ABSTRACT
The fundamental orientation of party politics in Australia around class helped lead to the incorporation of Catholics, and Catholic representation in political office significantly increased in times of great salience of class. A reconstructive labor coalition contributed to the transformation of Catholic standing in Australia. This coalition was reconstructive and not simply a coalition of convenience for several reasons. Catholics were concentrated in the working class, making them organizationally important to the labor movement. The development of compulsory voting ensured that attempts to try to restrict the Catholic influence became impossible. A more equal income distribution may have had a greater effect on the kind of labor movement that developed, rather than on the overall strength of the labor movement. A further institutional advantage in promoting a reconstructive Catholic–Protestant working-class coalition was the development of compulsory voting, which prevented the tactic of weakening Catholic importance to working-class Protestants by disenfranchising Catholics.
