12 steps to reform for the ALP – a petition to Bracks-Macklin from OL & the Independents

12 steps to reform for the Victorian ALP

Victorian Labor needs to empower all our members by more direct voting and active participation using 21st century technologies. The ALP needs far-sighted change to play its part in the election of strong Labor governments and implement progressive policies for all Australians.

Open Labor and the Independents endorse the efforts of the Administrators to clean up the members role, renew the Disputes Tribunal and amend the rules to require traceable means for membership.

Download petition PDF here.

We now call on Administrators Macklin and Bracks to recommend Victorian ALP rule changes which further advance our: 

Integrity

1. Clean the party of branch stackers and members enlisted through branch stacking and put in place processes and rules to detect and prevent future stacking;
2. Appoint an independent ombudsman to investigate potential serious rules breaches and take warranted charges to a reformed and impartial Disputes Tribunal;
3. Guarantee democratic practices, including the conduct of all elections by secret ballot supported by robust and enforced rules, and the declaration by candidates of their factional and other party affiliations;

Respectful culture

4. Show the party respects and values its members by ensuring that they have input into important decisions and informs them of what has been decided and why;
5. Support members and branches by promoting their participation in party activities, openly communicating important and essential information, providing training for key roles and potential public office holders;

Democracy and good governance

6. Ensure a real say for members in ballots for candidates for both houses of State and Federal parliaments;
7. Prohibit interventions that remove the voting rights of party members in pre-selections except in unusual circumstances.
8. Reform the Administrative Committee so it is representative of the membership, operates democratically and reports and explains its decisions to members;
9. Ensure State Office is competent, and run by officials and staff appointed on their merits, who do not engage in factional activity while performing their formal party role;

Grow the membership

10. Adopt an inclusive strategy of supporting the operations of branches and other party bodies (such as LEAN, Young Labor and Rainbow Labor) to welcome, recruit, support and retain genuine members from all parts of the Australian community;
11. Establish a Membership Unit within the State Office dedicated to growing Labor’s membership and broadening its appeal, especially among groups where membership is low, including traditional Labor voters, young people and minority communities.
12. Increase the participation of individual affiliated unionists by giving them a direct say in party activities and votes, including election of the union’s State Conference delegates.

Thank you for your consideration

James Button – Open Labor

Kathleen Cozens – Open Labor

Eric Dearricott – Independents