New Left Party

The New Left Party was formed in 1991, out of the remnants of the original Communist Party of Australia.

SEARCH Foundation

SEARCH Foundation was set up as a not-for-profit company in 1990 to preserve and draw on the resources of the Communist Party of Australia, and its archives.

The CPA was the most significant socialist party in Australia between its formation in 1920 and 1991, when it ceased operating.

Initially the Foundation supported the New Left Party, and the publications Australian Left Review, and Broadside Weekly. When these collapsed in 1993, the Foundation reassessed the situation and decided to initiate political activity itself, to encourage practical unity on the Left towards democracy, social justice and environmental sustainability, and to reach out to people coming from other traditions who share these goals.

Passing the baton

Launching conference

Tom McDonald, Barbara Pocock, Jack Mundey and Carmel Shute played leading roles.

"It's time to act"

This statement has been sponsored by:

PERTH: Martha Ansara, Keith Bostock, Florence Edwards, Sylvia Edwards, Bill Ethell, John Gandini, Claire Howell, Jan Jermalinski, Keith Peckham.

ADELAIDE: Jocelyn Auer, Deborah Baldassi, Bentley Carslake, Stephen Darley, Jim Douglas, Leonie Ebert, Marco Fedi, Anthea Howard, Ian Hunt, Lee Marling, Jim Mitchell, Paul Noack, Barbara Pocock, Peter Robin, Jane Tassie, John Wishart.

MELBOURNE: Marian Aveling, Susan Barclay, Lynda Blundell, Laurie Carmichael, Frank Cherry, Ruth Crow, Mick Doleman, Rob Durbridge, Kiri Evans, Ralph Gibson, Angela Sdrinas, Carmel Shute, Theo Sidiropolous, Mike Sutherland, Jil Toovey, Rob Watts.

LA TROBE VALLEY: Rose Read, John Ryan.

TASMANIA: Max Bound, Ros Harvey, Dennis Wild.

CANBERRA: Peter Berry, Eric Fry, Kate Lundy, Helen Topliss.

NSW ILLAWARRA: Malcolm Bailey, John Bourne, Monica Chalmers, Lynette Dwyer, Mike Dwyer, Claire Heaton, Frank Jackson, Dave Martin, Paul Matters, Rod Patterson, Steve Quinn, Bev Symons, Patrick Vasquez, Marie Wallace, Reg Wilding.

BATHURST: Jenny Barry, Jane Dixon, Steve Ross, Colin Sindall, Charlie Squibb.

KATOOMBA/LITHGOW: Vern Moffitt, Reg Taylor.

NSW COUNTRY: Geoff Lawler, Elizabeth O'Hara.

SYDNEY: Brian Aarons, Allan Ashbolt, Charles Bowers, Christine Brunt, Jack Cambourn, Peter Cantrill, Denis Fitzgerald, Larry Hand, Beverley Hewett, Robin Hopwood, Betty Hounslow, Sonia Laverty, Carol Matthews, Peter McClelland, Audrey McDonald, Daren McDonald, Tom McDonald, Brian McGahen, Stacey Miers, Jack Mundey, Warwick Neilley, Cristina Pastore, Wally Pritchard, Pat Ranald, Tanya Ritchie, Noeline Rudland, Stan Sharkey, David Simpson, Joyce Stevens, Frank Stilwell, Jenepher Surbey, Dom Syme, Margaret Thornton, Ted Wheelwright, Juana Zepeda, Jorge Zepeda, Tom Zubrycki.

NEWCASTLE: Peter Barrack, Bill Bodenham, Jeff Bradford, Barbara Curthoys, Nola Fenech, Greg Giles, Barry Johnson, Steve Kelly, Susan McDonald, Terry Mawdsley, Hilary Purves.

BRISBANE: Lorraine Brazel, Linda Carroli, Louise Comino, Patricia Hovey, Bob Leach, Linda Martin, Peter Meggitt, Judith Stevens, Geoffrey Wills.

IPSWICH: Andrew Vickers.

More than half the sponsors are not members of political parties, some are lapsed ALP members, while the rest of the sponsors are members of the Communist Party or the Association for Communist Unity.

Commissions

As of July 1989;

Sydney:

• Community/Social Justice - Adam Farrar, Jenepher Surbey
• Environment - Anthony McLaughlin, Stacey Miers
• Industrial/Economics - Warwick Neilley, Roberta Moore

Woolongong:

• Party Structure - Jane Martin, Mike Dwyer

Melbourne:

• Labor Movement - Danny Connor
• Multiculturalism - Angela Sdrinas
• Party Strategy - Michael Evans

Brisbane:

Arts and Culture - Judy Stephens

Perth:

• Aboriginal Commission - Clarrie Isaacs

Tasmania:

• Interventionist Industry Policy, with Special Reference to the Environment Commission - Ian Patterson

Adelaide:

• Women's Commission - Jenny Allen-Bayen
• Environment Commission - John Wishart

Activists/supporters

As of 1989;

• Carmel Shute - writer for The Comet.
• Chris Cathie - Sandringham
• Jack Mundey - Sydney
• Greg Giles, Chris Dodds - Newcastle
• Colin Jones - Melbourne
• Madelon Davis, Jack Davis - film maker, both have joined the NLP - Fremantle
• Frank Stilwell, NLP sponsor - Sydney
• Rob Durbridge

Winding down

A national meeting in March 1993, may determine whether the New Left Party will continue to exist, according to several prominent members.

Rumours have been circulating in progressive circles suggesting that the NLP had dissolved itself in December 1992. Green Left Weekly contacted known members of the NLP for their comments.

Well-known member Brian Aarons declined to be interviewed but said that a national meeting of the group in March would be discussing the future of the party.

Sydney activist Peter Murphy, who also declined to be interviewed, said that no particular plans had been made for 1993 apart from supporting Alex Elphinston, an NLP member, running in upcoming federal elections as an independent green in the seat of Cook.

Murphy added that the aim of the gathering in March is to evaluate the last two years of the NLP.

Men's movement activist Adam Farrar said that nothing had been resolved about the future of the NLP and that the March conference would be looking at options for discussion on changes to its form.

Farrar credited rumours of the NLP's dissolution to the fact that a number of key people in the group had gone "in other directions".

Jackie Wurm, a member of the NLP gay and lesbian group, also said there was a discussion in the NLP about what form the NLP should operate in, but a resolve to continue the project existed. She noted that the gay and lesbian group will still be working this year, particularly around the Mardi Gras.

One trade union official familiar with the party though not a member said that while the group has not formally dissolved, in reality it no longer functioned.

Nadine Flood, a member of the NLP since its founding, said that part of the discussion was whether the group should operate as something other than a party. The problems in the group, she said, were political, and there was disillusionment at how long and difficult it is to establish a new and different left party.

Flood explained that the NLP was operating in a difficult environment and that after its formation a lot of people sat back and waited to see if the group worked rather than joining.