Left blocks ALP coal support policy

Ed Husic’s supportive reference to coal industry in Labor’s draft policy platform blocked by senior Left faction figure.

Opposition resources spokesman Ed Husic. Picture: Kym Smith

Opposition resources spokesman Ed Husic tried to include a supportive reference to the coal industry in Labor’s draft policy platform but his request was blocked by a senior Left faction figure because it was lodged half a day late.

Rejection of Mr Husic’s request on procedural grounds by NSW senator Jenny McAllister means there is no reference to Labor’s support for the sector or its workers, despite Anthony ­Albanese vowing to back coal ­exports if the ALP wins government.

Mr Husic told the party’s Nat­ional Policy Forum on Tuesday that a pro-coal amendment sponsored by Labor MP Meryl Swanson should be included in the draft platform.

Senator McAllister, the deputy chair of the National Policy Forum and the co-founder of the Labor Environment Action Network, said the amendment should not go in the draft because it was submitted late.

Mr Husic responded that he believed the amendment had been lodged within the timeframe and questioned why the party would want to create a “bigger deal than it should be” by leaving coal out of the draft platform.

Sources supportive of the amendment say a “misunderstanding” meant it had been lodged on Tuesday last week, just missing a Monday night deadline.

“(Senator McAllister) had the defence of process and she is a process person,” a Labor source said. “But politically it just doesn’t work ... there is no mention of coal in the draft.”

The issue will likely become a public stoush at the party’s nat­ional conference in March, where attempts will be made to insert it in the final version of the platform that will form the basis of policies for a future Labor government.

The amendment would have added the words “coal” and “natural gas” into a paragraph about Labor supporting the exports of minerals and resources.

The Australian understands former resources spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon put a reference to the coal sector into the preliminary draft platform, revealed by The Australian in September, but it was removed in the editing process. This forced Ms Swanson to submit an amendment that was co-sponsored by trade spokeswoman Madeleine King.

There were references in the draft platform to Labor’s support for the gas sector, including new developments.

Senior Labor MPs say opposition energy spokesman Mark Butler’s amendment to include a medium-term target into the platform was done without the support of shadow cabinet or the knowledge of many MPs.

The Australian understands shadow cabinet members were unaware of the amendment until it was revealed in this newspaper on Tuesday.

A reference to the medium-term target was left out of the preliminary draft platform.

“I hate the idea of policy being made through the platform,” one Labor MP said.

Another MP, who was unaware of the amendment until it was reported in The Australian, said negotiations had occurred on the platform for eight months “and Butler adds this in at the 11th hour”.

“The first question Albo is going to get asked is: ‘What is your target?’ And what is he going to say? ‘I’ll tell you later?’ ” a Labor MP said.