In an article published in Pearls and Irritations, I look at the question of faith-based political parties. This is a subject that has been discussed in the media following the defection of Senator Fatima Payman from the Labor Party. The senator, who is a Muslim, left the party after crossing the floor to vote in favour of a Greens’ motion regarding the recognition of Palestinian statehood.

The discussion in the media has raised the possibility of a Muslim party being formed to challenge Labor in the Senate and in seats where there are large numbers of Muslim voters. In the short term, the aim of such a party would be to force Labor to adopt a stronger stance in favour of Palestinian statehood.

There seems to be general agreement among commentators that a Muslim party would not be a viable proposition. In the course of the discussion, some commentators have referred to the Democratic Labor Party, which was formed following the 1955 split of the Australian Labor Party over the issue of communist influence in the trade union movement and in the Labor Party itself. Although most DLP members and supporters were Catholics, it was not a Catholic party. What brought them together was their anti-communism rather than their religious identification. Some anti-communist Protestants within the labour movement were also attracted to the new party.

In all the discussion about faith-based political parties, no one seems to have mentioned the Democratic Party. It was formed in 1919 and contested the 1920 and 1922 New South Wales state elections. It was a truly Catholic party, formed to pressure the Labor Party into supporting state aid for Catholic schools. It had an inglorious history, serving to galvanise ultra-Protestants to ensure the election of a government that was strongly anti-Catholic. Hence, the title “Road to Nowhere”.