Australian Young Labor

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Australian Young Labor
President	Chris Hancock
National Secretary	Louis Gordon
Founded	19 October 1926; 99 years ago (1926-10-19)[1]
Preceded by	Labor Guild of Youth
Headquarters	Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Ideology	Social democracy Democratic socialism
Position	Centre-left to left-wing
Mother party	Australian Labor Party

Australian Young Labor (AYL), also known as the Young Labor Movement or simply Young Labor, is the youth wing of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) representing all party members aged between 14 and 26.^[2][3] The organisation operates as a federation with independently functioning branches in all Australian states and territories which serve under the relevant state or territory branch of the federal Labor Party, often coming together during national conferences and federal elections. Young Labor is the oldest continuously operating youth wing of any political party in Australian history, being founded in 1926.

Young Labor is very closely connected and integrated with its mother party, with many members of the organisation leading successful political careers after the fact. Former presidents of Young Labor have included former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr, current federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Tony Burke, former Special Minister of State, Senator John Faulkner, former member for Maribyrnong and former federal Labor leader Bill Shorten, as well as various of state and federal ministers and MPs.

Formation

The Labor Guild of Youth was established in Victoria in 1926. The first provisional meeting of the ALP's Youth Council was held in 1948. By the 1960s most states had created young labor organisations, usually called the Young Labor Association (YLA). In the early 1970s there was a move to set up a national organisation. In 1971 leaders of several state YLAs met in Adelaide to set up a national body. The first conference was held in Adelaide in early 1972 and Bob McMullin was elected as first national president. Australian Young Labor (AYL) was included in the definition of the ALP in 1973.^[1]

Ideology

Australian Young Labor promotes a mix of social democracy and democratic socialism with a focus on issues relevant to younger Australians. AYL advocates for social justice, aiming to reduce inequality and improve access to essential services like healthcare and education. It supports progressive policies on LGBTQIA+ rights, gender equality, Indigenous reconciliation, and multiculturalism. Environmental sustainability is a key concern, with AYL pushing for strong climate action and a transition to renewable energy. The organization also champions economic justice, advocating for fair wages, job creation, and workers’ rights, as well as the protection and expansion of public services, particularly in education and healthcare. AYL seeks to increase the political participation of young people and supports progressive foreign policy grounded in human rights and global cooperation. Although it aligns with ALP values, AYL often takes more progressive stances, reflecting the priorities of its younger membership.^{[citation needed]}

Activities and roles

Young Labor is most active during state and federal elections, campaigning in marginal seats. The youth wing of the party may organise members to door knock an electorate or set up a stand in shopping centres to hand out political party notes. Members are often also asked to 'letterbox' party advertising.

Each year Australian Young Labor holds a conference in a capital city. The conference is usually held at a university campus and typically features guest speakers from the ALP.

At the conference several positions are elected by delegates chosen from state branches. Fifteen executive positions are also elected. The National Young Labor President is a non-voting representative on the Australian Labor Party National Executive.

Organisation

Each state has its own branch of Young Labor, functioning as a party unit (referred to as New South Wales Young Labor, Victorian Young Labor, etc.). Nationally, the branches are federated to the National organisation, which has its own president and executive.

Criticism and controversy

On 8 December 2004, The Sydney Morning Herald published allegations that factional leaders within the Labor Party in New South Wales were "petty, faction obsessed and vindictive". The article, authored by Aubrey Belford, then a member of the ALP and former editor of the Sydney University student paper, Honi Soit, laments a Young Labor dominated by factional infighting, "Put simply, the party culture encourages young people to devote their energy to pursuing objectives that ultimately have no impact on the real world, and to pursue them through ritual political violence."^[4]

On 23 January 2012, president of Queensland Young Labor, Chaiy Donati came under significant criticism following links to the United States Republican Party. Online news source Crikey reported that he helped anti-war and pro drug legalisation Republican candidate Ron Paul in his fight for the primaries in New Hampshire. Ron Paul came second to Mitt Romney on the Republican Party ballot, and, as a write-in candidate, second to Barack Obama on the Democratic Party ballot in New Hampshire.^[5] On his return to Queensland, numerous factional rivalries emerged between members. Despite this, Chaiy Donati remained the right's factional leader and in 2013 secured Queensland's Kerrie Kahlon the Australian Young Labor presidency. Chaiy Donati returned to the United States in April 2016, this time working on the Democratic primaries for Bernie Sanders in a close run against Hillary Clinton.^[5]

In August 2018, Federal Labor staffer and ACT Young Labor member Nick Douros was suspended from his role in the party and quit as a staffer to Senator David Smith.^[6][7][8] The party's internal disputes tribunal upheld an allegation he and ACT Young Labor conduct contact officer Francis Claessens, and Niall Cummins — had contravened the party's code of conduct for bullying a fellow member, calling her a "rat" and saying they would make her life hell. All three men were ordered to attend mediation and undergo respectful behaviour training. The victim alleged she was targeted as a result of an internal party stoush during the pre-selection process for seats.^[9] In 2019, Nick Douros was elected national secretary of AYL.^[10]

Following some division between left and right factions of the AYL in 2023 about the adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism,^[11] New South Wales Young Labor adopted unanimously a motion in 2025 condemning antisemitism and promoting Jewish participation^[12] in the ALP by establishing a working group to advise the executive on matters relating to anti-Semitism, inclusion and representation.^[13]

References