The ALP’s Lack of Transparency
It is easier to understand the Masons than it is to understand the internal workings of the ALP in 2011. It is full of power bases hidden to the public. It is difficult to understand who has power and why they have it.
Tiny Party Membership
The ALP has serious issues in attracting and keeping party members. It is hard for people to understand what the benefits of membership are. The proportion of people actively involved in the membership of the Party is tiny. Organisations are about people. The Party does not have the broad base of members that are needed to create a vibrant organisation.
ALP Candidate Selections
One of the primary purposes of a progressive political organisation should be to channel the largest number of talented individuals who share a progressive ideology into a political life. The ALP is unable to draw talent from a large pool of people. It is mostly drawing people from a narrow funnel. This has become a bottleneck – it is not in our interest to have such a narrow band of people as the only ones to represent us.
Lack of Community Engagement
There is limited engagement between the ALP and the public. The Party’s ability to engage and resonate effectively with the community is defunct. Almost no one has anything good to say about it. There is little trust in how the Party operates and some apprehension as to whose interests it is representing.
Lack of Empowerment
Very few people in our society feel empowered in the political process. How many people identify as part of the ALP? How many people proudly say ‘I’m Labor’ anymore?
