Our History - the World's First Labour Party is Born in Ballarat

balltlc • July 10, 2024

The April 1891 Seventh Intercolonial Trades and Labour Congress and the Rules Document

The Ballarat Trades Hall reflected the growing status of organised labour in this industrial city and in the colony generally. In April 1891, it was the venue for the Seventh Intercolonial Trades Union Congress held during the eight hours anniversary celebrations. The Congress, the first to be held outside of a capital city, was the largest and most influential of the pre-federation union congresses. 127 delegates attended, representing all colonies except Western Australia. There was one female Delegate, Sarah Muir of the Tailoresses Union and one Delegate from New Zealand. The Congress was the first truly representative Intercolonial Congress. A resolution accepting the constitution of an Australian Labour Federation was passed establishing a firm link between industrial and political organisation. This document is possibly the first written and intercolonially endorsed rules of a labour party anywhere in the world and months before the meetings in Barcaldine, Queensland. There are two significant documents the ‘Draft Scheme of Federation’ and the ‘Committee on Political Reform.’ The Draft Scheme states, “To secure the direct representation of Labour in Parliament and promote such Legislative reforms as will ensure social justice to Australasian workers.”


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