What it was
The Australian Labor Party was formed in 1891 out of the labour movement and the great strikes of the 1890s, spreading across the colonies as the party of workers’ interests.
Role
In 1904 it formed one of the world’s earliest labour governments. Since then it has driven reforms in social security, health, and the integration of immigrants, alternating in power with the conservative parties.
Fate
It has produced many prime ministers, among them John Curtin and Gough Whitlam, and remains one of Australia’s two major parties today.