Lang Labor - The Lang Dictatorship

The Lang Dictatorship

Lang responded to the challenge by calling a special meeting of the party conference where, at his request, the conference took a supervisory role in the pre-selection of party candidates, took away from caucus the power to elect the parliamentary leader and allowed the party leader to select the cabinet. In the press these rule changes were referred to as "the red rules" or "the Lang dictatorship".

Lang still faced significant opposition within the caucus and the caucus appointed cabinet but he was able to defeat his opponents by returning his commission as Premier to the Governor, Sir Dudley de Chair on 25 May 1927. This automatically resulted in the dismissal of the cabinet. As there was no viable alternative government, De Chair recommissioned Lang to form a caretaker government on the condition that he would recommend a dissolution of the Legislative Assembly and call an election. The new government was formed solely of Lang supporters and Lang used the four months prior to the election to ensure that his opponents were denied ALP pre-selection.The ALP lost the election but the caucus that was elected was under Lang's control and he was able to dominate the party in NSW for the next 12 years.