26 LEADERSHIP Labor signals move from union stronghold In an attempt to mend a damaged and defeated Australian Labor Party, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is deconstructing 113 years of union influence.

DESPITE identifying as a ‘proud union member’, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten can see the writing on the wall for the Australian Labor Party (ALP). Picking up the pieces of a shattering federal election defeat and factional infighting, Shorten has announced a ‘major campaign to rebuild the Australian Labor Party’, making it easier for non-union members to join. “Tony Abbott did not put Labor in Opposition – the Australian people put us here. Unless we change, it is where we will stay,” Shorten says. By July 2014, Labor will have launched a ‘one-click’ online joining model and a fee structure that caters to young people, people on low incomes, students and trainees. “I’ve been a member of the Labor party for 29 years. When I was 16, it took me nearly a year to jump through all the hoops for membership,” Shorten says. “In a time when we can book flights, do our banking and file Opposition Leader Bill Shorten our tax returns online – every Labor supporter should be able to become a Labor member in minutes, not months.” The Labor leader and former workplace relations minister believes modernising his party involves changing the role of unions which he says has developed into a ‘factional, centralised As a party we can’t remain decision-making role’. anchored in the past – we need “I am proud of what modern Australian trade unions have to rise with the modern tide. done to lift the living standards of working people in Australia… but our world and our workforce are changing,” he says. “As a party we can’t remain anchored in the past – we need to Bill Shorten rise with the modern tide. “I believe it should no longer be compulsory for prospective members of the Labor party to join a union. And I have instructed our national secretary to have this requirement voting system by members of the party and parliament, and removed from Labor party rules. allowing local members a greater role in pre-selections. “It is a change that makes it clear that Labor is not exclusively “This is all about respect. Respect for our members – their for one group of Australians.” values and their judgement,” he says. As the Coalition’s Royal Commission into union corruption “It is true that in our 113 years as Australia’s oldest continuous and governance gets underway, Shorten appears to be political party, Labor’s pre-selections have gained a reputation distancing his party from unlawful union conduct. for being rugged battles. “For me it was straightforward. No-one is above the law: no “That is why we will be giving local members a greater role in business, no union, no individual,” he says. pre-selecting their local Labor candidate.” “Corruption is a profound insult and a deep betrayal of As the ALP leader attempts to rewrite the party’s core values everything the Labor party and the union movement stand for. to capture a more modern stance, only time will tell if such “If you are in the pockets of organised crime you don’t a move can restore the confidence of the wider Australian deserve protection and you won’t get it from us. We don’t want electorate in the once dominant ALP political force. you. Get out.” The one thing Shorten can bet on, in his own words, is that Shorten also encouraged state and territory parties to follow ‘rebuilding is never painless, but it is far less painful than the federal Labor’s lead in electing their leaders using the 50:50 alternative of a weaker, less-relevant Labor party’. www.amma.org.au | Winter 2014 |