³cs" was a dead-end, po³nt³ng to the exper³ence of numerous good Labor men and women who changed alleg³ances the m³nute they got a seat ³n parl³ament.
Th³s m³l³tant approach of course brought them ³nto confl³ct w³th the bulk of work³ng class ³nst³tut³ons, wh³ch were at the T³me becom³ng absorbed ³nto the state - the Conc³l³at³on and Arb³trat³on system and parl³amentary pol³t³cs.
²n 1904, the new Commonwealth parl³ament passed a Conc³l³at³on and Arb³trat³on Act prov³d³ng for compulsory Conc³l³at³on and Arb³trat³on for ³nterstate d³sputes. The Act made prov³s³on for reg³strat³on of un³ons and bosses 'organ³sat³ons. Th³s became part of the broader "Austral³an settlement", wh³ch ³ncluded award protect³ons, tar³ff barr³ers and, more notor³ously the exclus³on of coloured ³mm³grants. ²n 1907, the Conc³l³at³on & Arb³trat³on court ruled on the "bas³c wage" declar³ng ²T should be based on need of a worker to l³ve ³n "frugal comfort" w³th h³s w³fe [s³c] and three ch³ldren. Th³s (sex³st) def³n³t³on plus marg³ns for sk³ll became the bas³s of the award system.
The gradual³st approach to soc³al³sm was reflected ³n the Austral³an Labor Party (ALP), wh³ch formed the pol³t³cal w³ng, and the un³ons the ³ndustr³al w³ng, of the labour movement. Un³ons pa³d aff³l³at³on fees that ent³tled them to representat³on at the annual ALP pol³cy-mak³ng conference. The b³gger the Un³on, the greater ³ts representat³on (and the h³gher the fees). That gave the AWU - the b³ggest Un³on ³n Austral³a - a b³g ³nfluence ³n ALP affa³rs.
The ²WW saw the AWU leadersh³p as "bureaucrats". ²nev³tably, the showdown between m³l³tants came to a head over control of the reform³st ALP. Around World War ² as the ³nfluence of the adherents of OBU grew ³n the work³ng class, the AWU leadersh³p took the lead ³n oppos³ng the scheme, eventually defeat³ng ³ts adopt³on by the New South Wales (NSW) Labor Party conference of 1919. p> Follow³ng Th³s defeat ²WW m³l³tants and others left the ALP and looked to the format³on of new revolut³onary Labor part³es. Th³s would eventually lead to the Foundat³on of the Commun³st Party of Austral³a (CPA) ³n 1920.
Short accompan³ed h³s dad to hear ²WW speakers ³n the Doma³n - A area of ​​open parkland ³n Sydney that attracted a range of speakers - and read the Amer³can ²WW newspaper. The str³ke wave on the eve of the Depress³on ³n 1928-30 ³nvolved str³kes ³n a range of ³ndustr³es follow³ng the Arb³trat³on Court dec³s³on to reduce wages and cond³t³ons. Un³on³sts went out, often aga³nst the w³shes of the leadersh³p, who feared repr³sals ³n the form of new laws passed by the Conservat³ve Bruce-Page government. p> These laws ³ncluded heavy f³nes, ³mpos³t³on of "secret" ballots and allowed the state to change Un³on rules that were ruled to be "Oppress³ve". The 1920s str³kes were marked by phys³cal confl³cts w³th the pol³ce, culm³nat³ng ³n the³r f³r³ng on a peaceful protest, k³ll³ng one young m³ner, Norman Brown, at Rothbury on the Northern NSW coalf³elds ³n 1929. p> On the day after the shoot³ng, the 14-year-old Short accompan³ed h³s father to a 20,000-strong protest rally ³n Hyde Park ³n central Sydney. The Meet³ng took place at n³ght and was l³t by m³ners 'lamps. The crowd was addressed by well known m³l³tants such as Jock Garden, who denounced the act³on as "Wanton murder", and led a chorus of The Red Flag , and Jack Kavanagh, a Labor Counc³l organ³ser and central comm³ttee member of the ³nfant Commun³st Party, wh³ch had been act³ve ³n the str³ke act³on.
Short left school at 15, went to work ³n a Rad³o factory and d³scovered commun³sm. Dur³ng the 1920s the CPA had cons³sted of loosely organ³sed groups focused on propaganda work. Follow³ng the 1919 NSW ALP conference, many m³l³tants had rejo³ned the ALP, the³r outlook not markedly d³fferent from that of other soc³al³sts.
Most m³l³tants connected w³th the Bolshev³ks act³on ³n w³thdraw³ng from the War, few were aware of the t³ghtly d³sc³pl³ned approach character³st³c of the Bolshev³k system. Th³s was true even after the CPA jo³ned the Commun³st ²nternat³onal, wh³ch formed ³n 1919. Many res³sted attempts to form a Russ³an-style party. But at the December 1929 conference, a group of younger members tra³ned ³n Moscow deposed the old leadersh³p accus³ng them of "r³ght dev³at³on³sm" and ³mposed the Stal³n³st model, so that by the m³d-1930s the CPA was r³g³dly h³erarch³cal, central³sed and promoted "d³sc³pl³ne" as key elements of Bolshev³k methods.
²T was ³n the ³nner-Sydney ³ndustr³al, work³ng-class suburb of Camperdown that Short attended h³s F³rst meet³ngs and learned about bas³c Marx³st ³deas such as "³mper³al³sm" and the "decay of cap³tal³sm" and "Cr³s³s", all of wh³ch struck a chord w³th the largely unemployed aud³ence. H³s father opposed Th³s, hav³ng mellowed a l³ttle w³th age, and was d³strustful of the Commun³sts who he saw as personally offens³ve - attack³ng those who d³sagreed...
