Bill Shorten will take the Australian Labor party
into opposition after the September election defeat, having prevailed
in the first leadership ballot in the party's history that included the
votes of grassroots party members.
Shorten's victory was built on strong endorsement from the ALP parliamentary caucus, where he attracted 63.95% of the vote.
The rival candidate, the New South Wales leftwinger and former deputy prime minister Anthony Albanese, was the wider party members' choice, securing almost 60% support in the grassroots ballot.
Shorten, the Victorian rightwinger, emerged on Sunday victorious with 52.02% of the combined vote. The two ballots, from caucus and the members, held equal weight.
Caucus meets on Monday to elect a new shadow frontbench. Shorten said he would allocate portfolios by Friday. The new opposition leader on Sunday also made it clear that he would like the New South Wales leftwinger and former health minister Tanya Plibersek to serve as his deputy leader.
The resolution of the Labor leadership after the month-long ballot process triggered a statement by the prime minister, Tony Abbott, concerning the immediate future of the governor general, Quentin Bryce.
Abbott said he had refused an offer of early resignation from Bryce, who is Shorten's mother-in-law. Bryce is due to step down from her post next March. "The governor general offered to leave office early to avoid any perception of bias," Abbott said.
"But due to the fact that she will retire in March next year and that the government commands the House of Representatives with a significant margin, I have thanked her for her magnanimity but declined to accept her resignation, instead asking that she conclude her full term.
"I am grateful that she has kindly agreed to my request."
Shorten said on Sunday that the resolution of the leadership contest "provides for the first time in a very long time not only a break from the some of the past disunity, but indeed a very solid platform for the leadership of Labor and for the Labor party to be able to offer a united alternative to the Coalition."
He acknowledged his comparative lack of support among party members. "I ... know that this ballot shows that there are still things for me to learn," Shorten said.
He promised a collaborative approach to policy development in opposition. "This ballot is the start of the process of developing the right policies which are then explained with persistence," Shorten said.
"It is the opportunity for Labor to start again the process of renewing the trust of hundreds of thousands of Australians who moved their vote away from Labor in the last two elections."
Shorten said caucus would develop future policy and "I will certainly spend more time listening to my caucus than talking at them".
Key rightwing figures on Sunday positioned themselves to undo some elements of the democratisation reforms advanced by Kevin Rudd that underpinned this leadership ballot.
In addition to grassroots participation in leadership ballots, Rudd in July emerged with agreement that a caucus super-majority of 75% be required to trigger a future leadership spill when the party is in government. The majority required when the party is in opposition would be 60%.
The former New South Wales state secretary and senator-elect Sam Dastyari said Labor needed to dump the super-majority. "I think that's a sensible thing to change," Dastyari told Sky News, arguing the Labor leadership should be decided by a simple majority.
For his part Shorten backed the reforms allowing members to vote for the party leader but said of the super-majority: "I am open on that question."
Anthony Albanese issued a public warning on Sunday against efforts to unwind the recent party reforms. "This is not the end point of democratisation of the Australian Labor party, this is just the beginning, and I say to those who have questioned this process, just try and dismantle it, because having been given a vote, the membership want more," he said.
Albanese predicted implicitly that factional leaders would move to shore up their own power. "If I can be forgiven for quoting another Italian, Michael Corleone, in Godfather III: 'Real power cannot be given, it must be taken.' It was taken off the factional bosses and given to the rank and file," Albanese said. Party membership had grown as a consequence of the changes, he added.
Albanese endorsed Shorten's leadership. "Bill Shorten will be, as I said during the campaign, a great Labor leader. He has my total loyalty in that position." Following his defeat in the ballot he would resume being a "team player", Albanese said.
Shorten's victory was built on strong endorsement from the ALP parliamentary caucus, where he attracted 63.95% of the vote.
The rival candidate, the New South Wales leftwinger and former deputy prime minister Anthony Albanese, was the wider party members' choice, securing almost 60% support in the grassroots ballot.
Shorten, the Victorian rightwinger, emerged on Sunday victorious with 52.02% of the combined vote. The two ballots, from caucus and the members, held equal weight.
Caucus meets on Monday to elect a new shadow frontbench. Shorten said he would allocate portfolios by Friday. The new opposition leader on Sunday also made it clear that he would like the New South Wales leftwinger and former health minister Tanya Plibersek to serve as his deputy leader.
The resolution of the Labor leadership after the month-long ballot process triggered a statement by the prime minister, Tony Abbott, concerning the immediate future of the governor general, Quentin Bryce.
Abbott said he had refused an offer of early resignation from Bryce, who is Shorten's mother-in-law. Bryce is due to step down from her post next March. "The governor general offered to leave office early to avoid any perception of bias," Abbott said.
"But due to the fact that she will retire in March next year and that the government commands the House of Representatives with a significant margin, I have thanked her for her magnanimity but declined to accept her resignation, instead asking that she conclude her full term.
"I am grateful that she has kindly agreed to my request."
Shorten said on Sunday that the resolution of the leadership contest "provides for the first time in a very long time not only a break from the some of the past disunity, but indeed a very solid platform for the leadership of Labor and for the Labor party to be able to offer a united alternative to the Coalition."
He acknowledged his comparative lack of support among party members. "I ... know that this ballot shows that there are still things for me to learn," Shorten said.
"I
enjoyed the strong support of the parliamentary party and of course
thousands of members of the Labor party, but there are lessons here for
me to learn going forward, and I certainly look forward to working with
Anthony Albanese to understand some of those lessons."
Shorten
backed the party's carbon price, saying he would support continuing the
policy in opposition. He confirmed Labor under his leadership would vote
against Tony Abbott's first piece of legislation: the repeal of carbon
pricing, expected to be debated when parliament resumes in mid-November.He promised a collaborative approach to policy development in opposition. "This ballot is the start of the process of developing the right policies which are then explained with persistence," Shorten said.
"It is the opportunity for Labor to start again the process of renewing the trust of hundreds of thousands of Australians who moved their vote away from Labor in the last two elections."
Shorten said caucus would develop future policy and "I will certainly spend more time listening to my caucus than talking at them".
Key rightwing figures on Sunday positioned themselves to undo some elements of the democratisation reforms advanced by Kevin Rudd that underpinned this leadership ballot.
In addition to grassroots participation in leadership ballots, Rudd in July emerged with agreement that a caucus super-majority of 75% be required to trigger a future leadership spill when the party is in government. The majority required when the party is in opposition would be 60%.
The former New South Wales state secretary and senator-elect Sam Dastyari said Labor needed to dump the super-majority. "I think that's a sensible thing to change," Dastyari told Sky News, arguing the Labor leadership should be decided by a simple majority.
For his part Shorten backed the reforms allowing members to vote for the party leader but said of the super-majority: "I am open on that question."
Anthony Albanese issued a public warning on Sunday against efforts to unwind the recent party reforms. "This is not the end point of democratisation of the Australian Labor party, this is just the beginning, and I say to those who have questioned this process, just try and dismantle it, because having been given a vote, the membership want more," he said.
Albanese predicted implicitly that factional leaders would move to shore up their own power. "If I can be forgiven for quoting another Italian, Michael Corleone, in Godfather III: 'Real power cannot be given, it must be taken.' It was taken off the factional bosses and given to the rank and file," Albanese said. Party membership had grown as a consequence of the changes, he added.
Albanese endorsed Shorten's leadership. "Bill Shorten will be, as I said during the campaign, a great Labor leader. He has my total loyalty in that position." Following his defeat in the ballot he would resume being a "team player", Albanese said.
Albanese
warned colleagues against outbreaks of ill-discipline. "[Bill Shorten]
needs to run a disciplined show. If anyone steps out of line he needs to
discipline them and I will be there standing by him to assist in that
process."
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