Political party life should include all Australians

 

By Helen Said, rank and file Labor Party member,

We should all feel equally included in our country’s democracy, regardless of ethnic background, religion, disability or medical condition. Disappointingly, many of Australia’s political get togethers are non-inclusive and this is hurting our democracy.

Many important Australian political meetings are held in licensed venues which are inaccessible to some Australians on the basis of culture and religion. For example, some Labor Party branches hold their monthly meetings in pubs, which are inaccessible to traditional Muslims.

Even without religious restrictions, people with different cultural dress or racial appearance can feel out of place in some pub environments. Accessing some private meeting rooms within pubs can involve approaching the bar where alcohol is served to ask where the meeting room is; walking past men who are drinking and staring; or sometimes, climbing stairs to get to the meeting, which can be difficult or impossible for members who are older or disabled. Pubs can also be a sensory nightmare for some neurodivergent party members. Although our party members are very accepting of people’s beverage choices, recovering alcoholics or people on medication are often at the ready, within pub environments, to defend their refusal to drink alcohol, and this can create an added barrier.

According to Australian Labor Party Victorian Branch Rules (last updated on 29/9/25)

“5.9.1 A member …. shall obtain voting rights 24 months from the date they attended a meeting of a Local Branch of which they are, or are eligible to be, a member …. “

If a person who uses a wheelchair applies to join the party, and their local branch meets in an inaccessible meeting room (and I have heard of a branch that does this), then theoretically this member will never accrue party voting rights, no matter how long they have been paying their membership dues. Similarly, a migrant woman, who doesn’t go to licensed venues for cultural or religious reasons, can never accrue voting rights within our party if she happens to live in a state electorate where her local Labor Branch meets in a pub.

Such disadvantaged party members can’t join another nearby branch that meets at a more suitable venue because, under section 5.8.2.1, they have no choice about which branch they join: “the member [is] to be allocated to the local branch in the state electorate in which they reside or, if there is more than one branch, to the closest branch having regard to the member’s place of residence.”

Clearly these party rules have not kept up with the needs of our diverse membership. Labor Party branches which meet upstairs or in pubs are not giving their fellow Australians a fair go in our party or in our democracy.

Pubs and alcohol are a long-standing part of Anglo-Celtic-Australian culture. They are a focus of many social occasions and informal political gatherings such as “politics in the pub”. These are extremely important functions within the wider Australian community. Thankfully, Australian pub culture has generally become more accepting of people who choose not to drink alcohol. Some pubs have become better known for their food and coffee and often serve food from different cultures. This has helped more people from diverse ethnic backgrounds feel at home in pubs.

Although some people will not go to pubs for cultural or religious reasons, there are a number of things that can be done to make pub meetings and functions a whole lot more accessible and inclusive.

·       *  Only organise pub meetings in wheelchair accessible venues with accessible toilets and spell this out in all meeting publicity (Imagine having to ring up an event organiser, every time you want to go out, to ask if you will be able to pee…)

·   *     If possible, choose venues with indoor children’s playgrounds so parents can more easily attend the function

·    *     Consider the level of noise, lighting and crowding at your venue which could be an issue for neurodivergent people

·    *     Use culturally inclusive language to publicise your event eg “Social Night, drinks available”, not “Drinks Night”

·         If a woman from a different culture, who is unfamiliar with pubs, wants to attend the event, another woman could offer to come out and meet her when she arrives (so she doesn’t have to walk in alone and get stared at). This might also be helpful for a person with a disability, but with all such help, ask the person what they need first, and don’t assume.

“Set the Standard: Report on the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces” was Conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2021, and led by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins. The Review was asked to make recommendations to ensure that Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces are safe and respectful and that the nation’s Parliament reflects best practice in prevention and response to bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Recommendation 28(b)(iv) calls for the “provision and encouragement of opportunities for networking and engagement that do not involve alcohol.” Parliamentary culture begins in the local branches of Australia’s political parties. If Australian political parties expect members to network their way up the career ladder through drinking, we are going to end up with an unsafe and disrespectful political culture which will impact negatively on our politicians, staffers and our democracy.

We must heed Commissioner Jenkins’ recommendation, and provide and encourage “opportunities for networking and engagement that do not involve alcohol.” By all means, let’s continue with long established tradition such as “politics in the pub”, but depriving party members of their voting rights because they can’t access their local party branch meetings taking place upstairs or in a pub? Multicultural Australia will surely say - that doesn’t pass the Shawarma Test.