Welcome to the Left History Archive

This archive is an attempt to gather together an archive of digital material -- that can be readily accessed on the internet -- of the history and political role of the Communist Party of Australia from it's inception to the present day, and also a general archive of documents and articles that are relevant to national and international struggle.

If anyone has material they would like to contribute -- either in written, printed or digital form -- please feel free to and arrangements will be made. If you are a Party member, or ex-Party member, please consider writing or dictating into a cassette recorder any memories you have of campaigns, union struggles, cultural struggles or elements of Party life that you are or were involved in -- however minor you might feel it to be -- and send them to us: we can take this material and turn it into an internet accessable form, and your reminiscences will be available for all. Your memories will become our memories: your experience will become our experience. And our political role and our political history as a Party and as individual Party members are too important to be lost to the sands of time.

If you have time to prepare digital material and have access to a computer, again, please feel free to contact us at . We will genuinely value any assistance you can give to the creation of this archive.

Search our site

Australian documents and articles

• An Outline History of the Australian Communist Party, Lance Sharkey, Australian Communist Party, December 1944. pp. 1-83
• The Story of Government Enterprise in Australia, Lance Sharkey and Ernie Campbell, Australian Communist Party, January 1945. pp. 1-80
• History of the Australian Labor Movement -- A Marxist Interpretation, Ernie Campbell, Current Book Distributors, 1945. pp. 5-160
• Immigration and the "White Australia" Policy, Richard Dixon, Current Book Distributors, Sydney, 1945. pp. 1-15
• Communism is in the best interests of the Australian people, Edgar Ross, Speech at Rushcutters Bay Stadium, September 23, 1948
• The Story of the Sharkey Trial, Harold Rich. The Release Sharkey Committee, 1949.
• The Unnecessary Police State Bill, The Australian Council For Civil Liberties, July, 1950 This pamphlet, written from a bourgeois-liberal viewpoint, is indicative of the political arguments against the Communist Party Dissolution Act that were used by many in parliament and the bourgeois media.
• The Party, the Class Enemy and the Mass Movement, W. Smith, Communist Review, Number 1, December 1950. This article appeared in the first edition of Communist Review printed while the Party was underground, pending the High Court decision on the Communist Party Dissolution Act.
• Warmongers Unmasked: History of Cold War in Germany, Wilfred Burchett, World Unity Publications, Melbourne. 1950. This astonishing analysis of post-war machinations in Germany -- written by legendary Australian journalist, Wilfred Burchett -- was one of the first major exposés of Imperialism's Cold War strategy and tactics.
• The Peace Charter and Anti-Conscription, W. Johns, Communist Review, Number 2, January, 1951. pp. 29-32
• Ballot Riggers At Work!, Communist Party of Australia pamphlet, 1953 This pamphlet examines the way that 'court controlled ballots' were used by the state to rig union elections to oust popular Communist and militant union leaders, and replace them with conservatives. Still quite relevant today, unfortunately.
• The Eureka Stockade 1854-1954, R. D. Walshe, Current Book Distributors, 40 Market Street, Sydney, November 1954.
• Why I am a Communist, Katherine Susannah Prichard, Current Book Distributors, Sydney, 1956. pp. 1-16 . Katherine Susannah Prichard was one of the most widely respected Australian authors of the 20th Century. In 1951, she was nominated for a Nobel Prize for Literature.
• Socialism In Australia: Communist View on Democratic Socialism, Lance Sharkey, Current Book Distributors, 40 Market Street, Sydney. June 1957. pp. 1-47
• Penal Powers: Menzies' weapon against Unions and Wages, Jack McPhillips, Current Book Distributors, Sydney. August, 1958. pp. 3-31
• The Communist Party and You, Ernie Thornton, Current Book Distributors, 1958
• Education in Crisis, W. E. Gollan, Current Book Distributors, 40 Market Street, Sydney. August, 1959. pp. 1-47
• The Trade Unions: Communist Theory and Practice of Trade Unionism, Lance Sharkey, Current Book Distributors, January 1961. There are very few books or pamphlets ever written that can really claim to have fundamentally changed a country, economically or politically: but Lance Sharkey's The Trade Unions is definitely one of those rare books. It can seriously be argued that this is the most influential book or pamphlet written in the 20th Century in Australia, and it had political repercussions and effects that extended far, far beyond it's pages. The Trade Unions was reprinted 8 times, and two generations of CP union activists studied it, to a greater or lesser degree. Even today -- 60 years after it's first printing -- it contains much of relevance, and is still good reading for union activists.
• Forward to 35 Hours!, Building Workers' Industrial Union of Australia, 1962 This BWIU pamphlet was among the first to begin the push for shorter hours in the 1960s.
• When Australia said No!, Ernie Campbell, Australian Left Review, No 2, August-September 1966. pp. 26-31
• Profile: Fred Paterson, Tom Lardner, Australian Left Review, August-September 1966, No 2. pp. 49-55
• Conscription then and now, Eric Fry, Australian Left Review, October-November 1966. pp. 34-39
• Indonesia -- a year after the coup, Rex Mortimer, Australian Left Review, October-November, 1966. pp. 46-51
• Vietnam: The Prospects?, Malcolm Salmon, Australian Left Review, No. 4, August-September 1967. pp. 8-14
• Immigration and the Labor Movement, George Zangalis, Australian Left Review, October-November, No 5, 1967. pp. 46-52
• Political scientists and the C.I.A., John Playford, Australian Left Review, April-May 1968. pp. 14-28
• Burchett Speaks: Malcolm Salmon interviews Wilfred Burchett, Malcolm Salmon, Australian Left Review, October-November 1968. pp. 4-10
• Czechoslovakia: Modern Media -- A New Political Power, W. J. Brown, Socialism and today's Mass Media, 1970. pp. 27-32
• Lenin: As a young Australian met him, Tom Payne, Lenin -- Through Australian Eyes, Novosti Press Agency, 1970. pp. 9-14
• What happened to the Communist Party of Australia? Policies of the CPA leadership on trial, W. J. Brown, Socialist Unity Committee, November 1971. pp 1-43
• The Russian Revolution -- Its Impact on Australia, Edgar Ross, Socialist Party of Australia, November 1972
• An historic conference: Some tasks before us, Peter Symon, Australian Marxist Review, Vol. 1, No. 1, February 1972. pp. 1-5
• Student Worker Unity, Joe Goss, Australian Marxist Review, Vol. 1, No. 1, February 1972. pp. 11-17
• The Women's Movement -- Old and New, Barbara Curthoys, Australian Marxist Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, April 1972. pp. 1-10
• Electoral Reform and the Socialist Struggle, Gorgias, Australian Marxist Review, Vol. 2, No. 2. July, 1973. pp. 1-4
• Action Against Monopoly, Bill Brown, Australian Marxist Review, Vol. 2, No. 2. July 1973. pp. 21-24
• It could happen here, Ronnie Barrett, Australian Marxist Review, Vol. 3, No. 2, October 1974. pp. 21-23
• Debate on Philosophy, Bill Brown and Eric Aarons, Australian Marxist Review, November 1974, No 2, Vol 3. pp. 10-17
• Frank Hardy: Fame Without Glory, Jack Beasley, Red Letter Days: Notes from inside an era, Australasian Book Society Ltd, 1979. pp. 55-95
• Reminiscences Of A Rebel, Stan Moran, Alternative Publishing Co-Op (Au), 1979 The autobiography of Stan Moran, a legend, famous for the number of times he was arrested taking political action, his weekly oration for the CP at the Sydney Domain and his long term role in the Sydney Branch of the Waterside Workers Federation.
• Communists and the Trade Unions, Jack McPhillips, New Age Publishers (Au), 1981 A long overdue companion for Lance Sharkey's well known "The Trade Unions".
• Who threatens Australia?, Socialist Party of Australia, New Age Publishers, November 1982
• ACTU policies on Unemployment (1930s-1980s), Anna Pha, New Age Publishers, February 1983. ISBN 0 908077 26 2. pp. 1-12
• The Election of Fred Paterson to Queensland Parliament, Jim Henderson. James Cook University Students Union, 1986 A pamphlet written by Jim Henderson, who was actively involved, on the election campaign that saw Party member Fred Patterson elected to Parliament.
• Developments for the Australian Working Class Movement, Jack McPhillips, Australian Marxist Review, No 15, November 1986. pp. 5-12
• The Defence White Paper: Australia -- the new Pacific policeman?, Peter Booker, New Age Publishers, May 1987. ISBN 0 908077 91 2. pp 3-22
• Conspiracy Or Groundswell?, Alex Carey, The New Right's Australian Fantasy, Edited by Ken Coghill, McPhee Gribble Penguin Books 1987. pp. 3-19 An interesting article from the late Alex Carey, that traces the development of sectional elements of the corporate propaganda machinery, concentrating on the history of the 'PR industry'. While bourgeois-liberal in content, it contains much of interest.
• The Ideological Management Industry, Alex Carey, Communications and the Media in Australia, E. L. Wheelwright and K. D. Buckley (eds) Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1987 pp. 156-179 This is another interesting piece from the late Alex Carey, examining the growth, use, financing and history of corporate propaganda groups within Australia, and their relationships to their paternal US organisations.
• Australian trade unions move to the "Right", Jack McPhillips, Australian Marxist Review, No 16, April 1987. pp. 23-29
• Aborigines And The First Months Of Colonisation, John Gardener, Aboriginals and Historical Materialism, Polemic Vol. 2, 1988. pp 2-4
• Problems of Unity, Peter Symon, Australian Marxist Review, No. 19, May 1988. pp. 4-8
• Cancer And Agricultural Chemicals, John Gardener, Capitalist Agriculture in the Pre-Revolutionary Period, Polemic, May-June 1988. pp10-14
• The Dialectics of the Peace and Class Struggles, Alan Miller, Australian Marxist Review, No. 21, March 1989. pp5-12
• An Overall Task: Changing Consciousness, Brian Rooney, Australian Marxist Review, No. 21, March 1989. pp25-27
• The gathering of the hard right, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 484, May 10, 1989
• Push to "integrate" public and private schools, The Guardian, No. 484, May 10, 1989
• Second frame-up of Tim Anderson, The Guardian, No. 488, 7th June, 1989. p 4
• New Left Party: What's the alternative?, Peter Symon, The Guardian, No. 488, 7th June, 1989. p 5
• The real drug offensive, Nick Southall, The Guardian, No. 488, 7th June, 1989. p 6
• US-style "Kentucky-fried" medicine: Could it happen here?, Dr Con Costa, Secretary, Doctors' Reform Society, The Guardian, No. 496, 2nd August, 1989. p 6
• Evolution of a strike-breaker, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 500, 30th August, 1989. p2
• Privatising prisons, The Guardian, No. 511, November 15, 1989. p1
• The right to strike, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 513, November 29, 1989
• Corporate diet for students, The Guardian, No. 513, November 29, 1989
• The Cold War, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 515, December 13, 1989
• The privatisation push, Anna Pha, Australian Marxist Review, December 1989. pp. 21 - 28
• Coal in crisis, Leon Bringolf, Australian Marxist Review, Number 18, December, 1989. pp. 29 - 32
• Tourism and Prostitution, John Gardener, On Tourism, 1989, pp 14-19
• Good Planets Are Hard To Find, Dr Hannah Middleton, New Era Publications, 1989. ISBN 0 908077 05 X. pp 1-21
• Perestroika ญญ A Balance Sheet, Peter Symon, General Secretary, Socialist Party of Australia, The Guardian, No. 519, 14th February, 1990
• The "Inc" must go, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 523, March 14, 1990
• Past sacrifices thrown away, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 528, April 18, 1990
• Links between peace, social justice and the environment, Pauline Mitchell, Australian Marxist Review, Number 25, April, 1990 pp. 10-13
• Yeltsin spells trouble, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 535, 6th June, 1990. p2
• About power and democracy, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 537, 20th June, 1990
• Power and Democracy, Alan Miller, Australian Marxist Review, No 26, June-September 1990. pp. 4-15
• Come into my parlour, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 540, 11th July, 1990
• A dangerous and irresponsible act, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 545, August 15, 1990
• Does Bob realise what he's done?, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 546, August 22, 1990
• Privatisation: The slippery slope of betrayal, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 549, 12th September, 1990
• Which way the world?, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 551, 26th September, 1990. p2
• Political Statement, Special Congress of the Socialist Party of Australia, September 28 -- October 1, 1990
• Marking the Russian revolution, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 557, 7th November, 1990
• Jumping on the gravy train, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 561, 5th December, 1990. p2
• Racism, Habib Fares, Australian Marxist Review, No. 27, 1991. pp 37-40
• Humour is Serious Business, Rob Gowland, Australian Marxist Review, No. 27, 1991. pp 33-36
• Censored!, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 566, 13th February, 1991. p2
• International thuggery, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 568, 27th February, 1991. p2
• Australia needs an alternative, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 570, 13th March, 1991. p2
• The socialist press lives on, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 574, 10th April, 1991. p2
• Running the world is a hard job, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 575, 17th April, 1991. p2
• A lesson from the past, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 585, 26th June, 1991. p2
• Desecrating black and white film, Rob Gowland, The Guardian, No. 589, July 24, 1991
• Why did it happen?, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 594, 28th August, 1991
• Who made a mistake?, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 596, 11th September, 1991
• The East Timor Massacre, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 606, 20th November, 1991. p2
• Making history, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 564, 30th January, 1991. p2
• Gulf Crisis: Who Wants War? The Hidden Story, Vic Williams, Socialist Party of Australia Pamphlet, 1991. pp 1-12
• Independence and sovereignty?, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 615, 4th March, 1992. p2
• The long road to liberation, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 616, 11th March, 1992. p2
• The world cop flexes its muscles, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 618, 25th March, 1992. p2
• Media inquiry endorses Big Three, Craig Ryan, The Guardian, No. 619, 1st April, 1992. p 3
• Let's get going, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 637, 5th August, 1992. p2
• Work for nothing and get a job, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 652, 18th November, 1992
• Modern Liquidationism, Peter Symon, Australian Marxist Review, No 29, May 1992 pp 17-24.
• The Fred Hollows legacy, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 659, 17th February, 1993
• The banning of David Irving, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 660, 24th February, 1993. p2
• An autobiographical sketch, Edgar Ross. Unpublished. August 1993
• Profound message remains, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 734, 31st August, 1994
• The environmental crisis: past the point of no return, Erna Bennett, Report to the Central Committee, October 29 and 30, 1994
• A critique of the Federal Government's Green Paper Restoring Full Employment, Socialist Party of Australia, Australian Marxist Review, No 33, 1994
• The anti-privatisation campaign, Peter Symon, Eddie Clynes and David Matters, Australian Marxist Review, No 32, 1994
• Beware Privatised Water!, Blacktown Branch, Socialist Party of Australia, Pamphlet, 1994. pp 1-4
• The Socialist Party of Australia and the Political Alternative, Eddie Clynes, Australian Marxist Review, No 32, 1994
• The Struggle for Migrant Rights, Habib Fares, Australian Marxist Review, No 32, October 1994
• Right-revisionism in Australia, Peter Symon, Australian Marxist Review, No 32, October 1994. pp 51-61.
• The insidious privatisation of sport, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 761, 12th April, 1995
• Privatisation a political question, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 787, 11th October, 1995
• Party work in the Mass Movement, John Bailey, Steve Gibson, Marie Lean and Tony Oldfield, Australian Marxist Review, No 34, 1995
• TNC dictatorship, Anna Pha, The Guardian, No. 753, February 15, 1995
• Some experiences of a Party member active in the trade union movement, Steve Gibson, Australian Marxist Review, No 34, 1995
• Corporate ownership will destroy major sports, Tom Pearson, The Guardian, No. 766, 17th May, 1995. p 5
• Proportional Representation: A more democratic voting system, Socialist Party of Australia, New Age Publishers, February 1996. ISBN. 0 908077 69 6. pp 1-9
• Democracy win a world first victory, Jim Henderson, The Guardian, No. 831, 18th September, 1996. pp 6-7
• 8th Congress Political Resolution, Communist Party of Australia, October 4-7th, 1996
• Howard legitimising racism, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 840, 27th November, 1996
• Secret govt documents reveal lies, aggression against Asia, Peter Symon, The Guardian, No. 844, 29th January, 1997
• Harry Black: culture and struggle on the waterfront, Craig Ryan, The Guardian, February 5, 1997
• Real answer to media monopolies, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 858, 7th May, 1997
• Why we fight for land rights, Dr Hannah Middleton, The Guardian, No. 887, 26th November, 1997
• Environment, hunger and population, Dr Hannah Middleton, Australian Marxist Review, Number 38, 1997. pp 7-17
• Say No to racism, Dr Hannah Middleton, Australian Marxist Review, No 37, 1997
• Government vandals undermining heritage, Peter Mac, The Guardian, No. 898, 18th March, 1998
• Put One Nation last!, Editorial, The Guardian, No. 909, 3rd June, 1998. p2
• The Generals of the rear, Peter Symon, The Guardian, No. 915, 15th July, 1998. p6
• Public Education: Time for a change, but what change?, Erna Bennett, Australian Marxist Review, Number 39, 1998. pp 60-80
• Class and National Formation among the Aborigines, Dr Hannah Middleton, Australian Marxist Review, Number 40, August 1998. pp 53-58
• Please Mr Duffy, the truth: The wharfies and World War Two, Craig Ryan, The Guardian February 17, 1999
• Bougainville: The long struggle for freedom, Moses Havini, New Age Publishers, May 1999. ISBN 0 908077 85 8. pp. 1-16
• The Longford Catastrophe: what price safety?, Peter Mac, The Guardian, No. 964, 28th July, 1999. p12
• An Australian Republic, Laurie Kiek, Australian Marxist Review, No 30, September 1993. pp 5-8
• The Strategy and Tactics of the MUA dispute: An answer to "War on the Waterfront", David Matters, New Age Publishers (Au), February 1999
• The Nazi Scientists: Some serious questions to answer, Peter Mac, The Guardian, No. 968, 25th August, 1999. p3
• Marxist Anthropology, Dr Hannah Middleton, Australian Marxist Review, No. 42 November 2000
• Time for a Treaty, Peter Symon, Australian Marxist Review, No. 42, November 2000
• S11 Handbook, Communist Party of Australia, 2000
• A Brief history of Australian Unionism and the role of the Communist Party, Warren Smith, New Age Publishers, 2000
• Speech at Scotch College, Shane Maloney, August, 2001
• 9th Congress Political Resolution, Communist Party of Australia, April 2001
• Building the People's Movement: a response to the Socialist Alliance, Communist Party of Australia, August 2001
• The US war on terrorism -- what is the real agenda?, Dr Hannah Middleton, Talk at "Politics in the Pub", May, 2002
• Bush's "Mein Kampf" for world domination, Peter Symon, General Secretary, Communist Party of Australia, The Guardian, No: 1112, October 9, 2002
• Too sure of himself, Henry Reynolds, Spectrum, Sydney Morning Herald, August 23-24, 2003. pp8-9
• Stolen Wages, Stolen Generations, Stolen Lives: Tales from the working life of Des Donley, The Guardian, November 5, 2003
• Recolonising the Solomon Islands, Communist Party of Australia Leaflet, 2003
• The Assault on Public Education, John Bailey, Unpublished, 2003
• Defeat the FTA, CPA statement on Free Trade Agreement, The Guardian, No 1171, February 18, 2004
• Agribusinesses in huge water scam, Peter Mac, The Guardian, No. 1171, February 18, 2004
• Len Fox (1905-2004), John Gardener, The Guardian, March 24, 2004. p. 2
• Obituary: Leslie John (Jack) McPhillips (1910-2004), The Guardian, August 25, 2004. p. 2
• The Eureka Stockade 1854-2004, Communist Party of Australia, Blacktown Branch, Pamphlet. November, 2004
• Strength in the union, The Guardian, No. 1222, April 6, 2005
• The legacy of Laurie Aarons, Peter Symon, The Guardian, No. 1223, April 13, 2005
• Obituary: Edmund Allison, Rob Gowland, The Guardian, No. 1223, April 13, 2005

International documents and articles

• In Australia, V. I. Lenin, Pravda (Ru), No. 134. June 13, 1913, reprinted in Collected Works, Vol 19. pp 216-217
• Radio address announcing the Nazi invasion of the USSR, Vyacheslav Molotov, June 22, 1941
• Falsifiers Of History, Foreign Languages Publishing House (USSR), 1948
• On events in Afghanistan, Leonid Brezhnev, Novosti Press Agency Publishing House, Moscow 1980. pp. 1-23
• A New Arena of Struggle: The Electronic Front, Christopher Irwin, Australian Marxist Review, No 34, 1995
• Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources For a New Century, The Project for the New American Century (US), September 2000
• Behind the Invasion of Iraq, The Research Unit for Political Economy (R.U.P.E.), Aspects of India's Economy (In), No. 33 and 34, 2003
• Socialism and Religion, Marx Engels Lenin, New Age Publishers, 2002. ISBN 1 876919 07 8. pp 1--30
• Afghanistan Opium Poppy Survey 2001, United Nations International Drug Control Programme
• Afghanistan Opium Survey 2002, United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention
• Afghanistan Opium Survey 2003, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
• The Spoils of War: Afghanistan's Multibillion Dollar Heroin Trade, Michel Chossudovsky, Centre for Research on Globalization (Ca), April 5, 2004
• Articles and documents on Iraq
• Articles and documents on the invasion of Afghanistan
• Articles and documents on the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea

Home -- Political books for sale! -- Echelon civil disobedience campaign -- Free education for all! -- Join the CPA! -- Left History: A Digital Archive -- Links -- Save Medicare! -- No International Airport in the Sydney Basin -- Repeal the GST! -- No imperialist war! -- Free downloadable political wallpaper -- Questions and Answers -- Radio Red -- Free Perl scripts, PHP scripts and Javascripts -- Stop the Police State! -- NATO-Yugoslav War Internet Resources -- Political t-shirts for sale!

Other CPA Websites: Communist Party of Australia -- Read the Guardian! -- CPA Sydney Maritime and Transport -- CPA South Australia -- CPA Sydney Central