BY BRONWEN BEECHEY
ADELAIDE — The South Australian Labor Party's annual convention on October 13 departed from tradition in two ways, both of which sought to reassure big business that the party will cooperate if it wins the next election.
The first was the venue. Previous conferences have been held at Trades Hall; this one was held in the up-market surroundings of the Lakes Resort Hotel in West Lakes.
The second was the attendance of more than 25 of the state's business leaders, including representatives of Coles Myer, the Commonwealth Bank, Telstra, United Water and Santos.
With the SA Liberals reeling from a series of scandals and defections, the latest being MP Bob Sutch's resignation to sit as an independent, Labor's chances of forming the next government seem high.
ALP leader Mike Rann pledged that a Labor government would put extra resources into health and education, in part to improve the low (57%) retention rate in state high schools. He also said that Labor would establish a Jobs and Economic Development Commission, strengthen partnerships with industry and focus on regional development.
However, Rann was quick to reassure business that the ALP is "not about to fall into the trap of promising more than we can deliver, or more than we can afford", and he guaranteed a "balanced budget every time."
Members of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union sponsored a successful resolution calling for "fair trade", similar to that put unsuccessfully to the federal ALP conference in July. However, the union's Paul McMahon was critical of the "sanitised" nature of the conference, saying it indicated Labor leaders' desire to portray the party as a "sensible" alternative which wouldn't rock the boat too much.
The liveliest part of the conference happened outside, in the form of a protest rally. Members of the AMWU supporting fair trade and calling for job creation were joined by members of the S11 Coalition, protesting against Victorian ALP Premier Steve Bracks' support for police violence during the September 11-13 blockade of the World Economic Forum in Melbourne. Members of the Democratic Socialist Party and Resistance also highlighted the plight of refugees awaiting trial over a protest at the Woomera Detention Centre in the state's north.