Under rules, the triennial Australian Labor Party National Conference is the supreme body for developing the rules and policies of the organisation.

From Friday 24 to Sunday 26 July 2015 at Melbourne Convention Centre the Australian Labor Party will meet to make critical decisions about the future direction and policies of the Australian Labor Party.

Over recent years well canvassed events have exposed issues with the internal power structures of the Australian Labor Party. 

There are growing calls from the long ignored and neglected rank-and-file for action by those in the position to create change within the organisation. 

Numerous internal reviews conducted by eminent and respected Labor stalwarts, mainly the 2001 Hawke-Wran Review (http://australianpolitics.com/downloads/alp/02-08-09_hawke-wran-review.pdf) and the 2010 Bracks/Faulkner/Carr Review (http://resources.news.com.au/files/2011/02/18/1226008/222073-labor-review-report.pdf) have found that too much power resides with the few and too little with the many.

Ever since Gough Whitlam raised concerns about the internal structures of the Australian Labor Party in 1968, and reformed them (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gough_Whitlam#Reforming_the_ALP) ahead of his historic and consequential victory, this has been an issue.

State and territory branches have been reforming over recent years but the members and supporters overwhelmingly demand and expect meaningful internal reform to extend to the National Constitution and Rules of the Australian Labor Party.

This National Conference will be the most finely balanced in several decades as the Right lose their grip on the majority they have enjoyed since the days of Gough Whitlam. 

The Right seem the most opposed to meaningful internal reforms, but elements of the Left are also attempting to scuttle the momentum for meaningful reform or weaken it and the reforms.

The rank-and-file are increasingly concerned that the Australian Labor Party is moving away from their values and doesn't respect their values, input and opinions during the most important decisions any political party can make.

Rank-and-file membership has recently grown to be the largest in several decades. By over 10,000 to 54,000, since Bill Shorten became the first directly elected leader. He has a target for 100,000 Australian Labor Party members.

A move away from continuing the advances on internal reform, now heading towards National Rules, we've made across the country would put this progress and enthusiasm at risk ahead of a critical federal election next year.

All reforms to this point need to be followed at this National Conference, by:

- Ensuring rank-and-file members (divided by FEC or region) are given a 50% weighted vote in the direct election of a component of a larger National Conference.

- Giving the directly elected National President and Vice-Presidents a vote on National Executive.

- Giving rank-and-file members a 50% weighted vote in the election of Labor candidates for Senate and Upper House elections.

- Giving rank-and-file members a 70% weighted vote in federal and state preselections in circumstances where the number of eligible local electors exceeds a specific number, and

- Giving rank-and-file members a chance to meaningfully and directly contribute to the development of policy. 

There are numerous other issues as they relate to accountability and transparency to be discussed at National Conference and they should be discussed, debated and passed with the same mind to the will of rank-and-file members.

Policy issues of consequence will be discussed at National Conference but this petition is purely about rules reform.

Bill Shorten was elected under the banner of internal reform and is under pressure to deliver (http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/bill-shorten-faces-pressure-to-give-alp-members-vote-on-senate-candidates-20150710-gi9mfj.html).

In a key note speech following his election as leader he stated the following:

"We need to change ourselves.

We need to change our party.

If we don’t change – we are putting our very future at risk."

"I have instructed our National Secretary to work with his State and Territory counterparts to increase the weight given to the local members’ vote by 20 per cent in every House of Representatives seat with more than 300 party members."

"I have instructed our National Secretary to work with the National Executive and the Western Australian Labor Party to recommend the best way of giving local party members a meaningful say in the selection of Senate candidates.

We will be setting a new standard for selecting Labor Senators."

and

"Our goal should be for future Labor Conferences to be a mix of people directly elected from and by Labor members, and those elected by state conferences.

Making Labor more democratic and more representative is also about reaching out to union members - not just those in leadership positions - to join our party and participate in our decision-making."

Queensland Old Guard (Plumbers Union, The Services Union and National Union of Workers) have 8 delegates to National Conference.

Their votes are critical to National Conference outcomes.

Our directly elected President Mark Butler and Vice-Presidents Tim Hammond and Jane Garrett were also recently elected on a platform of internal reforms (http://www.locallaboraustralia.com/?p=142).

It's time for Bill Shorten, those in positions of power in the labour movement and National Conference delegates to make these much needed and desired changes happen.

Make them all feel the pressure by signing and sharing this petition.

They must act. They must be held to account.

The future of the Australian Labor Party and a better Australia is at stake!