Australian Labor Party

The oldest continuing political party in Australia, the Australian Labor Party (ALP) emerged from a working-class movement at the end of the 19th century, but by the end of the 20th had become a 'catch all' party offering a program of moderate social democratic reform, tempered by a carefully calculated electoral pragmatism. Its main objective has been to win government and use state agencies to enhance the rights of ordinary people as workers and citizens. Over the long term, its policies have tended to emphasise political democracy, economic equity and social justice, with occasional genuflexions to more astringent ideologies. In recent years it has been in government at State and Commonwealth levels for sustained periods but for most of the 20th century it was less successful. Despite occasional internal splits and recurring electoral failure, the ALP, along with its affiliated trade unions and associated social movements, has had a significant place in Melbourne's political culture since the end of the 19th century