At that time the ALP was seen by Militant as having "maintained its internal democracy and its active working class membership base", and so they participated politically within that party.
[5] They organised primarily within the New South Wales trade union movement and Young Labor (the youth wing of the ALP).
They wrote that by that stage it had "played a key role in the introduction of neo-liberal policies and no longer has democratic structures that ensure workers interests are represented".
SP argued for revolutionary socialist politics, while also participating in election campaigns - federal, state and local council.
[7] Anthony Main became SP's second councilor in January 2011,[8] filling a vacancy created by the election of Jane Garrett to the seat of Brunswick.
It argued for the establishment of a new 'mass worker's party' to replace the ALP, based on trade unionism, community participation and a democratic membership.
ISA also objected to a financial payment of $32,000 AUD from Socialist Action to the man accused after he resigned working for the party.
In 1993, members of Militant were heavily involved in a year-long occupation of Richmond Secondary College[13] in an attempt to prevent the school from being closed.
Militant played a prominent role in campaigns against right-leaning state governments in Victoria and New South Wales during this period.
Members often participate in larger protests, including events such as Melbourne's annual St Kilda Gay Pride March and May Day rallies.
Shortly before the rally, the State Government announced its intention to back down from development on the Fitzroy and Richmond estates, where the campaign was most organised.
The Socialist Party holds the position that the tunnel "is not about making the lives of ordinary people easier" but is "about serving the needs of the big transport companies",[30][31] and they contend that it will not substantially ease traffic congestion, but will divert funds from public transport as well as causing damage to the areas through which the tunnel will be built.
This led to the LMA abandoning work on the final drill sites in October 2013, only to make another series of attempts from 16 December.
In Melbourne, they organised large counter-demonstrations of 3–4 thousand people against the newly formed right-wing group Reclaim Australia in April and July 2015.
[41][42] Following the dissolution of Reclaim Australia into separate organisations, the Richmond Town Hall became the target of an anti-Islamic rally held by the United Patriots Front due to the SP having an elected local councilor in Yarra, although the town hall building was empty during this rally and the party was holding a forum to develop the No Room For Racism campaign in the CBD at the time.
SP campaigned for democratic socialism, opposing the bureaucratic 'communist' dictatorships of countries such as China, North Korea, and Cuba.
SP operates on the organising principle of democratic centralism, interpreted as: "the right of all members to discuss programme, policies, strategies and tactics inside the party, while agreeing to a united approach outside around the majority decision.
A capitalist two-state solution, as pushed by the likes of US and the EU, will be a Jewish dominated state with second-class rights and standards of living for the Palestinian masses.
Their policies included reversing the privatisation of rubbish collection,[66] providing more childcare facilities, and the expansion and improvement of public housing.
[68] Despite having an absolute minority on council (and being the only dissident votes on many issues), they managed to achieve some changes by mobilising ordinary residents outside of council chambers, such as securing funding for a public transport advocacy group, helping to revive the Brunswick Street Festival[69] and saving the Loughnan Hall and Tudor Street community centres in Richmond.