Domestic violence is once again on the public agenda. I am glad that we are talking about it, but I am saddened that we have to talk about it. I am saddened and horrified by the tragedies that occurred late last week that wrenched our attention, once again, to a problem that is ordinarily in society's peripheral vision. It is something we are aware of but do not look at.

I spoke at Labor’s National Conference about tax and tax transparency: If people and companies want to use contrived structures to avoid tax, they should be prepared to publicly defend their decisions.

In March 2015 I addressed the John Cain Foundation in Melbourne, arguing the Labor should return democracy to the centre of our story.

The election of the Whitlam Government in 1972 precedes my birth. However the decisions of that government shape both the country I grew up in and the party I joined.

As we renew, Labor need leaders. We need intellectual leadership, we need political and organisational leadership and as always we need parliamentary leadership.

In this context, women’s leadership is not only right and just and fair – it is essential. 

Australia is a relatively low taxing nation, and over the last ten years, Commonwealth revenue as a share of GDP has fallen significantly. Labor in government kept tax revenues below the levels inherited from John Howard, and made tough choices to fund new promises. However, the community has high expectations of the services they'll receive from government, and the call on our budget for services like health care is expected to rise. 

I spoke about this issue at last weekend's NSW ALP State Conference, arguing that we need an honest conversation with our community about the services they want, and their willingness to pay for them.

On Saturday, the NSW ALP Conference debated a proposal to replace Labor's socialist objective. I made a short speech, defending the core principles of social democracy, and the enduring importance of our history.

We need a system that lets more people have a say in who represents Labor in the Senate Labor’s vote in the West Australian Senate re-run election suggests we have a long way to go to meet our two goals — winning elections, and fighting and winning the battle of ideas.

Margaret Whitlam never held elected office. But she was instrumental in defining a model of public service for modern Labor women.