Pro-Palestine protesters are expected to target Labor’s state conference in Victoria as tensions simmer over the Israel-Hamas war.
Hundreds of branch members and union delegates will converge on Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne for the two-day event.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Jacinta Allan are expected to address the crowd on Saturday, with pro-Palestine activists set to rally outside the event.
Domestic tensions remain high over Israel’s invasion and bombing of Gaza following the October 7 terror attack by Hamas.
Several motions related to the conflict are scheduled for debate on Saturday afternoon, including one calling for an “end to military co-operation with Israel”.
At last year’s meeting, Victorian Labor members passed a motion for the Albanese government to recognise Palestinian statehood within this term of parliament.
Days after the federal budget was handed down, the prime minister is expected to tout his government’s $32 billion housing investment.
“We are doing all this in spite of the opposition we’ve faced from the Liberals and the Greens,” Mr Albanese will tell the party faithful.
“The Liberals have a pathological problem with affordable housing, always have.
“And while the Greens … talk a lot about housing, the only thing they want to build is their profile.”
The prime minister will accuse Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of failing to present a positive vision for the nation in his budget reply speech.
“The Liberal Party are scared of the present but terrified of the future,” he will say.
“They are stuck in the past and set on dragging the rest of Australia back there to keep them company.”
It is the first state party conference since Ms Allan succeeded Daniel Andrews as premier.
Victorian Labor’s dominant socialist left faction is expected to lead a controversial motion to strip rank-and-file members of their right to vote for a new state leader.
In September, senior right faction MP Ben Carroll threatened to challenge Ms Allan for the leadership after Mr Andrews’ resignation.
It would have forced a vote among party members, who currently get an equal say in deciding the leader when more than one MP nominates, but the situation was avoided when a deal was struck for Mr Carroll to become deputy premier.
Another motion, titled “keeping public land in public hands”, could focus on the government’s plan to knock down and rebuild Melbourne’s 44 towers by 2051 in what has been billed as Australia’s biggest urban renewal project.
While the redevelopment plan would grow the number of residents living in the estates from 10,000 to 30,000, places reserved for social housing will only rise to 11,000.