P to one million workers struck in the state of Victoria on November 10, and around 200,000 thronged the streets of Melbourne in what was probably the biggest demonstration in Australian history. Tens of thousands of others also demonstrated in provincial towns and there have been large demonstrations in other states.
The upsurge follows the introduction of a package of draconian anti-union laws and austerity measures introduced by the incoming Liberal (that is, conservative) state government in Victoria. The governby rolling strikes. On December 10, electricity and public transport workers will effectively shut down industry for 24 hours.
The electricity workers, significantly, are covered by a federal award and are thus legally beyond the state government's reach. The workers, however, are taking action both out of solidarity with workers on state awards and in protest against the threat by the federal Liberal opposition to introduce practically identical legislation if it is returned to office in next year's general elections.
der Bill Deller, who declared that if the government did not back down, it had to be brought own.
Another spin off of Kennett's attacks is that the seemingly impossible may have been achieved in the federal political sphere. Until Kennett's rampage, the federal Labor government was trailing the Liberals in opinion polls, and Paul Keating was rated the most unpopular Prime Minister in Australian history. The situation appears to have been reversed and some jittery Liberals are calling for the brakes to be ment has effectively abolished the right to Leftwing MP sacked by strike, outlawed various forms of trade High Court union solidarity action; provided for the criminalization of strikers and the seques- IN WHAT may prove to be an unfortunate tration of union assets; and moved to abo- move for the ruling class, Australia's High lish the existing industrial award system. Court has upheld an appeal against the
Workers will be forced to negotiate indi- election of popular leftwing independent vidual contracts with their employers. The
Phil Cleary. Cleary was elected earlier this government has also raised charges for year in the federal seat of Coburg in Melessential services, imposed a "pre-tax" of bourne, following the resignation from par$100 on ratepayers and slashed spending liament of former Labor Prime minister on education, health and welfare. Tens of Bob Hawke. His election indicated that thousands of public sector workers face the where the voters perceived a viable alternative, they would turn against both Labor and Liberal. Pomp and ceremony The High Court upheld an appeal from
These "reforms" have been accompanied a disgruntled rightwing independent who by pay increases for parliamentarians and a managed to get only around 300 votes out return to the expensive formal pomp and of a total of around 50,000. ceremony of the past. Small wonder that, Cleary was dismissed because the only a matter of weeks after the elections, court agreed that at the time of his nomithe new government is detested by a gro- nation for election, he had "occupied a wing proportion of the population. position of profit under the Crown". This is
Neither has the upsurge against the doubly absurd, as Cleary was, in fact, a government waned since the mammoth high school teacher on extended unpaid demonstration of November 10. On leave, at a time when thousands of teaNovember 23, for example, over 10,000 chers are being made redundant. education workers from Melbourne's Wes- Cleary is almost certain to be re-electern Suburbs demonstrated outside the ted if a fresh by-election is called, and the Education Ministry, despite threats of a result will be seen as a judgement on the lock out and organized scabbing. policies of the Kennett state government,
Public transport, the metals and enginee16 docks, aviation and hospitals have been hit ring industry, the building trades, the
The massive fightback must have come as a shock to the state government and federal opposition. Victoria's premier Jeff Kennett is on record as saying that he believed Australian workers would meekly accept their fate.
He was extrapolating from the New Zealand experience where similar, if less draconian, legislation was introduced by the National Party government with mini-
Kennett, however, has shown no sign of backing down. He insistently stresses his so-called mandate, but, while it is true he did win a landslide against Labor in October, even clear sighted conservatives dismiss his claim. In fact he refused to divulge most of his industrial policy before the election and claimed that working people would be no worse off than under Labor.
Kennett probably hopes that the storm will abate, leaving him free to pick off the small groups of workers who disobey his laws. Many workers, however, have pledged to fight on to victory, and it is probable that many thousands would go to prison rather than pay fines. Even the right-
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AUSTRALIA
1992 INDEX 17
December 210 # 241 International Viewpoint