Principled. Radical. Abolitionist.

Who We Are

The Workers Caucus brings together libertarians who believe that the Libertarian Party should be a vehicle for the consistent advancement of libertarian principles, rather than an organisation whose direction is determined primarily by the pursuit of electoral success.

We share a commitment to individual liberty, private property, voluntary association and the non-aggression principle. We believe these principles should inform not only the policies the party advocates, but also its political strategy, public messaging and long-term objectives.

We identify with the Austro-libertarian tradition, drawing on Austrian economics to inform our understanding of markets, economic coordination and the effects of government intervention.

Our concern is not simply what the party proposes at the next election, but what kind of libertarian movement it is helping to build. We want a party capable of developing principled libertarians, advancing radical ideas and contributing to lasting intellectual and political change.

The caucus exists to advance that direction from within the party through principled advocacy, education, discussion and participation in its internal affairs.

Our Principles

The Workers Caucus is founded upon three commitments: principled libertarianism, radicalism and abolitionism. Together, they define both the philosophy we advocate and the political approach we believe the Libertarian Party should pursue.

Principled

We hold that every individual possesses rights that do not originate from government and are not dependent upon political approval. These include the rights to life, liberty, private property and voluntary association.

We uphold the non-aggression principle: no individual, organisation or government possesses a legitimate right to initiate force or fraud against another.

Political positions should follow consistently from these principles. They should not be altered merely because their application is unpopular or electorally inconvenient.

Our economic outlook is informed by the Austrian School of economics, particularly its emphasis on individual action, subjective value, entrepreneurship and the coordinating role of market prices. We regard this economic perspective as complementary to our principles of individual rights and voluntary association.

Radical

We understand radicalism in its proper sense: addressing political questions at their root.

Libertarianism is more than a preference for lower taxation, reduced regulation or more efficient government. It is a philosophy that challenges the legitimacy of coercive political authority and offers a fundamentally different understanding of the relationship between individuals and the state.

We believe the party should be willing to articulate the full implications of libertarian thought, including positions that fall outside the prevailing political consensus.

Radical ideas should be explained, defended and advanced, not concealed or abandoned in an effort to appear more conventional.

Abolitionist

Our objective is not simply to improve the administration of coercive government institutions, but to advocate the abolition of laws, privileges and institutions that cannot be reconciled with individual liberty.

Where state intervention violates individual rights, our principled position is to seek its elimination, rather than accepting its continued existence as a permanent feature of political life.

We recognise that particular reforms may produce genuine advances in liberty. However, accepting an incremental improvement does not require us to abandon or obscure our ultimate objective.

The Workers Caucus therefore advocates an explicitly abolitionist direction: the removal of coercive state power in favour of voluntary relationships and institutions.

Principle and Electoral Politics

A central concern of the Workers Caucus is the relationship between libertarian principles and electoral politics.

The present Libertarian Party, formerly the Liberal Democrats, has developed primarily as an electoral organisation. Its political strategy has placed considerable emphasis on contesting elections, securing parliamentary representation and advocating policies designed to attract electoral support.

This approach is reflected in the party's public campaigns and stated objectives.

For example, the party's 2025 federal election campaign emphasised personal freedom, lower taxation, reducing government overreach and returning Libertarian representatives to federal parliament. [1]

Its 2025 prosperity policies also proposed a 20 per cent flat income-tax rate above specified thresholds, reducing the Australian Taxation Office workforce by half and restricting the Reserve Bank's mandate. [2]

These proposals illustrate an approach in which reducing the scale and scope of government is often presented as an immediate political objective. The party also supports some outright abolitions, and we recognise that reforms which reduce coercion can advance liberty.

The Workers Caucus nevertheless believes that a libertarian political organisation must maintain a clear distinction between its ultimate principles and the incremental measures it may pursue.

In particular, we reject the notion that a policy should be moderated simply because a more principled position is considered electorally difficult. The party's purpose should not be confined to advocating what it believes the electorate is already prepared to accept.

We believe electoral participation can be valuable when it provides a platform to explain and defend the philosophy of liberty. What matters is that the principles determine the message, rather than the perceived demands of an election campaign.

We seek to build a movement whose electoral support follows from its principles, rather than one whose principles follow from its electoral strategy.

A voter may support a Libertarian candidate without adopting libertarian philosophy. While such support can have practical electoral value, it is not a substitute for building a movement of people who understand and hold libertarian convictions.

We therefore favour a long-term approach centred on education, intellectual development, principled advocacy and the cultivation of committed libertarians.

Elections should provide opportunities to advance that work. They should never become its sole purpose or measure of success.

Our Historical Inspiration

The Workers Caucus takes its name from the tradition of Australia's original Workers Party, established in 1975.

The Workers Party was among Australia's earliest explicitly libertarian political organisations. It was launched at the Sydney Opera House on 25 January 1975, with figures including John Singleton, Bob Howard, Mark Tier, Duncan Yuille and John Whiting playing important roles in its establishment and development. [3]

The party emerged when Australia had little organised libertarian political activity. Its founders saw the opportunity to use a political party to introduce libertarian philosophy to a wider audience and to help develop a movement around those ideas.

Its platform was built around a fundamental principle rejecting the initiation of force, fraud and coercion. This principle was intended to provide a consistent foundation for the party's political positions.

The Lessons of the Workers Party

The experience of the Workers Party also raised important questions about the relationship between libertarian philosophy and electoral success.

In March 1978, Bob Howard reflected on those questions in his essay The Road to Where?, published in Libertarian Optimism, the newsletter of the Progress Party of New South Wales. [4]

Howard argued that the party's commitment to libertarian philosophy must take precedence over its immediate electoral fortunes.

“We would rather be an unsuccessful libertarian party than a successful non-libertarian party.”

Bob Howard, The Road to Where?, March 1978

Howard distinguished the political party from the philosophy it existed to advance. A party was a means of promoting libertarian ideas, not an end in itself.

His argument was that the growth of libertarianism should not be judged exclusively by the electoral performance of a particular political organisation. The development of a genuine libertarian movement was itself a significant achievement.

This remains an important lesson for the Workers Caucus. Political organisations have value insofar as they advance the principles for which they were established.

A Renewed Commitment to Radicalism

The Workers Party's legacy subsequently influenced later libertarian efforts in Australia.

In November 2020, a separate organisation calling itself the Libertarian Party of Australia was launched with the intention of developing a radical, education-focused libertarian political organisation.

That organisation was distinct from the Liberal Democrats, which subsequently adopted the Libertarian Party name.

In May 2023, the separate Libertarian Party of Australia published an open letter concerning the proposed name change. The letter explained its historical influences and argued for a principled political strategy that prioritised education, radical ideas and the long-term advancement of libertarianism. [5]

The concerns expressed in that letter remain relevant to the broader question of what a political party calling itself libertarian should seek to accomplish.

The Workers Caucus is a separate initiative within the present Libertarian Party, not a continuation of either historical organisation. It draws inspiration from their commitment to principled libertarian politics and the development of a lasting movement.

Our Objectives Within the Party

The Workers Caucus seeks to advance a principled, radical and abolitionist direction within the Libertarian Party through organised participation and advocacy.

Our objectives are:

1. Uphold libertarian principles. Promote the consistent application of individual rights, private property, voluntary association and the non-aggression principle in the party's policies, public statements and political strategy.
2. Advance radical and abolitionist positions. Advocate policies that challenge coercive state power at its foundations, including the abolition of unjust laws, privileges and institutions, rather than accepting their permanent administration.
3. Promote libertarian education. Encourage the study, discussion and communication of libertarian philosophy, Austrian economics, political economy, history and strategy among party members and the wider public.
4. Contribute to party policy and direction. Participate in internal discussions, policy development and party processes to advocate principled positions and a coherent long-term libertarian strategy.
5. Build organisational self-sufficiency. Develop the resources, skills and internal capacity needed for the party to sustain its operations independently and remain a resilient, sustainable organisation over time.

Our Approach to the Party

The Workers Caucus exists to advance these objectives within the Libertarian Party, not to establish a separate electoral party.

We recognise that libertarians may disagree on political strategy and the pace at which particular reforms should be pursued. Such disagreement does not prevent cooperation where there are shared objectives.

However, cooperation does not require the abandonment of principle. We will continue to advocate radical libertarian positions and argue for their consistent application, including where those positions differ from the party's prevailing approach.

We seek a party that is confident in its philosophy, willing to explain its ultimate objectives and committed to advancing libertarianism beyond the next election.

The Workers Caucus stands for a Libertarian Party that places principles before votes, radicalism before political convention, and abolition before the permanent management of coercive state power. We intend to advocate that direction consistently and without compromise of our fundamental principles.