In Australia, the Liberals control the Federal government but Labor controls every state and territory. The Liberals want to get back into government in the state arena. New South Wales has appeared to be their best bet. Not a week goes by without some embarrassing event. Recently commuters complained about being packed like sardines on Sydney suburban trains. There have also been crises in hospitals and health, housing, water supply and desalination (the list goes on). Labor�s attempts to establish public-private partnerships have blown up in their face.
The bad behaviour of certain ALP MPs has been exposed. The Member for Macquarie Fields was found guilty of bashing his wife and another charged with under age sex. All this is extremely embarrassing.
Despite this, Iemma Labor will be returned to office. Morris has managed to create an image of trust and decency. He personally has not been found guilty of any indecency. His charisma will the election. Other issues will be ignored.
People do not trust Peter Debnam, the Liberal leader. His attempt to scandalise Bob Debus fell flat on its face. The electorate doesn�t trust the Liberals in general - they are notorious for cutting back. There is also opposition to the Federal Liberal Government�s policy of WorkChoices, exposed as a measure for attacking workers wages, conditions, working hours and safety. Iemma has a reactionary industrial policy but it is not so blatantly pro-boss as the Liberals. He flies the flag of fighting WorkChoices This should gain him some electoral advantage.
Iemma has a massive majority. The Liberals will make inroads. But it is a tall order for them to win government.
The causes of Iemma�s crises are many and varied. Firstly, his Labor crew are guilty of incompetence particularly with water resource planning where they have lacked a consistent plan. Partly, it is due to the new right policies of the Carr Labour government which failed to spend adequately on infrastructure in the name of economic stability. NSW is now suffering the consequences. NSW has also been treated unfairly by the Howard government, getting less than its fair share of the GST money allocated to the states. This contributes to Labor�s financial crisis.
In an attempt to overcome the problems financing infrastructure spending, Iemma has launched private public partnerships. The idea is this: you get private enterprise to launch the project and then buy it back so it becomes, eventually, a state enterprise. This has resulted in disastrous consequences for the Airport link railway service and the Cross City Tunnel.
The problem is that in the years before the government takes over, business must make a profit. In the case of the Airport line, customers have to pay an extra eight dollars per trip. Labor has phased out the cheaper bus service, forcing people to use the train if they are going to the city and most suburbs
The Cross City Tunnel was a major disaster. The government closed roads to force people to use the tunnel and pay the toll. People didn�t like it and the company went broke. The company is now in receivership but motorists are still being forced to pay.
Australia is going through a period of economic prosperity. The states that are booming are those with mineral resources. Queensland and Western Australia have below national average unemployment. NSW has a level higher than the national average. NSW is the most populous state. It therefore needs more money. It is not getting it. This is partly a Liberal conspiracy to win back this state.
Iemma is, of course, a full blooded supporter of capitalism. His mission is to create a slightly humanised version in the state of New South Wales will fail. Ordinary working people will pay the price.
This election, Iemma is opposed from the left by the Greens, the Socialist Alliance and the Socialist Equality Party. The Socialist Alliance is standing on some important issues such as Black rights, opposing privatisation and WorkChoices. The Alliance is very involved in the campaign against Howard�s reactionary legislation. They point out correctly that this is a state issue. If the Liberals achieve office, they could allow the federal government to take over all state awards. The problem with the Alliance campaign is that it doesn�t transcend the capitalist system. Socialist Alliance is campaigning for a more enlightened capitalism, not for its overthrow. In relation to the murder by the state of TJ Hickey, Socialist Alliance wants to jail the killer cops. But the issue is not a few cops gone bad. The capitalist state is an institution of racism, repression and murder. This message the Socialist Alliance is not giving.
Vote SEP! The party which is raising the issue of revolution is the Socialist Equality Party. They may be weak on some local issues. But they are raising what is fundamental � the need for revolution and the need for proletarian internationalism. A vote for them is a qualitative step forward in terms of political consciousness.
Whilst we recommend voting for the SEP, we don�t recommend joining it. They are seriously tarnished by thei rrecord as part of the "International Committee" dominated by Gerry Healy. Healy is known for giving full political support to the likes of Saddam Hussein of Iraq, Colonel Qaddafy of Libya and Yassar Arafat of Palestine. He also supported left Labour bureaucrats in Britain such as Ted Knight and Ken Livingstone. They also endorsed the Vietnamese Stalinists.
The SEP disown the Healy record. This is good though it must be pointed out that their leading members such as Nick Beams and Dave North were leading members and there is no record of any dissent. They claim that during this period, the International committee maintained its authority. An organisation which permits Healy to carry out such betrayals must be grossly degenerated. The SEP have not made a materialist analysis of this degeneration. In fact they have denied any materialist basis for Healyite degeneration.
This election, an alternative to Labor from the Left is urgently needed. The issue is not merely one of policies. As long as we are caught in the prison of capitalism, the only options are attacks on working people, the unemployed and the poor. The working class of New South Wales deserve a revolutionary alternative. This is what Communist Left is committed to build.