![Picture](/uploads/8/4/1/7/8417532/3613504.jpg)
Labor is now Australia's most democratic political party. Being a member of the Labor party now has more meaning than being a member of any of the other parties.
We are a party that has embraced change, and reaped the benefits.
But there is also more to be done.
As evidenced by the contrasting vote between the party room and the membership, the next logical step is to give members a greater say in the pre-selection process. Members (or prospective Members) of the party room should ideally reflect the majority of members.
A local selection process for a local candidate happened in Townsville at the recent poll, and we were well served by a great candidate in Cathy O'Toole.
It the membership and our representatives were more of one mind we wouldn't have seen the disparity in the leadership vote.
I do hope, that for the sake of our Australian democracy, that other parties follow our lead. You do wonder if the membership, if given a voice, would endorse the likes of Scott Morrison, Cory Bernardi or Christopher Pyne. You wonder if they would send others such as Bronwyn Bishop, Phillip Ruddock, and Kevin Andrews off into retirement at a more appropriate time. You also wonder if the likes of Eddie Obeid and Ian McDonald would have been able to be involved in the activities which saw them front the ICAC inquiry, if they had been required to be more engaged with and more accountable to the members they purported to represent.
I also wonder if greater accountability to members (and not just voters) might be a tool to help rein in some of the outrageous expenses claims that have been revealed in recent times.
If you have any thoughts on the new process and what it means for the party, please share it with us. If you have any ideas for change which will strengthen the party and the membership as a part of that change, please also share them below.