ALP national conference and Israel
Labor will use the final day of a contentious national conference to project unity on the Indigenous voice referendum and as a springboard into its ‘yes’ campaign.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to attendees during the News Corp Bush Summit in Tamworth on Friday, August 11, 2023. (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi)
The party’s national conference will take place in Brisbane next week and bring together federal and state leaders, MPs, unionists and rank and file members to hash out policy on a range of issues.
Within the more contentious policy debates, there are fights to quell divisions over Palestinian statehood as well as to stave off internal rumbles against Australia’s plan to acquire nuclear-propelled submarines.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong this week announced the government would strengthen its position against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and affirmed they were illegal under international law.
The decision is in line with key diplomatic partners like the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the European Union.
But the timing has drawn criticism from the opposition, who accused Labor of throwing its left faction a bone ahead of the national conference in order to quell ructions over the AUKUS alliance and submarines.
“The Labor Party has said one thing before the last election – reassured Australian’s Jewish communities that there would be no change and that they were in lockstep in terms of policy positions on Israel – and now we’re seeing multiple changes,” Liberal frontbencher Simon Birmingham said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will give a keynote address at the start of the conference’s first day on Thursday before various ministers lead debates in their portfolio areas.
Policy adopted at the conference is binding, but it remains up to the parliamentary caucus about how and when decisions are implemented.
There are almost 400 voting delegates including from the federal parliamentary leadership, state and territory leaders, the trade union movement and the rank and file.
All can move amendments to the policy platform or put forward resolutions they would like the conference to consider.
The conference will wrap up on August 19.
AAP
Penny should visit occupied Palestine with her wife and see what kind of welcome they receive.
Do you think that they will also refer to Crimea as “the occupied territory of Crimea” ,along with all the countries listed on Wikipedia as “List of Military Occupations”?