Like Labour in Britain in 2010, the Australian Labor party suffered a heavy defeat in 2013, despite having a record replete with governing achievements. As the global economy was on the brink of a catastrophic depression in 2008-9, the Labor government implemented one of the most effective stimulus packages in the industrialised world. The ALP secured an unprecedented period of peace and prosperity: Australia got richer; wealth was more fairly shared. The Gillard-Rudd administrations reformed schools, built a national broadband service, and introduced the first Australian disability insurance scheme – an agenda of concerted national renewal.
Nonetheless, future elections are not won on the basis of past achievements. Labor has to look forward after a period of incumbency where there is always a danger that attention to the central political narrative can be lost. Strategic purpose in politics is all – not just the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of reform, but also the ‘why’. A pledge card, however well crafted, is insufficient. The task is to relate specific policies to a compelling account of vision and values. The intuition is one of spreading wealth, power and prosperity to all in a changing world, shaped by new opportunities, alongside new threats and insecurities. So what are the challenges Australian Labor must address to be a credible contender in 2016?
The first is organisational: how to revitalise the party base so that members have a real voice, and the historic link with the trade unions is renewed for modern times. This is not just about candidate selection, but enabling members to have real input into the policymaking process. More than ever, people need a reason to participate: if they feel their views are not being heard, they will go to places where they will be – often outside the conventional party system.
Another challenge is fashioning a winning political strategy: how to build an enduring progressive alliance which offers a hand up to those who want to get on, and a helping hand to those in trouble. This is a balancing act given the divergent interests of blue-collar constituencies under threat from globalisation, and the urban middle class more intuitively comfortable with cosmopolitanism and global competition. What unifies these constituencies, nonetheless, is insecurity – economic insecurity given the fear of job losses, social insecurity given the challenges to the traditional welfare state, and personal insecurity given the threat of crime, incivility and disorder. A further task for the ALP is to develop a policy agenda that confidently addresses the politics of insecurity.
The greatest challenge, nonetheless, is always about winning the battle of ideas. Australia, like the United Kingdom, is a country where a powerful economic establishment prevails, reinforcing the drive towards liberalisation, privatisation and deregulation since the 1980s. The centre-left needs to have the confidence of its convictions, shifting the centre of gravity in a progressive direction. Most big ideas are not the product of ivory tower theorising, but practical engagement with the real world – an impulse towards ‘bold, persistent experimentation’ enabling progressive parties not just to win power, but to govern for the long term.
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Patrick Diamond is vice-chair of Policy Network. He was a speaker at this year’s Progressive Australia conference