Country Labor: a new direction? Wednesday, June 7, 2000 - 10:00 Country Labor: a new direction? BY SUE BOLAND Excited by the Victorian Labor Party's victory in the state Benalla by-election in May, federal Labor leader Kim Beazley announced that the ALP would register the name "Country Labor" federally. Is Country Labor simply a marketing ploy by the ALP leadership or does it represent something more? With some Labor leaders and state party branches skeptical about the proposal, Beazley made it plain that it would be optional for state branches to use the Country Labor name. The proposal to form Country Labor came from the New South Wales ALP branch's country conference last June. The impetus came from the fact that support for the National Party had been crumbling for some time. Labor Party strategists saw that the ALP had an unprecedented opportunity to win seats from the Coalition in country areas if it took the initiative. Otherwise, disenchanted National Party votes would all be transferred to the One Nation party or independents, some of which have organised into the Country Summit Alliance. Some NSW ALP country candidates ran under the Country Labor tag in the last state election, although Country Labor had not been formalised. The ALP has always held annual country conferences, and rural and regional forums, so what does the formation of Country Labor mean in practice? Special interest group ALP officials are open about there being no organisational separation between Country Labor and the ALP. NSW