Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is likely to face a push on climate policy.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
The conference begins on Thursday with 402 delegates meeting in Brisbane to elect Labor’s national executive and debate the party platform on issues such as the economy,national security,the environment,social policy and the Indigenous Voice.
Opponents of the AUKUS alliance are also confident of putting motions that warn of a “regional arms race” from the agreement with the US on nuclear-powered submarines,setting up a debate on the conference floor that pits party delegates against Albanese and federal cabinet ministers.
The unease about the US subsidies for renewable energy,worth $US369 billion under US President Joe Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act,have prompted Labor branch members to step up calls for more action in Australia to follow the US lead.
“The industrial and environmental arms of the party share an interest in ensuring we make the task of decarbonisation a win for all Australians,” said Felicity Wade,the co- convenor of the Labor Environment Action Network.
Felicity Wade is co-ordinating a push on climate policy.Credit:Louise Kennerley
“We need policy that delivers cost of living relief,that leaves no-one behind,while maximising our competitive advantages in low carbon industrial development and manufacturing.
“The US and Europe are delivering big government programs,like the Inflation Reduction Act. We need to answer their level of ambition.”