ACT Labor grateful for Canberra Labor Club assistance

In a highly defamatory attack on the Labor Party this morning, Liberal Brendan Smyth has

incorrectly accused the party of breaching a law which he proposed last year but which

doesn’t actually exist.

Mr Smyth has been a long-time politically-biased critic of the ACT’s community club system

and in particular the support the Canberra Labor Club has provided ACT Labor and many

community groups over the past 30 years.

The Labor Club was started 30 years ago, by a group of Labor Party members, some of

whom mortgaged their homes, to create a community club that would support the Labor Party

and worthy community organisations. In 30 years it has grown to be one of the biggest club

groups in Canberra, with around 50,000 members.

Notwithstanding the fact that it was established with the explicit aim of supporting the ALP,

the Canberra Labor Club Group’s financial contributions to the Labor Party have historically

been significantly outweighed by its generous contributions to other worthy community

organisations and charities.

While the ACT Branch of the ALP has been grateful for the fantastic support of the Canberra

Labor Club group over the years, the Branch has for some time been exploring ways to

become financially more sustainable, with support coming from a greater diversity of sources.

In 2010 several eminent former Labor MPs and MLAs were approached to seek their support

for the 1973 Foundation. These founding Directors of the 1973 Foundation, were also joined

by Jon Stanhope last year after his retirement from politics.

The trust structure of the 1973 Foundation allows the Branch to generate its own income from

diverse investments. The Canberra Labor Club Group, with its strong historic links to the

Party, has provided seed funding for the 1973 Foundation. However, it is expected that the

relative importance of Club contributions to the Branch will diminish over time, as the 1973

Foundation becomes a more prominent vehicle to raise funds for the Party.

The 1973 Foundation takes its name from the year a stand-alone ACT Branch of the ALP was

established. The 1973 Foundation creates a new way for Party members and Labor

supporters to financially support the day-to-day activities of the Branch. What sets the 1973

Foundation apart is that donations will be invested, to produce income, ensuring a long-term,

more sustainable financial future for the Branch.

Historically, ACT Labor has enjoyed wonderful support from the Canberra Labor Club and we

hope that all of Canberra’s Community Clubs will continue to be able to fulfil their stated

objectives and continue to support the organisations and community groups they were

designed to support.