Australian News

By Jorge Jorquera

Like in the rest of the world, workers in Australia have suffered almost three decades of what has been described here as “economic rationalism” and in the rest of the world as “neoliberal reforms”. These “reforms” have entailed massive privatisation of government-owned business and utilities such as banks, airlines, power stations, urban public transport, etc. Although done in the name of greater efficiency, privatisation has had the effect of concentrating wealth into even fewer hands and making the public pay even more for basic services. Economic rationalism has also meant massive deregulation of everything that could diminish profits, including protecting the environment and safety on the job. If this wasn’t enough, neoliberalism has also entailed massive cuts to public expenditure on social services like education and health care, while government subsidies for capitalist business have increased massively.

By Shua Garield

On August 14, thousands of people will rally around Australia for equal marriage rights regardless of sex, sexuality, or gender identity. This will be the 7th annual national August mobilisation protesting the Marriage Amendment Bill, passed by the federal parliament on August 13, 2004, which banned the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in Australia. This bill inserted the sentence “marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life” into the Marriage Act and added that, “A union solemnised in a foreign country between a man and another man or a woman and another woman must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia.”

By Kathy Newnam

A north Queensland couple will face court in Cairns on October 12 on charges brought under the state’s anti-abortion laws. A woman is facing charges for intent to procure a miscarriage, which carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison. Her partner is facing charges for assisting her, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison. Around the country, abortion rights activists are gearing up for a national day of action to be held on October 9, the Saturday before the trial.

By Andrew Martin

On June 24, Julia Gillard was sworn in as Australia’s first woman prime minister after the right-wing faction withdrew its support for Kevin Rudd. Rudd’s support had evaporated so quickly that he didn’t even contest the leadership ballot. This made Rudd one of the shortest serving prime ministers, the shortest being Frank Forde who held the office for eight days in 1945. As Rudd’s deputy and his minister for workplace relations, employment, education and “social inclusion”, Gillard proved to be as conservative as any other Labor cabinet member.

By Ian Jamieson

Thousands of waterside workers across Australia mourned the death of yet another workmate and comrade on July 23, walking off the job to attend memorial services and shutting all ports for nearly 24 hours.

Van Rudd for Lalor (Vic)

Van Thanh Rudd was born in Nambour, Queensland and is currently working as a visual artist in Melbourne's west. His involvement in the arts over the last 15 years included his early obsession with landscape painting around Nambour and Brisbane. Once moving to Melbourne in 1995, he studied figure drawing in various community venues around Melbourne. Since moving from Brisbane, Van has also played as a drummer, bass guitarist and keyboardist in various Melbourne pop/rock bands (Cheezlekane, Seconds, Stalis Vetch and Granma). The bands played in many Melbourne venues including the Punters Club and the Corner Hotel. He tried very hard to balance music (gigging a lot) and visual art until about 2007, when he decided that visual art could last him into old age. Van has exhibited his art regularly since 1995. He had his first solo show at the Northcote Library (RampArt) in 1997. He was briefly curator of RampArt in 1997 — the space was co-run by the Northcote Library and Darebin Artists Action Group (DAAG).

As news filtered through within minutes of the latest death on the waterfront that Thursday morning, every wharfie froze. Who? Where? And more pertinently, why ... yet again?

As details became clearer, the horror gave way to anger. And tears, even amongst the most hard bitten. The mood was palpable on every wharf, amongst every wharfie — a mate and comrade in the MUA was another victim of the arrogance, indifference, slack safety standards, productivity pushes and a multitude of inexcusable managerial decisions backed by laws and power hungry politicians from both sides of the “fence”.

By Max Lane

The current federal election campaign is proceeding and will proceed until August 21 without the issue of climate change being seriously discussed. Neither the Labor Party nor the Liberal-National Coalition wants a serious discussion of the issue. Julia Gillard announced a “new” policy of doing nothing, except for a Rudd-style talk-fest to be called a “Citizens’ Assembly”. The Coalition are trying to buy environmental credentials with a “green army” while turning a blind eye to the greenhouse gasses spewing forth into the skies from Australian industry.

By Ian Jamieson

The continuing trial of construction union (CFMEU) member Ark Tribe before Adelaide’s Magistrate Court has again led to big rallies across Australia, with about 10,000 unionists marching on July 20 in all capital cities and in a number of regional centres. Tribe, a rigger from South Australia, faces heavy fines and the possibility of six months imprisonment for refusing to cooperate with the Australian Building and Corruption Commission (ABCC) in its inquisitorial witchhunt of members and officials of the construction unions.

Statement from Hamish Chitts, Revolutionary Socialist Party candidate for Griffith:

In March 2006, a year and half before the last federal election, WorkChoices came into effect. Workers were outraged at this attack on our rights, but what did the ALP dominated union officialdom do? They crushed any real militancy in the campaign and instead of taking immediate nation-wide industrial action to have these laws quashed they turned workers outrage into a year long “vote Labor” campaign. Rank and file unionists got behind the “Your Rights at Work” campaign and got the ALP in and how did they repay us? They kept the ABCC, they kept most of the repressive WorkChoices laws, tinkered at the edges and re-badged them “Fair Work Australia”. A far cry from the tearing up of WorkChoices the ALP promised workers.