ACT Labor has a strong and proud history of supporting diverse and marginalisedpeople. While the party at times has had limited elected representation, it has not
stopped ACT Labor from pursuing progressive policies for all Canberrans.
Canberrans note our apparent lack of diversity and it suggests maybe ACT Labor
isn’t the place for them. Our party membership statistics suggest this is not
entirely the case, as our membership remains relatively more diverse than the
broader community. Why isn’t this reflected in our senior leadership or our
elected officials?
From the challenges of Hare-Clark working against diverse candidates, the
strenuous task of running for office, the rise of Independents, prospective diverse
candidates not having the benefit of incumbency, the challenges of keeping and
increasing the number of seats the party holds in the Assembly, and the many
opinions on how the party should approach this problem, finding constructive
solutions is difficult.
While the ACT Branch strongly believes in the power of diversity, and shows to be
diverse in many areas, we can do better as a party to support diverse candidates
(and be a stronger party for it).