Andrew is clearly trying out a variety of territorial claims here to see what he can get away with. Labor is fiscally responsible? Bwaah-haah-haah! Labor is open and transparent? Hee-hee-hee! Keep going, Andrew -- eventually you'll come up with a Labor positive which is small and insignificant enough to achieve a modicum of credibility. How about 'Labor politicians have nicer hair?' I think you might just get away with that.

Lots if spin her which is not backed up by any actual dealings I've ever had with Labor.

Some may like to believe that they have some credibility in terms of social justice, fair treatment etc but the focus on class and perceived power by groupings enerally translates to creating great injustice in the name of ideology rather than dealing with the actual realities of peoples lives.

R0bert

< Labor must never forget that our brand is not interchangeable with that of the Coalition. The two parties play fundamentally different roles in the Australian political system. >

Really??

< By contrast, the Coalition parties are defenders of the status quo, more likely to be heard supporting vested interests than those on the margins of society >

What??

Andrew, Labor is every bit as status-quo-oriented and vested-interest-supporting as the Coalition!!

There is stuff-all difference between the big parties!

They are the Liblabs! The Laborials! Two peas in a pod!

The most important thing that Labor should be doing – which is evidently just completely not in your mindset – is to become as sustainability-oriented as possible.

The most important factor being a reduction in immigration to net zero so that we can head towards a stable population.

We need to stop facilitating the ever-rapidly increasing demand for services and infrastructure!

Fixing services and infrastructure are the top priorities of successive governments (Abbott has called himself the ‘infrastructure PM’). And yet these same governments, of either political persuasion, completely undermine themselves by facilitating ever-increasing pressure on existing services and infrastructure and driving the need for ever more of it!

It is simply madness at its maddest!!

Please Andrew, talk to your colleague Kelvin Thomson about this, and come up with a much better way forward for Labor than what you have suggested in this article.

More nice sounding rhetoric is not going to win labor govt!
Some policies that return equity and fairness/housing affordability, just might!?
The issue of self-terminating thirty year bonds, might just give labor enough working capital to embark on some visionary projects. These projects, rapid rail, low rent high rise projects, etc/etc, will need to earn modest but exponentially increasing income, in order to, over time, repay the capital and service the interest payments. The quite modest interest, and some serious tax minimization, would see them become the most preferred safe haven for trillions of lazy capital.
They need to unblock the tin ears and propose quite massive tax reform and simplification!
But only if they actually want to recruit support from non traditional quarters?
A must if they would grow their primary support base to where once again, they can win back power.
In government, they need to do something about an electoral system that makes it a lot harder for labor to win than the noalition.
Optional preferencing for both houses, would almost completely annihilate the national party, who's primary support is now much lower than the greens!
The carbon tax must stay, but in a quite massively reformed form.
Here's my suggestion. Create a nominal cap.
Today's emission numbers would do as a starting point.
Then only tax that which is over that cap?
Which should mean, nobody pays a carbon tax?
Yet the price on carbon, in this case, could be as high as a thousand dollars a ton?
Also, there ought to be some modest tax credits for reducing your carbon emission?
However, to claim this credit, the applicant would need credible evidence, that there had been a genuine reduction!
I don't believe we should/can ever run a reduction scheme, based on offshore credits.
Plantations can be subsequently logged, mop crops harvested!
You, like so many other labor luminaries, can talk a good talk Andy, when what is really required however, are visionaries who can walk a good walk!
Rhrosty.

The voting public are wiser than the Labor Party but the Labor Party hasn't realised it yet.

The Labor Party's portrayal of Abbott as unelectable failed, as did their concept of the noalition which backfired spectacularly as did their labelling of the anti-carbon tax rally as the "convoy of no consequence". They continue to make further blunders such as not supporting the abolition of the Carbon Tax.

Their attempt at an "American style" leadership campaign was not only the most boring battle ever seen but left the Labor Party with a dud leader who has a history of abusing people a la Kevin Rudd style and who is weak, vacillating, deceitful and ultimately ineffective.

The facts are that the Labor Party is full of self-interested, low quality hacks who continue to spout the old "Liberals = vested interests" , "Labor Party = equality and fairness" line which even they themselves don't believe. From Craig Thompson to John Maitland to Eddie Obeid the message rings out loud and clear. The Labor Party is corrupt and ultimately damaging to the nation.

Oh goody. Just what labor doesn't need and the Liberals cheer. Another navel gazing thesis by labor about labor.