SYDNEY—NSW Premier Morris Iemma and senior Labor officials say they have begun healing the rifts within the party, but a resolution over the division on electricity privatisation is still weeks away.
A meeting between the warring factions was called for during last weekend's state conference, after Mr Iemma vowed to push ahead with his $15 billion sell-off of the state's electricity sector.
This was despite delegates at the ALP state conference overwhelmingly rejecting the proposal 702 votes to 107.
Today's hour-long summit involved Mr Iemma, his deputy John Watkins, upper house leader John Della Bosca and Treasurer Michael Costa meeting with ALP officials, including state secretary Karl Bitar.
Speaking after the discussions, Mr Bitar said the meeting had been positive, but it was an issue which would take "the next few weeks" to resolve.
"The Premier outlined the reasons why the Government had taken the position they had taken," Mr Bitar told reporters.
"He repeated a lot of the messages that he communicated to the caucus. It was a meeting based on mutual respect between both parties.
"I saw it as a very positive meeting ... and this is a start of moving forward of the party and for the parliamentary party."
The meeting, held at NSW Parliament House, also involved ALP president and Electrical Trades Union state secretary Bernie Riordan, who is strongly opposed to the privatisation plan.
Mr Riordan left parliament today without pausing to take questions from reporters.
Mr Bitar said the meeting was more about party issues than working out a compromise on any electricity sale.
"Today's meeting wasn't about talking about electricity policy ... if you are going to find a solution to an issue then you have to start talking and today was a start in that process and I think a very positive start," Mr Bitar said.
Mr Iemma told NSW parliament it was a "very constructive meeting".
It followed the Premier's win in caucus yesterday, where he managed to avoid a partyroom vote on electricity privatisation on the proviso he continue discussions with party officials and unions.
Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell today held his own talks on power privatisation, meeting with NSW business leaders.
A number of groups, including the NSW Business Chamber, have expressed their frustration with Mr O'Farrell over his reluctance to take a position on the sell-off.
Mr O'Farrell said it was an "amicable meeting".
"I made clear what my view was, that just like their directors of public companies, we want to see the detail," Mr O'Farrell told reporters.
"They agreed that the sooner the Government got the detail out there ... the better it would be for everyone."
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