Labor Friends of Palestine and Labor Against War urge conference to open the floor to debate.
Letter to GS [General Secretary] re: State Conference
We are writing to raise our concerns that Australia and the World will not be debated at the forthcoming State Labor conference. There has never been a more critical time to consider Labor policy on matters of peace, human rights, international law and national sovereignty and these issues are a clear priority for the Party rank and file.
We have a number of specific concerns regarding the approach of the Australia and the World Policy Committee and find it unacceptable that the Committee’s report may be endorsed without the opportunity for debate.
The Committee recommendation for most motions is to ‘Note preamble and refer to National Conference’. However, the Report’s preamble in no way reflects the views expressed by local branches and electorate councils. For example:
The preamble includes a lengthy endorsement of AUKUS but not a single branch motion supports this view. In fact there are a number of motions specifically opposing AUKUS or calling for its suspension and review.
The preamble includes an unquestioning commitment to Australia’s alliance with the United States, including support for recent US attacks on Iran. In contrast, branch motions advocate for a more independent foreign policy approach and question the legality and legitimacy of attacks on Iran.
The preamble suggests that there are ‘a range of perspectives’ in motions addressing the issue of Palestine. This is simply untrue. Fourteen different party units submitted at least one motion addressing this issue – some submitted more than one. All of these motions are unanimous in their condemnation of ongoing violence and displacement in Gaza and the West Bank, their concern about Israel’s disregard for human rights and international law, and their calls for stronger action to be taken to hold Israel accountable, prevent further violence and uphold the rights of the Palestinian people to peace and justice.
We understand that the preamble was largely written ‘offline’ by the committee executive with little direct involvement by the policy committee. The preamble appears to be an unquestioning defence of the existing policy position of the Australian Government, whilst branch motions reveal a legitimate desire to debate, influence and change current policy – as is appropriate at State Conference. The refusal to properly engage with the views expressed in branch motions is an insult to the rank and file members who attended their branches to move, debate and pass them.
We reject the assumption underpinning the report that foreign affairs and defence matters should be reserved for National Conference debate. State Conference is the key forum for determining NSW Labor Policy on all areas, not just those under the direct control of state government. Furthermore, State Conference provides an opportunity for a level of rank and file engagement – as delegates and observers – that is not possible at National Conference.
Even within the Australia and the World Committee Report, the distinction between matters that can be endorsed at a State Conference and those that should be referred to National Conference is selectively applied. Motions on AUKUS, Palestine and international law — submitted by numerous local branches and electorate councils representing hundreds of active members — have been uniformly recommended for referral without debate. In contrast, several foreign policy motions submitted by just two Party units, the SDA (Newcastle and Northern Branch) and the Labor Israel Action Committee (LIAC), have been supported for endorsement at State Conference.
This inconsistency raises a substantive issue of procedural fairness. Local branches are the foundational democratic units of the Party, required to meet regularly, maintain membership standards, and deliberate openly. Their motions reflect broad member engagement across multiple electorates. Action Committees, by contrast, are required to meet only once a year and may include participants who are not Party members. Yet motions from LIAC appear to have been given greater weight than motions from local branches.
Peace, the protection of human rights and the promotion of international law are core Labor Party values. They are also clear priorities for the rank and file who see these values being attacked and undermined all over the world. Rather than dismissing or misrepresenting their views, State Conference should provide party members with an opportunity to express their concerns in open, robust debate. It is completely unacceptable that a report that is so at odds with the views of the rank and file could be adopted without such debate.
We therefore urge you to intervene to ensure that the Australia and the World Committee Report is given priority for debate at the forthcoming State Conference and that rank and file delegates are provided an opportunity to raise the full range of foreign policy issues identified by their branches.