An attempt by a branch of the ACT Labor Party to protest the tripartite AUKUS security pact was blocked over the weekend in what members believe is a consequence of Anthony Albanese wanting to quell dissent on the issue, writes Phillip Coorey in the Australian Financial Review
Amid significant unrest among rank-and-file members – primarily from the Left – with the pact involving Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, plans have been brewing for an anti-AUKUS motion to be put to the party’s national conference to be held in Brisbane next month. But with the event doubling as Labor’s launchpad for the 2025 election, and the Left having the numbers on the floor for the first time since at least 1980, factional bosses from both sides will ensure nothing passes that will embarrass the government.
The same will apply to any motion that calls for Labor to immediately recognise Palestine as a state.
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To continue reading, click here to access the full article (paywall) at the Australian Financial Review, published July 24, 2023.
Phillip Coorey
Phillip Coorey is the political editor based in Canberra. He is a two-time winner of the Paul Lyneham award for press gallery excellence.