Graham Matthews, Sydney
An October 26 public forum organised by members of the Labor Party on the topic of whether the ALP could win the next federal election (in 2007) drew 200 people, many of whom were upset with Labor's inability to distinguish itself from the Coalition.
Advertising guru, Macquarie Bank board member and ALP member John Singleton, who ran the ALP's advertising campaigns for the 1987, 1990, 1993 and 1996 federal election campaigns argued that Labor could win the next election if it focuses on differentiating its policy from the Coalition government's.
However he admitted that "I can't tell [swinging voters] what the point of difference between Labor and Liberal is on the war on Iraq". He also said: "Where do we stand on the [refugee] concentration camps? The richest nation in the world with the smallest population and we stand behind the PM."
"To win the next election Labor needs a swing of 5% — 16 seats", former ALP national secretary Geoff Walsh told the forum, before proceeding to lower expectations that Labor would win government.
Speaker after speaker from the floor questioned what the ALP now stood for, complained about Kim Beazley being brought back to lead the party and criticised its endorsement of the Coalition's "anti-terrorism" laws, sending troops to Afghanistan and mandatory detention of "illegal" asylum seekers.
The panel's response to this outpouring of exasperation was to call for unity. Senator John Faulkner, who chaired the forum, made the final, depressing, comment that Labor is, after all, the only available alternative government.
From Green Left Weekly, November 2, 2005.
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