Labor Right

The Labor Right, or Labor Unity in some State branches, or Centre Unity in NSW, is the organised faction of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) that tends to be more economically liberal and socially conservative than Labor Left.

Nationally, the Right is a broad alliance of the various Right state groupings. Each state may have one or two different sub-factions, generally the right and centre leaning factions of each state branch. State-based factions (national sub-factions) which make up the National Right include:

New South Wales

• Centre Unity

Queensland

• Labor Unity (Old Guard)
• Labor Forum

Australian Capital Territory

• Centre Coalition
• Labor Unity

Victoria

• Labor Unity

Western Australia

• WA Labor Centre
• WA Labor Right

Northern Territory

• NT Labor Unity

South Australia

• Labor Unity SA

Factional power usually finds expression in the percentage vote of aligned delegates at party conferences. The power of the Labor Right varies from state to state, but it usually relies on certain trade unions, such as the Australian Workers Union and the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association which send factionally aligned delegates to conference and also from ordinary party members with right wing alliance.

The Right is currently the dominant faction in the Labor party. The faction also holds a majority on the party's National Executive. The usual arrangement is that the federal leader of the party is from the Right, while the deputy leader is from the Left, although presently Julia Gillard, the federal Labor leader and prime minister, is from the Left with support of the Right. Most of the Labor state Premiers are associated with the Right; there are some exceptions, such as former Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill.