Photographing the 50th ALP National Conference

Pangalau documents a conference for Wikipedia

12 October 2026, [Pangalau].

A note about the author - Pangalau is a Bruneian freelance photographer, member of Wikimedia Australia and Wikipedia editor based in Adelaide.

In July 2026 I attended the 50th Australian Labor Party National Conference, held from 23 to 25 July at the Adelaide Convention Centre. I was there as a contributor representing Wikipedia, Wikimedia Australia and Wikimedia Commons, documenting the event through photography and releasing the images under a public domain licence.

I've never been affiliated with a political party, so this was a chance to observe Australian political processes closely. Over the three days, delegates debated the Albanese government's priorities and the party's policy direction, including cost-of-living measures, gender-based violence prevention, and a pathway to universal dental care under Medicare.

I attended a press interview with former minister Ed Husic, following a debate over a motion on the party's position on Israel. I also photographed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the launch of the updated edition of The Light on the Hill.

On a more personal note, it was a pleasure to meet Robert Tickner, Australia's longest-serving Indigenous Affairs minister, who attended on behalf of the Justice Reform Initiative to advocate for criminal justice reform. I also met (and photographed) Michelle Ananda-Rajah, Jim Chalmers, Renee Coffey, Mira El Dannawi, Peter Greste, Christopher Pyne, Margaret Reynolds, Wayne Swan, and Erin Thompson, along with many others throughout the conference.

I'm grateful for the new connections I made over the three days, including the chance to show some new friends around Adelaide.

My photographs from the conference are now on Wikimedia Commons, released into the public domain. Some have already been picked up by news outlets, including the Byron Shire Echo.

Thank you to everyone I met at the conference, and to everyone who has used the photographs since.

Some photographs by Pangalau from the 50th ALP National Conference
Anthony Albanese at the 2026 Australian Labor Party National Conference (028A9071)
Ed Husic and Thomas Mayo at the 2026 Australian Labor Party National Conference (028A8988)
Erin Thompson at the 2026 Australian Labor Party National Conference (028A9041)
Kate Ellis, Claire Clutterham and Matt Smith at the 2026 Australian Labor Party National Conference (028A9107)
Margaret Reynolds at the 2026 Australian Labor Party National Conference (028A9123)
Wayne Swan at the 2026 Australian Labor Party National Conference (028A9146)
Mark Butler at the 2026 Australian Labor Party National Conference (028A8946)
Michelle Ananda Rajah at the 2026 Australian Labor Party National Conference (028A9108)
Peter Greste at the 2026 Australian Labor Party National Conference (028A9115)