Categorising the Australian Labor Party: a 'Connective' Party?

This paper has two broad aims. First it seeks to categorise the Australian Labor Party (ALP) by engaging with the wider literature on party types. The paper argues that none of the existing typologies or types can adequately capture the current dominant characteristics of the ALP. Second, it explores the extent to which the ALP might be better understood as a tentative new type of party – a ‘connective’ party. By exploring the extent to which Labor MPs and parts of the party machine are using social media to find new ways of engaging with its supporters and wider civil society. Overall, the suggestive argument offered here is that the despite some potential in exploring the ‘connective’ dimensions of the party; it defies pigeon-holing in any of the main ideal types of parties. The paper is organised in three sections. In the first part, a snapshot is offered of key party types. In the second section, the ALP is matched and mapped against these common types, and in the third section, the ALP is explored as a ‘connective’ party.