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DLP Senator John Madigan Quits Party; Alleges Cancer Of Political Intrigue; Will Sit As Independent

Senator John Madigan has announced his resignation from the Democratic Labour Party, alleging a “cancer of political intrigue” and declaring he will sit as an independent for the remainder of his term.

Madigan

Madigan told the Senate this morning that his former office manager had been in contact with the Liberal Party about forthcoming preselections. Madigan told the Senate: “That person systematically ran a campaign of disinformation and disharmony in my office.”

Later, Madigan tabled a series of emails between his former office manager, Rachel Carling-Jenkins, and Liberal Party officials.

Madigan claimed “confidential information was leaked and lies were told”. He said attempts by him to undertake “normal communication” with party members were thwarted. The “cancer of political intrigue clearly has infected the Victorian State Executive of the DLP”, Madigan said. [Read more…]


DLP 1974 Policy Speech – Senator Frank McManus

This is a partial audio of the Democratic Labor Party’s policy speech for the 1974 federal election.

The broadcast is delivered by the party’s leader, Victorian Senator Frank McManus.

Unfortunately, the recording is incomplete. I have only just under 5 minutes of what I think was a 10-minute broadcast.

McManus lost his seat at the election, as did all the DLP’s sitting members. The DLP’s Senate representation fell from five to zero.

The DLP disappeared as a political force for the next 32 years. It won a seat in the Victorian Legislative Council in 2006, losing it in 2010. At the 2010 federal election, John Madigan won a Senate seat in Victoria.

  • Listen to Senator Frank McManus deliver the DLP’s 1974 policy speech (5m)

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  • Read a biography of McManus from the Australian Dictionary of Biography

Two days after his policy speech, a letter from McManus was published in The Australian:

DLP