PRESIDENCY OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

It’s an honour and a privilege to be voted the next president of the Australian Labor Party.

My thanks to the many thousands of Labor members who participated in this important election, and of course to all the candidates who put themselves forward for the honour and hard work of being president of our party.

 

My campaign was driven by the belief that Labor’s future lies first and foremost in being clear about what we stand for.

 

Our success won’t be determined by tinkering with internal processes or by the outcome of votes over single issues at national conferences.

 

To get new members coming through our door, and a new generation campaigning and voting for us, we have to show them we mean business about creating a better, more democratic and more equal society.

 

This means getting better at addressing the big picture. Around the world and here in Australia, democracy and equality are under threat from powerful and well-funded vested interests.

 

We need to take them on and beat them. Labor must be re-organised so it can better fight that battle. We have to be more than a campaign machine for winning elections; we have to be a campaign machine for winning the battle of ideas.

 

The idea that we live in a corporation, not a community must be defeated for once and for all, and Labor has to take the lead in defeating it.

 

Ultimately, Labor must restore people’s faith in the idea that collective action through government can create a better society and better lives for all of us.

 

Winning that battle is the starting point for having Labor governments that can succeed in office.