Labor, Liberal leaders to sharpen pre-election pitches
Callum Godde |
Federal and state leaders of Australia’s two major political parties will rally their troops as an election looms large.
Victorian Labor and Liberal faithful will gather in Melbourne on Saturday for annual state meetings ahead of the November election.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Angus Taylor are expected to attend, alongside their respective state party leaders Jacinta Allan and Jess Wilson.
In her speech, Ms Wilson will revive a 2022 election commitment to direct 25 per cent of all new Victorian government infrastructure spending to regional projects if the coalition wins government.
Recent reputable polls indicate the Victorian coalition holds a slight edge over Labor on a two-party-preferred basis as support for One Nation rises.
Ms Wilson also led Ms Allan as preferred premier, according to Resolve Strategic’s latest bi-monthly poll.
But the coalition has a mountain to climb in November, needing a net gain of 16 seats to form majority government and end 12 consecutive years of Labor rule in Victoria.
Rank-and-file members from both parties will also debate and vote on non-binding policy motions.
Victorian Labor’s two-day state conference in 2024 was overshadowed by pro-Palestine protesters storming the venue, delaying speeches by Mr Albanese and Ms Allan.
The Albanese government recognised Palestine as a sovereign state at the United Nations in September, joining more than 150 countries to do so.
A group of Labor members has put forward resolutions calling for action by state and federal governments to uphold international law, protect human rights and support a pathway to lasting peace.
“Members are now asking what practical action comes next,” Victorian convenor of Labor Friends of Palestine Oliver van Ingen said.
A draft motion, seen by AAP, called for the state conference to strongly condemn US and Israel’s wars of aggression against Iran and Lebanon and the heavy losses of civilian life.
Others called for governments to tackle anti-Semitism and other forms of racism and mourned the loss of 15 innocent lives in the Bondi Beach terrorist attack.
If a draft resolution succeeded, the federal government would also be called to revise tax arrangements for multinational gas corporations following national debate on a 25 per cent export tax.
Other motions criticised Victoria’s “fatal” bail laws, the delayed raising of state public school funding to 75 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard until 2031 and further public service job cuts.
Liberal members are also slated to debate a possible promise to halt the demolition of the remainder of Melbourne’s 44 public housing towers.
It called for the reasons behind the government’s policy to demolish and redevelop the sites to be reviewed and potentially revised to increase public and social housing for Victoria’s most disadvantaged citizens.
Under another motion, the parliamentary party would be encouraged to make an election commitment to drop the minimum age to obtain a probationary driver licence to 17, in line with all other states and the Australian Capital Territory.
Former federal and state Liberal Party director Brian Loughnane is also expected to be finalised as the successor to retiring party president Philip Davis.
Mr Davis came under internal fire after the party’s state executive approved a $1.55 million loan to save former leader John Pesutto from bankruptcy following his defamation trial loss to Liberal colleague Moira Deeming.
A legal challenge against the party loan remains unresolved.
AAP