While Labor should be licking its wounds from an embarrassing election defeat it didn’t see coming and reflecting on how it can rebuild, the party instead is at war with itself, insiders say.
Senior figures tell news.com.au that they’re fed up with the latest illustration of the Opposition’s toxic factional system, which has seen infighting for almost two weeks over the leadership and the frontbench.
And the party’s New South Wales branch is at the centre of their ire, where the powerful Right faction has been attempting to spark a civil war since Bill Shorten’s failed campaign.
“Labor never learns,” one prominent figure said in frustration. “The party is broken — especially in NSW.”
Another, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said it was “purely a miracle” that Labor hasn’t imploded over the past fortnight, adding: “This is why so many voters hate us.”
It’s been up to a small number of individuals to take it upon themselves to act as peacemakers between brawling rival factions, it’s understood.
Labor’s political corpse was barely cold when a war began over who would replace Bill Shorten as leader, with opposing sides posturing for their man to succeed.
Former Treasurer Wayne Swan, in his new capacity as federal president of the party, instructed Chris Bowen to put his hand up to see someone from the Right prevail.
He was then supported by Mr Shorten, who was accused of plotting against long-time foe and Left faction powerbroker Anthony Albanese, in a bid to firm support for Mr Bowen.
A Labor MP told news.com.au that concern started to build just days after the leadership contest commenced that a two-horse race would lead to a month of savage fighting.
“It was clear that Bowen’s camp should try to do a deal with Albo to see off what would be four week of chaos,” the source said.
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Had two candidates run, a ballot of the rank and file membership would be required, due to changes to rules about electing a leader that were implemented after the disastrous Kevin Rudd-Julia Gillard revolving door.
After an energetic effort from a handful of battle-wary MPs, Mr Bowen eventually decided to quit the race, leaving Mr Albanese as the sole candidate.
But there was no time to breathe a sigh of relief over avoiding an embarrassing cannibalisation, with a new fight erupting over who would sit in the shadow Cabinet.
While the average punter would assume it’s the new leader’s prerogative to choose his team, it is — of course — the factional powerbrokers who throw their weight around to call the shots.
Kristina Keneally was an obvious choice to many, given her front-and-centre role in the campaign and effective media performance.
But Senator Keneally’s own Right faction was against her receiving a frontbench position, seen as retaliation for her endorsement of Mr Albanese’s leadership over Mr Bowen, from her side.
Mr Albanese was adamant that the former NSW Premier sit in his shadow Cabinet — partly to hit gender parity and partly because of her high public profile.
“That there was push back against Kristina from her own supposed allies tells you everything you need to know about NSW Labor,” one party figure said.
An all-out scrap was only avoided when western Sydney MP Ed Husic, also from the Right, fell on his sword and asked not to be considered for the frontbench so Senator Keneally could take his spot.
“While I’ve loved being a Shadow Minister, I won’t be running for re-election to that role,” the popular Chifley member said.
“Instead I’ll be backing my great friend Kristina Keneally for that spot. We need to ensure someone of Kristina’s enormous talents has the opportunity to make a powerful contribution on the frontline, in the Senate.”
The loss of Mr Husic has been felt widely by his colleagues, with Joel Fitzgibbon describing him as “potentially a future leader of the Labor Party”.
“He took one for the team yesterday but there is not one person elected yesterday who is a better performer than Ed Husic and on that basis, he will be back, I have no doubt,” Mr Fitzgibbon told 2CC radio today.
Even yesterday, after outgoing deputy leader in the Senate, Don Farrell, also took one for the team so Senator Keneally could replace him, her foes were backgrounding media.
A report in The Australian today described her as “Teflon Keneally” and implied she has a “kiss of death”, given her stunning state election defeat in 2011 and failed bid to win the seat of Bennelong in 2017.
“Why do we see the resurrection of Saint Kristina again and again?” a Labor MP told the newspaper.
On top of all the drama, reports emerged today that Mr Shorten has told allies that he still holds ambition to be leader one day — a claim he has since denied.
But it all paints a picture of a party more concerned with its own longstanding rivalries and grudges than with figuring out a path to be a viable alternative government in three years.
The frustrated senior figure summed it up to news.com.au, saying: “At the end of all this, we’ve lost real talent in Farrell and Husic because of the bullsh*t system that once again does little more than damage our image … as a viable alternative.”
The figure said that Labor’s election campaign platform of strong unity over the Coalition’s several years of infighting and chaos was now “deeply ironic and depressing”.
Yesterday, addressing Caucus for the first time since the election, Mr Shorten said Labor should continue to be the “party of progress”.
“We in Labor are not going to waste time feeling sorry for ourselves because we are not in it for ourselves,” he said.
After the past fortnight, many inside Labor believe that sentiment has never rang more hollow.
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