Opening ALP conference, leader Bill Shorten says it is time to end ‘divisive politics’, urging delegates to make Tony Abbott’s a one-term government

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Bill Shorten has committed to working towards an Australian republic within the decade and declared that half of Labor MPs will be women by 2025.

In his speech opening the Labor conference, the party leader said it was time to end the era of “divisive politics”, urging delegates to work to make the Abbott administration a one-term government, as voters had done in Victoria and Queensland when they threw out the governments of Denis Napthine and Campbell Newman.

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The speech was built around the need to address climate change and Labor’s policy to draw 50% of Australia’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

The opposition leader thanked his deputy, Tanya Plibersek, for her “unity of purpose”, placing a line underneath the division of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd governments.

Shorten was speaking to 397 delegates who will decide the party’s policy platform for the next election. Notably absent were past Labor prime ministers, including Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. In past years, former prime ministers have been a feature.

Shorten thanked the union movement, mentioning the Abbott government’s royal commission into trade unions, which called him as a witness this month.

“No group of people in all Australian history has done more to guarantee safety, to build national wealth, to lift the living standards of ordinary people, than our unions,” Shorten said. “Ten thousand royal commissions won’t change this.”

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Shorten also thanked his frontbench, mentioning his key shadow ministers, most of whom were given rounds of applause, with the exception of immigration shadow Richard Marles, who is arguing for Labor to adopt the Abbott policy to turn back asylum-seeker boats.

When Shorten said Marles was working on “safe and humane” immigration policies, the audience fell silent. The debate over turnbacks is due on Saturday afternoon and the final position of the left, which generally opposes turnbacks, remains unclear, although leading left powerbroker Anthony Albanese has been critical of turnbacks.

On the economy, Shorten cast Labor as a modern party ready to implement its economic plan, rejecting “soft options” such as an increase to the GST.

“Labor understands the economic remedy our nation needs: increasing growth and jobs, through boosting productivity,” Shorten said.

“This is not the politics of soft options – and raising the GST. Productivity and growth is hard economics. Modern Labor believes in the operation of markets, in competition and profits.”

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He began his speech with a commitment to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution and said a future Labor government would work towards a republic in the next decade.

“And let us make this the first decade where our head of state is one of us,” he said. “We can be an Australian republic, with an Australian head of state.”

The conference, which continues until Sunday evening, moved on to the economic debates after the leader’s speech and quickly passed motions to clear the way for policy changes on negative gearing and capital gains tax.

Labor has committed to removing the controversial Investor State Dispute Settlement clauses in trade agreements.