Core values the key to Labor renewal

Unions work closely with people in their workplaces and their communities. They know first hand the concerns and aspirations of many people.

Unions therefore have much to constructively contribute to the political process and the society. They share a wider vision with Labor – a growing economy that delivers jobs and opportunity, and a society that is compassionate and which bridges the divisions.

There may well be disagreement at times about policy, but the foundation of the relationship is sound and it has delivered much for Australian people in the past - jobs and education, Medicare, and superannuation - to name but a few areas of achievement.

Unions have also nurtured some of Labor's and the nations greatest leaders, including John Curtin, Ben Chifley and Bob Hawke. Similarly, Simon Crean will be strengthened, not weakened, by his experience as a union official representing ordinary people.

So as the debate about the relationship between unions and Labor develops, it will be important to maintain perspective. The collapse in Labor's primary vote to its lowest level in decades demands a widespread dialogue not just involving unions, but with business and other community representatives.

Labor's renewal must be driven by the clear and confident articulation of core values, community consultation, and the selection of quality candidates – not by a narrow debate about its relationship with unions.