Labor prepares new policy platform

Federal Labor has begun work on a new party platform to take to the next election.

Caucus members were briefed on the process by ALP national president Jenny McAllister in Canberra on Tuesday.

Sixty ALP members have been elected to the national policy forum to work on a new platform, which will be presented to the party's national conference due in 2015.

Ms McAllister told the meeting the initial step would involve forum members and shadow ministers seeking ideas, followed by work involving the Chifley Research Centre.

The shadow ministers would then work on a first draft and put it to members to be discussed.

The ALP has about 50,000 members following a membership boost in 2013, which was sparked in part by the first-ever grassroots election of the federal parliamentary leader.