Brittany BuschUpdated July 24, 2026 — 5:07pm,first published July 24, 2026 — 9:10amWhat you need to knowBy That’s all for day two of the Labor Party’s 50th national conference. Thank you for joining our live coverage.Here’s what you need to know. The party amended its policy platform to strengthen its stance against gender-based violence, gambling harm, and to develop a “road map” for universal dental care.Labor’s rank and file kept the pressure on the government whose gambling reforms stop short of a recommended blanket advertising ban and are facing down a Senate inquiry amid criticism they are insufficient.A rare debate erupted over voluntary assisted dying. An amendment supporting end-of-life care to be allowed through telehealth ultimately carried, as was a change to the party constitution to always grant a conscience vote on voluntary assisted dying.Foreign Minister Penny Wong is scrambling to shepherd through a compromise position on the Israel-Hamas conflict, after MP Ed Husic pushed for stronger condemnation of Israel.That debate will take place tomorrow on the final day of the conference.Latest Posts5.03pmNational secretary Paul Erickson addresses the conferenceBy Brittany BuschALP national secretary Paul Erickson said the conference had successfully set out an agenda to deliver real change for Australians under pressure, and that the organisational policies being put forward will work to expand the Labor movement.“The Albanese government is making the big reforms so that healthcare, housing, and the economy work better for everyday Australians because the challenges confronting this country are too urgent to delay,” he told the floor.“This national conference comes at a time when one of the dominant sentiments out there in the community is a feeling of powerlessness – a feeling that ordinary people have lost control, driven by continued cost of living pressure, the pace of technological change, and international uncertainty.“It’s not just happening here; it’s happening all over the world ... It’s not an easy time for parties of government, but it’s also a reminder of what we stand for because Labor’s mission is to give people the power to shape their own future.”4.40pm‘A few billionaires will control our future’: Sally McManus sounds warning on workers’ rightsBy Brittany BuschAustralian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus has addressed the ALP’s 50th national conference.McManus was given special leave to speak because she’s not a delegate. Here’s some of what she said.Labor in government’s got one job, and that job is to be on the side of working people, and being on the side of working people means you’ve always got to move forward, so that the ordinary hardworking Australians can get ahead.Let’s be clear: working people only get the pay rises they deserve if their unions are supported, if they have strong workplace rights, and if they have the power to organise and bargain collectively.The last Coalition government deliberately stalled wages. It weakened bargaining power. It let insecure work grow. We welcome the prime minister’s announcement of a Fair Work Court. This is about giving people who have been ripped off by their boss fair access to justice.We welcome the prime minister’s announcement on AI… If we do not act, a few billionaires will control our future.And there is no clearer example of abuse of power of multinationals trampling over ordinary Australians and regional communities than locking workers out for months to starve them into submission. Lockouts are un-Australian. They always have been. They’re not bargaining. They’re economic coercion. They starve workers, they starve families, and towns into submission.4.05pmRishworth pitches to union baseBy Brittany BuschEmployment and Industrial Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth has made a pitch to the party’s union base, vowing to bolster powers to block employer retaliation against industrial action.She told the conference Labor would modernise Comcare to expand support for injured workers, double down on its same job, same pay reforms, and pursue a new Fair Work Court.Employment and Industrial Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth addressed the ALP national conference on Friday.Dominic LorrimerThe party will also adopt an amendment today that vows to update the Fair Work Act and “ensure that workers can never again be locked out by their employers for weeks or months on end in response to taking industrial action of a few hours or days”.“Disproportionate, extended lockouts cause serious harm to workers and their families, particularly in regional communities,” Rishworth said.“This is not fair, and that is why the amendment will commit a Labor government to put a stop to it, to change the law, to allow workers and their unions to apply to the Fair Work Commission to suspend disproportionate industrial action by employers.”3.46pmPauline Hanson’s domestic violence comments used to galvanise conferenceBy Brittany BuschSocial Services Minister Tanya Plibersek has taken aim at Pauline Hanson after the One Nation leader said domestic violence was a “two-way street”.The ALP is doubling down on its commitment to end gender-based violence within a generation, recognising marginalised groups are at greater risk of experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence.Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek has attacked Pauline Hanson’s record on gender-based violence.Alex Ellinghausen“We have to defend our wins from the people who would take us backwards. Just this week, Pauline Hanson described violence against women as a two-way street. She’s said paid family and domestic violence leave – that this conference fought for and won – she said that it was a holiday,” Plibersek told the conference.3.17pmAustralian republicans keen to enlist Taylor Swift to the causeBy A push to make Australia a republic by 2032 has been coupled with an ambitious pitch to stage a New Year’s Eve concert at the Melbourne Cricket Ground featuring Taylor Swift, BTS and Blackpink to help win public support.The proposal was floated at a fringe event hosted by Labor for an Australian Republic during the conference in Adelaide, where campaigners argued an Australian head of state should officially open the Brisbane Olympic Games.Fringe events have been held on the sidelines of the ALP national conference. Convener Daniel White said the group’s goal was to hold a constitutional convention after the 2028 federal election, settle on a preferred republican model and put it to a referendum between 2029 and 2032.2.56pmWhat to expect this afternoonBy This afternoon’s session at Labor’s national conference is expected to be subdued – even by this conference’s standard.Earlier today, we had a speech against one of the proposals around voluntary assisted dying. Tomorrow will have an anticipated section on the Gaza project.Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy has opened this afternoon’s proceedings.Dominic LorrimerNow, Indigenous Affairs Minister Malarndirri McCarthy is opening a session on social cohesion. It should take about 40 minutes, and has attracted fewer amendments than any other session.2.26pmRank and file push on gambling reformBy Brittany BuschLabor’s rank and file members have spoken out against gambling harms and the interests of gambling companies.As we reported earlier, the party is expanding its platform to acknowledge the danger gambling poses to the most vulnerable, endeavour to break the connection between sport and gambling, and empower regulators.“Gambling and those companies that run it are multinationals stripping money out of working people. Gambling is a tax on working people, and at this point, online gambling is regulated by three guys in a tin shed in the Northern Territory, and it’s not good enough,” Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said, before commending Communications Minister Anika Wells for her work in the portfolio.“It’s full of big interest, backed by a lot of money. She’s taken it on, but more importantly, the rank and file of the Labor Party have said there is no more social licence in online gambling.”1.54pmWong scrambling to resolve Israel-Palestine position disputeBy Pro-Palestine forces within Labor, including MP Ed Husic, and supporters of Israel are pushing for last-minute changes to the party’s platform on the conflict in Gaza, threatening to blow up a proposed deal.Foreign Minister Penny Wong is scrambling to shepherd through a compromise position that is supported by MPs Josh Burns, who is Jewish, and Basem Abdo, of Palestinian heritage, who are both preparing to back the agreed position on Saturday.However, Husic moved his own resolution on Friday pushing for stronger condemnation of Israel, even after the platform dropped a policy of pushing Hamas to disarm.On the other side, the right-wing SDA union has put forward an amendment seeking to take a harder position against Hamas.1.47pmKimberley Kitching Human Rights Award winner announcedBy NSW Labor MP Janelle Saffin has been awarded the Kimberley Kitching Human Rights Award in recognition of her decades of work advancing human rights, democracy and international development.Established in 2022 after the sudden death of Victorian senator Kimberley Kitching, the award honours her legacy as a leading advocate for democratic institutions and human rights.Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin has won the Kimberley Kitching Human Rights Award.Louie DouvisSaffin, the member for Lismore, has served in both the federal and NSW parliaments and held senior advisory roles with the United Nations and Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta.1 of 3