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Rebel MP Ed Husic says Labor’s determination to avoid public policy stoushes will push voters to One Nation, after the party killed off his attempt to force debate about the conflict in Gaza.
In a move which frustrated Husic’s colleagues, the former minister defied Prime Minister Anthony Albanese by pushing a change to the party’s platform at its national conference on Saturday.
Husic’s motion went well beyond the government’s policies, using the term “apartheid” and cracking down on dual nationals serving in the Israel Defence Forces.
Factional bosses and ministers feared that a debate on Husic’s proposal could have created the impression that the government was not in control of its foreign policy, so mobilised to shut it down.
“I have been surprised at the extraordinary amount of energy that has been applied to stop this,” Husic said after his proposal was killed off.
“I’ve always taken the view there’ll be different views. You’ve got to be able to work through them. That’s democracy.”
The Maritime Union of Australia was on Friday expected to support Husic’s resolution, a step required to bring on a debate that was due to add drama to the final day of Labor’s triennial get-together.
But after talks on Friday night and Saturday morning, the union backed down, meaning the proposal never reached the point of being debated.
Husic’s camp claims the union was pressured into folding. Sources in the government say Husic’s failure to find a delegate to second his resolution proved he was isolated.
The western Sydney MP has led the charge on a range of left-wing campaigns, including a gas export tax, at an otherwise well-controlled conference in Adelaide.
Husic held a press conference on Saturday at the same time as two Labor MPs spoke on the conference floor, in an attempt to show unity after years of divisive debates in the party over its position on the conflict in Gaza.
“They can put me in the freezer, I don’t give a shit,” Husic said when asked if the government would punish him.
The pro-Palestine figure made the comments on the sidelines of the Adelaide Convention Centre at the same time as Josh Burns, who is Jewish, and Basem Abdo, who has Palestinian heritage, were speaking jointly in the auditorium in support of the government’s position.
Husic’s decision to draw a crowd of journalists to his press conference as Burns and Abdo spoke sparked anger among Labor figures. One, who asked not to be named, said: “Ed making this whole week about himself with no care for the party should surprise nobody.”
The position supported by Abdo and Burns strengthened condemnation of Israel and dropped a line about forcing Hamas to disarm, sparking concern from the Israeli embassy.
“This motion is not designed to encompass everything,” Abdo said. “It does not seek to prescribe, to describe, or ascribe every responsibility to every party. Nor does it seek to list every circumstance or point that needs addressing.”
“It’s been an incredibly difficult few years on what is an already very difficult issue. No single motion can do justice to it. What it is, is a motion of the Australian Labor Party, a party of government and a party for all Australians.”
Foreign Minister Penny Wong praised Burns and Abdo on the floor for proving that “even on struggles that have divided the world for generations, Australian Labor can come together and find common ground.”
Burns, who like Abdo was facing pressure from voices outside the party to take a firmer position, told how Abdo phoned him after the Bondi massacre, demonstrating that, “we can, and we should, hold two truths at once.”
“While grieving for his own people, he stood in solidarity with Jewish Australians in our time of pain. History shows, one of the finest sons of our Labor Party tried to help create a shared future for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” Burns said.
A senior Labor official said Husic, while retaining support among some grassroots members and Labor anti-war groups, had alienated himself from his own Right faction, the Left, and the union movement.
“His petulance stood in stark contrast to Josh and Basem,” the source, who also did not want to go on record on slamming Husic, said.
Albanese, who has drawn the ire of Husic since dumping him from cabinet last year, emphasised unity in his sign-off speech at the conference, which the government has used to demonstrate stability and set itself up for a re-election bid.
Labor figures including former ministers Kim Carr and Gareth Evans have supported Husic’s view that the party is not a vibrant hub for policy debate.
“In my view, this is the most purposeful and united national conference I have attended since I joined the Labor Party,” Albanese said on Saturday.
Husic’s motion urged the government to acknowledge an International Court of Justice finding that Israel’s actions in the West Bank represented a breach of the racial discrimination convention “which prohibits segregation and apartheid”.
It also called for full diplomatic ties with a Palestinian state, which Labor formally recognised last year in part to head off anger in Labor branches about its stance on the conflict. Husic said there was a plausible claim that Israel had engaged in genocide.
In a jab at Albanese, who often brandishes a Medicare card when talking about healthcare, Husic held up his Labor membership card and said cards “get bandied about” before criticising the party’s culture under Albanese.
“The inconvenient truth,” Husic said, was that the rise of One Nation was happening “under our watch”.
“I’ve often said that this is a scrub fire that started in the conservative fringe and has come over to us,” he said.
“I think the big test for us is one of the big parties is to be able to show that we’re willing to take stands on issues and to also bring people along.”
“We have a competitor that a lot of people talk about now that is energised. It’s attracted a lot of members. They feel their party listens to them, and they’re attracted by the idea that this is a party that’ll stand up for what they think is right for the country.”
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Paul Sakkal is Chief Political Correspondent. He previously covered Victorian politics and won a Walkley award and the 2025 Press Gallery Journalist of the Year. Contact him securely on Signal @paulsakkal.14.Connect via X or email.
Natassia Chrysanthos is Federal Political Correspondent. She has previously reported on immigration, health, social issues and the NDIS from Parliament House in Canberra.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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