Factional split puts ALP power up for grabs

As Labor prepares for its first national conference since 2018, the party’s Left faction has split over who should sit on the all-powerful national executive.

Anthony Albanese in question time on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Labor’s Left faction has split ahead of the party’s national conference, with a rebel slate of candidates nominating for the national executive, backed by the Industrial Left in Victoria and Soft Left sub-faction in NSW, causing a headache for Anthony Albanese.

With the Left faction poised to have a workable majority of delegates on the floor of the party’s national conference for the first time since 1979, which elects the national executive, it could seize control of the body that administers the party.

Powerbrokers from the Left and Right are hoping to avoid a ballot but The Australian can ­reveal 33 candidates have nominated for 20 positions on the ­national executive, several without the endorsement of national Left leaders or supported by state Left caucuses.

The list of national executive candidates reveals militant unionists and politicians are standing for election to the ­national executive.

Candidates include CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith, CFMEU NSW president Rita Mallia, Melbourne City councillor and CFMEU political organiser Elizabeth Doidge, UFU secretary Peter Marshall and state politicians Anthony D’Adam and Luba Grigorovich, formerly Victorian secretary of the RTBU. Several federal Labor MPs have nominated for seats on the national executive, including Tim Ayres, Carol Brown, Raff Ciccone, Julian Hill and Sam Rae.

Labor’s national executive is currently split 10-10 between the Right and Left factions, giving Mr Albanese an ex-officio casting vote as party leader. However, no votes have taken place since Mr Albanese became ­leader in 2019.

The Right faction has ­nominated a unified national ticket based on the strength of respective state delegations and trade union backing, and is eager for the Left to agree on who should make up their 10 representatives so the status quo on the national executive can be maintained.

Some Left and Right faction leaders are hoping Mr Albanese will intervene and insist to the Left faction that they agree on a slate of 10 candidates so that a ballot is not needed.

There was a ballot for the ­national executive at the previous national conference held in Adelaide in December 2018 but the factions agreed on the make-up of the ruling body at the July 2015 conference held in Melbourne.

If no deal can be struck, a ballot will take place over four hours on the afternoon of the second day of the conference to be held in Brisbane from August 17 to 19.

The in-person ballot is run in accordance with the complex rules established by the Victorian Labor Party branch.

Given the divisions in the Left faction and the possibility that some national conference delegates may not strictly follow a Left or Right endorsed ticket, the outcome of the ballot defies confident prediction.