Labor's Big Shift
"South Australia was the first place in the world that women could run for parliament.. I am particularly proud to say that if we win the next election our Labor government will be the first in Australian history with 50 per cent women in the parliamentary wing"
Bill Shorten, Speech to Open the 48th National Labor Conference
Is there a temporary crisis within the Liberal Party that might allow the Australian Labor Party to gain office in 2019? Or Is there some permanent shift in Australian politics that challenges all Australian political parties? I think the latter question holds. But it is also clear that changes within Labor are helping it to mirror the shifts in Australia’s demography and build a national consensus to create a likely long term electoral advantage. The Liberal National party looks on with envy at the new, well oiled Labor machine increasingly held together by an impressive body of experienced professional women that are also role models for an impressive line of younger apprentices. It is not just that Australia’s affirmative action policy for women in the parliament is paying dividends, now the average Australian unionist is a woman working within the public sector.
Working Papers Subscribers have free access to papers for 24 hours from the time and date they are first uploaded. After that time the financial support for maintaining the working papers website and doing the ongoing work is greatly appreciated.
This paper is a pdf file and is of 2247 words in length.
$1.00
