Members of the CFMEU and other left wing unions have walked out on Labor deputy leader Richard Marles as he addressed the Victorian ALP conference.
The walkout came as Mr Marles and former Labor leader Bill Shorten attempted to rally party members following the May election loss to fight to win the next federal poll.
Up to 200 delegates of a total of about 600 left the room as Mr Marles began to speak on Saturday.
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While the majority who left were union members who did so in an orchestrated manner having previously indicated they would do so in protest at federal Labor’s support for free trade agreements, it appeared others who left were older delegates who may not have been leaving to make a political point.
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Earlier, CFMEU boss John Setka tweeted at Labor leader Anthony Albanese to “grow some balls”, following Mr Albanese’s decision not to attend the ALP conference.
Mr Albanese had denied his non-attendance was sparked by threats of a union walkout.
Mr Setka did not attend the conference, having resigned from the ALP last month amid threats from Mr Albanese to expel him after he was convicted of harassing his wife and accused of saying the work of anti-domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty meant men had fewer rights.
Mr Marles, a former ACTU assistant secretary, made a point of acknowledging the Victorian trade union movement in his speech, as: “a
“
Mr Marles also paid tribute to Mr Shorten, who attended as the local federal member of Maribyrnong, in which the conference is taking place at the Moonee Valley racecourse.
“Over the course of my adult life Bill has been a very close friend, and over the course of the last six years Bill has led our movement wonderfully,” Mr Marles said.
“He took over the reins in the aftermath of the 2013 election loss, at a very difficult time when our party badly needed unity, and he gave that to us, and each day after that, he worked tirelessly in a fashion which saw off two prime ministers and characterised a dedication and a devotion that he has to this party which I know he loves.
“We all owe Bill an enormous debt of gratitude,” Mr Marles said, to cheers from ALP delegates.
Mr Marles said the election loss on May 18 had been “a very difficult day for all of us, for those of us who hoped we might have been doing a different job on this day than the one we are, for the thousands of party members and supporters who put in so much hard work to try and realise a federal Labor government.”
“But actually the day was most difficult not for those of us in the movement, but for the millions of Australians who hoped for, who were relying on the formation of that federal Labor government so that we could have again in this country just and fair and decent government after six long years,” Mr Marles said.
“ So there has been since the 18th of May a lot of grief, a lot of soul-searching, and that’s completely understandable, in fact it’s important.”
Mr Marles said former Rudd-Gillard minister Craig Emerson and former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill’s review of Labor’s election campaign was “thorough and thoughtful” and an important document.
“It gave us the answers to the questions about what went wrong, and it contains within it the lessons that we must learn going forwards so that we do what we must do two years from now, and that is win,” Mr Marles said.
He attacked the Morrison government for its record on dealing with a stagnant economy, aged care, the drought and “the most challenging set of strategic (international) circumstances since the Second World War.”
Mr Marles said Labor’s hope for Australia was embodied in the work Victorian ALP members had done in campaigning at the last federal election: “one which saw Labor in this state return 21 of the 38 federal seats to Labor, 55 per cent of the state, actually a great result.”
“I want you to know that the federal parliamentary Labor Party are utterly determined, as I know you all are, to make sure that we win the next election, that we make Anthony Albanese the next prime minister of this country and that we do achieve a federal Labor government once again because for all the pain of the 18 of May; we are still on 68 seats,” Mr Marles said.
“We're within striking distance closer proportionately than we were in the lead up to the 1972, ‘83 and 2007 elections. This is an election that we can win.”
Mr Shorten thanked Mr Marles for his generous words and outlining the path to victory at the next election.
“I couldn’t agree more that what matters is the next election, but what we need to do between now and then is recognise you can’t fatten a pig on market day,” Mr Shorten said.
“We are a party who didn’t seek to be the opposition, but 48.5 per cent of Australia gave us their two-party-preferred vote, and what we need to do between now and the election, every day is fight, fight and fight.”
Victorian Political Reporter
Melbourne
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