The Conversation
24 Nov 2020, 18:38 GMT+10
The Labor party will hold its national conference "virtually", before Easter next year, Anthony Albanese has announced.
The conference had been due to happen in Canberra next month but was put off due to COVID.
But some in the party complain that having the conference - which has 400 delegates - online will mean it will be even more highly stage-managed than in recent years. It seems a decision driven more by convenience and politics than health issues given COVID now appears under control in Australia.
Although Scott Morrison has indicated he intends to run into 2022, Labor has to be prepared for an election late next year, making it important for Albanese to keep the conference as predictable and friction-free as possible.
Albanese on Tuesday told the ABC the party's national executive this week will discuss arrangements for the conference, with the dates to be finalised when the parliamentary sitting calendar is available.
He said the virtual staging of the two-day conference would draw on the experience of the Democratic Convention in the United States this year.
"In New South Wales, we held a party convention here for one day about six weeks ago. So, we have that experience."
Observers would be able to watch the proceedings, he said.
Labor has already a draft platform drawn up for the conference.
Friday's national executive meeting is also due to discuss the way ahead for the Victorian ALP. Earlier this year the executive intervened in the Victorian branch and installed administrators, after revelations of branch stacking.
Meanwhile Morrison next week will attend parliament's question time virtually on three days, because he will still be in quarantine at The Lodge after his recent trip to Japan.
The Prime Minister has been busy with online activities since going into isolation, attending the G20 leaders meeting at the weekend, and before that, APEC, and delivering a speech on Monday night to a British audience. He is also doing some school functions. On Tuesday he shot a video on the latest AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine news. The company announced the vaccine was up to 90% effective.
On Tuesday he had a call - by phone - with Indonesia President Joko Widodo after the two saw each other at six virtual summit sessions over the past two weekends, including the East Asia Summit and APEC.
Among other matters they discussed COVID and progress on vaccine trials, as well as economic issues, and agreed to look for opportunities to increase bilateral co-operation further.
Author: Michelle Grattan - Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Get a daily dose of Myanmar Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Myanmar Sun.
More InformationA Chinese government survey ship was intercepted "running dark" without broadcasting its position via AIS (Automated Identification System) by Indonesian ...
BANGALORE, India - Following an earlier report of 36 units of the Nissan Magnite being delivered on a single day ...
Phnom Penh [Cambodia], January 19 (ANI): The Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday requested the Indian government to provide ...
Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei index closed up nearly 1.4% on Tuesday as investors bought on dips following two days of profit-taking.The ...
Optimism about the global economic recovery and vaccine rollouts trumped ongoing concerns about soaring virus infections Tuesday.World virus cases broke ...
Bangkok [Thailand], January 19 (ANI): India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu on Tuesday progressed to the second round of the ongoing ...
KABUL, Afghanistan - Major violence has spread, and escalated across Afghanistan.Scores of national security forces and Taliban militants have been ...
JERUSALEM - Israeli authorities should provide Covid-19 vaccines to the more than 4.5 million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank ...
WASHINGTON, DC - Washington is locked down and U.S. law enforcement officials are geared up for pro-Trump marches in all ...
WASHINGTON, DC - In a sign of the changing political environment in the Middle East, the United States military will ...
WASHINGTON, DC - Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump's administration carried out its last federal execution when Dustin John Higgs, convicted ...
A Chinese government survey ship was intercepted "running dark" without broadcasting its position via AIS (Automated Identification System) by Indonesian ...