Recycling Failure

Labor keeps repeating its commitments to environmentalists, unions and other other fringe groups, trapping itself in a cycle of inevitable electoral losses. By Tim James.

The Australian Labor Party has failed to win a majority in the House of Representatives in eight out of the last nine federal elections. This year’s election loss was particularly problematic for Labor given prior polls and expectations. So is Labor learning from its mistakes? In brief, it doesn’t look like it.

Notwithstanding the candid and comprehensive job done by Craig Emerson and Jay Weatherill in their review of Labor’s 2019 election campaign, the question remains whether Labor can in fact change.

Early signs suggest it won’t or can’t. Here’s why.

The fundamental reason is that Labor continues to be inherently conflicted and controlled by the union movement which now represents only about 12% of the workforce. A union movement that too many times, over too many years has had leadership more focused on itself than the workers they purport to represent. Those unions will not accept any diminution of power in Labor and union connections appear everywhere you look across Labor.

Labor and the unions are two sides of the one coin. Unions and their members continue to dominate Labor meetings, policy forums and preselections. Early this year, former Labor leader Kevin Rudd called for Labor to reform its 50% rule whereby unions are presently guaranteed 50% of Labor conference delegates. Nothing has been done nor is likely to be done about this.

Anthony Albanese is recognised as one of the most left-leaning federal Labor leaders in decades. An article this week about his “inner sanctum” of his closest colleagues, staff and confidantes reveals very few in his circle who haven’t worked for a trade union. Not surprising given the unions’ reach and control in Labor circles.

The other core reason pointing to Labor’s inability to change is its policies. Yes, it’s early in the term and to be fair, at least Mr Albanese did this week reject the Greens’ calls for a ban on coal exports. So, Labor’s position now seems to be that it’s fine for other countries to purchase and use our coal but that we must stop utilising these Australian resources for Australians as soon as possible. On economic policy, taxation, immigration, education and other key policy matters, Labor shows signs of being immovable. Perhaps about as immovable as the NSW Labor HQ in Sussex Street - the moving of which some Labor stalwarts absurdly suggest is how to stamp out its dreadful culture and corruption!

Looking at just a few policy areas, Labor is like the leopard that can’t change its spots. Labor’s economic policies always tend towards tax and spend – not creating wealth but redistributing it. Notably, current Labor president Wayne Swan called for the retention of such policies just three months ago. Labor’s education solution tends always to throw money at the system and kowtow to the education unions. And the recent Medevac debate revealed that Labor haven’t changed on immigration – they simply don’t support strong, stable borders.

Credit where credit is due to Labor’s Tanya Plibersek on her remarks to our counterpart the Chifley Research Centre last weekend. She is right to say that her party “needs to rebuild trust in democracy itself”. Indeed, all parties should. Labor should take a good look at its own models and mechanisms as far as democracy is concerned. And the point she made about needing to “teach ourselves again how to talk, listen and argue courteously”, is a point well made.

Meanwhile, Bill Shorten has said he intends to stay in Parliament for 20 more years and refers to himself as a leader with fire in the belly. Let’s see how courteous he can be in the years to come, particularly towards another leader in his way. The image of the broken down Shorten campaign bus comes to mind – did it ever really get back on the road?

Ultimately, whilst ever Labor is union controlled, undemocratic and driven by an outdated, socialist-like policy agenda, it will struggle to win the hearts and minds of the Australian people. Ironically, the party that urged people to vote for change at the last election, struggles much to change itself in response to the realities of our modern democracy.