The scoop on political conferences: Why they matter for government engagement

Political party conferences rarely make the priority list for organisations planning their government engagement. Yet these events can provide valuable insight into where policy is heading, which issues are gaining momentum and where there may be opportunities to build support before decisions reach Parliament.

The Labor party has had a lot of conferences going on recently, this past weekend they had their national party conference and earlier this month, the NSW Labor conference. From the media attention both garnered it’s clear that political conferences are a major part of the Australian political climate and understanding how political conferences work can help identify opportunities to engage much earlier in the policy-making process. 

What are political conferences?

Political conferences can often just appear to be gatherings where politicians and party members meet, announce priorities and debate internal issues. However, they can also be an opportunity for organisations with grassroots campaigns to build support.

A political party’s position on an issue is not always created from the top down. Conferences provide an opportunity to party members, including backbench MPs, councillors, unions and local branches, to advocate for and challenge the party on issues they care about and bring them into the party’s formal decision-making processes. These discussions can influence the party platform, helping determine the priorities and policies that may ultimately form the basis of future election commitments or government action.

How do conferences influence policy?

One of the primary ways party members shape policy is through motions.

A motion is a proposal put forward at a political conference that asks the party to support a particular position, policy change or action. Delegates then vote on whether the motion should be adopted. Motions that receive a majority vote at conference then help form the party platform, the final document outlining the policies and priorities agreed on by the party. While this does not automatically mean a government will introduce legislation, it can influence election commitments and the direction of future policy.

Building support from the ground up

A good example of this is the campaign for marriage equality. For years, LGBTIQ+ advocates and community organisations, including Australian Marriage Equality and Equal Love, campaigned for marriage equality. 

Over time, the issue gained support from people within political parties who were willing to champion it internally. At the 2011 Australian Labor Party National Conference, delegates voted to change Labor’s party platform to support marriage equality. While this did not immediately change the law, it showed how community campaigns can influence a party’s priorities by building support among members, MPs and other stakeholders.

This demonstrates how grassroots campaigns can gain traction by finding support from people within political parties who are willing to champion an issue. An organisation does not necessarily need the entire party leadership to support their campaign from the beginning. Instead, they may be able to build support among individual MPs, councillors, unions or party branches who can help bring an issue into the party’s formal processes.

What does this mean for organisations?

Political conferences are more than annual events on the political calendar. They are spaces where issues are debated, relationships are built and priorities are shaped.

If your organisation is running a grassroots campaign, consider who within political parties may already be aligned with your goals. MPs, councillors, unions and party members can all play a role in bringing issues forward and creating pressure for change.

If you’re looking to strengthen your government engagement strategy or better understand how to engage with Australia’s political landscape, reach out to the Fifty Acres team.