Thank you so much for joining us on day two of the 49th ALP conference. It can be dry at times and difficult to convey everything that is happening, but we truly appreciate your interest.
We don’t take it for granted and it is heartening to see – spending some of your time and energy to engage with your democracy – even just checking up on what the governing party is doing/debating is incredible, given the everyday pressures and competition for your interest. So thank you.
Major conference news will be carried in the Australia live blog tomorrow, with Politics Live going back on hiatus until parliament resumes on 4 September.
I’m really looking forward to being back with you again, and our chats. But until then, check back on the site for all your political news, and take care of you.
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Day two of ALP national conference
Today was a long day, so let’s review it in a quick bite-size piece for you.
The party had its biggest barney over Aukus, but ultimately the political arm prevailed and explicit support for Aukus remains in the party platform.
A 32-paragraph “statement in detail” has been added to the platform on Aukus, saying it will be carried out in line with “Labor values”.
The Labor MP Josh Wilson openly dissented against supporting Aukus.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, had to give a speech to the delegates on the issue. The defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, was heckled by observers.
A motion to reaffirm support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion passed – the party resolved to urge Russia to immediately withdraw from Ukraine and for Belarus to stop supporting Russia.
Support for Iranians protesting against the brutal regime was also supported. It called on the government to continue to support Iranians through diplomatic pressure and sanctions.
No resolutions or amendments hit the conference floor on the Israel-Palestine conflict but we heard a speech from each side.
That means there has been no hardening of the Labor position on Israel’s actions.
Some of the wording around supporting refugees was strengthened in the platform. Community support program places will be increased from 5,000 spots to 10,000.
Labor also reaffirmed its commitment to sign and ratify the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons.
Labor recommitted to raising the aid budget to 0.5% of the country’s gross national income. Advocacy groups welcomed the change but say it’s still not enough (and short of the 0.7% called for).
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That’s it – day two is over and it looks like people can’t wait to get out of there quickly enough.
It is a half day tomorrow, where there will be one more chapter, “bringing Australia together”, clean-up and a look at the ALP constitution, but that is pretty much it.
There will be more protests planned tomorrow around conference, with progressive forces trying to convince the party to go further than what it has agreed to. I think we know that won’t be happening.
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Looks like day two is starting to draw to a close.
That won’t be the end of it though – there is a whole other day to get through tomorrow.
Construction union secretary moves amendment to ban engineered stone
Zach Smith says the issue of engineered stone will be one of the most important decided by national conference, because it recognises workers’ rights to return home safely.
“We have to stop this killer stone,” he said.
The amendment states:
Labor will take all necessary steps to eradicate the hazard posed to workers by exposure to silica dust.
Labor recognises that the elimination of silicosis requires the strong coordinated efforts of all governments to take all necessary measures, including a ban on the manufacture, use and import of harmful engineered stone products, as well as other preventative measures, including:
regulation outlining minimum safety benchmarks for application across all industries where workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica dust (including mandatory silica awareness training for workers in those industries),
comprehensive health monitoring program during and after employment to assist in identifying the onset of any dust-related disease,
dust register for all diagnosed cases of occupational lung disease, and
support (financial and psychological) for workers (and their families) diagnosed with occupational lung disease and who are struggling to return to work and adjusting to life with the devastating impact of their lung disease.
Labor will ensure that workers who suffer an illness or disease as result of exposure to silica will have the same access to justice and rights as workers exposed to asbestos.
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The construction union’s Rita Mallia has moved an amendment specifying that superannuation is included in the fair entitlement guarantee for unpaid wages when employers are bankrupt or insolvent.
Super was included in the 2021 platform, but was not included in a draft for this year’s platform. That has been rectified.
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The Community and Public Sector Union’s Melissa Donnelly has brought a whole crew of people on stage wearing shirts for the union’s campaign to bring back the Commonwealth Employment Service.
“Privatised employment services do not work,” Donnelly says. The current system is achieving its goal – not because it’s finding jobseekers’ meaningful jobs, but because it is making private providers a profit.
Donnelly says the amendment is a step towards bringing back the CES. It says:
“Labor believes that the employment services system must support Australians to access quality job opportunities, address structural barriers to employment including skills, training and entrenched disadvantage, and assist employers to plan for and meet their labour and skill needs. Labor recognises that the current system does not adequately meet these goals, and Labor is therefore committed to reforming the system, including through:
an enhanced role for the public sector in coordination and service delivery, including assessment, digital services, case management, research and quality assurance: and
assisting local community specialist not-for-profit entities to contribute to the Commonwealth system.”
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Senator Tony Sheldon is speaking about the gig economy, arguing that customers have a “perverse incentive” to complain about workers delivering their food to get their meal free. Gig workers earn “as little as $6 an hour” and can wake up to find their job has been “deactivated”.
Sheldon criticises the Coalition for saying it is “too complicated” to regulate the gig economy, arguing the conservatives are in favour of “sweatshops on wheels”.
He says:
“Let’s make sure those Liberal National low-pay mongrels are held to account as well.”
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The construction union is moving amendments improving unions’ right of entry, promising to remove “barriers to union officials speaking to and representing workers in the workplace”.
Sally McManus: record profit season in cost of living crisis 'starkest illustration of what is going wrong'
ACTU secretary, Sally McManus, says this chapter of Labor’s platform delivers on its purpose of a “fair go for working people”.
McManus says that a record profit season “during a cost of living crisis” is the “starkest illustration of what is going wrong”, with workers falling behind while some chief executives “pop champagne corks”.
McManus praises Labor for “not wasting any time” in legislating to improve workers’ rights. “Working people have waited a long time for these loopholes to be closed,” she says.
She says:
“The sooner these laws are enacted the better. They will help Australians dealing with a cost of living crisis, and they will save lives.”
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The industrial relations minister, Tony Burke, tells the conference that Labor has been able to change workers’ lives through legal changes since its election.
Burke praises the Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary, Sally McManus, and president, Michele O’Neil.
Burke is rattling off Labor’s greatest hits including a submission on the minimum wage, 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave, and abolishing what he labelled anti-union bodies, the Registered Organisations Commission and Australian Building and Construction Commission.
The secure jobs, better pay bill also banned pay secrecy, advertising a job for less than the legal rate, and ended “zombie” agreements with lower pay and conditions.
Burke says in coming weeks the government will take greater action to fight silicosis and loopholes in IR law, including “inappropriate” use of labour hire.
He says:
“When parliament resumes I’ll be introducing legislation to close loopholes. It should not be the case that wage theft evades criminal law. If it’s illegal to steal from the till, it must be illegal to steal from the worker as well.”
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The skills and training minister, Brendan O’Connor, says unions were removed from consultation on training for nine years of the Coalition government.
O’Connor says Jobs and Skills Australia is a “tripartite body” with 10 councils made up of employers and unions, to give “real economy insight into what is needed in our economy, today and tomorrow”.
The 180,000 fee-free Tafe places promised at the jobs and skills summit have been filled, and Labor has added another 300,000 places next year.
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Tony Piccolo, from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, is moving an amendment on indexation of Help debts.
Piccolo says the minister’s office told him ending indexation could cost $4bn to $9bn. He argues if “we can afford stage 3 tax cuts, we shouldn’t be putting a further burden” on students, making it harder for them to enter the housing market.
Labor MP Carina Garland says the cost of degrees has gone up 140% since her time at university.
The amendment passes. It reads:
“Labor believes the Hecs-Help system should be fair and sustainable and focus on making university more accessible and affordable for people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Labor will work to ensure that studying at university does not shackle young workers with a lifetime of debt.”
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The Labor conference has amdended its platform to specify:
“Public schools are among our nation’s most important institutions and should be fully and fairly funded to deliver excellent secular education that meets the needs of every child.”
Early childhood education minister Anne Aly is the second speaker to open the chapter.
Aly says “no child born into any form of disadvantage should have to carry that disadvantage through their life”.
The Cowan MP says she herself is an example of that:
Opening the doors of opportunity is about inclusion and about fairness, delivering a fair playing field for all Australians and their families. And that, my friends, is the power of education. I know this to be true from my own story. Education allowed me to rise out of poverty, to develop my own career in advocacy policy, academia, and now here in politics.
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Conference is back.
Education minister Jason Clare is opening chapter 2 on education, titled “Opening the doors of opportunity”.
We’re expecting another relatively uncontroversial section, with the first hour to cover off amendments to the policy platform on early education, schools, civics classes, university funding and apprenticeships.
Clare says:
We have great teachers and great educators in this country, but we need more of them. And we’ve got a good education system, but it can be a lot better and a lot fairer.
Early childhood education minister Anne Aly will be up next.
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Greens leader Adam Bandt has some thoughts about what the Labor conference has produced so far:
The national conference has confirmed Labor is a centre-right party and the Greens are Australia’s only social democratic alternative.
The prime minister is asking for decades in power, presumably so that after tax cuts for the wealthy, nuclear submarines and new coal and gas mines, Labor can implement more Coalition policies.
With Labor locking in support for stage 3 tax cuts for the wealthy and nuclear-powered submarines, the Greens are now the only party opposed to war and neoliberalism.
It is incredible that even when the so-called left has the numbers, the party still backs unfair stage 3 tax cuts and the logging of native forests while opposing a tycoon tax on corporate super profits.
Instead of de-escalating tensions between the US and China, Labor’s Aukus pact risks dragging us into the next US war. The Greens will continue to fight this dangerous and expensive deal that undermines the peace and security for our country.
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The conference was meant to have started the last session of the day by now, but it is running a little behind. The last session went over, but given what happened on the floor, there is probably a little bit of heat behind the scenes which is being vented.
The voice has been mentioned by almost every Labor MP in introducing their section of the platform at the ALP conference, including Anthony Albanese, but it hasn’t played a huge role in the proceedings.
Albanese was asked on Sky News earlier today what would happen if the referendum failed, given polling keeps pointing down:
You have to respect the outcome. I’ll still support constitutional recognition, of course. But there won’t be another vote next week or next year. I still will do whatever I can to assist closing the gap. But what we know is it will be harder because a voice will make it easier. There’ll be a structured body, advisory body, to government to make it easier.
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The ALP national conference isn’t the only show in Brisbane (Brisbae, Brissie, Bris Vegas etc) with the rally for native forests arriving on Saturday.
That will be adjacent to the conference, with the Bob Brown-led rally occurring at the nearby Musgrave Park. Labor didn’t vote to include an end to native forest logging in the platform, instead agreeing to review the 1992 forestry agreement.
Brown said the tide was turning against native forest logging:
Now is the time for all good people to come to the defence of the rainforests and wildlife. This is part of the global rainforest end years. Either we make a stand in wealthy Australia to stop this completely unwarranted and needless destruction or the game is up for the world’s future environmental security.
We cannot ask people elsewhere to do what we aren’t prepared to do ourselves.
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The conference is now on a break for lunch.
The next chapter – “opening the doors for opportunity”– is not expected to be as fractious.
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After that uncomfortableness (you can bet there will be a few fiery words off the conference floor as well, but that usually happens behind closed doors) there is an attempt to return to a warmer vibe, so awards are being given.
Kimberley Kitching has had an award named after her – the human rights award honouring her work in getting Magnitsky-style legislation passed in Australia.
(The laws essentially provide a legal basis for sanctioning foreign government officials implicated in human rights abuses anywhere in the world.)
Tony Clark, Delegate Clark from the Victorian branch has been given the award for his “extensive advocacy work within our party, he’s also worked for accessibility and inclusion across the education and employment sectors.”
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So a bit of technical whoosh whoosh here – but president Wayne Swan ruled that the second anti-Aukus motion had lapsed, as it had been dealt with in the debate.
So no vote.
The chapter is now closed – Labor is a little bruised, but the political arm got what it wanted – the platform still contains explicit support for Aukus. That doesn’t mean the dissenters will drop it, just that the fight will continue on another day.
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Aukus motion passes without a vote
Paul says there was still dissent from the section of the floor which didn’t give Anthony Albanese a standing ovation, with a shout for “no” as they went through the motion, but no vote was called.
The ayes had it, meaning the motion passed without a vote and the other amendments lapsed.
(Meaning the political party got its way)
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Returning with a little more from Anthony Albanese’s address to the conference:
These are the choices of a mature nation, a nation that understands that a bright future calls for more than sunny optimism, that strategic complexity that we face is far removed from the bleak certainties of the cold war. We have to analyse the world as it is rather than as we would want it to be. We have to bring our defence capabilities up to speed and Aukus is central to that ...
Aukus takes away nothing from what we do. What it does do though, it is an enhancement, an act of clear eyed pragmatism that works in our national interest. And in the context of greater good.
He went on to the jobs impact of Aukus, getting a big clap for the promise of 20,000 “well-paid union jobs”.
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Prior to Albanese arriving, Michael Wright from the Electrical Trades Union – who as a reminder is against Aukus – was given a chance to respond to some of the slights against him by defence industry minister Pat Conroy.
Earlier, Conroy said those against the Aukus deal would have been on the side of Liberal prime minister Robert Menzies, instead of Labor prime minister John Curtin.
Wright responded:
I cannot let slide, I cannot let go, an inference or accusation that the resolution that I move is in some ways akin to Menzies, in some ways akin to Neville Chamberlain.
These sorts of ad hominem sloganeering attacks do nothing to elevate the debate, do nothing to deliver us close to resolution.
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Anthony Albanese was not scheduled to speak in the debate, so it is notable that he has chosen to make an intervention here.
Again, there are not the numbers to remove support for Aukus from the platform, but there is enough to make things uncomfortable in the room.
And with a sitting Labor MP expressing some concerns, it prompted a bigger response.
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Albanese continued:
Now delegates, a partnership with two of Australia’s oldest friends through Aukus and an enhancement of the alliance that is the heart of one of the three pillars of our foreign policy is consistent with the Labor values that I have been a part of my whole life.
US alliance, regional engagement, support for multi-lateralism as we invest in, capitalise through Aukus, we will be guided by the recommendations of the defence strategic review, to ensure that we have the assets that we need where we need them. And that includes conventionally armed nuclear powered submarines, submarines that are harder to detect and can travel further. If you come to the position, as I have, that Australia as an island continent needs submarines, then it is compulsory. If you’re serious about national security then analyse what is the best form of submarines for us to have.
And I have come to the position, based upon advice and analysis, that nuclear powered submarines are what Australia needs in the future. Submarines’ importance in our defence capability as an island continent will grow over time.
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Anthony Albanese has addressed the room:
Investing in our capability and investing in our relationships add deterrence to our diplomacy, and [we are] bringing both to our presence in this region, engaging with our Pacific family with respect, reinvesting in development assistance, working with our neighbours and partners to promote peace, security, stability and prosperity right across the Indo-Pacific.
Acknowledging the centrality of Asean to our north and supporting Ukraine in the face of the illegal and immoral invasion by Russia. We know there is no security in isolation. Australia has a role and indeed a responsibility to engage in our region and the wider world. Delegates, to fulfil these objectives, to sustain and strengthen Australia’s place in the world, our government is investing in our capabilities and we are investing in those relationships.
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After that, Anthony Albanese has entered the debate to a round of applause from the majority of the delegates part of the room.
Josh Wilson:
In my view, the decision to acquire nuclear propelled submarines is not justified and involves too many risks to the maintenance of our future submarine capability, to the proper balance of our defence budget allocations and to our sovereign manufacturing capacity.
In addition, it involves the sharing of weapons-grade nuclear technology in a novel arrangement that carries non-proliferation and safeguard integrity risks, disturbs the regional status quo and commits Australia to take on decommissioning and nuclear waste storage challenges that have not been met by anyone, anywhere.
These are matters of legitimate concern in parts of the Australian community, including among Labor members and branches and within the Labor movement.
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Labor MP openly dissents against Aukus
Labor MP Josh Wilson has openly dissented from the Albanese government position on Aukus, rejecting defence industry minister Pat Conroy’s argument that opposing Aukus is appeasement as “ridiculous”.
Wilson said:
We must continue to bring that kind of searching and sometimes difficult debate to these matters, which more than some other topics, frankly, require greater scrutiny rather than less and should never ever be advanced on the basis that they are the decision-making preserve of some defence and security establishment.
As it has been rightly been said, and as we should always remember: to a person with a hammer every problem looks like a nail. Deterrence is a valid strategic concept and submarines certainly have a deterrent value. But deterrence is not a one-word justification for any and every defence acquisition.
And anyone who thinks the intention to extend the scope of one’s threat capacity only serves to reduce the potential for conflict has not looked very closely at the history of conflict.
And with the greatest respect to delegate Conroy, the suggestion that anyone who questions a particular defence and security decision or acquisition in the name of strength is ridiculous.
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The rowdiness continued as Pat Conroy said:
So delegates, if you’re pro human rights, you need to be pro Aukus. If you’re pro peace, you need to be pro Aukus. If you are pro advanced manufacturing, you need to be pro Aukus, if you’re pro trying to bring manufacturing back to this country, you need to be pro Aukus, this is in the national interest, and it’s in Labor’s interests, and I commend the delegation to the floor.
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The delegate section is now trying to show its support –there is a large round of applause from the floor (where the delegates sit) for Pat Conroy after he says “strength deters war”.
Conroy says: that arms race has already started”.
Prompting interjections from the observers section:
“So don’t join it”
Things are getting rowdy now.
There is a big clap for Michael Wright from the observers’ section, but it’s echoed only in part of the delegates section.
[Defence industry minister] Pat Conroy is speaking - there are interjections of “rubbish” when he says Aukus is vital for national security and “don’t lead us into war”.
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Richard Marles’s speech probably enlivened the crowd more than anything else during the conference.
The defence minister called the Aukus deal a “clear choice”.
Delegates once again, in a difficult moment, Australians are looking to us. Now I know that the word nuclear invokes a strong reaction, but we are not about nuclear weapons.
Indeed, under this arrangement, Australia will remain and fulfil all our obligations under the nuclear proliferation treaty and we will be working with the International Energy Atomic Agency to do that, and we will meet our obligations under the Treaty of Rarotonga because we will never base nuclear weapons on our shores.
But we are talking about nuclear propulsion and, without it, we will not have in 2040 the same submarine capability that Paul Keating gave us in the year 2000.
And if we take submarines off the table, we will never have left our country more exposed and that will undermine the whole idea of Australian self-reliance, which is at the heart of our platform. Delegates, this is a hard choice but it is actually a clear choice.
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There are cries of “no” from the observers section of the conference hall as ETU national secretary Michael Wright asks rhetorical questions: “is this the best way of securing a national interest?” and “is this the best way to spend $368bn”.
This is the section of conference that ALP members who are not delegates can attend.
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There was a standing ovation after Richard Marles’s speech, but it also sounds as though there were some not-as-positive responses.
There is still a contingent of left-affiliated Labor members who are not happy with the Aukus pact, or of Labor’s support for it. Not enough to shift the vote, but enough to make things a little uncomfortable.
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Marles says Aukus deal is 'modest step' in light of China's capability
The defence minister, Richard Marles, has described the Aukus deal as “a modest step” after outlining how China will have 200 nuclear-powered submarines by the end of the decade.
Australia will never have a million-person army. We are a comparatively small defence force.
So, in that context, our submarines are easily the most important platform that we operate because of what a single Collins-class submarine can do and the uncertainty of where it might be at any given moment, it provides a genuine question mark in any adversary’s mind.
It provides pause for thought but, in the future, diesel electric submarines will become increasingly detectable and so if we want to have this capability in the future, then we simply have to take the step of nuclear propulsion.
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The Aukus debate has begun.
Right on time. Wayne Swan is running a tight ship today.
Back in the conference room and maritime union official Paddy Crumlin has just spoken on an amendment about media diversity by unloading on News Corp.
Crumlin said that democracy is supported by a “media that wants to tell the truth” but warned that in Australia “we haven’t got that” because its biggest media empire is known “for fake news, vilification, opposing every decent piece of legislation”, including labour rights and the Indigenous voice.
Crumlin called for a review of the media, suggesting this would expose the “projectile vomiting of ideology” seen on Sky News, which he likened to Fox.
When I’m asked how do I measure success, being a trade unionist, the number of negative editorials I get in the Australian ... They vilify the working men and women of our union, as if we’re some kind of visceral threat.
Crumlin also had a sledge at Peter Costello for “running second” to John Howard, and Nine Newspapers for “running second in the ideological stakes with Murdoch”.
He said:
If we don’t do something about it, we’re not going to achieve all the wonderful things that Albo said. Truth. Representation. Diversity. Being able to provide for everybody. They don’t want that for starters. They want us to go away and leave it for them. They’re going to oppose the Labor party regardless of our policies. They’ll oppose trade unions regardless of our courage.
Crumlin concluded by suggesting that media stories should contain an authorisation – “authorised by the Liberal party and One Nation – and every other undemocratic force in this country”.
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In her interview, Laura Tingle quoted a Labor delegate who was speaking on housing and said “when we’re in a hole so deep, we need something bigger and bolder”.
There is frustration the government is not going far enough to address the housing crisis. There are more people living in tents or in their cars. Families are just one unforeseen financial issue away from insecure housing. The interest rate mortgage “cliff” is hitting and people are having to find a couple of extra grand a month to keep up.
So does Anthony Albanese think the Labor government is doing enough? He said:
What I’ve been doing is working with state and territory leaders across the political spectrum who all understand that we need to do more. We need to do more to build, supply is the key, in order to assist by home ownership purchasing, but also in order to assist renters.
And the proposals that we announced yesterday, of a housing accord now envisaging 1.2m additional homes being built by the end of the decade, as well as our renters’ rights prescriptions that have been agreed to by state and territory governments.
Our plan that we announced today, the shared equity scheme by state and territory governments giving up their rights, if you like, or approving the commonwealth having such a scheme, which was necessary, will make a difference as well. Right across the board we are delivering on housing.
And it’s the most comprehensive housing strategy that we’ve seen for a generation. And it comes after 10 years of neglect from the former government, who for a long time didn’t even have a housing minister.
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In case you missed it, Anthony Albanese was on ABC’s 7.30 last night, where he was asked what was the message of this conference – was Labor being ambitious enough?
Albanese:
The message of the conference is that we’re working for Australia, that what we’ve done is implement almost every one of the policies that we took to the election, perhaps with the exception of the Housing Australia Future Fund stuck in the Senate.
We’re a government of purpose, that we’re a government that is building a strong economy, in order to lift living standards.
We’re dealing with cost-of-living pressures without putting pressure on inflation.
We have addressed the challenge of climate change by taking it seriously and by looking after our environment. And we have a significant social policy agenda, one of the measures of which is putting women and gender equality at the centre of our economic strategy.
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The opposition has zeroed in on the “union jobs” line Labor figures have been promising when it comes to Aukus. Jason Clare was asked about that on the Seven Network this morning:
Aukus is important. It’s important to make sure that we can defend our country in the years ahead, but it’s also going to create thousands of jobs and create new businesses. Some of those will be union jobs, some of them won’t be.
The Liberal deputy leader, Sussan Ley, had thoughts on that:
Why don’t the best people get the jobs? That’s what Aussies, as Jason would say, are used to experiencing in their workplace, not a workplace distorted and dominated by unions.
I’ve got a broader message to Australians who are watching this morning. Labor has spent three days at this annual conference talking about themselves.
They’ve talked about us, they haven’t talked about you, they haven’t talked about you, the ordinary Australians who are struggling, struggling to rent, struggling to buy a home, struggling to pay your mortgage, because, as usual, it’s about the politics of negativity and it’s about the politics of always pointing at your opponents.
So, I’m glad Jason’s supporting Aukus. I’m glad the Labor party has supported it. I know many in the Labor movement do not. And I know that there’s considerable angst at this Labor conference because of that and because this is where the faceless men and women of the Labor party gather and factional politics determine public policy.
To which Clare responded:
More Liberal rubbish. We’re the only party that has a conference where the media are allowed in and can see everything. The Liberal party do this behind closed doors.
Sussan talks about negativity. The Liberal party say ‘no’ more than my six-year-old does.
You can’t come on Sunrise and talk about negativity, Sussan, when you say no to cheaper medicine, you say no to cheaper electricity, you vote no to everything that the Labor party does.
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The United Services Union’s Graeme Kelly and the Australian Local Government Association president, Linda Scott, are moving an amendment to improve the rights of local government.
The motion says that Labor will:
Increase funding for essential council services, operations and personnel, including through fair funding increases to the ongoing Financial Assistance Grants
Increase funding for local government maintained roads and participate in a range of programs to provide funding to local government
Ensure local government has a voice in key policy matters, including through meaningful participation in national cabinet and relevant ministerial committees
Support engagement between local, state and territory governments and work with local government to improve its capacity for innovation, productivity, efficiency and capability
This is significant because Anthony Albanese said local government would be added to national cabinet but instead they’re only invited to one meeting a year.
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Let’s take a quick breather here and take stock of that first hour.
Labor is working at a relentless pace to pass all these motions and that’s on top of the fact that all of them have already been pre-agreed.
So, to get you up to speed, here are the main points:
A motion to reaffirm support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion. The party resolved to urge Russia to immediately withdraw from Ukraine and for Belarus to stop supporting Russia.
Support for Iranians protesting against the brutal regime was also supported. It called on the government to continue to support Iranians through diplomatic pressure and sanctions.
No resolutions or amendments hit the conference floor on the Israel-Palestine conflict but we heard a speech from each side.
Some of the wording around supporting refugees was strengthened in the platform. Community Support Program places will be increased from 5,000 spots to 10,000.
Labor also reaffirmed its commitment to sign and ratify the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons.
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Call to expand Senate representation for ACT and NT
As Guardian Australia revealed earlier in August, the Northern Territory attorney general, Chansey Paech, and the construction union secretary, Zach Smith, are moving two amendments to improve territory rights, including boosting their Senate representation.
The amendments state that Labor:
Respects the right of self-governing territories to make their own laws, in their own interests, free from interference by the federal government. Labor will follow a policy of non-intervention in decision-making of the self-governing territories and will oppose any interventions by other political parties
Will review our current system of electoral representation, noting Australia’s growing and increasingly diverse population, the increasing demands on elected representatives and our commitment to integrity and transparency. Labor will address the historic proportional under-representation of the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory and commits to increasing its representation in the Senate.
Paech said:
Don’t talk about us – give us a bigger voice in the Australian parliament by increasing the representation of the Northern Territory and ACT.
Expanding territory representation in the Senate is supported by the ACT chief minister, Andrew Barr, who has suggested four senators for each territory. It could help the ACT senator David Pocock boost independent representation in the Senate. Pocock has advocated for four or six senators for the territories.
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There have been those reminders scattered all through the conference – that Labor has its debates in the open.
Which is not entirely true – there is plenty that happens behind closed doors too. But you usually know what issues are being debated behind those closed doors because they started in the open.
This conference is not going to see a radical reset of Labor’s platform. But it does show you some of the tensions within the party (which exist in every political party) and how the political arm plans on dealing with it.
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Here is a little bit more from what Mark Dreyfus had to say when introducing this most recent chapter:
Labor knows – in opposition and in government – that Australia’s strong democratic traditions are precious and must be protected.
But that does not mean complacency, or a lack of appetite for reform.… When the Labor party talks about keeping Australia’s democracy strong, the greatest example is right here, in this hall. Unlike every other party, we are not scared of robust debate and disagreement – in a very public forum.
We think direct input from our party members is a good thing. It doesn’t just keep Australia’s democracy strong, it keeps the Labor party strong. And it keeps us focused on our most important task – working for all Australians.
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Kirk McKenzie, a Sydney-based lawyer, is speaking on the whistleblower amendment, criticising the “disgraceful” treatment of Bernard Collaery by the Morrison government.
There’s also an amendment that puts the principles of a fair trial into Labor’s platform:
People accused of a criminal offence are not compelled to incriminate themselves
People are not subject to prolonged detention without charge
Persons charged with a criminal offence are presumed innocent until proved guilty before an independent court
Charged persons are tried without undue delay
Accused persons are given a fair trial
People charged with serious criminal offences are provided with legal representation if they are unable to afford legal representation of their own
People shall not be found guilty of any crime, the elements of which did not constitute a crime at the time of its commission
People convicted of a criminal offence shall have the right to appeal against conviction and sentence
Evidence obtained illegally, by torture, coercive techniques or by improper investigative practice is inadmissible
Civil and criminal trials should take place before independent courts open to the public, with suppression and non-publication orders only to be made in exceptional circumstances
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The ACT health minister, Rachel Stephens-Smith, is moving a batch of amendments to the democracy chapter.
The most interesting is the commitment:
To improve whistleblower protections for the public sector and improve consistency with the private sector by considering an independent whistleblower protection authority to protect whistleblowers, to advise and investigate in relation to whistleblower matters and to review legislation that affects whistleblowers.
Dreyfus rejected crossbench calls for a whistleblower protection authority in the first tranche of updates to the Public Interest Disclosure Act – but it’s an idea that won’t go away.
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The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, is introducing the chapter Strengthening Australian Democracy.
He spoke about the importance of an Indigenous voice in the constitution and thanked delegates who had fought for a National Anti-Corruption Commission, which is now legislated.
Dreyfus said Labor is not afraid of open debate at its national conference:
It doesn’t just keep democracy strong, it keeps the Australian Labor party strong.
The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, is seconding the chapter. She notes that at the 2022 election voters indicated they wanted to “restore trust and integrity” in government.
Rowland said it was important to safeguard public broadcasters from “political attacks” as they had been under the Coalition.
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No timeline on signing treaty on nuclear weapons prohibition
Apologies for the whiplash but Western Australian MP Josh Wilson has just spoken about amendments to the party’s platform on signing and ratifying the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons.
Wilson said:
In the first quarter of the 21st century, the risk of nuclear war has increased but the overlapping set of agreements that exist to govern and reduce the possession of nuclear weapons has weakened against that depressing trend.
Signing the treaty has been in the platform since 2018 but the difference now is Labor is in government.
The wording is changed to make it a bit stronger but there’s still no timeline on when it will actually be signed.
This is what Wilson said:
They also make it clear that Labor in government will seek to contribute to addressing the matters that will enable Australia, ultimately, to sign and ratify the treaty and for the first time, they commit Labor to looking at further environmental remediation and victim assistance in relation to the nuclear testing that occurred in Australia.
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Just on that last post, the shadow foreign affairs minister, Simon Birmingham, has also provided an example on that.
He was asked about the Aukus debate on Sky News and said:
The divisions we’re seeing within the Labor party over Aukus are a reminder that Labor could never have initiated the Aukus pact; that the Labor party clearly has such deep divisions here the only way they came to be able to support it in government was because a Coalition government had initiated it, and Labor adopting a strategy of being a small target at the last election, simply quickly folded in and supported what the Coalition had initiated.
But now we’re seeing these remarkable scenes and of course so much of it happening in even more bitter division behind the scenes of Labor promising the 10,000 jobs will apparently all be union jobs – I don’t know whether they’re going to force people to join the union or what the terms and conditions of that will be; that we’ve got 32 paragraphs of attachments being put on to the national platform to try to appease different factions within the Labor party here and to deal with the factions.
And it’s a reminder that in the lead-up to this conference, we had Labor changing Australia’s position in relation to key issues around Israel; we had Labor junking plans for the low-level radioactive disposal facility; you’ve seen many different bones thrown to the leftwing factions of the Labor party to try to achieve unity and yet still they’ve got division and still apparently they’re even going to delay further the discussions that may occur at the national conference today.
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For those watching along and wondering what is happening and why Labor is not shooting for the moon here, given the left have the numbers on the floor and Labor is in government, it’s because when Labor is in government, its conference always tends to be more muted.
Fights on the floor can have consequences that don’t apply in opposition. While the platform doesn’t have the power it once did, it can still be used for political means by Labor’s opponents. And because not a huge number of people know the difference between Labor’s conference platform and the agenda the political arm carries out (which is also true for the Liberals and Greens, but neither party is as open as Labor about its conference) when it comes to Labor being in government, the conference is dulled.
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We’re on the final few motions now before we zip to the next chapter on strengthening Australian democracy.
The next group of amendments are loosely based on improving the rights of refugees in Australia.
One of the amendments, for example, seeks to include this paragraph in the policy platform:
Labor believes that refugees need safety and security.
Labor will work cooperatively with the international community to find durable solutions to the global refugee crisis and will deploy our statecraft to advance the cause for peace and human security.
It also looks to add:
Give the highest priority to the humane, durable and timely resettlement of refugees subject to third country resettlement agreements.
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Susan Templeman is speaking on the issue. She outlines her experiences visiting Palestine, seeing the beautifully manicured lawns of Israeli settlements and ornamental lakes.
Then she talks about the stark contrast Palestinians face, such as being denied building permits and access to roads leading to agricultural lands, facing erratic water supply and the demolition of their homes.
I’ve spent time with both Israelis and Palestinians who want to see human rights, democracy and equality for all. That’s why I speak in favour of the words in our Labor platform, which are about supporting the recognition of the right of Israel and Palestine to exist as two states within their own secure and recognised orders and for the call our platform makes for the recognition of Palestine as an issue of priority by our government.
We all know, every one of us knows, that by choosing to have a role in contributing to peace in this region, we make a choice that involves serious, thoughtful, respectful but difficult conversations. Since we’ve come to government, those conversations have started.
There’s technically no resolution here but it’s combined in a group of amendments, including the reunification of Ireland and the importance of nuclear disarmament.
The block of amendments is carried.
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Former trade union official Michael Easson is now up. We’ve whizzed through this morning so quickly, it’s 30 minutes earlier than expected.
Easson, who is in the pro-Israel camp, seems somewhat confused he is speaking before Susan Templeman, who is in the pro-Palestine camp.
The original order placed Templeman first, followed by Easson. Wayne Swan waves it on, saying: “I’m not going to rearrange a delegate.”
Easson starts off:
I want to say that there can be no peace without justice. But equally there can be no justice without truth and the central and tragic truth of the Israel-Palestine conflict is that two people, the Jewish people and the Palestinian, have deep centuries-long historical ties to a territory, no larger than half of Tasmania. Both people want their political independence and to live in peace and freedom.
It would be contrary to the great spirit of equal justice, on which the Labor party operate, to affirm a collective right of self-determination for either people while denying it to the other.
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While we are looking at Aukus and defence, Daniel Hurst has looked into a report examining Australia’s proposed missile program, and well – it is not great:
Australia’s push to develop and deploy its own missiles lacks credibility as a means to deter conflict unless backed up by US support, a new paper warns.
The report, published by the Australian Army Research Centre, points to the Australian government’s desire to increase the country’s “self-reliance”.
But the paper argues Australian long-range strike capabilities have limited benefit as a tool to deter an aggressor, because they merely impose cost without changing the outcome of a conflict.
The paper examines “forward presence” – the concept of placing armed forces in locations outside a country’s main territory in support of national interests.
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Motion calls on government to 'hold Iran to account'
As mentioned, the party president is on a mission to keep things on schedule today.
Next up is a push for reaffirming the party’s commitment to supporting those in Iran from the brutal regime.
Tina Hosseini, from the Iranian Women’s Association, is speaking.
The motion, among other things:
Calls on the Australian government to advocate for the human rights of the Iranian people and to continue to take deliberate and strategic action, including through diplomatic pressure and sanctions, to hold Iran to account for its actions.
Swan tells the speaker to wind up a few times. Other speakers, MP Peter Khalil and senator Raff Ciccone, waive their right to speak.
The motion is carried.
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'Russia’s autocratic senseless war' condemned
We’re heading straight into the motions and resolutions now. If you thought yesterday’s pace was speedy, today is going to be even speedier.
The national president, Wayne Swan, has already flagged there’s a lot to get through and has put delegates taking their time to get to the stage on notice.
A motion to back Ukraine and condemn Russia is now on the floor.
It calls on “Russia to immediately withdraw from Ukraine and for Belarus to stop supporting Russia’s autocratic senseless war”.
Lawrence Ben from the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association said:
It might not be on the front page of the paper every day but we must continue to stand with Ukraine. Their fight is our fight. They are on the frontline fighting for freedom and democracy in Ukraine, but freedom and democracy everywhere. And it sends a message in our region and we must continue to stand with them. Even if it doesn’t stay on the front page of the paper every day.
The motion is carried.
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Earlier this morning, Richard Marles did his regular segment with the Nine network, where he and Peter Dutton “debate” the week’s issues.
Which included the Labor conference position on Aukus and the “statement in detail”.
Marles:
Firstly, these were announcements that we made back in March. In fact, what this is going to do is create 20,000 jobs around the country, direct jobs around the country, a point that we made back in March, because this is going to be one of the great industrial endeavours of our country, to have us constructing nuclear-powered submarines in Australia. And there will be jobs in South Australia.
There’ll be jobs in Western Australia as well. But we’re going to be reliant on a supply chain which actually goes into the industrial base of the whole country, into places like Queensland, NSW, Victoria. So, these are points that we made back in March. But we’re not afraid of a difficult debate.
That’s what happens at Labor party conferences and we let the country see that. That’s very different to how both the Greens and the Liberals operate. But I very much know how important this is for our nation.
We need to have this military capability in an uncertain world if we want to be able to have submarines as a capability going forward. We simply have to take the step towards nuclear propulsion.
And my experience is that when you’re talking about difficult debates – be it immigration, border protection, national security – what we do here is have considered debates and we make hard decisions. And I’m sure that’s what the conference will do today.
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Richard Marles now has the podium. He also points to the invasion of Ukraine as a reminder of why the Labor government is trying to get the “hard power equation” right.
When Russian tanks rolled across the Ukrainian border last February, everyone expected that the conflict would last weeks, if not days. No one imagined that 18 months later Ukraine would be standing defiant and proud.
That the war in Ukraine has defied all predictions tells us that our world and indeed our region is uncertain, but that we do have agency. It tells us that we live in serious times requiring serious people and that the narrow-minded, gratuitous way in which the former Liberal government was running defence and foreign policy is hopelessly inadequate for the times that we now face.
It tells us about the importance of getting the hard power equation right, which is what this government is doing in its response to the defence strategic review because increased military capability gives us greater self-reliance and a self-reliant Australia is what is at the heart of the chapter that we now submit to you.
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Penny Wong continues, mentioning the other elephant in the room – Aukus.
It’s expected we’ll get some robust debate later on from midday.
By having strong defence capabilities of our own and by working with partners, investing in their capabilities, we change the calculus for any potential aggressor. That is why we are committed to Aukus and that is why we are redoubling our efforts towards a world without nuclear weapons, continuing Labor’s proud tradition in nonproliferation and disarmament.
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Penny Wong opens chapter with warning over China
Penny Wong is opening the morning’s chapter. She starts off by reminding attendees of the challenges the world is facing, including “Russia’s illegal and immoral full scale invasion of Ukraine”.
It then turns to the elephant in the room – China.
But friends, challenges to sovereignty are not limited to full-scale invasion. Closer to home, we see encroachments on the ability of countries to make their own decisions. Encroachments, including unsustainable lending and coercive trade measures, political interference and disinformation, encroachments on the ability of countries to contribute to a regional balance.
If any one country believes they can dominate another, the risk of conflict increases and we must ensure that no state ever concludes that the benefits of conflict outweigh the risks.
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Up first today is chapter seven, Australia’s place in a changing world, which covers the party’s defence, security and foreign policy.
For viewers back home, this will cover off some contentious issues, such as Aukus and Labor’s recent policy shift on Palestine.
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, and the defence minister, Richard Marles, will open the chapter and the first hour of discussions will centre on aid and the Indo-Pacific.
Then we’ll dive into two speeches on the Palestine-Israel issue – one from Macquarie MP Susan Templeman and the other from trade unionist Michael Easson.
There will be no motions or amendments to the policy platform and it’s expected both speeches will be relatively uncontroversial after last-minute interventions.
Mixing things up, the conference will then go straight to chapter six, strengthening Australian democracy.
Aukus debates will be postponed until after chapter six, so expect that to happen around midday.
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But Labor Against War supporters have vowed to continue the fight. Former senator Doug Cameron is one of the founding patrons of the group:
32 paragraphs of futile attempts to justify adopting the Morrison Aukus deal will not disguise the fact that this is a bad, dangerous deal.
— Doug Cameron (@DougCameron51) August 17, 2023
Assertions of sovereignty, security and necessity are not facts. An attempt to turn a sows ear into a silk purse! https://t.co/jlgZZltxE3
Many bad, unpopular, policies adopted by ALP National Conferences have not lasted.
— Doug Cameron (@DougCameron51) August 17, 2023
Labor had policies on marriage only between a man and a woman, “free trade”, enterprise bargaining, privatisation, competition policy that have been ditched or changed.
The Aukus fight goes on!
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Paul Karp looked into what is about to happen in the Aukus debate:
The Albanese government will stare down union and grassroots Labor dissent against the Aukus nuclear submarine acquisition, offering reassurances about nonproliferation and waste but rejecting hostile motions at the party’s national conference.
The deputy prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles, and the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, will move a 32-paragraph statement arguing the submarines are important to deter “aggression” and committing to deliver “well-paid union jobs”.
Labor will allow a debate on Friday morning on a motion that would remove a positive mention of Aukus from the party’s platform, ventilating the issue in a form unlikely to embarrass the government. Opponents of Aukus concede the push will not be successful.
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Earlier this month, the federal government announced it was hardening its stance on “illegal” Israeli settlements and would refer to the West Bank and Gaza strip as “occupied Palestinian territories”.
While it was met with some criticism from the pro-Israel camps across the political aisle, it’s also coming from within the party.
At a side event hosted by the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (Apan) last night, Tasmanian senator Anne Urquhart acknowledged the party had “a long way to go” given the many pro-Israel caucus members.
We have a long way to go in terms of being able to have a frank discussion about trying to make sure that we get this done. So I just want to – I can’t walk out of this room tonight without saying that we have hurdles to overcome in our caucus.
Among the panel’s attendees were West Australian senator Fatima Payman and MPs Susan Templeman and Alicia Payne.
West Australian senator Louise Pratt, who had recently returned from an Apan-funded trip to Palestine, said she held confidence in the foreign minister, Penny Wong, along with the party, that Palestine would eventually be recognised as a state.
Of course, it will provoke a reaction that then has to be managed so I’m presuming that we are just moving cautiously. I’m very cognisant that in considering the electoral politics of this and considering the international ramifications of this, that we can move forward and recognise the state of Palestine.
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The first chapter up for debate is officially called “Australia’s place in a changing world”, which is just a fancy way of saying defence and foreign affairs.
This has been where the defence minister, Richard Marles, the minister for international development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy, and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, have spent most of their time.
You’ll find aid, Aukus, defence and Palestine in this chapter.
At some point over the next two days, the final part of the economic chapter has to be passed, but that isn’t a priority at this point.
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Good morning
Welcome to day two of the Labor national conference.
Aukus is first up and while Richard Marles and co have managed to quell any dissent that would have removed support for Aukus from the party platform, simmering tensions remain.
It wouldn’t be a Labor conference WITHOUT simmering tensions, but it’s a continuation of Anthony Albanese’s long-term goal – keep the party in the centre, show that it’s better than the Coalition at managing the economy and defence, and then hopefully become the “natural party of government”. Or at the very least, three terms.
We’ll cover the ins and outs of the day for you, so check back to see how it’s all going.
It all officially kicks off at 10am.
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