Former Bendigo MP Steve Gibbons writes: "With Stephen Conroy departing the scene, will Victorian Labor finally be free of the undemocratic embarrassment that is Victoria’s rotten Stability Pact and a return to some form of basic fairness in future party activities and preselections? Gibbons … [Read more...] about How Victoria’s rotten Stability Pact keeps Labor undemocratic – by Steve Gibbons, Crikey 24 Oct 2016
Readings & listenings
What will Conroys departure mean for Shortens leadership? – by Ben Chifley, Crikey, 19 Sep, 2016
Ben Chifley asks: With 'Dalek' Stephen Conroys departure, will the (secret) Victorian Stability Pact hold and can Bill Shorten survive? We summarise his article below. Neither the Victorian Socialist Left nor newly reconstituted Centre Unity Right ShortCons group (allies of Bill Shorten and … [Read more...] about What will Conroys departure mean for Shortens leadership? – by Ben Chifley, Crikey, 19 Sep, 2016
A cancerous corruption is eating the ALP – by Race Mathews, Pearls & Irritations, 7 Nov 2015
Race Mathews writes that "A cancerous corruption is eating the ALP". He congratulates ALP Leader Bill Shorten on telling the Victorian ALP to investigate and eliminate its membership rorts. "There may never be a better opportunity to clean up once and for all the morass that has been exposed. The … [Read more...] about A cancerous corruption is eating the ALP – by Race Mathews, Pearls & Irritations, 7 Nov 2015
Labor launches inquiry into branch stacking scam – by Ben Schneiders & Royce Millar, The Age, 30 Oct 2015 & by Richard Willingham, The Age 8 May 2015
Rchard Willingham writes of the branch stacking scam that followed the Victorian Labor 2014 conference, when members could join and pay for membership online for the first time. A lengthy investigation then began in June 2014, with a three-person panel looking at allegations of mega branch … [Read more...] about Labor launches inquiry into branch stacking scam – by Ben Schneiders & Royce Millar, The Age, 30 Oct 2015 & by Richard Willingham, The Age 8 May 2015
Let us now begin, Victorian intervention 1970 – by Race Mathews, Pearls & Irritations, July 2015
Let us now begin ... Race Mathews writes a gripping story of the Victorian intervention 1970. He urges ALP members to secure the reinstatement of democracy and the rule of law within the party, and ensure that it is passed on unimpaired to those who come after us. 'By the early nineteen-sixties, … [Read more...] about Let us now begin, Victorian intervention 1970 – by Race Mathews, Pearls & Irritations, July 2015
Public pessimism, political complacency: restoring trust & reforming Labor – by John Faulkner – 7 Oct 2014
Senator John Faulkner’s address to The Light on the Hill Society, downloaded in full from the excellent website, Australian politics.com who write: "Senator John Faulkner has renewed his call on restoring trust & reforming Labor, arguing that party reform is vital to tackling the public … [Read more...] about Public pessimism, political complacency: restoring trust & reforming Labor – by John Faulkner – 7 Oct 2014
Towards a modern Labor Party: Bill Shorten on party reform – 22 Apr 2014
Read ALP Leader Bill Shorten on party reform. Shorten has proposed giving party members more say in the preselection of lower and upper house candidates; a system of direct election of National Conference delegates:. Full speech to a Per Capita forum 22 April 2014 plus edited intro from … [Read more...] about Towards a modern Labor Party: Bill Shorten on party reform – 22 Apr 2014
2014 Victorian Labors new crisis – by Race Mathews, SMH, 3 Mar 2014
An edited version of the 2014 Victorian Labor's new crisis article by Race Mathews, focusing on factional anti-democratic processes, starting some history of the 1960s "Scoresby Letter" impact on ALP democratisation and the 1970 Victorian ALP federal intervention. Federal leader Bill Shorten has … [Read more...] about 2014 Victorian Labors new crisis – by Race Mathews, SMH, 3 Mar 2014
Integrity in politics; the power of ideas – by Lindsay Tanner, May 2012
Former Labor Lindsay Tanner argues to restore integrity in politics & tackle the culture of passivity in this time of media trivialization of politics, big political parties' confusion & loss of purpose, the digital revolution, and the Global Financial Crisis. (Heavily edited by Open Labor … [Read more...] about Integrity in politics; the power of ideas – by Lindsay Tanner, May 2012