The Communist is the official publication of the Communist Caucus of the Socialist Party. We are a monthly publication that argues for the perspective of the Caucus.
The Communist Caucus is a caucus that can be loosely defined as being ‘partyist’, meaning we are committed to fighting for a democratic and revolutionary mass communist party. In light of this, the Communist Caucus seeks to transform The Socialists into a revolutionary mass party.
In pursuit of this, the Communist Caucus calls for the Socialist Party to adopt a revolutionary program in the style of the revolutionary Minimum-Maximum program, which abandons the romantic and sentimental language which infests the current aims and constitution. The minimum demands of this program will be campaigned on both inside and outside the electoral sphere, and if implemented in full would bring the working class to power. These demands would include but not be limited to, the establishment of a democratic workers’ republic, for the abolition of the senate, for the abolition of the police and standing army– for the establishment of worker militias, and for Australia to withdraw from all imperialist conflicts and alliances. These demands must distinctly centre the strengthening of the working class into a class-for-itself.
In the work of campaigning for these demands in the electoral sphere the Caucus calls for a revolutionary strategy of contesting elections on an agitational basis and seeking to implement sections of the minimum program while maintaining staunch systematic opposition to the capitalist state, while putting officials and elected members under the strict control of the whole of the party.
Along with this the Caucus calls for the Socialist Party to break from the undemocratic clauses in the constitution, including the two-third majority required to change the constitution. The Socialist Party must seek out a branch structure which allows control of the sections of the party to be in members’ hands. At the same time, these branches must systematically train and educate all members of the Socialist Party.
The Communist Caucus argues for an internationalist party, which seeks to dismantle Australian imperialism and fight for the international working class.
As a whole the Socialist Party must transform itself into a mass socialist party, oriented towards the class struggle as a whole. This would involve developing trade union fractions, unemployed groups, women's and youth organisations, literary and cultural circles, sports and social service groups - a mass movement for socialism.