People rallied in 300 locations accross Australia today to protest the Federal Government's proposed changes to industrial relations laws, WorkChoices. According to police, around 150,000 people congregated in Melbourne, from where speeches were broadcast throughout the country. In Sydney, thirty thousand gathered in Belmore Park and Martin Place to watch the broadcast before marching to Chifley Square.
Sharron Burrow, President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), said that under the changes many working conditions would be under threat, including "penalty rates, public holidays, overtime pay, control over rostered hours, shift penalties, even 4 weeks annual leave." The government has claimed, despite various expert assesment to the contrary, and opposition from major Australian religious and charity organisations and some concern from its own backbench, that the IR changes will improve the economy and ultimately benefit workers, and dismissed the protests as having "little effect".
Speeches
Ms Burrow said that the union movement was "standing up for the values that shape the way we care for each other," and criticised the proposed legislation, calling it "an attack on living standards, community, and family life."
The IR changes were also criticised by a number of church leaders. George Pell, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, said "I'm not a supporter of the radical weakening of the unions," and Anglican Bishop Phillip Higgins called them "disturbing and unwise."
Ms Burrow also criticised the Government's public relations campaign, calling it a waste of money. "They spent $55 million of our money trying to convince us that everything was okay," she said.
Greg Combet, Secretary of the ACTU, linked the struggle to past wars in which Australia has fought. "They fought and died in wars for this country. They do not deserve to have their rights taken away." He said that, for many, workplace changes would come quickly, especially for the most vulnerable. He also argued that some employers would be forced by competition to reduce wages and working conditions. "Even the best employers can be driven by competition to lower their labour costs. We will end up with an army of working poor, like the US," he said.
"We will hold the government to account for the human cost of these laws," Mr Combet said.
Former Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke said that the struggle was about what he called "the essence of Australian character - the fair go." Opposition Labor leader Kim Beazley declared that if returned to government at the next election, Labor would repeal the legislation. "This legislation is gone with the election of a Labor government," he said.
Government response
Prime Minister John Howard predicted that the protests would have little effect. "It is my view that after they (the laws) have been implemented for a period of time, most Australians will look back on the criticisms and objections ... with a sense of bewilderment," Howard said.
"The sky will not fall in, weekend barbecues will not be abolished, parents will still be able to spend Christmas Day with their children."
The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Kevin Andrews, echoed the Prime Ministers sentiments. "Well the Government's not going to be distracted by rallies and hysterical overreaction," he said. Mr Andrews defended the Government's record, arguing that it has been responsible for an increase in wages over the past ten years.
"Well what I would say to Australians, whether they were the people on the streets today or the probably 95% of Australians who were in their workplaces today working, is that firstly, look at the record of this Government over the last 10 years. That record speaks for itself. We've seen a 15% increase in real wages and we've seen a 1.7 million increase in jobs in Australia," he said. Mr Andrews also said that the industrial relations changes were about creating the conditions for a strong economy.
"So what we've been on about is bringing about the economic conditions that we can have a strong economy which ultimately is the only guarantee of jobs and wages in Australia."
The claims of the Government are highly debated and not supported by some independent expert assesment. Professor Mark Wooden from the Melbourne Institute said, "There is no economic sense in it." A report issued by 17 independent experts in industrial relations from Australian tertiary institutions stated that there "is no convincing evidence that the proposals will generate jobs," and that the "claim that individual contracts deliver a higher productivity is highly questionable."
The IMF said in its 2005 review of the Australian economy that "the implementation of this package of reforms to widen employment opportunities and raise productivity by enhancing flexibility in work arrangements" was important for Australia's economic future, contradicting Prof. Wooden's claims.
Melbourne protest
Before marching to the Carlton gardens, a live video hook-up was established between the major state capitals of Australia, plus smaller regional centres.
Some 150,000 marched from Federation Square to Melbourne Parliament House to protest the proposed IR legislation and voice opinion, vastly in excess of original union estimates of 60,000. The crowd spread through the streets of Melbourne as far as the eye could see - a seemlingly endless mass from the ground. The march stretched eight city blocks; when the first marchers had reached the end at the Carlton Gardens, the tail end was just starting.
For the marchers, the consensus was that the negatives of the legislation outweigh the benefits; that it will affect the poorer working class and the middle class long into the future unless the legislation is rolled back. One issue of concern was that the Government has not accepted that the minimum wage needs to rise with inflation, rather its position appears to be to allow for the possibility that the minimum wage could fall in real terms. Another was the loss of the saftey net protecting workers from contacts offering less than award conditions.
Public transport was stretched to capacity and car parking was almost impossible to find. Inclement weather ultimately became fine.
Sydney protest
At 10am the estimated 30,000 protestors moved from Belmore Park down Hay St onto George St, chanting slogans and waving union banners.
Led by a fire truck, traditional Korean drummers and the Unions NSW campaign bus, they stretched nearly six city blocks along George Street, chanting their opposition to the changes.
Meeting with the rally from Martin Place, the combined march then moved on to Chifley Square, where another stage was set up, and more speakers were heard, including Peter Garrett, Federal member for Kingsford-Smith.
Garrett spoke mostly about the dispute between Boeing and 28 aircraft engineers at its Williamtown site. The workers are on strike to obtain the right to enter into a collective agreement negotiated by their union, rather than independent agreements. The strike is now in its fifth month.
Up to 100,000 people in NSW took part in 227 separate stopwork meetings throughout the state, linked by a nationwide Sky Channel hook up. The M4 motorway was also blocked off for nearly an hour, by transport workers and police.
Brisbane protest
In Brisbane, Queensland, organisers have claimed success after more than 15,000 people turned out to protest against the industrial relations laws. Federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley joined the workers, including representatives from 40 unions, who rallied at South Bank before marching to the Queensland office of the National party.
Mr Beazley told the South Bank rally that one of the first things he would do as Prime Minister would be to put in place "a fair system".
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said the State Government will push ahead with its High Court challenge to the Howard Government's proposed changes to industrial laws.
Rallies were also organised for the Gold Coast, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns.
Adelaide protest
In Adelaide, the SA Premier Mike Rann told a rally of around 10,000 workers that the State Government will fight the proposed new laws all the way to the High Court. "This is the most systematic attack on the values of Australian people that we've seen since the Second World War," Mr Rann said.
Perth
In Perth WA commuters experienced transport disruptions today as the city came to a halt for the Rally. Numbers are not yet known, but orgainsers were expecting over 20,000 people to attend.
Other Cities
According to the ABC, 4,500 people rallied in the Tasmanian city of Hobart. Unions say 3,000 workers have rallied at Thoroughbred Park in Canberra. In Darwin, nurses, teachers, public servants, construction workers and entire families have turned out to show that not only workers will be affected by the Federal Government's industrial relations reforms. Traffic blocked the roads leading the Fannie Bay Racecourse. Crowds jostled for space to see the satellite fed telecast from the Melbourne rally.
Wellington, NZ also showed solidarity as some 200 people demonstrated outside the Australian Embassy.
This article is from Wikinews, open-content collaborative news source, where anyone can edit any article.
Relatate:
By Martin Hirst posted 17 November 05
BRISBANE: Journalist and documentary-maker Anne Delaney would probably rather be working on her latest project than sitting in the Inala magistrate's court, facing a possible two year stretch in a Queensland gaol.
But net week the film-maker will defend herself against a charge of illegally 'interviewing' a prisoner in the Wacol women's prison.
Delaney has been charged under Section 100 of the Queensland Corrective Services Act, which makes it an offence to "interview" a prisoner either inside or outside a Queensland gaol.
Ms Delaney spoke to prisoner Louise McPhee, but did not record the interview or even take any notes of the conversation. McPhee is in prison for the manslaughter of her child abut Delaney thinks there may have been a miscarriage of justice in the case.
After spending a short time with the prisoner, Delaney was confronted by two police officers and arrested inside the Wacol facility.
The journalists' union, the MEAA, has called on the Queensland DPP and the Director-General of the prison system to drop the charges. Federal Secretary of the MEAA, Chris Warren, describes the actions of the Queensland Corrective Services department as a "death sentence" for democracy if journalists can't investigate or reveal information that is clearly in the public interest.
"Queensland's recent history highlights that responsible journalism is a vital weapon against corruption. The Fitzgerald Inquiry proved that," said Warren.
So far the Queensland media seems to be ignoring this story, but the global clearing house for press freedom, the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, has put the case on its alert list.
A fundraiser in Sydney last weekend raised over $5000 towards Delaney's court costs. SMH journalist David Marr spoke at the gathering, and he told Crikey that the Corrective Services media policy is designed to censor and control media access to prisoners. "The policy allows access only if it does not embarrass the Queensland Government."
Anne's case is listed in the Inala magistrate's court for hearing on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. The MEAA is concerned that Section 100 of the Queensland Corrective Services legislation may be unconstitutional, given several high-profile cases which ruled there is an implied right of comment on political matters in the Australian Constitution.
Anne Delaney has worked for the ABC and SBS and has produced and directed several films. Now her lawyers have taken the unusual step of notifying all the state and territory Attorneys General that a possible constitutional issue it to be raised in the Inala local court, which is more used to hearing cases of drunk and disorderly.
Related:
By Amanda Morgan posted 17 November 05
DNA evidence from handcuffs allegedly used on Joanne Lees was contaminated.
NT: The director of the Northern Territory's forensic science unit has told a Darwin court he does not know how his DNA contaminated a key piece of evidence in the Peter Falconio murder trial.
Peter Thatcher was called to testify after the court heard his DNA was found on hand restraints that allegedly bound the wrists of Peter Falconio's girlfriend, Joanne Lees.
Dr Thatcher said he did not know how it got there and that, in line with protocol, he believed he was wearing gloves when he handled the ties.
He told the court his DNA could have been transferred by a sneeze or dandruff.
The court also heard swabs taken from the back of the couple's Kombi van were not tested for gunshot residue because there was no evidence of a gun being used or a cartridge being found at the crime scene.
Murdoch has pleaded not guilty to killing Mr Falconio and assaulting Joanne Lees in July 2001.
Related:
