Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party (ALP), commonly known as Labor, was historically spelt both as Labour and as Labor. The ALP, which adopted the formal name Australian Labour Party in 1908, but changed the spelling to Labor in 1912, is a major centre-left political party in Australia. The party has been in opposition at the federal level since the 2013 election. Bill Shorten has been the party's federal parliamentary leader since 13 October 2013. The party is a federal party with branches in each state and territory. Labor is in government in the states of Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, and in both the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory. The party competes against the Liberal/National Coalition for political office at the federal and state levels. It is the oldest political party in Australia.