Cyril Wyndham

Cyril Stanley Wyndham (1930–2012) was an English-born Australian politician and political organiser who served as the first professional National Secretary of the Australian Labor Party from 1963 to 1969. Prior to his election to the position at the 1963 Australian Labor Party National Conference, the party's most senior operational executive was part-time and unpaid, with the Labor Party being largely de-centralised and organised out of its state branches. Under Wyndham's stewardship, the Labor Party underwent fundamental transformation throughout the 1960s, becoming a more centralised, professional, expert and parliamentarist political institution.

Career Wyndham worked as an organiser and party official for the Labour Party in London from 1948 until he accepted a position working for H.V. Evatt, the Leader of the Australian Labor Party in 1957. Evatt was impressed with Wyndham (then still known as Cyril Isaacs) as he hosted the Australian delegation to the 1957 Commonwealth Labour Parties' Conference. He served on the staff of Evatt's successor as Labor Leader, Arthur Calwell, becoming his press secretary.

In 1960, Wyndham nominated for the newly vacated position of secretary of the Victorian branch of the Labor Party, winning the support of the state executive over 11 other candidates.

Following significant lobbying of state branches by Joe Chamberlain and other members of the national executive, the position of a full-time salaried Labor federal secretary was advertised in January 1961. Cyril Wyndham was encouraged to throw his hat into the ring and the executive unanimously selected him from a field of five candidates. He was formally elected at the 1963 national conference.

In 1967, and With the strong support of new Labor Leader Gough Whitlam, Wyndham continued to push reforms targeting both the structure and policy-making processes of the party. Together they targeted reform in representation of the parliamentary party leadership on the federal executive, direct representation for ordinary members and reducing the power of paid officials. Most importantly, Wyndham and Whitlam were able to persuade the 1967 conference to accept changes which created a permanent inflow of parliamentary leaders from the states on to the Australian Labor Party National Executive and National Conference. These reforms changed the balance of power within the party in favour of the parliamentary wing and away from the "faceless men" of union officials and other unelected party apparatchiks.

Following significant pressure from opponents within the national executive, which included the opening of an investigation into his management of national secretariat expenses, Wyndham resigned his position as national secretary on 27 March 1969. Following his resignation, the national secretariat in Canberra remained non-operational for over 2 years as his immediate successor, Mick Young, continued to serve as the secretary of the South Australian branch.

Publications Wyndham, Cyril (1964); The unbridgeable gulf between democratic socialism and communism; Australian Labor Party Discussion Paper Wyndham, Cyril (1965); The National Civic Council: a closer look; Australian Labor Party Discussion Paper Wyndham, Cyril (1966); The Future of the ALP; Australian Institute of Political Science; Australian Quarterly 1966-06 Vol.38 (2), p. 29-40; ISSN 0005-0091 Wyndham, Cyril (1968); Labor Party Advertising — The Correct Perspective; Australian Institute of Political Science; Australian Quarterly 1968-09, Vol.40 (3), p. 19-25; ISSN 0005-0091