Union leaders will not corner the prime minister at the ALP national conference, but his real challenge is with business and its distrust of Labor’s workplace agenda.
Some of the biggest decisions by a Labor government are made without any fireworks when hundreds of the party’s most faithful members gather every few years for a national conference that approves the ALP’s policy platform and endorses its direction.
Most union leaders have been reluctant to turn this into a flashpoint because they do not want to put the prime minister in a corner and force him to accept or reject their demands in public. They acknowledge that these conferences are different when Labor is in power; humiliating the leader makes no sense.
The meeting in Canberra was the first face-to-face discussion over the draft law between the union and industry negotiators. Most of the details remain secret because these consultations come with non-disclosure agreements – a legal manoeuvre that dampens open debate over specific measures – but the broad goals are clear.
Employment Minister Tony Burke is about to reveal his plans in detail so he can put the draft law to parliament after it resumes on September 4. He will speak to the National Press Club on August 30 to outline his plans. The real dynamic, however, is about the distrust between Labor and business. Albanese delivered a warm speech to the Australian Industry Group in Melbourne on Monday night, and he has known some business leaders for decades, but most employer groups are watching him warily. The Business Council of Australia just hired a former Liberal adviser, Bran Black, as its new chief. The Minerals Council of Australia and other groups are funding a text campaign against the workplace laws.
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