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Australian Labor Party - Federal

The pathway to politics

Tuesday, 19 February 2008 - A glance at the little summaries below of MPs making their maiden speeches is all you need to know the pathway to success as a Labor Party MP: become a trade union official or work as a political staffer. Of the 10 from the party who spoke for the first time yesterday, eight have that background and one is herself a former Senator married to a state Labor MP who used to the the secretary of the Party. The solitary exception is Mark Dreyfus QC. Perhaps the Liberals are right not to remove those trade union faces from their web site. more

Playing Prime Minister

Monday, 5th February 2007 - There is a danger for Labor Leader Kevin Rudd that his gimmick of having what he is calling a climate change summit will end up being one of those things that seemed to be a good idea at the time. To put it somewhat crudely Rudd is at risk of being seen as a smart arse - a politician being too clever by half. While John Howard is delivering an actual policy to deal with at least part of the country's water problem through his meeting of state premiers to arrange a federal take over of the Murray-Darling Basin , Mr Rudd will be engaging in a talk-fest. Actions will surely create a better political outcome than words. more

Labor's Latest Third Party Endorsement

Friday, 2nd February 2007 - Federal Labor Leader Kevin Rudd clearly has a soul mate in South Australian Premier Mike Rann. In announcing yesterday that Sir Rod Eddington would chair a council of business advisers for a future Labor Government, Rudd is following down the path pioneered by Rann who gave Robert Champion de Crespigny the title of chair of his state's Economic Development Board and started inviting him to Cabinet meetings. more