Who Is Going To Lead The Labor Party Now That Bill Shorten’s Gone?
Everyone thought Tanya Plibersek had a shot, but she says it's not her time.
If you missed this weekend’s election drama, here’s the upshot: Labor lost, Bill Shorten quit, and the Labor Party’s now looking for a new leader.
As the dust settles, people are wondering who that leader will be, and what kind of policies they’ll support. Depending on the answer, the Labor Party going forward could look very different to the Shorten Labor Party of the past few years. Here’s how the process of selecting a new leader works, and when we’ll know who’s got the job.
What Are The Rules For Finding A New Labor Leader?
So, how does someone get to become the next Bill Shorten? First, anyone who wants the job has to nominate for it.
According to Labor Party rules, MPs have one week to nominate for the position. They need to have the support of at least 20 percent of the caucus (Labor MPs in Parliament) to nominate, and once they do, things go to two different votes.
Firstly, ballots are sent out to all members of the Labor Party (not just MPs, but members of the public who have joined the party), and they have 20 days to vote. Once that’s done, the caucus votes. Both voting blocs are weighted equally, and then added together to determine the winner.
That means the ordinary members of the Labor Party have, in theory, just as much of a say as the Labor MPs in Parliament. Sometimes, these groups disagree. Take the 2013 leadership ballot, for instance, where the vote was between Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese. Albanese won the grassroots vote involving all party members, but Shorten got more votes from MPs and became leader. We all know how that ended.
In short, this means we won’t know who’s replacing Shorten for around a month. In the meantime, Bill Shorten will stick around as acting leader.
Who’s In The Running?
So far, two candidates have announced that they’re definitely in the running, while others are still thinking about it. Those two are Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen.
Albanese, or “Albo”, is a pretty familiar face by now: he was deputy Prime Minister for a brief stint back in 2013 after Kevin Rudd re-took the reins from Julia Gillard. Over the years he’s been a senior cabinet minister when Labor was in government, and part of the shadow cabinet ever since. As we mentioned above, he’s run for leader of the Labor Party before, and actually won the popular vote. He also meets the other blokey and arcane criteria this country associates with political party leaders: he can scull a beer, has a nickname ending in -o, and offers opinions on music.
As far as I'm concerned we are now three days closer to the next Labor government and I'm determined rather than despairing when it comes to Labor's prospects. pic.twitter.com/c2NiPsjB0n
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) May 21, 2019
Albanese is part of the Labor Party’s left wing faction, and he says he wants to see a Labor offer “a different agenda to the government — a fairer agenda, a more inclusive agenda, an agenda that brings the nation together on economic, social and environmental policy, so we can meet the challenges of the future.”
“I believe that I’m the best person to lead Labor back into government,” he said yesterday. “We’ve lost three elections in a row. That has an impact on those Australians who rely upon us to improve their education, to look after their healthcare, to build public transport infrastructure, to look after their interests”.
“What you see is what you get with me, for better or worse. I’m a bit rough at the edges, but I think Australians don’t want someone who just utters talking points.”
The other option at the moment is Chris Bowen, currently the Shadow Treasurer. Bowen is in Labor’s right wing faction, and he’s responsible for the policy to scrap franking credits, which Labor ran on this election. He’s a little less well known than Albanese, and doesn’t have as much support so far.
Today I announced my candidacy for the leadership of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party. pic.twitter.com/pnPV9lyi0p
— Chris Bowen (@Bowenchris) May 21, 2019
“I want to make it very clear – Anthony Albanese is a friend of mine, a good man,” Bowen said when he announced his candidacy today. “I think that he would make a good leader of the Labor party. And if he wins the ballot, he will have my full and undivided loyalty. But I think that the party deserves a contest.”
“I think that the party deserves choice. It deserves to hear competing ideas. I think it would be wrong of me not to provide that choice to the party. I believe in growth and opportunity, economic growth. I believe in reconnecting with the suburbs like this and the regions. I believe in connecting with people from all walks of life – manufacturing workers for example.” Regarding policy, he says he wants a “blank canvas”.
“Those policies were for the 2019 election. We faced and fought the 2019 election and lost it,” he said today.
Albanese and Bowen might not be the only two candidates — there are reports that Jim Chalmers is also considering having a crack, and there’s still a week left for people to nominate. We’ll keep you posted as they do.
And Who’s Missing?
One big name is notably absent from that list: Tanya Plibersek. Plibersek has been deputy leader of the Labor Party since 2013, and she’s held Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet positions since 2004. She’s eminently qualified, one of Labor’s most high profile women, and had previously said she was considering putting her name forward.
Until yesterday, that is, when she unexpectedly stepped back, telling supporters that “now is not my time”.
“At this point, I cannot reconcile the important responsibilities I have to my family with the additional responsibilities of the Labor leadership,” she said. “I know some people will be disappointed with this decision.”
“I intend to continue as deputy leader until the leadership is determined. At that point I will I serve in whatever capacity my colleagues best think can help Labor return to government.”
I am very grateful for the support I have received from my colleagues, from party members and others, urging me to run for the Labor leadership.
I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their support. But now is not my time. https://t.co/37ntsXRusF
— Tanya Plibersek (@tanya_plibersek) May 20, 2019
Plibersek’s decision not to run has made waves, because she was a pretty popular candidate for the job (not to mention one of few high ranking women in politics with a shot at a party leader role). On the one hand, her supporters want to support her in her decision — wanting to spend time with her family is totally valid, and as a mother of young children her decision makes sense.
Then again, many people have also pointed out that women are generally under much more pressure than men to put family first. Given that until very recently Plibersek appeared to be gearing up to have a crack at party leadership, her announcement yesterday feels sudden. We can only hope that this is well and truly her decision, and not the consequence of a party subtly or unsubtly blocking women from positions of power they have a right to aim for.
Tanya Plibersek decided not to run for the leadership because of the time it would mean away from her 3 children. Chris Bowen has 2 children. Is someone going to ask him if that is a factor for him? Probably not – which speaks volumes about how we see parental responsibility.
— Stephanie Peatling (@srpeatling) May 21, 2019
Plibersek’s decision not to run for leader makes it unclear whether she’ll be able to continue on as deputy, too. That’s because Labor typically tries to ensure its deputy comes from a different faction, and different state, to the leader. Plibersek, like Albanese, is part of the NSW Left, which means that if Albanese wins, it’s unlikely that she’ll be able to continue as deputy.
That’s a bridge we’ll cross later, though, as the leadership contest shapes up. Until then, we look forward to seeing who nominates.