Jane Garrett raises her hand for Labor federal presidency
ONE of Labor’s strongest critics of the Greens, Jane Garrett, will run for the party’s federal presidency.
ONE of Labor’s strongest critics of the Greens, Jane Garrett, will run for the party’s federal presidency, directly challenging federal frontbencher Mark Butler from the Left and presenting the faction nationally with a choice between a fresh face and an ALP establishment figure.
Ms Garrett, a senior left-wing minister in the Victorian government, is an outgoing ALP vice-president who has prominently tried to alert the ALP to the demographic and political challenges posed by the Greens. She said yesterday the party had to modernise but not lose its sense of history and identity, which included a close relationship with the union movement.
Her candidacy is backed by the Victorian Left, which has reunited this year, giving her an added chance to secure the faction’s backing nationally when the vote is taken before the party’s national conference.
Senior party figures in Victoria have called Ms Garrett’s candidacy a direct challenge to both Mr Butler and potential future leadership aspirant Anthony Albanese, amid concerns that union power in the ALP could be watered down.
There is broad consensus in the Victorian ALP that the Andrews government seized power in the state with the help of the unions.
“I think that we should acknowledge and celebrate the important role that the union movement plays in the Labor Party,’’ Ms Garrett said.
Ms Garrett, who has spent years fighting the Greens in inner Melbourne, labelled the party “insidious’’ and “destructive’’ and meriting constant attention from Labor.
“I think our traditional relationships should be strengthened,’’ she said. “I think this isn’t about chopping off bits of the party. It’s about acknowledging the important role that unions and members play in the Labor Party.’’
Ms Garrett, 42, is considered a rising star of the ALP in Victoria and was recently appointed Emergency Services Minister.
This month The Australian revealed Mr Butler would contest the federal presidency after former federal minister Greg Combet withdrew from the race.
The Right faction was backing West Australian barrister Tim Hammond on a reform agenda, with Labor leader Bill Shorten’s backing.
But the Victorian Left has indicated it wants reform that acknowledges the need for an ongoing union input.