Australian Labor Party Caucus (original) (raw)

The Australian Labor Party Caucus comprises all the elected members of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in both Houses of the national Parliament. The Caucus determines some matters of policy, parliamentary tactics, and disciplinary measures against disobedient MPs. It is alternatively known as the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party (FPLP). The word "Caucus" has American roots and was introduced to the ALP by King O'Malley, an American-born Labor member of the first federal Parliament in 1901. In the non-Labor parties, such party meetings are more commonly described as a "party room".