[15] Many ALP members during the Cold War period, most but not all of them Catholics, became alarmed at what they saw as the growing power of the Communist Party of Australia within the country's trade unions.

This greatly strengthened its right wing faction and subsequently helped the moderate Bob Hawke to take control of the ALP a few years later.

At the 2006 Victorian state election, the DLP won parliamentary representation for the first time since the 1970s when it won a seat in the Victorian Legislative Council, after fielding candidates in the eight regions of the reformed Council, where proportional representation gave the party the best chance of having members elected.

The DLP received 2.7 per cent of the primary vote in the Western Victoria Region, enough to elect Peter Kavanagh on ALP preferences.

[23] The Labor government required an additional two non-ALP upper house members to pass legislation, which gave the balance of power to the Greens who held three seats.

In late August 2009, Melbourne newspaper The Age reported that the DLP was facing several internal divisions between Kavanagh's faction, which also sought to include evangelical and fundamentalist Protestants within the party, and 'hardline' conservative Catholics.

[28] Madigan was in a balance of power position following the 2013 election where an additional six non-government Senators were required to pass legislation.

In his maiden speech to the Senate, Madigan denounced Victoria's "inhumane" abortion laws and committed to help restore Australia's dwindling manufacturing sector.

On 18 March 2011 the Victorian Supreme Court handed down a reserved judgment confirming John Mulholland's valid removal as secretary.

[39] In September, 2014 Madigan resigned from the DLP and became an independent, citing long-term internal party tensions and claiming he had been undermined by a member of his staff.

[41] The DLP was elected to the upper house region of Western Metropolitan, with candidate Dr Rachel Carling-Jenkins winning 2.6% of the vote, despite suffering a 0.5% swing.

However from 2020, recruiting drives in the ACT and later in Tasmania and NSW led to a substantial increase in memberships in those states, partially offsetting these losses and helping to refocus the party on contemporary policy issues including housing affordability, energy cost and reliability and the growing threat posed by China.

Victorian upper house MP Bernie Finn joined the DLP after his expulsion from the Liberal Party.

[46] Former Labor-turned-independent MP Adem Somyurek also joined the DLP just weeks before the state election, having resigned from parliament only days prior.