The national ALP Conference was held in Sydney from July 30 to August 1. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's speech on the opening day of the conference was full of congratulatory remarks about the greatness of his party and the way the ALP federal government had handled the economic crisis.
He boasted of the party's tradition of reformism and outlined ALP "achievements" in government from Fisher to Curtin, Chifley, Whitlam, Hawke, Keating to his own.
He specifically stressed his government's apology to Indigenous Australians, the ratification of the Kyoto protocol, the "education revolution" and the changes the ALP federal government have made to the industrial relations system.
However, he did not mention that his great reforming government is continuing the invasion of Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory under the guise of the intervention — a policy that revives the worst of the old racist, paternalism of past governments.
Likewise, he failed to mention that the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme is completely incapable of resulting in real solutions to the climate crisis. The emission-trading scheme ignores the scientific evidence saying we need far more drastic cuts than the government has allowed for.
Rudd said: "Throughout our history, we have always been the party of the future." What he didn't say is that by standing in the way of sustainable change, the ALP is really a party of an uncertain and dangerous climate future.
Also, in his praise of the so-called education revolution, Rudd did not mention his government is presiding over a national agenda of privatisation, deregulation and increased competition between institutions.
The Rudd government is treating education as an industry and a marketplace — instead of a democratic right for everyone. This is education reaction rather than revolution.
He said: "Ours has been a mission to include, rather than to exclude." Unless, that is, you happen to be a refugee seeking asylum, or a queer Australian who wants to marry. In that case, the ALP wants to exclude you.
Rudd paid tribute to former ALP leaders who: "Opened our universities to all on the basis of merit, rather than to the few on the basis of privilege [and] ... establish[ed] universal health care for all on the basis of need, rather than just some on the basis of those who could pay." Yet he didn't point out that his government is taking these very same things away.
Rudd also acknowledged that his party had "committed to the Australian people that we would build a fairer Australia".
He continued: "That is why the government abolished Work Choices and replaced it with the Fair Work Act to build a fair and balanced industrial relations system for all Australians."
Yet, so many of the hated Work Choices laws are kept in Rudd's Fair Work Australia that many workers — especially building workers — won't know the difference.
The many demonstrations, which took place outside the Conference in Darling Harbour over the three days, show that many others also feel Australia is a long way from being a fair nation where all are equal.