Labor Left set to win control of party executive and conference

The list of national conference delegates reveals the faction could win control of powerful national executive body.

Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Anthony Albanese and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin attend a lunch in Brisbane on Friday. Picture: Sarah Friend/DFAT via Getty Images

Labor’s Left faction is poised to take control of the party’s powerful national executive and have a majority of delegates at the national conference for the first time since 1979.

The Australian can reveal that nominations for Labor’s national executive close on Friday but the Right faction is pushing for a deal to avoid a ballot that could result in the party’s ruling body being seized by the Left with an
11-9 majority.

The national executive is evenly balanced with 10 members from each faction and Anthony Albanese holding an ex-officio casting vote. However, no votes have been held since Mr Albanese became party leader in May 2019 and there is a push to maintain the status quo by not having a ballot at the conference.

Senior figures from the Left and Right concede that even if a ballot is held, it may not result in the Left gaining a majority on the national executive as it would depend on strict adherence to agreed tickets and both factions are split internally based on union affiliation, states and personalities.

But national executive papers with a list of all 402 credentialed delegates obtained by The Australian confirm the Left faction will have a workable majority on the floor of the conference the first time since the federal conference in Adelaide in July 1979. Delegates elect the national executive by secret ballot.

There was a ballot to determine the national executive at the last national conference, held in Adelaide in December 2018, but there was no ballot at the national conference in Melbourne in July 2015 as factions agreed on the make-up of the national executive.

There is a determination from the factions, reinforced by Mr Albanese and deputy leader Richard Marles, to avoid the appearance of disunity and embarrassing the government at the party’s 49th national conference to be held from August 17 to 19 in Brisbane.

Richard Marles and Anthony Albanese will not stifle debate. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

But debate will not be stifled, like it was during Kevin Rudd’s government, and votes on contentious issues will be held. Labor MPs will not repeat the ­experience of the party’s national conference in July-August 2009 in Sydney, when no votes were taken on any policy issue.

“There is a broad view across the party not to embarrass the leadership at the conference on any issue and keep harmony and unity,” a senior party figure told The Australian. “This is especially important given the political climate that we face and we do not want to give the Opposition any free kicks.”

Another senior party figure said the factions were working ­towards not having a ballot to ­decide the national executive but this was not yet a universal view. “Albo wants to keep the peace,” they said. “Having a ballot could be unnecessarily destructive. We are working it through.”

While union leaders, party ­activists and some backbenchers expect to use the conference to dissent from government positions on the AUKUS nuclear submarine plan, refugee policy and stage three tax cuts, or seek to ­reopen debate on recognition of Palestine, the government’s view will prevail on each issue.

Operatives from Left and Right factions expect fewer than 100 delegates to vote against the government on contentious ­issues such as AUKUS. Moreover, disagreement is likely to be about how the nuclear submarine program is delivered, including industry and workforce support, rather than the concept of AUKUS.

Last Thursday, the party’s ­national executive endorsed the credentialing of 402 delegates for the first national conference since the election of the government. The president, Wayne Swan, and vice-presidents Susan Close and Mich-Elle Myers are non-voting delegates.

Wayne Swan. Picture NCA NewsWire / Aaron Francis

The list of delegates reveals the weakening of the Right faction in Victoria, which has given the Left a majority. There are six delegates from the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party plus the four party leaders in the House of Representatives and Senate, and three delegates from Young Labor.

The state delegations are elected by a mix of local federal electorate councils, state branch conferences or direct membership ballots, or a combination of these voting pools. The largest delegation is from NSW with 107 delegates, followed by Victoria (91), Queensland (73), Western Australia (43), South Australia (33), Tasmania (23), the ACT (9) and the Northern Territory (7). Every state party leader is also a delegate.

Almost all delegates are either serving or former federal or state ministers or MPs, local councillors, party or union officials or political staffers. Several former politicians are delegates, including Kim Carr, Ursula Stephens and Daryl Melham.