Queensland state Labor takes a big step to the left

The party’s powerful policy council is expected to become more progressive, after wins to the Left faction in a key ballot.

Member for Kurwongbah Shane King, right, is running for a position on Queensland Labor’s Policy Coordination Committee. Pic: Pine Rivers Press

Queensland Labor’s Policy Co-ordination Council is expected to become more progressive, with the dominant Left faction winning almost half of the vote in a ballot for positions.

The strengthening of the Left and deterioration of the once-powerful Right faction comes amid internal division within the party and from unions that Labor has forgotten its working-class roots.

The Right won just a quarter of votes in the online ballot (917), finishing with fewer votes than the Old Guard faction (922).

The Left won 1548, while 195 votes went to independent candidates.

Four of the positions on the PCC went to the Left, three to the Right, two to the Old Guard and one to an independent.

The Left was preferenced on how-to-vote cards by the Old Guard and is likely to benefit from supply during crucial votes on policy.

Labor sources said the result meant the Left would become even stronger and more influential in the development of party policies.

Of the 18 candidates competing for the 10 positions on the PCC, seven were from the Left, five from the Right and three from the Old Guard, also known as Labor Unity.

In an email sent to party members, returning officer Terry Wood said party rules stated that at least four of the positions must be filled by women and two by ­regional candidates.

“The Policy Co-ordination Council is the policy development body of the ALP,” Mr Wood said. “(Its) role … is to facilitate policy debate and development among party members, union affiliates and Labor caucuses.”

For years, the Right held most of the power within Queensland Labor but that dynamic shifted when the party returned to power in 2015 after being reduced to seven MPs in 2012.

A majority of MPs in the Palaszczuk government side with the Left, followed by the Right and then the Old Guard.

The Left has also become dominant on the floor of state conferences and has strong influence in the party office.

“They will dominate all aspects of the party,” a senior Labor source told The Australian.

“This really shows a decline of the Right in Queensland Labor.”

CFMEU construction division secretary Michael Ravbar last year accused the party of abandoning its blue-collar base.

“The Labor government has been walking away from its ­working-class roots,” he said.

Among the branch members to win a position on the PCC was left-aligned Kurwongbah MP Shane King.

The line-up of candidates also shows the concentration of power in the Right faction rests with the Australian Workers Union, despite the affiliated Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association having more union members.