Faulkner keeps up call for ALP reform
Labor elder John Faulkner believes those within his party opposing reform are determinedly steering the organisation onto the rocks.
The senator often feels like he's beating his head against a wall, he told an audience at the Revesby Workers Club where he once again advocated for overhauling the ALP.
But he won't stop arguing for what he believes is right, necessary and in Labor's best interest.
"I say to those who resist the opening up of our structures to more participation and more democracy because they see their control over managed and pre-negotiated outcomes slipping away: stop clinging to the wheel," Senator Faulkner said.
"You are steering us straight for the rocks."
Giving the inaugural address of the Light on the Hill Society, Senator Faulkner once again outlined his case for reducing union power within the ALP and promoting more direct engagement with members.
He advocated using technology as a tool for engagement not just campaigning, since social media was now woven into everyday life.
"Even I am on Facebook," he said.
"Labor's model of delegated democracy was cutting edge - in 1891."
The general contempt for politics in Australia came from a loss of trust in the political process and a view that politicians were in a "values-free competition for office and the spoils it can deliver".
"Without that trust, politics is a contest of personalities, not ideas; a contest with no more relevance than an episode of Masterchef," Senator Faulkner said.
Recent revelations of corruption, especially coming out of the NSW ICAC inquiries into both Labor and the Liberals, further undermined the view of politics.
Senator Faulkner says Labor must reform itself in order to lead wider political reform.
The Light on the Hill Society is a club within the Revesby Workers Club dedicated to advancing the ideals of the Australian labour movement.
