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The Australian Political Parties for Democracy Program
APPDP is a brand new program designed to assist Australia's major political parties in their international work and in promoting strong and robust democracies in Asia and the Pacific.
ALP's contributions to this innovative program are designed to strengthen political parties in the region as the institutions through which popular interests are reflected in government decision-making.
ALP International Projects draws on our people from state branches and federal politics with skills in party organization and policy development in the planning and delivery of our programs.
Our technical assistance to political parties in the region focuses on the fundamentally democratic process of the political campaign.
We believe that the campaign necessarily draws everyday people into the process of governing.
Through our programs we will assist political parties in the region to become the foremost institutions through which popular interests are reflected in government.
Who will receive ALP assistance?
To receive ALP International Projects technical assistance, political parties:
- Must support democratic frameworks;
- Must oppose violence as a means of achieving political aims; and
- Must be viable, sustainable and relevant.
What issues will our APPD Programs Target?
ALP International Projects offers a range of technical assistance programs, including guided study missions to Australia, and workshops and seminars to be undertaken in recipient countries.
Depending on local needs, the following approaches to training will be used in the course of party strengthening activities:
- Single party programs (party-to-party), including training, party dialogue and special advisory sessions;
- Multiparty programs;
- Party working groups, involving only the ALP and a number of local parties;
- Policy workshops and training programs conducted in concert with international partner organizations; and,
- Assistance in the management of internal disputes, mediation and negotiation.
Our experience in party-building and policy development will be reflected in our programs.
Party Building:
- Internal governance, developing unified party structures and resource sharing;
- Branches as membership and campaign resources;
- Internal party democracy, membership management, candidate scrutiny, pre-selections, caucus discipline;
- Relationship with parliamentary party;
- Constitutions, rules and procedures;
- Campaign roles and structures;
- Campaigning, marginal seats, broad strategies and mini-campaigns; and,
- Campaign finance, funding and disclosure, fundraising codes of conduct, candidate pledges/signed declarations.
Policy Development
- Policy development, process, lobbying and advice, identifying and pursuing government priorities;
- The role of the media and media liaison;
- Political advertising, political communication and message delivery; and,
- Public opinion, research, electoral statistics analysis, focus group polling.
