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Editorial
| Since the last issue there have been some revisions of editorial policy which reflect changes in the current interests of labour historians and the increasing internationalism of labour history. We have added to our list of current interests: gender and work (paid and unpaid); labour organising methods; industrial relations history; biography; and labour intellectuals. The recognition of unpaid work reinforces the journal's longstanding interest in volunteer labour and view of work that is broader than paid labour. As previously noted, Labour History also has an interest in publishing articles on domestic unpaid labour. With the decline in organised labour, the journal is also committed to articles that can highlight successful historical strategies of organising workers. In emphasising industrial relations history we welcome articles that deal with the relationship between employers and their organisations and trade unions and highlight the role of state in the regulation of industrial relations. There also has been a growing interest in re-examining the role of labour biography and there will be a thematic section in the next issue of the journal dealing with this question. The term Aboriginal has been replaced to reflect the growing use of Indigenous as the alternative. |
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While the primary focus of the journal remains Australasia, Labour History has modified its approach to publishing articles on non-Australasian issues. The journal will continue to publish comparative and transnational perspectives on Australian labour and social history. We are now also interested in innovative articles on labour and social history in other countries and regions. In practice the journal has published in recent years a successful series of articles on East Asian labour history. Labour History would welcome similar articles in the future. The journal is interested in becoming a centre for international debates on labour historiography and theory and would encourage manuscripts along these lines. We have an active editorial board and international advisory board that can obtain ready access to a wide range of referees through the internet and ensure we publish only quality manuscripts. |
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The lead article of this issue is an example of comparative history that provides a perspective on the Australian experience. Dominique Clément explores the role of the civil liberties movements in fighting the attempts by federal governments in Australia and Canada to suppress communism. The Communist Party Dissolution Bill (1950) and subsequent referendum (1951) in Australia and the espionage commission (1946) in Canada represent the highpoints of these efforts. He notes, however, that divisions within the political left, most notably between social democrats and communists, as well as weaknesses in the legal system, created significant obstacles to the civil liberties movements in both countries. |
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The next two articles focus on the ALP: one at the state level and one at the municipal level. In early 2003, the Brack's Victorian Labor Government enacted legislation to reform the Legislative Council, the state upper house. The legislation arguably brought about the most extensive changes to the State's parliamentary system since the achievement of responsible government in the 1850s. Paul Strangio charts Labor's efforts to reform the Legislative Council in the 50 years prior to the legislation. Tony Harris examines the fight between the Left and Right in the ALP branches at Leichhardt in Sydney during the 1980s. This article provides important insights into the factional politics of the ALP at the local level and highlights the conflict over Mort's Dock, a significant labour history site. |
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There are two articles that explore nineteenth century Australia. Bradley and Toni Bowden examine the Brisbane boot trade for the period 1869–95 and argue that despite the commitment of male and female bootmakers to labour organisation, they were divided along gender lines. This division was exacerbated by the introduction of mechanisation prior to 1894–95 with women being assigned to work the machinery. Despite the continued growth of the boot trade during this period, the disjuncture along gender lines severely weakened organised labour. Barry McGowan examines the issue of localism in the southern mining region of New South Wales in the second half of the nineteenth century. He notes differences between the gold mining settlements and base metal communities, with the former consisting of independent miners and latter consisting of employees. |
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The remaining three articles deal with a variety of issues. Sarah Gregson looks at racism in inter-war Broken Hill. Sarah notes that while there were divisions about the presence of southern European migrants in the Broken Hill mines, there was strong anti-racist opposition within the Miners' Union. She also contrasts the union's attitudes towards the vexatious returned soldier, Richard Gully, who held strong racist views, with those of mine managers, conservative local newspapers, and Returned Soldiers Association activists. Con Allimonos provides a political history of the Greek Democritus League which was the prime agency for the Greek communist activity in Melbourne before and after World War II. Les Louis looks at the efforts of the state to suppress communist activity in late 1940 particularly through the arbitration system. He focuses on the jailing of union official, Ted Roach, in Long Bay Jail as a case study. |
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In addition to the articles, there is a range of other items and our highly-regarded book review section. Morris Graham reports on the significance of the minutes of the Hamilton Branch of ALP in Newcastle for researchers, while Jeff Shaw examines the importance for H.V. Evatt of the prizes that Evatt won at Fort Street High School. Clyde Cameron's address to the AGM of Adelaide Branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History adds fuel to the debate over the future direction of the ALP. This issue has a tribute to the late Len Fox, who was a stalwart of the Australian Society for Study of Labour History. There is an obituary for Jim Cairns written by Paul Strangio, who recently authored a biography of Cairns. One of the highlights of 2004 was the excellent National Labour History Conference in Brisbane, for which we carry a report in this issue. Mark Hearn provides a report on the National Conference of the ALP. This is the first time the journal will have carried a report on this conference and we hope it will become a standard feature of the journal, complementing the long-running series of reports on the ACTU Congresses. There is also a report by Melissa Kerr on the Struggling for Recognition Conference on labour biography at the University of Sydney in November 2003. This conference was part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations of teaching industrial relations at the University of Sydney. Some of the papers presented at the conference have been submitted for refereeing for the next issue of Labour History, which will have a special thematic section on labour biography. |
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