Political Parties

Abstract

The idea of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) as the party of ‘initiative’ and the contemporary Liberal Party (and its predecessors) as parties of ‘resistance’ has a long provenance, and continues to appear, albeit in slightly different language.¹ W. K. Hancock’s (1930) work has had continuing importance in the parties’ literature for he is generally credited with stating that the ALP held the ‘initiative’ in Australian politics. This was partly in response to Lord Bryce’s observation that the non-Labor parties were parties of ‘resistance’. Another enduring feature of writings on political parties and interest groups is the sheer predominance of work on the ALP and unions. There are fewer publications on the non-Labor parties; and a tiny literature on business groups.