# Queensland Labor Party

The Queensland Labor Party, officially known as the Australian Labor Party (State of Queensland) and commonly referred to as Queensland Labor or simply Labor, is the branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the state of Queensland. It has functioned in the state since the 1880s. The Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party was the first Labour Party to win government in the world, when, in December of 1899, following the resignation of the Dickson ministry, Queensland Labour leader Anderson Dawson accepted an offer by Lieutenant-Governor Samuel Griffith to form a government.

## History

Trade unionists in Queensland had begun attempting to secure parliamentary representation as early as the mid-1880s. William McNaughton Galloway, the president of the Seamen's Union, mounted an unsuccessful campaign as an independent in an 1886 by-election. A Workers' Political Reform Association was founded to nominate candidates for the 1888 election, at which the Brisbane Trades and Labor Council endorsed six candidates. Thomas Glassey won the seat of Bundamba at that election, becoming the first self-identified "labor" MP in Queensland. The Queensland Provincial Council of the Australian Labor Federation was formed in 1889 in an attempt to unite Labor campaign efforts. Tommy Ryan won the seat of Barcoo for the labour movement-run People's Parliamentary Association in 1892, and the Labor Party was formally established in Queensland following the first Labor-in-Politics Convention later that year.
The Queensland branch subsequently formed the first Labor government in Australia, albeit briefly, when Anderson Dawson took office for a week in 1899 after a falling out between the non-Labor forces.
Since 1989, when the party came back to power after thirty-two years in Opposition, all its leaders have become Premiers despite two spells in Opposition in 1996–98 and 2012–2015.
As of 2020, the Queensland branch has three factions: the right, headed by Annastacia Palaszczuk, the left, headed by Steven Miles, and the centralist faction, the Old Guard. Discounting Speaker Curtis Pitt, of the 47 Labor MPs, 24 belong to the Left, 16 to the Right, and 7 to the Old Guard.
As of the 2020 state election, Queensland Labor's seat distribution was as follows:
2020 state election Queensland Labor seat distribution :
| Region | Electorates | Labor seats | % |
| North & Far North Queensland (N/FNQ) | 10 | 7 | 70.00 |
| South East Queensland (SEQ) | 63 | 38 | 60.32 |
| Wide Bay–Burnett | 5 | 3 | 60.00 |
| Central Queensland (CQ) | 7 | 3 | 42.86 |
| Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday | 3 | 1 | 33.33 |
| Darling Downs–South West | 5 | — | — |

### Membership and voter base

Historically (1910s–1960s) Queensland Labor's voter base and membership has been distributed fairly equitably across the metropolitan, urban, and rural areas of the state, although maintaining a demographic majority within the South East region. Beginning in the 1970s, Queensland Labor's voter base in particular has swayed more heavily toward the metropolitan and urban areas of the state such as Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, and Townsville, with the Country (later National) and Liberal parties competing with Labor in both regions as an electoral bloc.

#### Membership figures

Membership figures :
| Year | Membership | Diff. |
| 1938 | 11,139 | — |
| 1976 | 6,890 | 38.15 |
| 1977 | — | — |
| 1978 | 6,618 | 3.95 |
| 1979 | 6,570 | 0.73 |
| 1980 | 6,171 | 6.07 |
| 1981 | 6,596 | 6.89 |
| 1982 | 6,776 | 2.73 |
| 1983 | 7,623 | 12.5 |
| 1984 | 8,086 | 6.07 |
| 1985 | 7,817 | 3.33 |
| 1986 | 7,756 | 0.78 |
| 1987 | 7,578 | 2.29 |
Membership figures :
| Year | Membership | Diff. |
| 1988 | 7,125 | 5.98 |
| 1989 | 6,367 | 10.64 |
| 1990 | 7,169 | 12.60 |
| 1991 | 7,213 | 0.61 |
| 1992 | 7,246 | 0.46 |
| 1993 | — | — |
| 1994 | 7,492 | 3.39 |
| 1995 | 6,800 | 9.24 |
| 1996 | 6,800 | |
| 1997 | — | — |
| 1998 | 7,937 | 16.72 |
| 2012 | 5,000 | 37.00 |
| 2014 | 9,000 | 80.00 |
| 2021 | 10,000 | 11.11 |

## Ideology

Historically, the Queensland Labor Party was rooted in socialist principles, advocating for state socialism and agrarian socialism, with the party being broadly left-wing. Prior to 1908, the party also had a radical liberal faction, which split to form the Kidstonites in 1908. Over time, like other Labor/Labour parties, the party has shifted towards the centre-left of the political spectrum. The platform programme describes its founding principle as democratic socialism, while observers describe the Queensland Labor Party as social democratic, supporting labourism, which prioritises the rights and conditions of workers, fair wages, and secure employment.

### Factions

The Labor Party internal politics has a variety of internal factions; however, since 1989, it has been organised into formal factions. In Queensland the parties factions Include The Left, Labor Unity (also known as 'Old Guard'), and Labor Forum (also known as the right).

## Local government

Labor contests Brisbane City Council elections, and has done so since the inaugural election in 1925. It has been in opposition to the LNP (and before that, the Liberal Party) since 2008. The last Labor member to serve as Lord Mayor of Brisbane was Tim Quinn, who was defeated in 2004.
Historically, Labor also endorsed candidates outside of Brisbane, including in Ipswich, Townsville and Toowoomba.
The current Labor leader on Brisbane City Council is Jared Cassidy, who has served in the position since September 2019.

## Leaders
### Leader

The full list below is the official record of parliamentary leaders:
| No. | Leader (birth–death) | Electorate | Term of office | Term of office |
| 1 | Thomas Glassey (1844–1936) | Bundamba | August 1892 | May 1893 |
| 274 days ||
| 2 | John Hoolan (1842–1911) | Burke | May 1893 | July 1894 |
| 1 year and 62 days ||
| (1) | Thomas Glassey (1844–1936) | Bundamba | July 1894 | May 1899 |
| 4 years and 305 days ||
| 3 | Anderson Dawson (1863–1910) | Charters Towers | May 1899 | July 1900 |
| 1 year and 62 days ||
| 4 | W. H. Browne (1846–1904) | Croydon | July 1900 | October 1903 |
| 3 years and 93 days ||
| 5 | Peter Airey (1865–1950) | Flinders | October 1903 | April 1904 |
| 184 days ||
| 6 | George Kerr (1853–1930) | Barcoo | April 1904 | April 1907 |
| 3 years and 1 day ||
| 7 | David Bowman (1860–1916) | Fortitude Valley | April 1907 | 9 September 1912 |
| 5 years and 162 days ||
| 8 | T. J. Ryan (1876–1921) | Barcoo | 9 September 1912 | 22 October 1919 |
| 7 years and 44 days ||
| 9 | Ted Theodore (1884–1950) | Woothakata | 22 October 1919 | 26 February 1925 |
| 5 years and 128 days ||
| 10 | William Gillies (1868–1928) | Eacham | 26 February 1925 | 22 October 1925 |
| 239 days ||
| 11 | William McCormack (1879–1947) | Cairns | 22 October 1925 | 21 May 1929 |
| 3 years and 212 days ||
| 12 | William Forgan Smith (1887–1953) | Mackay | 27 May 1929 | 16 September 1942 |
| 13 years and 113 days ||
| 13 | Frank Arthur Cooper (1872–1949) | Bremer | 16 September 1942 | 7 March 1946 |
| 3 years and 173 days ||
| 14 | Ned Hanlon (1887–1952) | Ithaca | 7 March 1946 | 15 January 1952 |
| 5 years and 315 days ||
| 15 | Vince Gair (1901–1980) | South Brisbane | 17 January 1952 | 24 April 1957 |
| 5 years and 98 days ||
| 16 | Jack Duggan (1910–1993) | Toowoomba | 30 April 1957 | 3 August 1957 |
| 96 days ||
| 17 | Les Wood (1907–1958) | North Toowoomba | 28 August 1957 | 29 March 1958 |
| 214 days ||
| 18 | Jim Donald (1895–1976) | Ipswich East | 14 April 1958 | 17 August 1958 |
| 126 days ||
| (16) | Jack Duggan (1910–1993) | Toowoomba West | 18 August 1958 | 11 October 1966 |
| 8 years and 55 days ||
| 19 | Jack Houston (1919–2008) | Bulimba | 11 October 1966 | 22 July 1974 |
| 7 years and 285 days ||
| 20 | Perc Tucker (1919–1980) | Townsville West | 22 July 1974 | 19 December 1974 |
| 151 days ||
| 21 | Tom Burns (1931–2007) | Lytton | 19 December 1974 | 28 November 1978 |
| 3 years and 345 days ||
| 22 | Ed Casey (1933–2006) | Mackay | 28 November 1978 | 20 October 1982 |
| 3 years and 327 days ||
| 23 | Keith Wright (1942–2015) | Rockhampton | 20 October 1982 | 29 August 1984 |
| 1 year and 315 days ||
| 24 | Nev Warburton (1932–2018) | Sandgate | 29 August 1984 | 2 March 1988 |
| 3 years and 187 days ||
| 25 | Wayne Goss (1951–2014) | Logan | 2 March 1988 | 19 February 1996 |
| 7 years and 355 days ||
| 26 | Peter Beattie (b. 1952) | Brisbane Central | 19 February 1996 | 12 September 2007 |
| 11 years and 206 days ||
| 27 | Anna Bligh (b. 1960) | South Brisbane | 12 September 2007 | 28 March 2012 |
| 4 years and 199 days ||
| 28 | Annastacia Palaszczuk (b. 1969) | Inala | 30 March 2012 | 15 December 2023 |
| 11 years and 261 days ||
| 29 | Steven Miles (b. 1977) | Murrumba | 15 December 2023 | Incumbent |
| 1 year and 79 days ||

## Election results
### State elections

| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Status |
| 1893 | Thomas Glassey | 25,984 | 33.32 | 16 / 72 | 16 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1896 | Thomas Glassey | 28,581 | 34.97 | 20 / 72 | 4 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1899 | Thomas Glassey | 33,756 | 35.47 | 21 / 72 | 1 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1902 | William Browne | 39,579 | 39.33 | 25 / 72 | 4 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1904 | George Kerr | 28,961 | 36.05 | 34 / 72 | 9 | 1st | Opposition |
| 1907 | David Bowman | 52,079 | 26.39 | 18 / 72 | 16 | 3rd | Opposition |
| 1908 | David Bowman | 55,771 | 29.80 | 22 / 72 | 4 | 3rd | Opposition |
| 1909 | David Bowman | 77,712 | 36.85 | 27 / 72 | 5 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1912 | David Bowman | 100,878 | 46.70 | 25 / 72 | 2 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1915 | T. J. Ryan | 136,419 | 52.06 | 45 / 72 | 20 | 1st | Majority |
| 1918 | T. J. Ryan | 180,709 | 53.68 | 48 / 72 | 3 | 1st | Majority |
| 1920 | Ted Theodore | 168,455 | 47.77 | 38 / 72 | 7 | 1st | Majority |
| 1923 | Ted Theodore | 175,659 | 48.13 | 43 / 72 | 5 | 1st | Majority |
| 1926 | William McCormack | 189,968 | 47.96 | 43 / 72 | 0 | 1st | Majority |
| 1929 | William McCormack | 173,242 | 40.16 | 27 / 72 | 16 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1932 | William Forgan Smith | 225,270 | 49.89 | 33 / 62 | 6 | 1st | Majority |
| 1935 | William Forgan Smith | 247,135 | 53.43 | 46 / 62 | 13 | 1st | Majority |
| 1938 | William Forgan Smith | 250,943 | 47.17 | 44 / 62 | 2 | 1st | Majority |
| 1941 | William Forgan Smith | 267,206 | 51.41 | 41 / 62 | 3 | 1st | Majority |
| 1944 | Frank Arthur Cooper | 224,888 | 44.67 | 37 / 62 | 4 | 1st | Majority |
| 1947 | Ned Hanlon | 272,103 | 43.58 | 35 / 62 | 2 | 1st | Majority |
| 1950 | Ned Hanlon | 295,138 | 46.87 | 42 / 75 | 7 | 1st | Majority |
| 1953 | Vince Gair | 323,882 | 53.21 | 50 / 75 | 8 | 1st | Majority |
| 1956 | Vince Gair | 335,311 | 51.22 | 49 / 75 | 1 | 1st | Majority |
| 1957 | Jack Duggan | 201,971 | 28.90 | 20 / 75 | 29 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1960 | Jack Duggan | 296,430 | 39.89 | 25 / 78 | 5 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1963 | Jack Duggan | 337,928 | 43.83 | 26 / 78 | 1 | 1st | Opposition |
| 1966 | Jack Duggan | 350,254 | 43.84 | 26 / 78 | 0 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1969 | Jack Houston | 383,388 | 44.99 | 31 / 78 | 5 | 1st | Opposition |
| 1972 | Jack Houston | 424,002 | 46.75 | 33 / 82 | 2 | 1st | Opposition |
| 1974 | Perc Tucker | 376,187 | 36.03 | 11 / 82 | 22 | 3rd | Opposition |
| 1977 | Tom Burns | 466,021 | 42.83 | 23 / 82 | 12 | 3rd | Opposition |
| 1980 | Ed Casey | 487,493 | 41.49 | 25 / 82 | 2 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1983 | Keith Wright | 579,363 | 43.98 | 32 / 82 | 7 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1986 | Nev Warburton | 577,062 | 41.35 | 30 / 89 | 2 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1989 | Wayne Goss | 792,466 | 50.32 | 54 / 89 | 24 | 1st | Majority |
| 1992 | Wayne Goss | 850,480 | 48.73 | 54 / 89 | 0 | 1st | Majority |
| 1995 | Wayne Goss | 773,585 | 42.89 | 45 / 89 | 9 | 1st | Majority |
| 1998 | Peter Beattie | 773,585 | 38.86 | 44 / 89 | 1 | 1st | Minority |
| 2001 | Peter Beattie | 1,007,737 | 48.93 | 66 / 89 | 22 | 1st | Majority |
| 2004 | Peter Beattie | 1,011,630 | 47.01 | 63 / 89 | 3 | 1st | Majority |
| 2006 | Peter Beattie | 1,032,617 | 46.92 | 59 / 89 | 4 | 1st | Majority |
| 2009 | Anna Bligh | 1,002,415 | 42.25 | 51 / 89 | 8 | 1st | Majority |
| 2012 | Anna Bligh | 652,092 | 26.66 | 7 / 89 | 44 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 2015 | Annastacia Palaszczuk | 983,054 | 37.47 | 44 / 89 | 35 | 1st | Minority |
| 2017 | Annastacia Palaszczuk | 957,890 | 35.43 | 48 / 93 | 4 | 1st | Majority |
| 2020 | Annastacia Palaszczuk | 1,135,625 | 39.57 | 52 / 93 | 4 | 1st | Majority |
| 2024 | Steven Miles | 1,011,252 | 32.56 | 36 / 93 | 16 | 2nd | Opposition |

### Federal elections

| Election | Seats Won | ± | Total Votes | % | ± | Leader |
| 1901 | 3 / 9 | 3 | 21,264 | 34.80 | 34.80 | No leader |
| 1903 | 7 / 9 | 4 | 63,878 | 56.70 | 21.90 | Chris Watson |
| 1906 | 4 / 9 | 3 | 51,231 | 43.00 | 13.70 | Chris Watson |
| 1910 | 6 / 9 | 2 | 78,881 | 47.60 | 4.60 | Andrew Fisher |
| 1913 | 7 / 10 | 1 | 149,447 | 54.80 | 7.20 | Andrew Fisher |
| 1914 | 7 / 10 | 0 | 125,017 | 55.70 | 0.90 | Andrew Fisher |
| 1917 | 4 / 10 | 3 | 160,448 | 48.70 | 7.00 | Frank Tudor |
| 1919 | 3 / 10 | 1 | 149,588 | 46.80 | 1.90 | Frank Tudor |
| 1922 | 2 / 10 | 1 | 132,515 | 41.40 | 5.40 | Matthew Charlton |
| 1925 | 1 / 10 | 1 | 152,778 | 42.40 | 1.00 | Matthew Charlton |
| 1928 | 2 / 10 | 1 | 112,982 | 47.40 | 5.00 | James Scullin |
| 1929 | 3 / 10 | 1 | 173,417 | 39.80 | 7.60 | James Scullin |
| 1931 | 5 / 10 | 2 | 141,443 | 39.30 | 0.50 | James Scullin |
| 1934 | 5 / 10 | 0 | 235,904 | 46.80 | 7.50 | James Scullin |
| 1937 | 5 / 10 | 0 | 233,612 | 43.00 | 3.80 | John Curtin |
| 1940 | 6 / 10 | 1 | 255,063 | 46.10 | 3.10 | John Curtin |
| 1943 | 6 / 10 | 0 | 279,372 | 47.80 | 1.70 | John Curtin |
| 1946 | 5 / 10 | 1 | 256,370 | 43.10 | 4.70 | Ben Chifley |
| 1949 | 3 / 18 | 2 | 255,036 | 39.50 | 3.60 | Ben Chifley |
| 1951 | 4 / 18 | 1 | 257,099 | 41.00 | 1.50 | Ben Chifley |
| 1954 | 5 / 18 | 1 | 295,424 | 42.50 | 1.50 | H.V. Evatt |
| 1955 | 5 / 18 | 0 | 258,994 | 42.10 | 0.40 | H.V. Evatt |
| 1958 | 3 / 18 | 2 | 270,676 | 37.50 | 4.60 | H.V. Evatt |
| 1961 | 11 / 18 | 8 | 365,930 | 48.10 | 10.60 | Arthur Calwell |
| 1963 | 8 / 18 | 3 | 369,570 | 46.30 | 1.80 | Arthur Calwell |
| 1966 | 6 / 18 | 2 | 354,674 | 42.10 | 4.20 | Arthur Calwell |
| 1969 | 7 / 18 | 1 | 430,403 | 48.20 | 6.10 | Gough Whitlam |
| 1972 | 8 / 18 | 1 | 449,620 | 47.20 | 1.00 | Gough Whitlam |
| 1974 | 6 / 18 | 2 | 476,710 | 44.00 | 3.20 | Gough Whitlam |
| 1975 | 1 / 18 | 5 | 439,405 | 38.80 | 5.20 | Gough Whitlam |
| 1977 | 3 / 19 | 2 | 443,221 | 37.70 | 1.10 | Gough Whitlam |
| 1980 | 5 / 19 | 2 | 535,800 | 42.80 | 5.10 | Bill Hayden |
| 1983 | 10 / 19 | 5 | 621,146 | 46.10 | 3.30 | Bob Hawke |
| 1984 | 9 / 24 | 1 | 605,684 | 44.10 | 2.00 | Bob Hawke |
| 1987 | 13 / 24 | 4 | 683,640 | 45.00 | 0.90 | Bob Hawke |
| 1990 | 15 / 24 | 2 | 695,291 | 41.60 | 3.40 | Bob Hawke |
| 1993 | 13 / 25 | 2 | 739,862 | 40.50 | 1.10 | Paul Keating |
| 1996 | 2 / 26 | 11 | 639,510 | 33.20 | 7.30 | Paul Keating |
| 1998 | 8 / 27 | 6 | 719,743 | 36.10 | 2.90 | Kim Beazley |
| 2001 | 7 / 27 | 1 | 730,914 | 34.70 | 1.40 | Kim Beazley |
| 2004 | 6 / 28 | 1 | 765,507 | 34.78 | 0.08 | Mark Latham |
| 2007 | 15 / 29 | 9 | 1,020,665 | 42.91 | 8.13 | Kevin Rudd |
| 2010 | 8 / 30 | 7 | 800,712 | 33.58 | 9.33 | Julia Gillard |
| 2013 | 6 / 30 | 2 | 751,230 | 29.77 | 3.81 | Kevin Rudd |
| 2016 | 8 / 30 | 2 | 825,627 | 30.91 | 1.14 | Bill Shorten |
| 2019 | 6 / 30 | 2 | 754,792 | 26.68 | 4.23 | Bill Shorten |
| 2022 | 5 / 30 | 1 | 784,189 | 27.5 | 0.8 | Anthony Albanese |