Unions, sexual harassment claims expose Labor’s woes at Victorian conference

Sexual harassment claims and cracks with the union movement headlined this weekend’s Labor Party’s Victorian conference.

Bill Shorten with his daughter Clementine at the Labor Party’s Victorian conference in Melbourne. Picture: AAP

The Labor Party’s Victorian conference has exposed divisions ­between its federal and state branches six months after Bill Shorten’s election loss, as well as revealing that party officials have been forced to crack down on an internal culture of sexual harassment and bullying.

Anthony Albanese stayed away from the Melbourne conference at the weekend, leaving his deputy, Richard Marles, to face a walkout from the CFMEU, other left-wing unions and factional power­broker Adem Somyurek.

Meanwhile, outgoing state president Hutch Hussein revealed that more than 15 party members had come forward to complain about sexual harassment and bullying by fellow members, with one alleged perpetrator expelled from the ALP and others suspended.

While Victorian Premier ­Daniel Andrews received enthusiastic support from the conference floor, public sector unions voiced anger at the state government’s 2 per cent wage cap, and a motion requiring all state ministerial staff to be union and ALP members passed without dissent.

About 200 of the 600 ALP members present walked out on Saturday as the Deputy Opposition Leader gave a speech on behalf of the federal party, with some returning minutes later to give Mr Shorten a standing ovation.

The move was a show of ­defiance following militant CFMEU boss John Setka’s recent departure from the Labor Party amid the Opposition Leader’s threat to expel him, as well as over federal Labor’s recent support for several free-trade agreements.

Mr Marles ignored the snub, making a point of acknowledging the union movement as he began a speech that reflected on the May election loss and called on ALP supporters to rally behind Mr ­Albanese and the federal party.

“I want you to know that the federal parliamentary Labor Party are utterly determined, as I know you all are, to make sure that we win the next election, that we make Anthony Albanese the next prime minister of this country and that we do achieve a federal Labor government once again, because for all the pain of the 18 of May, we are still on 68 seats,” Mr Marles said.

“We’re within striking distance, closer proportionately than we were in the lead-up to the 1972, ’83 and 2007 elections. This is an election that we can win.”

Mr Shorten called on ALP members to “recognise you can’t fatten a pig on market day” and work now towards winning the next election. “We are a party who didn’t seek to be the opposition, but 48.5 per cent of Australia gave us their two-party-preferred vote, and what we need to do between now and the election, every day, is fight, fight and fight,” Mr Shorten said.

Mr Albanese has denied that his non-attendance at the conference was sparked by threats of a union walkout, and The Australian understands he is expected to visit Melbourne this week.

Ms Hussein told the conference she was proud of having overseen a new harassment and bullying code of conduct, conceding party culture needed to change, and she detailed accounts of complaints about sexual harassment and assault, verbal abuse, spitting in women’s faces, intimidation and standover tactics.

“I want us to be a party where it’s not the victims who suffer and leave after a negative experience, but it’s the perpetrators who suffer the consequences and leave if necessary,” Ms Hussein said.