The Birth of an Organising Union

themselves to be manipulated by this
scab politician as they have done. In
due time they will recognise the error
they have made.’
Hughes’ career continued to flourish;
he successfully ran as the official Labor
Party candidate for the new federal
seat of West Sydney in March 1901, and
moved from state politics to the new
Commonwealth parliament, then based
in Melbourne.
Billy Hughes served as the
Commonwealth Attorney-General
in the Labor Government of Prime
Minister Andrew Fisher between 1910-
1913.
Conscription
In 1916, during the brutal conduct
of the First World War, Labor
Prime Minister Billy Hughes, who
had succeeded Andrew Fisher a
year earlier, decided to support
the introduction of conscription
for overseas military duty. The
labour movement was opposed to
conscription, believing that Australia’s
volunteer forces, and the work
performed by workers within Australia,
were sufficient sacrifices for the war
effort.
Hughes’ decision split the Labor Party
and the government. In September
1916 Hughes was expelled from the
Labor Party. On 4 October 1916 the
Trolly, Draymen and Carters’ Union
voted to expel Hughes. At the same
meeting Mick Connington tendered
his resignation as secretary, as did the
union’s organiser, J. D. Rudd.
Connington said that ‘he considered
it was his duty to support Mr. Hughes
in his campaign, and he could not
conscientiously reconcile that attitude
with his position as secretary of
a union which has voted against
conscription.’ The meeting however
passed a vote of confidence in
Connington, in appreciation of his
service to the union. As one newspaper
commented, ‘it is no exaggeration to
say that his loss will probably be felt
40 The Birth of an Organising Union