Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addresses annual conference of the NSW Labor Party

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The Australian prime minister has addressed the annual conference of the NSW Labor party in Sydney.

Transcript

00:00Well, this was an opportunity for Anthony Albanese to really rally the troops ahead

00:06of a federal election, which is not too far away.

00:10There was, I guess, a bit of a triumphant tone to start the speech, because it's been

00:14a very long time since we've seen a Labor Prime Minister and a Labor Premier here in

00:19New South Wales.

00:20Anthony Albanese said, what's better than one Labor leader in New South Wales?

00:24Well, two.

00:25So it's very good news for the party, and I think there is a bit of a sense among delegates

00:29here that finally, at least from a state perspective, they can be debating policies

00:36and discussing issues that can actually be enacted by a government here in New South

00:40Wales.

00:41Anthony Albanese really taking the opportunity to highlight what he says are Labor's key

00:46achievements, not only recently, but going back years, talking about the importance of

00:51Medicare and saying that Labor, at least his government, is strengthening Medicare by increasing

00:58the incentives to bulk bill, talking about improving pay and conditions for low-paid

01:04workers, including for childcare workers.

01:07But he also used the opportunity to take the attack to the opposition leader, Peter Dutton,

01:14over his plan for nuclear energy in Australia, really just repeating many of the attack lines

01:21that we've heard before, that it's uncosted, that there is not enough detail.

01:26But interestingly, he also used this opportunity, David, to announce that basically the government

01:33was going to try to end the uncertainty over what happens to the Jabaluka uranium area.

01:41He has now announced that this will be absorbed into the Kakadu National Park.

01:47He said that this is an incredibly important site from an archaeological and of course

01:52a cultural perspective for First Nations Australians.

01:56Here's a little of that announcement earlier.

01:59Today I'm proud to announce that our government will be working with the traditional owners

02:03to make Jabaluka part of Kakadu National Park once and for all.

02:09This means there will never be mining at Jabaluka.

02:18The Mirar people have loved and cared for their land for more than 60,000 years.

02:24Our government will work with them to keep it safe for all time.

02:30And Nick, while the Prime Minister was talking, I understand pro-Palestinian protesters gathered

02:35outside the building?

02:38That's right.

02:39They've been gathering all morning and a more substantive protest is planned for this afternoon.

02:45There'd been a lot of publicity that Anthony Albanese would be at this conference and so

02:50they have rallied support despite the dreadful weather conditions here in Sydney.

02:55So they're gathering outside.

02:57There were some people who called out free Palestine from the audience.

03:04One member of the public or another conference attendee unfurled a Palestinian banner as

03:10well.

03:11It remained there throughout Anthony Albanese's speech.

03:14There wasn't any major disruption but there will be an important discussion about recognition

03:20of Palestine later in the conference.

03:24It potentially could come up at any point but it's scheduled for discussion later in

03:28the conference on Sunday.

03:30And that's where we're likely to see inside the conference a pretty vigorous debate.

03:35There are plenty of people in Labor's rank and file who believe the party has not gone

03:40far enough.

03:41There will be calls from some for the party to, for example, to directly condemn Israel

03:47for civilian casualties in Gaza.

03:50Now the Prime Minister just a few days ago announced that there would be sanctions, for

03:55example, on some Israeli settlers.

03:57That may be welcomed by the crowd outside but I don't think it will appease them and

04:01I think there will still be a pretty large show of protest both today and tomorrow as

04:07well.

04:08And there sounds like quite a bit of drama happening at this conference.

04:11On top of that, a major union staged a walkout from the conference.

04:16That's right.

04:17Anthony Albanese walked in, the sort of triumphant music was playing, everyone was clapping,

04:22he got a standing ovation from basically everyone except the Electrical Trades Union.

04:28They stayed put, they didn't seem all that pleased to see the Prime Minister and then

04:34when he sort of got to the stage, they staged a walkout.

04:37They walked out on the Prime Minister.

04:39Now earlier, members of the ECU had been heckling party officials who were justifying their

04:46decision to exclude the CFMEU from this conference.

04:50So not only is Labor not accepting any more donations or affiliation fees from the construction

04:56division of the CFMEU over those allegations of corruption but they've also been barred

05:01from this conference and while they may not be here, they certainly have support from

05:07other unions here.

05:08Some members of the crowd were calling shame during that discussion about the exclusion

05:13of the CFMEU but certainly the Prime Minister didn't appear to enjoy the support of that

05:17particular union.

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