Anthony Albanese tries to laugh off escalator slip at ‘robotic’ 50th national ALP Conference
The Prime Minister attempted to brush off the viral moment which prompted a frustrated ‘for f**ks sake’ by linking it to Mark Latham’s infamous ‘ladder of opportunity political slogan.
Anthony Albanese has attempted to laugh off his escalator mishap at Labor’s 50th National Conference as he tied up loose ends on the tightly controlled gathering of party faithful in Adelaide.
In a speech to 750 loyalists on the final evening of the get-togther, the Prime Minister brushed off the viral moment which prompted a frustrated “for f**ks sake” by linking it to Mark Latham’s infamous “ladder of opportunity” political slogan.
“We are proudly a progressive movement. Two words that can’t be applied to the escalator in this building,” Mr Albanese told the triennial National Conference dinner on Friday evening.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“It must be said. Now, when it did come to a standstill, I’ll admit there was a moment — just a moment — when the ladder of opportunity finally made sense. Thank you, Mark Latham.”
The Labor leader made no secret of his push for conformity — or an image of it, issuing a rallying call in every address to his base for the importance of unity.
Late-night sessions by staff and parliamentarians had helped Mr Albanese maintain a hard clamp over the conference, which has laid their policy platform for the next three years.
“What we’re doing is getting together, not as tribes, but getting everyone in one room. That is a good thing. Left, right, unions, MPs, rank-and-file, everyone of us,” he said.
“Our Labor Party has explored the full breadth of ups and downs over the years, and what we know is that unity is so important for our Labor movement. The results are there for everyone to see.”
The Prime Minister also dropped into a room set aside for travelling press covering the conference multiple times for an off-the-record chat with journalists after his escalator near-miss, making two announced appearances and one surprise visit.
After smothering potential ignitions for heated debate — mainly driven by Labor backbencher Ed Husic who tried and failed to stand up amendments and resolutions on several issues — the Prime Minister was triumphant in his final speech to the floor on Saturday.
In his closing remarks, Mr Albanese expressed pride in the party’s ability to “disagree respectfully”, calling the conference the most united he had seen since 1986.
However, Mr Husic had disagreed, telling journalists in a self-organised press conference that it “wasn’t healthy” for the party to act as “robots”.
He said the draft party platform had become a “like a sacrosanct document, that could not . . . be changed or altered at all”.
“No other views could be taken into account and I just don’t think that’s healthy for the party,” he said.
“I think we just need to take a deep breath. Recognise that Australians watching us reckon the people should be able to have a go and take a stand on the issues that they care about. They don’t want to see us as robots.
“They want to see that if people have a belief in something, they’re prepared to stand for it.”
Every detail of the conference appeared to be under rigid control, with a larger police presence outside to monitor the rolling and mixed-cause protests, airport-level security to get into the building and then internal pass checks when entering particular areas.
Barricades had also been in place to keep protesters more than 50 metres from the only doors in and out of the venue.
Speakers had also been given repeated warnings to stick to a strict timeframes, which was policed with two bells before a verbal request.
One party staffer so eager to ensure it went off without a hitch had tracked more than 20,000 steps a day pacing the corridors of the Adelaide Convention Centre
Considered effort was put in to distinguish parliamentarians, observers and media, with colour-coded lanyards, sectioned-off areas and individualised Wifi networks.
Despite their meticulous planning, however, The Australian newspaper managed to obtain amendments in the final day’s most contentious session involving the Israel-Palestine conflict ahead of delegates.
Even senior Labor figures couldn’t explain what the newspaper described as a “quirk in the conference’s internet architecture”.
