THE HON BILL SHORTEN MP LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION MEMBER FOR MARIBYRNONG

SPEECH

TOWARDS A MODERN LABOR PARTY

THE WHEELER CENTRE MELBOURNE TUESDAY, 22 APRIL 2014

[Check ! "#$% &e'"(e)*+ As you know, I was originally scheduled to speak to you on April 7. Since then, passages of what I was planning to say have been reported followed by a lot of very well-intentioned advice about what else I should say. It is clear to me that there is a widespread, genuine passion for rebuilding the abor party.

A passion we all share. A passion drawn from our abiding faith in progressive politics and a deep belief in changing our country for the better. ike me, you must find it hard to watch what !ony Abbott"s government is doing to the country we love. !rying to tear down everything we have worked so hard to build together. !rying to impose their backward-looking, twisted priorities on our nation. etting thousands of #obs go without a fight, and then blaming the workers. $enigrating the %ational $isability Insurance Scheme. Slugging families with a &' !a( the first shot in the iberals" war on )edicare. *oncocting a false budget emergency to #ustify an agenda of cruel cuts to schools and hospitals. 'unishing pensioners and yet paying some of the wealthiest Australians +7,,--- for parental leave. Sacking *SI./ scientists, re#ecting the science of climate change, and paying big polluters to poison the environment. Sending the wrong message on racism and bigotry, and bullying the A0*. 1hy do they do these things2

0ecause the iberal party have always put the interests of powerful lobby groups ahead of the vulnerable. !hat is why they e(ist it is what they live for vested interests. 0y contrast, abor is the party of change, the party of optimism and opportunity for all. 0ut to fulfil our mission, to live up to our values, we must be in government. It is no good all of us gathering in furious agreement or mutual indignation. If we want to change the government, if we want to change the country, we must change too. S, %,& * "$ & * -,) - c"#! ./ %, $,0e h )& %).%h$1

F)"e#&$, T,#* A22,%% &"& #,% /.% L 2,) "# O//,$"%",# 3 %he A.$%) '" # /e,/'e /.% .$ he)e1 A#& .#'e$$ 4e ch #!e, "% "$ 4he)e 4e 4"'' $% *1 3nless we change, we will be forced to watch on as the iberals undo and unmake everything that modern Australia is, everything that modern Australia can be. It is only in government that we can put our words into action, and into law. And for abor to earn the privilege of governing again, we must have an honest conversation about why we lost power. 4or too long we have allowed the characterisation that abor only has an 5image problem", a 5message problem" a 5selling problem" to e(plain our electoral fortunes.

!hat we only need to change perceptions change the way people see us. It"s more serious than this. 1e need to change ourselves. 1e need to change our party. If we don"t change we are putting our very future at risk. 4or abor to build a modern, outward-looking, confident and democratic Australia, we have to be a modern, outward-looking, confident and democratic party. !his process began with the election of the party leader last year. It was a big step. It"s now time for the ne(t big step. !oday I announce the start of a ma#or campaign to rebuild the Australian abor 'arty and renew our sense of purpose. A campaign driven by my mandate as the first member-elected eader of the abor 'arty. A campaign to create a abor party that"s stronger because we have more members and those members have more of a say. A campaign to create a big party, a nation-embracing party, a party that represents and reflects the Australian people. A membership-based party.

A L 2,) / )%* 4"%h 100,000 0e02e)$1 4or abor to rebuild, we have to involve more people in the work of rebuilding. )ore than 6 million people voted abor at the last election. Almost 7--,--- have signed up for our emailing list. !hese are abor"s people. !hese are Australians who own our beliefs, who share our ideals, who rely upon abor government. 'eople who place their faith and trust and hope in abor. Australians who, because of &ough 1hitlam, became the first in their family to go to university. Australians who first received superannuation under 8awke and 9eating. Australians who were inspired by the %ational Apology to the Stolen &enerations. Australians who know that only abor can deliver a life-changing reform like the %ational $isability Insurance Scheme. Australians who want good #obs for their kids and decent aged care for their parents. The$e )e ,.) $.//,)%e)$, ,.) /e,/'e1 L 2,) /e,/'e1 I 4 #% %he0 %, 2e ,.) 0e02e)$1 !oday I wrote to &eorge 1right, the %ational Secretary of the abor 'arty, outlining my priorities for rebuilding our party- and the immediate actions I want us to take.

4irstly, we need to make it easier for people to #oin our party. I"ve been a member of the abor party for :; years. 1hen I was <=, it took me nearly a year to #ump through all the hoops for membership. !hree decades later, it is still too hard for people to sign up to our cause. I want to change that. 0y >uly we will launch a 5one-click" online #oining model for new members. In a time when we can book flights, do our banking and file our ta( returns online every abor supporter should be able to become a abor member in minutes, not months. I have also asked our %ational Secretary to work with our State Secretaries to establish low cost, uniform national membership fees. abor should have a fee structure that includes young people, people on low incomes, students, apprentices and trainees. 0ut attracting new members is about more than practicalities. It is also about reaching out to new constituencies. 'eople in small business. 'eople in regional towns. ?oung people.

0etween :-<- and :-<7 around 6--,--- Australians reached voting age but didn"t enrol. 4our hundred thousand. ?oung Australians who are leaving school, taking up an apprenticeship or a university place, moving out of home and looking for work. ?oung Australians who do not believe that politics can deliver positive change or that public policy is relevant to their lives. 'eople who feel that their concerns are outside the understanding of political parties, that involvement in politics doesn"t solve their problems. !hese should be abor"s people too. @very time I talk with young people about #oining our party, someone asksA 51hy would I want to #oin a political party2" 1ell, if you want to change our party you have to #oin it. If you think the system is broken help us fi( it. If you care about improving our country you have to be the change you wish to see. If you care about what Australia will look like in :-:- and beyond. If you care about the education and healthcare you receive, the public transport you ride in, the air you breathe you have to participate in the public debate.

If you opt out - if you choose the 5plague on both their houses" option, then you are depriving our country of your talents, your e(perience and your capacity to engage others. If you don"t engage in politics, you end up being governed by vested interests by powerful, privileged voices. If you want proof, #ust have a look at the would-be knights sitting around the *abinet table. Above all, if we want people to #oin the abor party - we must make it clear that abor is capable of engaging with them and speaking for them. And if we are truly serious about modernising the abor party, we need to modernise our relationship with the union movement. I am a proud union member. I will always be proud to be one. I am proud of what modern Australian trade unions have done to lift the living standards of working people in Australia, to seek the fair go and embed it in our community, to make our workplaces some of the safest in the world. !ogether, abor and the union movement created one of the most successful socialdemocratic countries in the world. 0ut our world and our workforce are changing. As a party we can"t remain anchored in the past we need to rise with the modern tide.

I 2e'"e(e "% $h,.'& #, ',#!e) 2e c,0/.'$,)* -,) /),$/ec%"(e 0e02e)$ ,- %he L 2,) / )%* %, 5,"# .#",#1

A#& I h (e "#$%).c%e& ,.) N %",# ' Sec)e% )* %, h (e %h"$ )e6.")e0e#% )e0,(e& -),0 L 2,) / )%* ).'e$1 'eople have said that this a symbolic change it is. And it is more than that. It is a change that makes it clear that abor is not e(clusively for one group of Australians. 1e are for an economy where everyone prospers, a society where everyone benefits, an Australia where the fair go is for everyone. 3nion and non-union employees. !he self-employed, small business and wage earners. Th"$ ch #!e 0 ke$ "% /' "# %h % "# 2014 L 2,) "$ #,% %he /,'"%"c ' )0 ,#*%h"#! 2.% %he A.$%) '" # /e,/'e1 et me say a couple more things about abor"s relationship with the unions. !he Abbott .oyal *ommission into unions is gearing up. I know that many in our party, and the union movement, legitimately resent the political agenda behind this e(ercise. !hey know !ony Abbott has always been obsessed with discrediting the people of the union movement and, by association, the people of the abor party.

!he timing and focus of this .oyal *ommission is the sort of cynical and smallminded practice - the low use of high office - that is beginning to define this 'rime )inister. 0ut whatever the base political motives of !ony Abbott, there is a clear obligation to act in the face of criminal conduct. As a former union representative and as a )inister, I have always supported actions that fight corruption. !wo years ago, as 1orkplace .elations )inister, I took the serious and unprecedented step of applying to the 4ederal *ourt to have the 8S3 @ast 0ranch put into administration. !he 4ederal *ourt agreed that the members of some branches of the 8S3 - some of the lowest paid and hardest working employees in Australia - were victims of a blood-sucking culture of dysfunction and corruption among their leadership. 4or me it was straightforward. N,7,#e "$ 2,(e %he ' 41 N, 2.$"#e$$1 N, .#",#1 N, "#&"("&. '1 *orruption is a profound insult and a deep betrayal of everything the abor party and the union movement stand for.

*orruption has no place in modern Australia, in the boardroom or on the factory floor. 3nlike !ony Abbott, I am not interested in using the .oyal *ommission as a Star *hamber for settling old scores. I won"t abuse an important #udicial process by rushing to #udgment or chasing headlines. 0ut I will say this. If you have betrayed the trust of your members you don"t belong in the union movement. If you are in the pockets of organised crime you don"t deserve protection and you won"t get it from us. We &,#8% 4 #% *,.1 Ge% ,.%1 All of us who hold the principles and values of our party dear, must stand together and meet criminality, corruption and misconduct with resolute strength. /ur best defence is to rebuild our party with a new, more open, democratic and transparent model of membership. .ebuilding abor means giving our members a voice not #ust asking for their vote. 1e have to write a new democratic contract. 1hen the abor 'arty was born in <B;<, the vision of its founders was of a membership-based party.

0ut in more recent times, the role of unions within our party has developed into a factional, centralised decision-making role. If we are to renew and rebuild the abor party, 4e 0.$% )e2."'& $ 2 $e& / )%*, #,% - c%",#72 $e& ,#e1 0e02e)$h"/7

A broader, more inclusive party. A / )%* 4he)e 0,)e /e,/'e9 )e 0,)e "#(,'(e&90,)e ,-%e#1 I would encourage State and !erritory parties to follow the lead of 4ederal abor and elect their leaders using the ,-A,- system. I admire >ohn .obertson in %ew South 1ales for his leadership on this issue. I congratulate the A*!, Cueensland and !asmanian abor who have already taken steps to empower thousands of members by giving them a say in who leads the party. !his is all about respect. .espect for our members their values and their #udgment. !hat is why we will be giving local members a greater role in pre-selecting their local abor candidates. *hoosing a candidate for public office is a solemn responsibility and it should be a right of our engaged members. .ight now, abor pre-selection processes vary from state to state, both in structure and in clarity.

8ere in Dictoria, A ' candidates for the lower house are currently elected by a ,-A,vote of local members and a central panel elected by State *onference. I have instructed our %ational Secretary to work with his State and !erritory counterparts to increase the weight given to the local members" vote by :- per cent in every 8ouse of .epresentatives seat with more than 7-- party members. In Dictoria, this will mean a 7-A7- split in favour of local party members. I believe we should also be looking at more primary-style community pre-selections in non-held seats, as we saw trialled by our %ew South 1ales branch recently. A couple of weeks ago, more than <--- members of the community cast their votes in the *ampbelltown pre-selection. !hat is an impressive number proof that if we open our doors to the community, the community will respond. If abor is to rebuild as a membership-based party, we must also be a communitybased party, with candidates drawn from, and chosen by, their community. It is true that in our <<7 years as Australia"s oldest continuous political party abor"s pre-selections have gained a reputation for being rugged battles. 0ut our pre-selections are also a valuable introduction to campaigning for our future abor )'s. 1e should be proud to have these contests in the open. 1e must put our faith in transparency and back the good #udgment of local abor members.

!here will, of course, be times when abor has an opportunity to pre-select a candidate of e(ceptional Euality for a particular seat. 0ut from now on, intervention by the national e(ecutive should be the e(ception, not the rule. I remain committed to abor"s affirmative action goals and I want this to be a cause that all of us share. 1e must increase the number of female representatives in 4ederal, State and !erritory 'arliaments. And I believe a greater local voice in pre-selections will help us achieve this. &iving our members more of a say in pre-selections doesn"t end with the 8ouse of .epresentatives. 4riends, we need to change our Senate pre-selection process. abor has always been well served by our Senators- and we have a motivated Senate team. 0ut the rancour over the recent 1estern Australian process shows that in the future we need a method that provides a local voice in addition to a central component so that we can select the best possible candidates. !here a range of views on the best way forward, but there is no dancing around the truth. !here has to be real change.

ocal abor voices need to be heard in Senate selection across Australia and the first steps must be taken now. I have instructed our %ational Secretary to work with the %ational @(ecutive and the 1estern Australian abor 'arty to recommend the best way of giving local party members a meaningful say in the selection of Senate candidates. 1e will be setting a new standard for selecting abor Senators. /ur work in 1estern Australia will be used to inform our other State branches in allowing local members to contribute to Senate pre-selection nationally. !his is not about the performance of abor"s current Senators they are dedicated contributors whom I support. !his is not about revolution it"s about evolution. !his is about rebuilding abor for the long haul. /ur faith in democratic decision-making should apply to our %ational *onference too. 1hich is why I have asked %ew South 1ales State Secretary >amie *lements to provide me with concrete recommendations on how we can make our %ational *onference more representative. /ur goal should be for future abor *onferences to be a mi( of people directly elected from and by abor members, and those elected by state conferences.

)aking abor more democratic and more representative is also about reaching out to union members - not #ust those in leadership positions - to #oin our party and participate in our decision-making. 3nions will always have a vital role to play in Australian society and I want union members to continue to play a role in our party, as members.

So far, I have focused on changes that will give abor members more of a say. !he simple fact is, abor can propose all the rule changes we want, but if people don"t see us as standing for the right things, they won"t #oin us. .ebuilding our party is not #ust a technical #ob of updating our rules. It is a moral task of renewing our ideas and sense of purpose. !hat is why I have thrown my support behind the decision of the last %ational *onference to undertake a ma#or review of the A ' %ational 'latform in time for our :-<, %ational *onference. /ur %ational 'resident >enny )cAlister and members of the %ational 'olicy 4orum along with Shadow *abinet and *aucus are all engaged in these consultations. 0ut everyone needs to have a say in this process and we should start with *hapter /ne. *hapter /ne contains abor"s enduring values.

1e need a new *hapter /ne, a democratically-drafted statement that captures what modern abor stands for. I know we are a big party with a diversity of deeply-held views. And we are right to be passionate when debating the policy solutions for the challenges that Australia faces. 0ut we also have a responsibility as an /pposition and as an alternative government. 1e must be united in our sense of purpose. And we must lock in behind the policy position we arrive at. If we are not united, if we are not focused, then we risk letting !ony Abbott and his government of twisted priorities and broken promises off the hook. F)"e#&$, )e2."'&"#! '4 *$ 0e #$ )"$k1 I% ch ''e#!e$ %he $% %.$ 6.,3 2.% "% "$ 4h % ,.) !)e % / )%* "$ 2,.%1 It is what separates us from the protectors of privilege who sit opposite us in 'arliament. .ebuilding is never painless. 0ut it is far less painful than the alternative. !he alternative of a weaker, less-relevant abor party. A party left trying to fight the great battle of ideas with an arm tied behind our back.

A party doomed to see its great mission live on only in the archives and its great successes grow dusty in the trophy cabinet of history. 1e cannot let this happen. 1e cannot stand still and watch as !ony Abbott punishes the people we in the abor party have always served. 1e cannot submit to the twisted priorities of this 'rime )inister. Australia will always need abor governments. abor reforms, abor vision, abor compassion. 0ut we cannot say abor is ready to serve until we change. !oday is a significant step but it is only the start of our #ourney. !his #ourney will take time. 1e will be sharing our ideas with the Australian people and listening to their ideas. It will be a conversation between eEuals about the sort of party we want to be. 0ecause the work of rebuilding abor belongs to us all. !ogether we can make abor as big, bold and open as the country we want to serve. !his is a duty we owe to ourselves and to our nation. A modern abor 'arty, for modern Australia.

ENDS