Labor delegates will meet in Melbourne this weekend, with the party divided on the best ways to alienate their supporter base.

“We’ll be debating a whole range of different ways to miscalculate public opinion,” a party spokesperson said, adding he was confident the strongest ideas would win out.

With the election likely to be just over a year away, the spokesperson said there was a renewed enthusiasm for irrelevance. “What Australians want is a strong, clear alternative. Which is nice, isn’t it?” he said.