Australia’s status in the world has risen as the government invests in both defence and strategic relationships, Anthony Albanese says.
Speaking after the ALP national conference, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring the nation acquired nuclear-powered submarines under a security pact with the US and UK.
“I’m absolutely convinced that nuclear-powered conventional submarines are the way to go for Australia,” Mr Albanese told Sky News on Sunday.
Labor’s party faithful gathered in Brisbane to update Labor’s policies, with AUKUS the only issue sparking dissent.
‘A really bright future’
Mr Albanese said he had the responsibility of funding defence capability, while also strengthening ties.
“There has been significant improvement in the way that Australia is perceived as being good global citizens,” he said.
“We have enormous opportunities this decade to set Australia up for a really bright future.”
A number of trade unions led that charge alongside left wing, anti-war and anti-nuclear elements of the party to oppose putting the pact in the policy platform.
Apart from some dissenting speeches and interjections, the push to strip it from the policy platform overwhelmingly failed and the vote was carried on the voices despite about a quarter of the 399 voting delegates screaming “no”.
It meant no ballot was recorded and the prime minister avoided a potentially embarrassing showdown on the conference floor against his signature defence policy.
The final day of the three day forum was used to fire up the party’s faithful and encourage them to start campaigning for a successful referendum in order to enshrine an Indigenous Voice in the constitution.
Mr Albanese used his penultimate speech to the conference on Saturday to plead with members to get out and win hearts and minds.
‘Get out there and win this’
“There is everything to gain and absolutely nothing to lose,” he said.
“So I say this: when you have a proposition before you where there are only winners, it’s our responsibility to get out there and win this.”
Labor senator Jana Stewart told AAP she felt like there was a pathway to a successful referendum after the party passed a resolution that called on the labour movement to campaign “with excitement, hope and determination”.
“It feels pretty good in there to be shoulder to shoulder with our Labor comrades because, I think, they represent the very best of our country,” she said.
The Mutthi Mutthi and Wamba Wamba woman said the fact there was still a large number of undecided voters was a good thing as grassroots members start to doorknock and campaign.
“We know that once people understand what’s on the table, the opportunity that’s before the nation, they’re saying ‘yes’,” she said.
“Often, actually, the reaction is: Oh, is that all it is? Of course, that makes sense.”
The ‘no’ campaign have argued that the voice in the constitution would divide Australia down racial lines and split the country.
The Indigenous senator said this was already the case as “the experience of First Nations people in this country is not equal to our non-Aboriginal brothers and sisters whether it’s health, education, housing or jobs”.
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