A U S T R A L I A N L A B O R P A R T Y N S W B R A N C H Setting the Standard

Transcription

1 A U S T R A L I A N L A B O R P A R T Y N S W B R A N C H Setting the Standard

2 Contents 2 What is Centre Unity? Centre Unity is a diverse group of rank and file Labor branch members and Trade Unionists, focussing on progressive, realistic solutions to advance the Labor Party in NSW Annual Conference: Setting the Standard At the 2014 Annual State Conference, Centre Unity will propose a series of historic reforms, setting the standard for reform for the rest of the country. These historic changes will see our Party become more open and see us engage more widely with the community. Overview: Jamie Clements, General Secretary 4 1. Giving members a greater say 6 2. Engaging with the community 8 3. Growing our Party for the future Putting the focus back on policy Supporting local branches Improving transparency Encouraging participation Encouraging membership in the country 18 3

3 Overview: Jamie Clements, General Secretary 4 NSW Centre Unity continues to lead the way on reform, not just in NSW, but across the nation. Since Centre Unity s inception, we have set the standard with our bold and innovative approach to encouraging growth and participation within NSW Labor. At the 2014 NSW Labor Annual State Conference, NSW Centre Unity will be proposing a series of ambitious rules reforms, building on our achievements, which will help our Party grow for the future and put us in a strong position to fight the Liberals and Nationals across NSW at the next election. At this Conference we are setting a higher standard, by: 1 Giving rank-and-file Labor members more of a say by directly electing the State Parliamentary Leader giving 50% of the say to rank-and-file Labor members and 50% to the Parliamentary Caucus; 2 Engaging more with the community by enshrining Community Selection Ballots in our Rules; 3 Opening our Party up to new members by removing barriers to joining; 4 Putting the focus back on policy development by introducing policy committees and strengthening the role of the NSW State Policy Forum, and; 5 Ensuring transparency by stamping out ghost branches and improving online access for all Branch Secretaries. At the heart of these proposals is a plan to put our rank-and-file Labor members at the heart of everything we do, so that we can encourage and improve participation in the Labor Party for the future. I look forward to seeing you at the Conference, as we work together to set the standard, not only in NSW, but across the country. Jamie Clements NSW Labor General Secretary 5 5

4 1. Giving members a greater say DIRECT ELECTION OF THE NSW STATE PARLIAMENTARY LEADER On Sunday 12 October 2013, Bill Shorten was elected leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party in a ballot of Labor members. The ballot was an overwhelming success with over 70% of members participating nationwide. Over the course of the ballot, 4,500 applications to join the Party were received nationally, including 800 from NSW. NSW Centre Unity proposes to introduce this change at the 2014 NSW Labor Annual State Conference, and have future Leaders of the NSW Parliamentary Labor Party, selected by 50% rank-and-file Labor members and 50% Caucus. The rules changes will give the Administrative Committee the power to determine: I. Rules, donation and expenditure limits for campaigning; II. Eligibility criteria for voters; III. Procedures for voter registration; IV. Procedures for credentialling voters; V. Procedures for handling disputes; VI. How and when voting will take place; and VII. Any other matters required for conducting a ballot. This change will come into effect after the 2015 NSW State Election. Leadership Candidates Forum This proposal will see candidates for the leadership of the Parliamentary Party go head to head in a public debate to which all Labor members will be invited. 6 7

5 2. Engaging with the community ENSHRINING COMMUNITY SELECTION BALLOTS IN OUR RULES Community Selection Ballots have been trialled in the City of Sydney and across a number of State seats in NSW. In the City of Sydney Local Government Community Preselection, over 4000 people cast a vote, in Balmain over 5600, in Newtown over 1600 and Campbelltown, over Since those Community Selection Ballots, thousands of people have joined the Labor Party, volunteering to elect Labor candidates. The rank and file preselection system will continue as the default preselection model in NSW for determining State, Federal and local government candidates. Nevertheless, it is proposed that to enable the Party to continue to find new ways of engaging with the community, community selection ballots be enshrined in the rules as an option for candidate selection. To allow Electorate Councils or Local Government Committees to conduct community selection ballots in the future, NSW Centre Unity will propose that the Administrative Committee be given the powers to conduct a community selection ballot in consultation with Electorate Councils (or Local Government Committees) for Local Government, State or Federal elections or by-elections. NSW Centre Unity will also propose to make it clear that the principles of Affirmative Action, be applied to all components of a community selection ballot. The proposal requires the Administrative Committee to report to Annual Conference after the 2015 State Election on the campaigns and results in seats where community selection ballots were held. City of Sydney: A community selection ballot NSW Centre Unity will support a proposal for the Sydney Lord Mayoral candidate to be selected by a community selection ballot. The successful candidate will also automatically be the first endorsed candidate for Labor s Sydney City Council ticket. 8 9

6 3. Growing our Party for the future Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has set an ambitious target for the Labor Party, nation-wide, to recruit 100,000 new Party members. If NSW Labor is to grow for the future, we need to build on our significant changes for community engagement, and open our Party up. REQUIREMENT TO BE A UNION MEMBER The Australian Labor Party has a proud tradition of working with the Trade Union Movement, and will continue to build on that tradition. Recently, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten called for State Labor Branches to open their doors to new members, and remove the requirement for new members to be a member of a Trade Union. NSW Centre Unity will propose to remove the requirement for new members of the Labor Party to be members of their Trade Union. Discounts on joining and renewal will remain in place for members of Affiliated Trade Unions and Centre Unity will also propose a change to encourage local campaigns to engage more with the Trade Union movement. PUTTING A FOCUS ON ORGANISING, RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING NSW Centre Unity introduced the Organising, Recruitment and Training Committee in 2012, and this year the role of the Committee in our Party will be strengthened, and in particular, will be given responsibility for encouraging recruitment in branches across NSW. The Committee will be responsible for updating our successful Recruiting to win campaign, developed in 2012 to encourage member-tomember recruitment. NSW Centre Unity will also propose to expand our one day Campaign Insight Training Seminars across NSW in the lead up to the 2015 NSW State Election. We will also trial our first online Campaign Insight training seminar, for members in rural and regional NSW

7 4. Putting the focus back on policy NSW Centre Unity has always been at the forefront of developing new ideas and policies which help form the policy foundations for Labor governments. POLICY COMMITTEES Policy Committees are important for policy development and debate within our Party, ensuring people interested in specific policy areas are able to contribute to our Party in a meaningful way. By bringing back the NSW Labor Policy Committee structure, motions from Party Units will be immediately actioned and debated before going to the next Conference. MAKING IT EASIER TO SUBMIT MOTIONS TO CONFERENCE NSW Centre Unity will propose to create an online system for submitting motions to Policy Committees from Branches, SECs and FECs. With one click, a motion will be sent to the relevant Policy Committee, Shadow Minister/Minister and to the NSW Labor Party Office. STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF THE POLICY FORUM With the introduction of Policy Committees, NSW Centre Unity will propose a structure, where the NSW State Policy Forum will engage with the Policy Committees on issues of State importance. The Policy Forum will also be encouraged to consult with members following the NSW State Election, to help modernise our Platform for the future

8 5. Supporting local branches Our rank-and-file members are the lifeblood of this Party. There are over 2,500 rank-and-file members who hold positions in local Branches, LGCs, SECs, and FECs. NSW Centre Unity believes that in order to grow our Party for the future, we need to ensure local Party units spend less time on paperwork, and more time on supporting existing and encouraging new members. INTRODUCING AN ONLINE PARTY RETURNS SYSTEM In the lead up to the 2014 NSW Labor Annual State Conference, NSW Centre Unity will propose a trial of a new online Branch Return system. This system will allow Party Units to submit returns online instantly to the Party Office. The system will have membership number lookups so that Branch, LGC, SEC and FEC secretaries do not have to spend time searching for contact details of those who hold positions on the executive of Party Units. ONLINE TRIAL ACCESS TO MEMBERSHIP LISTS Over the next 12 months, NSW Centre Unity will propose a trial of online access to membership lists. The system will also allow Secretaries to update members details immediately, and will include security features to ensure privacy. The trial will involve a small group of Party Unit secretaries who will provide feedback on the system. Following the trial, it is proposed that all Branch, SEC, FEC and LGC secretaries will gain access online to their local contact lists. 6. Improving transparency IMPROVING TRANSPARENCY ON MEMBERSHIP PAYMENTS Any member submitting the membership payments of other Labor members to the NSW Party Office, will be required to sign a detailed declaration that the members have paid for their own fees. These declarations will be kept on file in the NSW Labor Party Office for members of the Administrative Committee to see should they require it. STAMPING OUT GHOST BRANCHES Branches, SECs and FECs, will now be required to notify Members of Parliament, Duty Members of the Legislative Council, Duty Senators, and the NSW Labor Party Office of all meetings. Notices will be required to be sent in writing. THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE AND FINANCE COMMITTEE In 2013, a series of rules were introduced following the intervention in to the NSW Branch of the ALP. One reform included a significant change in the size, structure and composition of the NSW Labor Administrative Committee. NSW Centre Unity will propose a review of the NSW Labor Administrative Committee, into the rules, size, structure and composition in the lead up to the 2015 NSW Labor Annual State Conference. With the introduction of new funding and disclosure legislation, NSW Centre Unity proposes to simultaneously review the rules, size, structure and composition of the NSW Labor Finance Committee. SETTING 2011 THE REBUILDING STANDARD TOGETHER 14 15

9 7. Encouraging participation At the 2014 NSW Labor Annual State Conference, we will make it even easier for people to participate in the Labor Party. At the last Conference we lowered membership fees significantly and made it easier for people to join by enabling them to join online. Since then, our Party has grown more than 25%. With more members, we need to make it as easy as possible to participate in our Party. MAKING CONTACT WITH NEW MEMBERS EASIER When a new member joins the Labor Party, NSW Centre Unity will propose that not only does the new member immediately receive an welcoming them to the Labor Party, with a copy of the new members information booklet and the Party Rules, but that notifications will be sent to the local Party Unit and Member of Parliament with that person s contact details. This will allow existing Labor members to get in touch with new members almost instantly. The s to the new members will include information on how to get involved locally in the Labor Party to maximise grassroots involvement. ONLINE BRANCH MEETINGS Over the past two years, NSW Labor has been investigating methods of participation through our new online policy branch. At this Conference, NSW Centre Unity proposes to make the Online Branch a permanent feature of Party involvement and encourage new members to get involved. NSW Centre Unity will propose that regular consultations are held with members involved in the Branch to investigate new platforms as technology changes over time. New Members Information Kit Congratulations on becoming part of Labor s story 16 17

10 8. Encouraging membership in the country Labor has never held government in NSW without winning a broad coalition of country and city seats. To win back votes across rural and regional NSW, NSW Centre Unity is proposing a series of reforms to demonstrate that it is only a NSW Labor Government that will stand up for them unlike the National Party. A STRATEGY FOR REGAINING THE SUPPORT OF COUNTRY VOTERS The only way regain the support of rural and regional communities, is by building capacity of our Branches at a local level. NSW Centre Unity is committed to resourcing local campaigns so they can hold their local National and Liberal Party opponents to account, including by advancing some of the public election funding to local campaigns. Resourcing will also allow local campaigns to identify supporters and recruit new members. A MORE DIVERSE AND REPRESENTATIVE NSW STATE POLICY FORUM The NSW State Policy Forum is the body charged with drafting the election platform for NSW Labor. At the last election for members to the NSW State Policy Forum no member west of the Great Divide was elected. To ensure that all of NSW is represented on this important body and NSW Labor s election platform is inclusive and relevant for all of NSW, NSW Centre Unity is proposing Rules changes to group regions geographically for the election of members. This will ensure a more diverse and representative NSW State Policy Forum. A NEW COUNTRY LABOR CONFERENCE In 2012, Country Labor Conference trialled a new 3 day format. Conference was reformed to include an additional one day training seminar, policy workshops with external stakeholders and a keynote address. The focus of the Conference was on engagement with the community, to develop policies to win back rural and regional NSW. Both delegates and participants overwhelmingly endorsed the new Conference format. This new format will be implemented at the 2014 Country Conference in Queanbeyan from Friday 24 Sunday 16 October

11 A U S T R A L I A N L A B O R P A R T Y N S W B R A N C H Setting the Standard No NSW Labor member funds were used in designing or printing this publication.