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Much has been said about Labor “solidarity” in the wake of Senator Fatima Payman quitting the party last week over the government’s stance on the war in Gaza. But is it really a sign that Labor’s solidarity pledge, which has worked for more than 100 years, has passed its use-by date?
Not at all, writes Chris Wallace. In fact, the idea of “disagree and commit” is one that has been embraced by entrepreneurial startups: have your say and feel free to dissent, but then collectively come to a decision … and everyone gets behind it.
In fact, the pledge is not the problem, Wallace argues. Rather, it’s the way Labor caucus meetings have ceased to be a venue for robust debate, and have instead become one of passivity and timidity. There has been no rule change on this – the climate of caucus has simply changed over time.
“How much better it would be to have Labor ministers speak up again in cabinet, and Labor MPs speak up again in caucus, enabling laggard policies to be fixed faster and passionate MPs to make proper contributions in a full-blooded "disagree and commit” environment,“ she writes.
Then new senators like Payman would clearly see the way to get policy changed – or at least properly debated – inside Labor governments.
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Amanda Dunn
Politics + Society Editor
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Chris Wallace, University of Canberra
Labor’s solidarity pledge is effective and necessary - and has been so for more than 100 years. But it only works properly if MPs can freely voice their concerns and disagreements in caucus.
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Asma Aziz, Edith Cowan University
Keeping the lights on in Australia is not an easy task – and adding nuclear to the mix would add new complications.
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Melissa Tham, Victoria University; Andrew Wade, Victoria University; Shuyan Huo, Victoria University
In the first research of its kind in Australia, our new study tracked almost 3,000 young people from age 15 to 25 to see if there are longer-term benefits to attending a selective school.
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Karinna Saxby, The University of Melbourne; Kerry Hall, Griffith University; Mike Stephens, The University of Melbourne
When we mapped where Indigenous Australians are using a program to access free or discounted medicines, we found huge variation around the country. Here’s why that’s a problem.
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Connie Zheng, University of South Australia
New recruitment technologies – such as online application forms and AI screening – aim to make the process more efficient. But we risk losing basic human courtesy when we don’t acknowledge people.
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Emmy van Esch, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Post-COVID, many companies are offering perks to entice workers back into the office. But research found 78% of workers valued what was outside the office window above all else.
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Jamie Q Roberts, University of Sydney
Quoting this book dating from the 5th century BCE has become an internet cliché – but what does it really say?
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Jane McMahon, University of Sydney
Archaeologists are helping us reimagine life in ancient Saudi Arabia. With ‘packable’ housing, diverse diets and evidence of trade, these communities were more complex than we once thought.
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Politics + Society
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Richard Shaw, Massey University
Arguments for electoral reform in the UK just got stronger with a low Labour vote delivering a massively disproportionate number of seats.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
According to a report in The Australian, senior Labor figures are now raising questions about Payman’s eligibility to sit in parliament because she could be a dual citizen.
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Adrian Beaumont, The University of Melbourne
Labour’s Keir Starmer becomes the new UK prime minister after 14 years of Conservative rule.
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Ben Wellings, Monash University
With exit polls predicting a landslide win, new PM Keir Stamer’s dull but steady approach seems to have paid off, and the disastrous Conservative rule comes to an end.
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Health + Medicine
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Gary Sacks, Deakin University
The release of a parliamentary committee’s report on diabetes has again highlighted the need to improve Australians’ diets.
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Science + Technology
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David Tuffley, Griffith University
You may only know Amazon as an online retailer – but it’s also become the world’s single biggest player in providing cloud computing services.
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Environment + Energy
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Andrew King, The University of Melbourne
It has been particularly cold this week, with a record low temperature recorded in Tasmania. Such records are increasingly rare as average temperatures continue to rise.
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