Once every election cycle, delegates from each of Labor’s factions gather to decide on the party’s policy platform. This shapes what Labor takes to the next federal election, acting as both a policy framework and a vision of what party members want the political arm to achieve when in power.
Labor’s 49th national conference, which begins on Thursday, is the first in more than a decade to be held while the party is in government and the first where the left factions hold the power on the voting floor.
But don’t expect that to translate to more progressive policy positions. The Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, wants the party to stay in government for at least another two electoral terms, and policy fights have been largely settled.
By the time delegates meet at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, most deals will have been done and most agenda items waved through.
“It will be a little bit of a bizarro world,” one Labor delegate described it. “Where people will mostly be arguing with past versions of themselves.”
Still, there are a number of policy platform items that are worth watching.
Stage-three tax cuts
Despite Labor’s election promise to leave the stage-three tax cuts as is, they remain an uncomfortable fit within the Labor diaspora. Jim Chalmers, the treasurer and a member of the Labor right faction, will lead the tax discussions. He says the party’s position on the tax cuts has not changed.
But there is a growing push, led by the union heavyweight Tim Kennedy, to review the income tax brackets in the third stage of the Morrison government’s tax reforms. Kennedy, the United Workers Union’s national secretary, has suggested tweaking the policy to better help people earning between $45,000 and $120,000 instead of those earning above $120,000.
Aukus in focus
At this stage, the Aukus defence pact looks like being among the most contentious of issues for delegates.
Under chapter seven of the draft platform is the sole reference to Aukus: “Our self-reliant defence policy will be enhanced by strong bilateral and multilateral defence relationships, including Aukus. Where appropriate, Labor will strengthen existing defence ties with our key allies and through the United Nations (UN), as well as building new and strengthening existing relationships within the lndo-Pacific region.”
There is a push, led by hardline left delegates, to remove the words “including Aukus” from the platform. This looks like being one of the issues heading to a vote, with no agreement reached ahead of the conference.
At least 40 Labor branches have called for either a review of the pact or opposed it outright, and motions opposing Aukus have been submitted for debate on the floor of the conference. But it is unclear which ones, if any, will be accepted.
There is strong support for a resolution which makes clear there is no “open chequebook” for the pact, but other delegates see that as the bare minimum.
I joined the Labor Party in the early 70s. In this time you could count on the majority of the Labor Left to have a healthy scepticism of US militarism. I marched for peace, opposed US warmongering with many who now support Aukus.
— Doug Cameron (@DougCameron51) August 14, 2023
WTF has happened? https://t.co/OhOtC71ict
Labor’s commitment to signing and ratifying the UN treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons will also be a contentious talking point.
With the news of Australia acquiring nuclear submarines under the Aukus deal, there is a push within Labor to reaffirm the party’s 2018 pledge to sign and ratify the treaty, and propose a timeframe to do so. Some suggest there is “strong appetite” among delegates to show that the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons remains a core party value, although it is not expected the treaty will be signed in this term of the Albanese government.
The housing crisis
Under pressure from the Greens, there is a push on for Labor to adopt a more progressive approach when it comes to the housing crisis gripping the nation.
While housing does form a significant part of the draft policy platform, delegates on the left are worried it does not go far enough and are disappointed with the response from the party so far.
Labor’s left faction is pushing for a tax on corporate super profits and using the proceeds to build homes to alleviate the housing crisis. They warn inaction on housing could result in Albanese leading a one-term government.
Renewables and the environment
There is movement in the environment and climate space, with about 350 Labor branches endorsing a push to significantly lift subsidies for renewables amid a global race.
Many are also seeking an end to native forest logging and land clearing, although supporters attending the conference admit moving towards 100% plantation logging is a “spiky” idea for the party. The tension will no doubt be felt most among MPs representing electorates where native forest logging is a major industry. A push for an updated forestry policy beyond the 1992 National Forest Policy Statement is also expected, given much has changed in the last three decades.
Hecs debts and helping young people
With the dramatic rise in many people’s Hecs and Help debts this year, some union delegates will call for the abolition of the indexation applied to the tertiary loans.
Those within the party’s left faction and in left-aligned unions are looking to focus on policy platform changes to tackle issues of intergenerational wealth. Along with the aforementioned super profits tax proposal to build more houses, the push will look at reviewing other policies to ease financial pressures for younger people.
Asylum and offshore detention
The left has never been overly comfortable with Labor’s offshore detention policy, but despite them having the numbers and voting power there is unlikely to be much change at this Labor conference.
There is a push to have a royal commission into offshore detention, but it is unclear whether such a motion will reach the floor for debate. More likely to get up for debate are proposals on the fringe of Labor’s policy, which includes increasing the safety net.
It is unlikely the conference delegates would vote to pass any proposal to stop boat turnbacks, which remain Labor policy given Albanese’s support for it as leader.
