‘How dare you’: Woman ambushes protest

‘How dare you’: Woman ambushes protest

A Greens’ renters rights rally outside Labor’s highest decision-making forum was spectacularly gatecrashed by a First Nations woman telling them to “get the f*** out of our nation”.

As protesters called for more government action on housing, the Jagera woman took to the stage, furiously venting her anger at the crowd, those inside, and politics more broadly, as those gathered listened.

“How f***ing dare youse come here with your politics. Get the f*** out of our nation and let us traditional owners deal with our s***. Youse are all handsomely funded,” she said.

“Youse are all to be ashamed of your f***ing selves … You totally disrespect our traditional owners … with your handsomely funded foundations and your trust funds.

“I am here today to practice traditional law … I don’t give a f*** who youse are.”

Her expletive-ridden rant – which ended with a mic drop – came just moments after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney pleaded to the party faithful to campaign “like never before” for the upcoming Voice to parliament referendum.

The call to arms wrapped up three days of the Labor Party’s national conference, where the party’s platform was decided.

Decisions made inside the room are binding on the party, and will form the basis of Labor’s re-election pitch.

Housing was one of the key agenda items that the Greens had been paying attention to. But a union threat to commit Labor to taxing “astronomical” profits made by banks and big corporations to pay for more housing was ultimately watered down.

The Labor Party instead voted in favour of committing the government to “increase investment in social and affordable housing, with funding from a progressive and sustainable tax system, including corporate tax reform”.

That amendment – coupled with the agreement struck at national cabinet this week to unlock a $3 billion sweetener to incentivise states and territories to build more homes and agree to a suite of rental reforms – was not enough for the Greens, who remain central to unblocking the government’s Housing Australia Future Fund from the Senate.

Greens housing spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather told the rally outside Labor’s national conference on Saturday that the government clearly had the means to end the housing crisis.

“Just this week, they locked in $368 billion for the nuclear submarines,” Mr Chandler-Mather told the group – referring to Labor’s acceptance of the AUKUS pact.

“And they tell us all they can spend is $500 million a year at most from 2025 on social housing. They’re locking in stage three tax cuts that will see every Labor politician in there get $9000 extra a year off on their tax up to the tune of over $300 billion, while they tell renters: you get nothing.”