If Not Now, When?

Enhancing the decision-making role of branch members, including a vote for senior party office-holders, liberalising party rules to allow issues-based branches, promoting productive avenues of participation for members, and breaking down the "Masonic-Leninist" culture of the ALP are proposed by the ALP Shadow Minister for Communications, and member for Melbourne, Lindsay Tanner, in a paper published on the Internet today.

The paper is a submission to the ALP's committee reviewing the party's organisation and structure. The committee is chaired by the former Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, and the former NSW Premier, Neville Wran. Click here to read Tanner's submission in full.

Party Culture

Tanner argues that the ALP's internal culture is characterised by "Byzantine structures, unfamiliar jargon, exclusionary attitudes and an atmosphere of secrecy". Amongst many points he raises, Tanner says:

• "Policy debate is often talked about, but it actually doesn't happen very often." Members are usually too busy fighting each other or the Liberals to devote time to policy development.

• The party's biennial National Conference needs "to provide for much greater membership participation". The British Labour Party's fringe conference arrangements could be used as a model.

• The ALP needs to find a way of using "the talents of specialist volunteers".

He claims that "Labor is still encumbered by a structure, culture and organisational approach which reflected the old world. In the short term we have been propped up by incumbency, the electoral system and public funding of political parties, but the signs of decline are everywhere."

He also claims that the ALP needs to be "more realistic about our past", arguing that the party has a tendency "to indulge past leaders with a degree of reverence which is not shared by the general community". This is an interesting observation, coming only days after the faltering campaign of the South Australian Labor leader, Mike Rann, drew heavily on the glories of the Dunstan era of the 1960s and 1970s. Rann concluded his policy speech last Sunday with an "It's Time" reference to Gough Whitlam.

Tanner specifically proposes:

• direct membership voting to elect key party positions such as State branch office-holders, Administrative Committee members and National Conference delegates and National office-holders

• liberalised branch rules which allow members to form branches around any theme which is compatible with Labor's platform and objectives, not just local geography

• a deliberate ongoing campaign to encourage branches to function as community organisations in their own right, taking action in local communities to pursue Labor beliefs and aspirations at a micro level, thereby generating worthwhile activity with concrete outcomes for party members and ensuring that ALP members promote Labor by their actions in the community

• a strategy to train and resource ALP members as volunteers in their community

• automatic rights to participate in policy committees for all members, with specific strategies to enable genuine participation of members outside the capital cities.

Candidates

Tanner argues that "given the tiny pool from whence they emerge, the overall level of quality of our candidates is surprisingly high." Nevertheless, he acknowledges the problem of a "narrowing of occupational background and life experience of Labor MPs".

In recent times, criticism has mounted that ALP candidates are disporportionately labour movement professionals. Many candidates have been trade union officials, ministerial advisers, electorate office staffers for MPs, or party officials.

Tanner attacks the idea of the "star import" candidate. He does not mention them by name, but presumably he is referring to the ill-fated defection of the former Democrats leader, Cheryl Kernot, or the more successful political transitions of Mary Delahunty and Justin Madden.

Trade Union Affiliation

Tanner argues that the "trade union connection is not the real problem" for the ALP. He says the trade union affiliation provides:

• a mass base, even if the connection is indirect.

• a source of connection with the workforce and the general community which the party's tiny membership base does not provide.

• a substantial organisational and resource base.

• a level of stability and continuity which is sometimes taken for granted.

He proposes "the elimination of the practice of unions over-affiliating in order to obtain more influence within the ALP".

Factions

Tanner sees the ALP's rigid factional system as difficult to change because they have no formal existence within ALP rules. He says "cultural change is needed, and can only come from the collective efforts of those at the top."

He points to the way in which frontbench positions (ministerial or shadow-ministerial) are determined at a sub-factional, usually state-based level, "with the various sub-groupings being allocated a specific number of positions" in such a way that "the Caucus at large is effectively denied the ability to elect the front bench."

• "This trend has also had a malignant influence on the preselection process, because the acquisition of even one extra supporter in Caucus can be quite decisive for an individual's front bench ambitions. If anything threatens the quality of future ALP candidates it is this pattern of internal fragmentation."

Tanner argues that it is vital for the ALP to "recognize that we have serious problems, and that major reform is needed...if not now, when?"

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