Victorian Farmers' Union
The Victorian Farmers' Union (VFU) was an association of farmers and primary producers formed in 1914 in the Australian state of
The VFU was a precursor to the Country Party in Victoria, which merged with other state parties to become the federal Country Party, later the National Party of Australia.
Proposal and formation
The proposal to form the Union was made in a meeting of several farmers at Thorburn's Hotel in Woodend on 18 April 1914.[1]
The attendants at the meeting agreed upon the following resolutions regarding the formation of the association:[1]
- That a Victorian Farmers' Union be formed.
- That the qualification of membership be that they are legitimate farmers.
- That the basis of union be absolutely non-political in the party sense.
The meeting also outlined the union's objectives:[1]
- To safeguard and promote the common interests of all primary producers in the State.
- To meet labour unionism in industrial disputes with the spirit of reason and justice, and at the same time place ourselves in the best position to resist any unfair demands or unreasonable conditions being placed upon us.
- By the application of the co-operative principle on safe and economic lines we propose to guard against the withering influence of monopolistic combinations of every form.
The VFU was inaugurated, and held its first public meeting at
Growth and political activity
At the time of the inaugural conference, the VFU consisted of 130 branches and 2,836 members, drawing its most enthusiastic (and militant) support from farmers in the wheat-growing districts of the
On 26 September 1917, at its conference in Geelong, the VFU passed a motion to change the name of its political wing from the Victorian Farmers' Union Party to the Country Party.[6] The party fought the 1917 Victorian state election as the Farmers' Union. It contested eleven seats in the Legislative Assembly, of which it won four: Grenville, Korong, Rodney and Swan Hill. At the 1920 state election the Farmers' Union's vote increased to 8% and the number of seats to 13,[5] giving the Union the balance of power in the Legislative Assembly. In 1921, the Union caused the dissolution of Parliament after it voted with Labor against the Nationalist government, over the issue of abolishing the state-run wheat-marketing system which had been introduced during World War I, and which benefited small farmers by keeping wheat prices high. At the 1921 state election, the Union increased its vote to 14% but the number of seats dropped to 12, and it continued to hold the balance of power. It would retain that position until 1952.
In September 1923, Harry Lawson formed a composite ministry, Victoria's first conservative coalition, and bringing the VFU into government, with five members, with John Allan as Deputy Premier. The VFU, however, refused to support the coalition and voted it down at its annual conference in March 1924, forcing Lawson to dismiss the Country ministers and form a Nationalist cabinet.[7]
Splits and reconciliations
In 1925, the VFU suffered a major setback when
The PPU announced it would contest all electorates in Victoria's northern wheat belt at the
Another split in the UCP took place in 1937, following the expulsion of Victorian federal MP John McEwen for supporting the federal Coalition government. McEwen's supporters formed the Liberal Country Party in Victoria and were loyal to the federal party, while the UCP remained loyal to the state party and the Victorian United Country Party Premier Albert Dunstan.[13][11] The breach was resolved by 1943.[14]
Federal activities
The VFU also made several forays into federal politics. The VFU nominated John Hall for the
It gained a second member in the
References
- ^ a b c d "Uniting Producers". Lancefield Mercury and West Bourke Agricultural Record. Vic. 24 April 1914. p. 2. Retrieved 12 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "VICTORIAN FARMERS' UNION". Kyneton Guardian. Vic. 11 June 1914. p. 2. Retrieved 12 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "FARMERS' ORGANISATIONS". Kyneton Guardian (Vic. : 1914 – 1918). Vic. 29 April 1916. p. 4. Retrieved 12 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Victorian Farmers' Union. First Conference". Inglewood Advertiser. Vic. 29 September 1916. p. 3. Retrieved 12 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c d PG2694 – National Party of Australia – Victoria, The Page Research Centre, 1 June 2009.
- ^ "FARMERS 'JUMP' A NAME". Geelong Advertiser. Vic. 27 September 1917. p. 4. Retrieved 13 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Donald S. Garden, 'Lawson, Sir Harry Sutherland Wightman (1875–1952)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ^ "PRIMARY PRODUCERS' UNION". Wodonga and Towong Sentinel. Vic. 18 June 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 13 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Primary Producers Union. Why it was started". Werribee Shire Banner. Vic. 1 July 1926. p. 4. Retrieved 13 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "THE NEW FOR THE OLD V.F.U. BECOMES V.C.P." Wodonga and Towong Sentinel. Vic. 25 March 1927. p. 2. Retrieved 13 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b "Victorian Country Party". West Gippsland Gazette (MORNING. ed.). Warragul, Vic. 19 August 1930. p. 2. Retrieved 13 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography: Dunstan, Sir Albert Arthur (1882–1950)
- ^ "TWO COUNTRY PARTY FACTIONS". The Argus. 11 June 1938. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- ^ "Victorian C.P. Amalgamation". The Daily Advertiser. Wagga Wagga, N.S.W. 10 April 1943. p. 2. Retrieved 3 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "CORANGAMITE". The North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times. Tas. 21 December 1918. p. 5. Retrieved 12 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.