Last of the Labor Stalwarts

A twenty-five year career in anything is an achievement. In Federal Politics a very rare one. The Labor Party’s Joel Fitzgibbon, member for the seat of Hunter since 1996 deserves congratulations for more than just his resilience and perseverance. 

The last quarter-century has seen turbulent times within the Australian Labor Party, and through it all Joel Fitzgibbon has been one of the few true champions of the working class. Having made it his personal mission to keep the ALP from straying too far to the left, Fitzgibbon has been a stalwart for traditional Labor values, resisting the union-dominated pull toward the hard left. Recognising the potential for the schism between regional working-class interests and inner-suburban progressives over mining and climate change, he has tirelessly worked to keep the ALP as centred as possible.

With the announcement that he will not contest the next federal election, the preselection battle for the seat of Hunter - held by his father Eric from 1984-1986 - is seen by some as a bellwether for the future of the ALP itself. For a party riven by factional disputes, consensus builders like Joel Fitzgibbon provide the bulwark against all-out ideological war. Should the preselection battle fall the way of the CFMEU-dominated left faction of the ALP, then the rout of the party would be almost complete.