In a stark internal warning, the national president of the Australian Labor Party, Wayne Swan, has declared the party must urgently renew its ageing grassroots base and embrace contentious policy debates, or risk a collapse similar to other centre-left movements like the US Democrats.
A Warning Against Complacency
The former treasurer, in an exclusive interview with Guardian Australia, cautioned his party against complacency following its 94-seat election victory in May and the ongoing chaos within the opposition Coalition. He stressed that Labour could not rely on its opponents "stuffing it up" to stay in power.
Labour's primary vote of 34.6%, while delivering a landslide win against Peter Dutton, remains low by historic standards. Swan warned that if the Coalition got its act together, Labour's position was far less secure than many believed. He highlighted the danger of a right-wing coalition, akin to one led by a figure like Nigel Farage, sweeping up conservative preferences if Labour's primary vote dipped below 30%.
The Urgent Need for Grassroots Renewal
Swan identified the ageing membership in suburban and regional areas as a critical vulnerability. He stated the party is making a deliberate push to build support in traditional Coalition heartlands, such as Queensland's Sunshine Coast. In a blunt assessment, he admitted local branches could sometimes be "too much of a closed-shop" and called for a new approach to communication.
"We have to meet people where they are, and we have to meet people in the way in which they interact with people, not in some highly stylised political way," Swan said, arguing the party must talk with people, not at them.
Embracing a Contest of Ideas
Addressing progressive critics who have marked the Albanese government down for eschewing major reforms like negative gearing changes, Swan defended its "pretty strong centre-left agenda." However, he insisted the party "shouldn't be afraid" of engaging in more contentious policy debates.
He predicted a robust contest of ideas at Labour's national conference in Adelaide next July, where he will step down as president, to be succeeded by former minister Kate Ellis. Swan said debates would inevitably focus on policy areas where the agenda could go further, questioning affordability and revenue sources.
The consequence of failure to evolve, both organisationally and politically, would be severe. "We end up looking like the Democrats in the US or any number of once large, proud, centre-left parties around the world that have collapsed," Swan stated bluntly. He concluded that Labour could only continue to prosper and succeed where others had failed by staying true to its core mission.
