According to reports from the Australian Labor Party‘s first conference led by Bill Shorten in Melbourne today, boos were heard when Shorten mentioned the work of Richard Marles – Shadow Immigration Minister – during his opening speech. “Richard Marles will deliver immigration policies that are safe and humane,” Shorten said.
Shorten only made a fleeting reference to asylum seeker policy and was booed #ALPConf2015 #auspol
— Steven Scott (@StevenDScott) July 24, 2015
Bill Shorten was just audibly booed when he mentioned asylum seeker policy #alp15
— Samantha Maiden (@samanthamaiden) July 24, 2015
Boos aside, Bill Shorten’s opening speech covered a lot of bases:
- To praise the work of trade unions: “No group of people in all Australian history has done more to guarantee safety, to build national wealth, to lift the living standards of ordinary people, than our unions.”
- To vow for a more balanced representation of women within the ALP—aiming for gender parity by 2025
- To advocate for wind turbines on Australian farms
- To pledge for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to be recognised in the Constitution: “We pledge to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our Constitution. We will accord the first members of the Australian family, an overdue place of honour on our national birth certificate.”
- To reignite support for the Australian Republican movement: “We can be an Australian Republic, with an Australian head of state.”
- To show support for marriage equality: “We can be an inclusive nation, where marriage is not about gender but two people who love each other, above all others.”
- And to challenge the Coalition to a “climate change election” in 2016, saying, “Bring. It. On.”
With a nod to billionaire Warren Buffet, Anthony Albanese advocated for a “buffet rule” to tax high earners in his address today, labelling the 75 Australians with earnings above $1million—who don’t pay tax—as a “disgrace”.