies which led to a split in the Victorian branch of the party. One issue explored is why the UCP was the only state branch so hostile to coalitions. Chapter 10 reveals the importance of competing leadership and personalities in political arrangements, regardless of unity on policies, and how and why Premier Dunstan campaigned for his preferred supporters against members of his own caucus, seemingly impervious to the consequences. Chapter 11 analyses the impact of the Second World War on party relations in Victoria and the influence of federal alliances. Chapter 12 considers the reunion of the two country parties and the political controversy over electoral malapportionment. The Conclusion summarises the findings of the thesis and briefly discusses the political legacy of this period of Country Party dominance