That's Friday folks
Tough day at the office for the shadow immigration minister Richard Marles. Not really actually, Marles has been plugging away behind the scenes for months on the boat turnbacks issue. Today – really, not so tough. And it looks like the leadership is bumping along to victory.
So let’s review today at the 47th ALP national Labor conference.
- Drawing on the elegant and excellent news wrap from my colleague Gabrielle Chan, Bill Shorten committed to working towards an Australian republic within the decade and declared that half of Labor MPs will be women by 2025. In his speech opening the Labor conference, the party leader said it was time to end the era of “divisive politics”, urging delegates to work to make the Abbott administration a one-term government, as voters had done in Victoria and Queensland when they threw out the governments of Denis Napthine and Campbell Newman.
- The economic policy debate saw the trade minister Penny Wong make commitments on reviewing ISDS clauses in existing trade agreements; the shadow treasurer Chris Bowen pave the way to move against negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions in Labor’s pre-election policy; and Anthony Albanese propose a Buffett Rule for Australia that would impose a minimum tax level on the wealthy.
- The health policy debate proceeded smoothly with zero contention. The governance debate covered the republic (an Australian head of state in a decade), constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians; a pat on the back for ABC independence; and a discussion about disclosure which sounded interesting but inconclusive.
- On the fringes, the shadow immigration minister Richard Marles slugged it out with tough critics against his (positive) position on boat turnbacks. While he did that, discussions continued about tomorrow’s refugees debate. Will the left move a resolution expressing its objections to turnbacks? Will the left support the Labor for Refugees motion which aims to prohibit turnbacks in the party platform? While the deliberations continued Shorten and Marles gathered ticks in their column from key left unions, like the CFMEU and United Voice.
Thanks for your company today. I’ll be back bright an earlyish tomorrow morning with rolling coverage of day two.
The debate on chapter ten has now come to conclusion, so that brings Friday’s conference formalities to an end.
I’ll be back shortly with a summary post to wrap.
Now we have the ABC, and a statement of statutory independence. Delegate Rowland (Michelle Rowland, NSW) is sailing forth on the Q&A imbroglio. Rowland says Abbott’s recent public fight with the national broadcaster has turned the prime minister into a full time TV critic.
The resolution backing in the ABC has been carried.
I’ll chase up the substance of that motion when I get a moment, because that brief debate was interesting. Conference is speeding forward now on the republic. Delegate Thistlethwaite (Matt Thistlethwaite, NSW) has kicked off the republican debate, which is being seconded by Delegate Wong (Penny Wong, South Australia). Shorten has today committed Labor to achieving an Australian head of state within the decade.
While I’ve been chasing boats, conference is working through various motions about disclosure. Various delegates including the South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and the TWU boss Tony Sheldon have been talking donations and disclosure – the arms race of political fundraising.
Tony Sheldon:
Increasingly money is the master and democracy is the servant.
Boat turnbacks – known knowns and unknowns
I keep trying to squeeze in calls on boat turnbacks while keeping my ear on chapter ten.
Bit more on boat turnbacks before I track back to governance.
- The turnbacks debate is looking good for Bill Shorten. In an analysis piece I wrote about the debate on Thursday, I flagged that the right was relying on defections from the left to make sure the position of the leadership prevailed. I gather the construction union, and possibly United Voice, will vote with the right on turnbacks tomorrow. That strengthens Shorten’s position considerably. It is still possible some trade unionists on the right will vote with the left.
- But the question is vote on what? I flagged just before there’s some talk at the moment of a resolution from the left criticising boat turnbacks – this would be untidy in political terms but meaningless at the end of the day. Platform amendments matter. Resolutions don’t matter. It’s not clear to me right now whether a resolution will proceed when the debate comes on tomorrow afternoon. Discussions on that are continuing. It might be a simple matter of the Labor for Refugees motion being put and voted down tomorrow. In any case, Shorten’s ambition to give himself flexibility to use turnbacks in the event Labor wins government looks like succeeding.
Delegate Peris (Nova Peris, Northern Territory) is speaking in the constitutional recognition debate. Peris is belting Tony Abbott for his approach to Indigenous affairs – but she says the prime minister has an opportunity now to hit the reset button by taking up the cause of recognition.
Nova Peris:
It is a crucial time in Australian history. We have one chance. We have an opportunity to form a partnership on equal terms with Indigenous people. We can right a wrong.
Updated
Health is done and dusted. We are now on to chapter ten, which is Indigenous recognition, media policy (including ABC funding), and broader governance issues, including disclosure of political donations. We are kicking off this chapter with Indigenous recognition.
My colleague Gabrielle Chan is off at one of the fringe events on refugees. She’s keeping us up to date via Twitter.
Richard Marles debating Lisa Singh on #turnbacks at #ALPConf2015. Chair @bradchilcott calls for a deal on civility. Audience says no deal.
— Gabrielle Chan (@gabriellechan) July 24, 2015
So @RichardMarlesMP is outlining the numbers around refugees, largest humanitarian need since wwII. #ALPConf2015
— Gabrielle Chan (@gabriellechan) July 24, 2015
.@RichardMarlesMP 'We need2 be making a generous (resettlement) offering by global standards". 27,000 is huge offering he says #alpconf2015
— Gabrielle Chan (@gabriellechan) July 24, 2015
When @RichardMarlesMP says no deaths have occurred after #turnbacks, audience yells "how do u know?" #ALPConf2015
— Gabrielle Chan (@gabriellechan) July 24, 2015
.@RichardMarlesMP says if labor goes back to old asylum seeker policies, they will be judged badly by history. #ALPConf2015
— Gabrielle Chan (@gabriellechan) July 24, 2015
Sorry, I did stray from the health debate to make a couple of calls on boats. There is some talk at the moment that the left may move a resolution opposing turnbacks (as opposed to a platform amendment, which carries greater force). If you don’t know Labor conference speak, resolutions are feelgood things rather than impacting policy in any fundamental sense. I’ll let you know when I know.
Meanwhile, the health debate, where everyone is agreeing with everyone, is wrapping up shortly.
Updated
A PBS-related amendment now, which aims to ensure that low-income people continue to get access to affordable medicine.
Updated
An amendment has just zipped through which is the first step toward universal access to dental treatment. Now we are on to palliative care.
The first batch of amendments are strengthening Medicare amendments – which gives a bunch of delegates an opportunity to kick the Abbott government about the now-dumped GP copayment and the freezing of Medicare rebates.
Updated
Conference is powering on now to the health policy debate. Shadow minister Catherine King is opening proceedings.
Updated
Little Pattie - paying tribute to Gough - ALP National Conference pic.twitter.com/prdxaOlFt7
— Stephen Jones MP (@StephenJonesMP) July 24, 2015
Conference is back in session with the Whitlam tribute. Shorten made a short speech paying tribute to the former prime minister, who passed away in October last year. There’s been a video tribute, and now Little Patty (who featured in the It’s Time video) is addressing conference delegates.
I believed in Gough.
Updated
Speaking of boats, a short dispatch from my boss, Will Woodward, who is kind enough to pitch in from the fringe events.
About 150 people attended a packed fringe meeting of Labor for Refugees, where most of the speakers and questioners from the floor expressed dismay at Bill Shorten’s proposal to allow boat turnbacks if he was in power. Labor for Refugees is seeking amendments to the national platform to liberalise asylum policy, including rejecting “other policies of ‘deterrence’ implemented alongside offshore detention, especially intercepting and turning back boats at sea, or transferring refugees for immediate return to their countries of origin without a proper assessment of their claims for protection”.
Speakers Ged Kearney, from the Australian Council of Trade Unions, lawyer David Manne, executive director of the Refugee and Immigration, and Shane Prince, co-convenor of Labor for Refugees, urged Labor to resist pressure from Tony Abbott.
“I think the Australian public are crying out for leadership … I don’t think they are inspired at the moment and they are desperate to be inspired,” Prince said. “Stand up to the bullies who want to make the refugees the whipping boy to excuse all their inadequacies.”
Prince urged the leadership not to allow turnbacks on the party’s policy program, which would “create a bipolar document at war with itself” when the rest of the program emphasised compassion and human rights. But he said he was “by no means certain” Shorten’s plan would be voted on this weekend amid pressure for a delay.
Manne said current government policy on asylum was “conscious cruelty” and “conscious inhumanity” and said “we should not have harm as a policy”. Australia was signed up to the refugee convention but turnbacks put the country on a course where it was ignoring legal, moral and practical consideration for people at sea. To those that countered that the Abbott policy had worked, Manne said: “Does what we mean by ‘worked’ mean sending back people to the real prospect of persecution?”
Offshore detention was “mass suffering and inhumanity on a wide scale”, Manne said. Many children fleeing persecution were enduring “a second wave of suffering” in detention centres.
In a video message, made before Shorten’s pre-conference announcement on turnbacks, the human rights barrister Julian Burnside excoriated Labor’s recent approach. “There was a time when Labor had principles and stood for something.” He said Australia’s policy on asylum seekers was damaging the country’s standing in the world.
Kearney won applause for outling the ACTU’s policy on asylum seekers, including an end to offshore processing, opposition to turnbacks and support for an end to outsourcing the running of detention centres to private, for-profit businesses.
But there was acknowledgment that popularity of the Abbott government’s stand on turnbacks had created what Kearney called a “dilemma” for Labor. But she added: “I’m not sure that this path is how to win elections … if we follow that down the burrow much further, we’re never going to get out.”
Updated
Left unlikely to make a decision on turnbacks until the morning
Just by the by, folks are saying now that the left won’t make a formal decision on how to vote on boat turnbacks until tomorrow morning. We expected a decision this evening.
I’ll check this more thoroughly when time permits.
I neglected to mention there’s a tribute to Gough Whitlam coming up very shortly.
Just noting the general level of interest in matters Albanese and matters Buffett Rule, here, for the record, is his conference speech.
Delegates.
I rise to speak in support of this amendment, which will be seconded by the CPSU, calling upon an incoming Labor government to give consideration to the introduction of the Buffett Rule on tax, which I support. This came about when US investor Warren Buffett came to realise that although he was a billionaire he paid less tax than the secretary who looked after his diary.
This proposal is the creation of a minimum tax rate levied on the total income of high-income earners. If adopted, wealthy Australians would continue to spend fortunes on accountants. But once they reached a certain rate – 35% is what was proposed in the United States – no further deductions could be claimed.
The National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling has done research that showed that just for the top 1% of income earners, this could produce $2.5bn revenue each and every year. $2.5bn that could be spent on infrastructure, on schools, on hospitals. The Australian Tax Office figures for 2011-12 show precisely why I believe very firmly that such a policy is needed.
They found that 75 wealthy Australians earning more than $1m a year paid no tax. Of those 75, they had a combined pre-tax income of $195m. But their accountants managed to reduce their collective taxable incomes to just $82. That’s $82 in total out of $195m that was earned. That is simply unacceptable. That means that the burden of tax paid by those working men and women who are PAYG tax earners, are the people who are doing the heavy lifting. We hear a lot from this government about lifters and leaners.
Well I say, that one way we could deal with the tax system is to make sure that those people who should be paying tax do pay their tax and that those companies who should be paying tax do pay their tax as well, not offshore it. We’ve had policy put forward by the shadow treasurer on multinationals to make sure that they pay their fair share of taxation. The adoption of this today will ensure that a Labor government will give proper consideration to this proposal.
I believe it has the overwhelming support of the Australian community.
This is an issue on which we can mobilise people - because they know that the nurses, the teachers, the miners, the construction workers -they shouldn’t be paying all the tax while the millionaires simply are able to minimise theirs. Delegates, I congratulate the CPSU on the leadership that they have shown on this issue and I comment the amendment to the conference.
Updated
Wong has wrapped, conference will resume very shortly.
This afternoon we’ll have the health policy debate and the chapter on “strong democracy and effective government.”
Time to refresh beverages and roll shoulders.
Questions have gone back to trade. She says the position taken on ISDS clauses is a realistic policy.
Podium cam. A fine conference tradition.
When Penny Wong steps up to get pummelled by questions there's not very much written down #ALPConf2015 pic.twitter.com/Vl2dtpStRX
— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) July 24, 2015
Wong declines to reveal her view on turnbacks
Wong is asked for her view on boat turnbacks. Wong is a senior left-winger, and the left opposes turnbacks.
She says she expressed her view during the shadow cabinet discussion about whether Labor should adopt boat turnbacks – and she doesn’t intend to share it here.
I put my personal view there.
They are throwing a tantrum, frankly
A small crowd has gathered at the back of the media room for the shadow trade minister Penny Wong, who is now addressing reporters. She says the trade policy debate this morning was constructive.
Wong:
Tony Abbott thinks trade deals are about the (government’s) own political fortunes, but for Labor, trade is about jobs. We support a free trade agreement with China, but it has to be a high quality agreement.
She says Labor will ensure that the China FTA does not disadvantage workers, and will also move against ISDS clauses. Wong says Labor has been clear since 2011 that it does not support ISDS clauses. Labor has subsequently supported bilateral FTAs with ISDS clauses. Wong says the support has had the proviso that the clauses would be reviewed in government.
Wong is asked about the trade minister Andrew Robb’s declaration that the government won’t change a word of the China FTA.
They are throwing a tantrum, frankly.
Just a couple of bits on the Buffet rule from Albanese that I couldn’t quite stretch to in the rolling coverage. I gather the proposal in the US sees high wealth people paying 35c in the dollar. Albanese didn’t specify a figure in his contribution this morning – the amendment was a statement of principle rather than a statement of specifics.
But the Australia Institute has done some research (or rather they commissioned NATSEM to do some research) which found that a Buffet rule domestically could raise an additional $2.5bn from the top one percent of income earners. Sounds like a lot. But I wouldn’t enter a modelling-off with NATSEM. Nobody wins a modelling-off with NATSEM.
National conference, this lunchtime
Time to take stock of the morning’s developments.
- The Labor leader Bill Shorten made his opening address to the 47th national conference, digging in behind emissions trading, backing party reform and equality for women, and advancing the cause of Indigenous recognition and a republic.
- Shorten told delegates Labor must work to make Tony Abbott and the Coalition a one term government. Labor had already knocked over conservative governments in two states – Victoria and Queensland. This would require discipline and determination and bold policy, he said.
- A section in Shorten’s speech where he referenced Labor’s commitment to producing humane asylum policy triggered mild heckling from the conference floor – which was of course prompted by the looming, bruising policy debate on boat turnbacks. That one’s up tomorrow.
- The conference then moved into the economic policy debate. Notable developments included the shadow treasurer Chris Bowen carving out space for Labor to move against negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions.
- Anthony Albanese bobbed up with the proposal to slap a minimum tax level on wealthy individuals: the so-called “Buffett Rule” – a move that won applause from the conference floor.
- Shadow trade minister Penny Wong also gave significant concessions to the party’s industrial base on trade. The union movement is campaigning full tilt against the China free trade deal, and there is a progressive backlash against Investor State Dispute Settlement clauses. Wong agreed to a platform amendment which will see Labor try and remove ISDS clauses from existing trade agreements.
As they say in our business, more to come.
Updated
The final resolution before the conference lunch break is about supplying public services in remote communities in Western Australia. The WA Labor leader Mark McGowan is complaining about the poor share of GST that WA gets. This resolution is the beginning of a conversation about a fairer federation, McGowan notes.
That resolution passed. That means the economic chapter is a wrap once the amendments and resolutions pass. Which is now.
Conference has looped back to the China FTA. This is a resolution, moved by Andrew Dettmer (Victoria) and seconded by Tony Sheldon (NSW).
The resolution calls on Labor to pursue all possible parliamentary processes to remove the significant faults in the agreement to ensure Australian workers are not disadvantaged and restricted from access to work by the agreement; Chinese workers are not exploited; and all workers in Australia have the necessary skills to do their job safely and effectively.
The party president Mark Butler, is now trying to persuade delegates to push their motions through without excessive speeches, to keep the national conference running on time. He’s had partial success with that aspiration. Only partial success. A motion now on superannuation – improving superannuation entitlements for young people and low paid workers. Just carried.
Just a little side note from my Darwin-based colleague, Helen Davidson.
First time in a long time Im not at #ALPConf2015 BECAUSE I'M STILL SUSPENDED! #ntalp #shame
— Matthew Gardiner (@mjgardiner513) July 24, 2015
Matthew Gardiner was suspended from the Labor party after it emerged he had left the country in January, allegedly to fight with Kurdish forces against Isis. He was detained by AFP when he returned, but hasn’t been charged.
That Conroy amendment was just carried by the conference.
Now we are moving on to domestic gas reserves. There has been a vigorous internal debate about this issue, but it hasn’t really spilled over into the public domain pre-conference. Too many flashpoints for 2015 – crowding out the gas reservation push. This is a resolution cooked up by shadow treasurer Chris Bowen and shadow resources minister Gary Gray and the Australian Workers Union. Labor will look at reserving gas supply for manufacturing.
This particular issue has been kicking around the ALP since the last national conference.
Delegate Sheldon (Tony Sheldon, NSW) is speaking to the Conroy amendment. he invokes John Howard’s declaration in the Tampa election that we decide who comes here and the circumstances in which they come. I think this analogy is meant to link labour provisions in free trade agreements to national sovereignty. Sheldon is speaking against overseas workers, employed on sub-standard conditions on 457 visas.
Tony Sheldon:
Whether you have a 60,000 year heritage, or you arrived yesterday, you should have a right to Australian conditions.
Sheldon is speaking against the labour provisions in the China FTA, which he says disadvantage workers.
So much for Tony’s tradies.
Here’s Delegate Conroy (Pat Conroy, NSW) speaking to that motion.
Trade is good, but it must not be done at the expense of worker’s rights.
Conroy says he’s moved an amendment to compel a future Labor government to negotiate removing ISDS clauses from the trade agreements to which Australia is a signatory. He says this is a sovereignty issue.
Pat Conroy:
It is time to reform the ISDS system. To advance Australia, we must restore sovereignty.
Penny Wong to remove ISDS clauses from existing trade agreements
The economic debate is in trade territory now.
My colleague Gabrielle Chan has a little scoop about a motion coming up shortly.
The opposition trade spokeswoman Penny Wong is expected to support a motion to work to remove investor state dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses from existing trade agreements, including the Chinese and Korean free trade agreements (FTA) recently signed by the Abbott government. The motion, by the Labor MP Pat Conroy, would also mean a Labor government would work to reform ISDS tribunals so they remove “perceived conflicts of interest” by judges determining disputes.
Goodness, the prime minister’s declaration yesterday that silly scare campaigns must cease in the interests of national reform in the public interest hasn’t lasted very long.
“Hunt” is the environment minister, Greg Hunt.
Hunt: "will hold a doorstop to discuss..Shorten's plans for massive electricity hikes for families, pensioners and businesses" #ALPConf2015
— Daniel Hurst (@danielhurstbne) July 24, 2015
Updated
The Albanese Buffett Rule motion was just carried by conference.
Here’s the wording.
Remove opportunities for tax avoidance by wealthy individuals, through measures including a rule (also known as the Warren Buffett rule) which requires very high income earners to pay at least a minimum average rate of tax on their total income, thereby ensuring that these very high income earners can not end up paying a lower average rate of tax than low and middle income earners.
Interesting. There’s been a pause in proceedings because the motion is different from the one that had been cleared through conference processes. The motion I have includes the Buffett Rule. I wonder if the motion the party president has is different from mine?
The name's Albo – and I'm buffeting things with the Buffett Rule
Ah look, here’s Anthony Albanese, having a little fun in the economic debate.
Delegate Albanese (Anthony Albanese, NSW) is injecting a proposal he’s calling the Buffett rule. He’s proposing the creation of a minimum tax rate levied on the total incomes of high income earners.
A round of applause from the floor.
Bowen flags moves on negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts
Here’s the chap who is spearheading the inequality policy debate with Chifley – Labor’s official think tank. Former treasurer, Wayne Swan.
Of course this project will in no way irritate the person speaking now – the shadow treasurer Chris Bowen. (Yes, I am being a bit droll.)
Bowen is moving an amendment which opens the way for Labor to move on tax concessions like negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts.
The motion reads thus: Labor believes that reforms to housing tax concessions should be considered as part of a comprehensive examination of housing affordability and budget sustainability issues. Labor also believes that any changes to housing tax concessions should not impact on current household investments or housing supply.
That’s a significant flare in the pre-election context.
Assistant treasurer Andrew Leigh says multinationals need tax breaks like Prince Philip needs a knighthood. He says Labor is about tax transparency.
Delegate Byrne Darcy Byrne (NSW), speaking in the debate, says Labor needs to be clear in arguing against inequality.
Arguing against inequality is at the heart of the social democratic project today.
A couple of amendments about discrimination, noting discrimination is unhelpful to productivity.
Delegate McAllister (Jenny McAllister, NSW – a former national president of the ALP) is now moving an amendment to ensure there is a sound revenue base for all levels of government. This takes in multinational tax avoidance amongst other issues.
McAllister:
This is not an area where we should take a backward step.
The economic debate is now in full swing, and Mark Butler is presiding. The first platform amendment has passed, which notes the ALP is the party of full employment. Delegate Palaszczuk – that would be the Queensland premier – is now moving an amendment saying Labor will develop a STEM strategy. Shorten was in this territory in his budget-in-reply speech earlier this year.
Love in their hearts, fear in their eyes.
The name’s Albanese. Albo Albanese.
Quick thoughts on the Shorten keynote
The conference is rolling on but just a few quick thoughts on that speech. It was a well crafted outing that balanced attack against Tony Abbott with Shorten’s comfort zone, which is Mr Consensus.
It told Labor’s emerging policy story coherently and there were no ‘We are us’ howlers.
But it looked a bit flat on television. Colleagues who were in the room for the keynote said it projected flat in the room as well.
I mentioned the Shorten line about Richard Marles, Labor’s immigration spokesman, delivering safe and humane immigration policies – meeting silence in the room.
Colleagues say not silence, actually some low level heckling.
She’s a hugger, this small Shorten. Always a good sign.
Shorten’s little girl has reached for Plibersek and wrapped her legs around her…. ~imagery~ #ALPConf2015 pic.twitter.com/gktHkJHlRx
— BuzzFeedOz Politics (@BuzzFeedOzPol) July 24, 2015
He rounds out by saying Labor offers voters unity, not the politics of division.
Bill Shorten:
This is the courage Australians expect of their governments. To reject the politics of division. To bring our country together. And this is what Labor offers Australia: good jobs, quality healthcare, great education, fairness for all … and we do this together.
And what we achieve, we will achieve together. Together, we are ready to seize the moment. Ready to serve a generous, optimistic and open people. Ready to lead a smart, modern and fair nation. Ready, to Advance Australia.
BIO meets OTT (trans: One Term Tony)
Now Shorten moves to the beat down on Tony Abbott.
I know there hasn’t been a one-term federal government in Australia for more than 80 years … but it’s time there was. Usually, with their ingrained sense of fairness, Australians give a government a second go. But – just like in Queensland, just like in Victoria – one term is enough.
More than enough.
Shorten says Australia is bigger, better and braver than the world view of Tony Abbott and the Coalition.
Mr Abbott and the Liberals aren’t just holding Australia back at a time when we’re trying to get ahead … This erratic, indulgent government … with their knee high-hopes for our country, are trying to drag Australia in the wrong direction.
Mr Abbott is a throwback to a world that never existed ... Out of his depth, and out of touch. Australians deserve better than a prime minister who wants to make them afraid of the future.
Submarines: Labor will build them here. China free trade agreement: Labor is ..
Strong in our belief in free trade, in new markets and new job opportunities.
And equally strong in upholding Australian safety standards, Australian wages – and Australian jobs.
A flick on the republic (Labor wants one) and same sex marriage.
We can be an inclusive nation, where marriage is not about gender but two people who love each other, above all others.
Bill "BIO" Shorten
Shorten locks Labor in comprehensively behind an emissions trading scheme. The future requires us to lead, he tells delegates.
A Shorten Labor government will build an emissions trading scheme for Australia. And we will not be intimidated by ridiculous scare campaigns.
Let me say this to our opponents, in words of one syllable: An E.T.S is not a tax.
And if Mr Abbott wants to make the next election a contest about who has the best policy solution for climate change … I’ve got a three-word-slogan for him:
Bring.
It.
On.
The Labor leader has arrived at the climate segment of the speech. He says Labor at this conference will set an ambitious new goal for renewable energy. By 2030, Labor’s aim is for renewable energy to generate 50% of Australia’s electricity.
Shorten:
2014 was the warmest year in recorded history. The evidence is in, the science is settled. Climate change is not ‘absolute crap’, it is an inescapable fact. And if we take a do-nothing approach, there will be more extreme weather. More severe storms, more aggressive fires, more dangerous floods, longer and more damaging droughts. Our farmers will face greater hardship. Our coastal homes will be invaded by rising seas. The infrastructure cost will be hundreds of billions of dollars.
Climate change is an economic and environmental cancer – and it demands early intervention. Mark Butler is right, this is no longer a question of Australia leading the world – it is a matter of keeping up.
If the world’s biggest capitalist nation, and the world’s biggest planned economy can agree climate change is a priority- it’s time Australia did so too.
Mr Abbott’s society of flat-earthers talk a lot of nonsense about Labor policies – but they’re right about one thing. There is, absolutely, a clear-cut choice between Labor and the Liberals on renewable energy.
A segment on gender which allows Shorten to embrace the Emily’s List proposal at this conference for affirmative action.
Friends, we should set no limits on our ambitions for Australia. Let us start by treating women equally in our society… in opportunity, in pay, in leadership … and in politics ….
Let us eliminate, completely, family violence from our national life
Let us end the debilitating gender divide … Because if Australia can lead the way in equality for women … Then we will truly be the richest nation in the world.
Rich in every sense of the word.
Our goal should be nothing less than the equal participation of women in work … equal pay for women at work …and an equal voice for women across our parliament.
So let this conference declare, by 2025, 50% of Labor’s representatives will be women.
Updated
A section on the economy, which signals Labor’s thinking on inclusive growth and its three decades long Hawke/Keatingesque commitment to open markets.
Labor understands the economic remedy our nation needs: increasing growth and jobs, through boosting productivity. This is not the politics of soft options – and raising the GST. Productivity and growth is hard economics. Modern Labor believes in the operation of markets, in competition and profits.
Shorten works through all the various portfolios.
Richard Marles will deliver immigration policies that are safe and humane.
(Conspicuous silence after that reference.)
Shorten addresses the democratisation push at this conference delicately through a reference to Gough Whitlam – a leader who took on the party and modernised it.
But he doesn’t invoke or dwell on specifics.
We are not here today to talk to ourselves, about ourselves.
Instead, we gather to speak to all Australians. As Gough Whitlam said, 43 years ago, in a packed hall in Blacktown on a hot November night… Elections are a choice between ‘the habits and fears of the past, and the demands and opportunities of the future.’
Shorten addresses the Rudd/Gillard period, at least by inference. He tells conference delegates that sorry business is now behind us.
We come not just to shape a new Labor platform, but to meet the test of a new Labor generation. A generation that has learned the hard lessons of the past.
A new Labor generation, ready to serve, and to lead.
Shorten works through the framing language – what we are about versus what our opponents are about.
Then a shout out to the comrades, who are feeling bruised both by the democratisation push at this national conference, and pressures outside it.
I acknowledge all the members of Australia’s trade union movement. No group of people in all Australian history has done more to guarantee safety, to build national wealth, to lift the living standards of ordinary people, than our unions.
Ten thousand royal commissions won’t change this.
Shorten delivers his keynote address
Shorten has kicked off his speech a little in union shop steward mode. On television he looks to be shouting. I’m sure it works much better in the room.
Bill Shorten:
Friends, delegates, true believers, fellow Australians. This conference comes at a pivotal time in our national life, and a restless moment in our national mood. The tests facing Australia are great. The consequences of failure are grave. And never has the contrast between us and our opponents been more clear.
Ok, here he comes. Delegates stand up again. Shorten gives them a double thumbs up. He works his way down the front line – which doesn’t contain any ex Labor prime ministers, which is a bit odd. One of the little Shortens clambers on to her Dad. He has to peel her off.
Shorten then unfurls his tagline, a Shorten government will Advance Australia.
Now we have the Shorten video. Let’s call this presentation Bill Shorten smiling at folks in high vis, smiling at people who are not in high vis, smiling with the family, smiling while he pours the tea.
Lots of testimonials. Shorten is a very inspirational person – a man of his word. A man who championed the national disability insurance scheme.
Shorten, down the barrel of the camera:
That’s why I’m in politics actually, to make a difference.
Andrews is delivering a homily on the merits of beating a one term Liberal government. Beating a one term Liberal government. Over. Beating a one term Liberal government. Andrews beat a one term Liberal government in Victoria. See folks, it can be done. (Moral of the story for delegates: please be good. Please, please, please, be good.)
Butler hands over the microphone to his colleague Tanya Plibersek. She gets a warm welcome from the floor.
Plibersek also attempts to inoculate against the shouting over the next three days. Shouting is good, she says. Discipline is also good. Because we need to make Tony Abbott a one term prime minister.
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews throws to Bill Shorten. The crowd rises to its feet. No, no, Andrews says. Not yet, Andrews says – in a minute. The delegates are confused. They think they were meant to welcome Shorten for his speech. Andrews sits them down. They sit.
Daniel Andrews:
Who says this isn’t a compliant conference?
The spotlight is always turned up to eleven on the dial. Everything hangs out for the rest of the nation to see.
Butler opens his conference warm-up with a Spinal Tap reference, and another reference which we’ll walk right past.
The ALP president says the debate over the next few days will be vigorous but constructive. But he also tells the delegates the task of this conference is to help make Tony Abbott a one term government. To do that we’ll need to be united and disciplined, he says.
So get that delegates: bolshie, but not too bolshie.
Labor won’t win the next election with a small target strategy, Butler says. We need to push bold policy out there. He also says the party at this conference needs to reform itself. This doesn’t mean walking away from the union movement – but it means dealing in the members. It’s past time to deal in the members.
It’s about grass roots members power.
Ok, underway now, sitting or not. Butler opens proceedings with a roll call of dignitaries, and now there’s welcome to country.
Delegates I’m starting in thirty seconds.
Butler, running out of patience.
There is a pop song playing. All the world will stop to watch you shine. Butler is getting more emphatic about sitting down. Sit.
Of course everyone is still standing.
Mark Butler, the new ALP president and environment spokesman is asking delegates to take their seats. As usual folks are wandering around like Brown’s cows. There is much clearing of throats close to microphones. Labor frontbencher Kate Ellis is soothing her new baby.
The conference opens formally in fifteen minutes. Bill Shorten will address the colleagues at around 10am give or take. This is his first speech to delegates as Labor leader. Self evidently it’s a big moment for him.
It’s interesting that he’s chosen to dig in on climate policy – a message for both internal and external consumption – given he faced a leak of the party’s policy working paper only a week or so ago, a leak that looked malicious.
After Shorten’s speech the party will roll straight into the economic policy debate, which will include interesting motions on trade, on growth and on taxation. The economic debate has been a bit overshadowed by other flashpoints: boat turnbacks, climate, gay marriage and Palestine.
Economy: it’s your time to shine.
Good morning
Good morning blogans and bloganistas and welcome to our live coverage of the ALP’s 47th national conference – wifi hot spot Gods willing. The comrades have gathered on a cold wet winter morning in Melbourne with love in their hearts and fear in their eyes.
Bill: "GOOD MORNING LABOR CONFERENCE!!" *checks papers* Bill: "Oh boy" #ALPConf2015 pic.twitter.com/9vvtB0YuGR
— BuzzFeedOz Politics (@BuzzFeedOzPol) July 23, 2015
Perhaps they’ve just read the tabloids.
As we go live this morning, the shadow assistant treasurer Andrew Leigh is briefing the media along the lines that conflict is perfectly normal. Conflict at the national conference of Australia’s oldest political party is a healthy thing – you don’t want a stage managed conference people, do you?
No, Andrew, indeed we do not.
If you’ve avoided all the conference coverage to date here’s some catch up reading that might be helpful. Daniel Hurst’s news story previewing the Labor leader’s opening address can be found here. A listicle of five interesting things to watch out for over the weekend can be found here.
The listicle should have nominated one extra thing to look out for. The name’s Albanese, Albo Albanese. He’s been very quiet of late but found his voice on conference eve by criticising Bill Shorten’s handling of the boat turnbacks debate. You can find Gabrielle Chan and my news story about that intervention here.
As we are about to get underway with all the fun of the fair I can only suggest that you fasten your seat belts for the next three days. Refreshments breaks are acceptable.
As usual the Politics Live comments thread is open for your business, and you can give me a shout on the Twits @murpharoo
Updated
