Australian Labor Party National Conference

The Australian Labor Party National Conference, sometimes referred to as the National Party Conference or the Federal Conference, is the highest representative and decision-making body of the Australian Labor Party, incorporating all of the party’s state and territory branches. The National Conference takes place triennially and is hosted in Australian cities on a rotating basis. The 49th and most recent National Party Conference was held on the 17th to the 19th of August 2023 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and was attended by over 2,000 delegates.

The previous National Party Conference was the 48th conference held in Adelaide in 2018,^[1] which was attended by 397 party delegates,^[2] and the pivotal 2011 National Conference held on 3 December 2011. The conference following the 48th in 2018 was intended to take place in March 2021.^[3] However, this was cancelled due to Covid-19 precautions, thus the 49th National conference was not held until August 2023.^[4]

The National Conference drafts a statement of party policy, called the National Platform,^[5] In practice, however, Labor policy is determined by the leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party.

Decisions of the Conference are implemented by the National Executive. Twenty members of the National Executive are elected by the National Conference. The National Conference does not elect the party's parliamentary leaders, which since 2013 has been by a ballot of both the Parliamentary Caucus and by the Labor Party's rank-and-file members. The national president and vice-presidents are elected by a vote of party members. On many matters votes at the Conference take place on a factional basis. In the past, the Labor Right faction held a majority at the National Conference, though it lost the majority at the 2015 National Conference.^[2]