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Australian Politician Seeks to Take Over Labor Party
Australian Politician Seeks to Take Over Labor Party
(about 3 hours later)
SYDNEY, Australia — Bill Shorten, a Labor Party power broker who orchestrated the party coups that forced out former Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard of Australia, said Thursday that he would seek his party’s leadership after a stinging election defeat for Labor.
SYDNEY, Australia — Bill Shorten, a Labor Party power broker who orchestrated the party coups that brought down two previous Australian prime ministers, said on Thursday that he would seek the party leadership himself, after a stinging defeat for Labor at the polls.
The conservative Liberal-National coalition, led by the prime minister-elect, Tony Abbott, beat the Labor Party in a national vote on Saturday, bringing an end to six tumultuous years in power. Mr. Rudd subsequently announced he would not seek to lead the party in opposition despite having retained his seat in Parliament.
Six tumultuous years of Labor rule in Australia ended Saturday in a sweeping electoral victory for the conservative Liberal-National coalition led by Tony Abbott. The departing Labor prime minister, Kevin Rudd, kept his seat in Parliament but said he would not seek to lead the party in opposition.
Mr. Abbott campaigned relentlessly by highlighting Labor’s history of political infighting, arguing that it was focused on personal vendettas ahead of pressing national concerns. Mr. Shorten, known as one of the “faceless men” for his role in the party coups, said his goal was to “draw a line under the Rudd and Gillard era,” a task that could prove difficult for one of that era’s key players.
In the campaign, Mr. Abbott focused relentlessly on Labor’s history of political infighting, saying the party cared more about personal vendettas than pressing national issues. Restive Labor lawmakers ejected their first prime minister, Mr. Rudd, in 2010 and replaced him with Julia Gillard, only to turn on her this year and bring back Mr. Rudd again in June.
“I want to lead the rebuilding of our movement and take the fight up to the coalition in Australian politics,” Mr. Shorten told reporters in Melbourne. “I have the passion. I have the commitment. I have the ideas to lead Australia.”
Mr. Shorten, a former education minister and union leader who had a hand in both rebellions, said on Thursday that his goal was to “draw a line under the Rudd and Gillard era.” He said that as party leader, he would defend Labor’s signature accomplishment under Ms. Gillard, a carbon-emissions trading system that Mr. Abbott has promised to repeal.
Should he take over the party, Mr. Shorten, a former education minister and former national secretary of the powerful Australian Workers Union, has pledged to defend the party’s signature accomplishment under Ms. Gillard — an emissions trading plan that is the world’s second-largest, after the European Union’s. Mr. Abbott has promised to repeal the landmark legislation, which ultimately proved unpopular with voters.
Some close races in the election last Saturday are still to be decided, but it is clear that Mr. Abbott’s coalition would have a strong majority, with at least 86 of the 150 seats in the lower house of Parliament. After being drubbed at the polls, the Labor Party faces the challenge of choosing a new leader without reinforcing the widespread perception that it cannot enforce discipline. Mr. Shorten is the only declared candidate so far, but there is widespread speculation that Anthony Albanese, who was Mr. Rudd’s deputy, would also run.
“Labor has a mandate for its views on carbon pricing pollution,” Mr. Shorten said.
In a worrying sign for Labor, several senior politicians have already vented their frustration in the media. Stephen Conroy, a former communications minister, warned that a protracted contest risked making Labor into a “laughingstock.” “A parliamentary Labor leader cannot sustain their leadership if they do not have the support of a majority of their colleagues,” he told reporters.
Mr. Shorten says his focus is on defending Labor’s achievements and ideas, like its vision of a National Broadband Network and the National Disability Insurance Scheme instituted by Ms. Gillard.
At the close of vote counting on Saturday night, Mr. Abbott’s coalition was leading by 86 seats to Labor’s 57 seats in the 150-member lower house, where governments are formed. Coalition leaders have said that they expect to capture as many as 91 seats once the remaining handful of close races are called, although either scenario would give Mr. Abbott a sizable mandate.
The leadership ballot comes at a precarious time for the Labor Party, as it seeks to avoid reinforcing the widespread perception that it is unable to enforce party discipline.
The Labor Party caucus will meet in the capital, Canberra, on Friday to hold a debate on the leadership. Under new rules championed by Mr. Rudd, who served as prime minister from 2007 to 2010 before returning to the leadership in June in a party coup that forced out Ms. Gillard, both Labor lawmakers and rank-and-file party members will work on selecting the party’s new leader.
Previously the leader was chosen solely by the caucus, and the changes were intended to neutralize the kind of back-room deals that led voters to lose faith in the party, despite its strong legislative and economic record. Labor will have seven days to nominate leaders, followed by 30 days in which to vote on them.
The party is hoping to avoid any signs of tension, and Mr. Shorten remains the only candidate to have put his name forward for the role. There is strong speculation, however, that Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese could also put his hand up for the position, risking a drawn-out contest that would further damage the party’s image.
In a worrying sign for Labor, several senior politicians have already vented their frustration in the media at Mr. Rudd’s performance in the election and the process of selecting a new leader. Stephen Conroy, a former communications minister, assailed the rule changes and warned that any protracted contest risked making Labor into a “laughingstock.”
“A parliamentary Labor leader cannot sustain their leadership if they do not have the support of a majority of their colleagues,” he told reporters.
