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| Issue No 112 |  |
21 September 2001 |
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SeductionMichael and Me
Chris Christodoulou recounts how Costa convinced him to cross the factional divide and take up residence in Sussex Street.
********************** Michael Costa was never somebody I ever imagined that I would become good friends with. Ex-Trotskyite come economic rationalist who had a history of being a bomb thrower especially towards things "national" eg. The ACTU, Federal Offices of Unions, in fact anything that didn't have New South Wales as part of its name. Here I was staunchly Left (but a pragmatist), an ACTU loyalist and very much a "nationalist" in trade union terms contemplating an offer by Michael to work for the Labor Council of New South Wales. My first meeting with Michael Costa was in 1996 and if it wasn't for the Olympic Games we would not have met at all. The Labor Council of New South Wales had seconded a resolution proposed by my Union the LHMU with respect to Industrial Relations issues for the Olympic Games. The then Secretary, Peter Sams, flicked the issue to Michael Costa I'm sure to keep an eye on what the LHMU were up to. It wasn't long after we began negotiations with SOCOG that I found myself sharing similar views to Costa on a whole range of practical issues not just our strategies around the Olympic Games. I use the word practical because our working relationship was about dealing with real the issues of the day which effected workers and the labor movement. I'd finally found a senior person in the NSW Right who had a similar view to mine that factions in the ALP were out-living their usefulness. We both agreed that the trade union movement could not afford the luxury of factional in-fighting when union membership was dramatically falling. Costa had convinced me that the Labor Council was operating as far as practicable in a defactionalised way and that this would continue whilst ever he was the leader. He already had Naomi Steer on board (nominated by the left) but wanted to bring in another officer who would be broadly acceptable to all unions whether left or right. The challenge of working in this environment was so appealing that I decided that there was nothing lost by giving it ago. Several years later Costa leaves behind a legacy of a Labor Council which has a diverse group of officers who put the interests of the trade union movement first and factions second. The Council is quite a different beast to the way the ALP head office operates. Many things have been said about Costa by his adversaries but as Secretary of Labor Council he has turned the NSW union movement into an outward looking progressive institution which is not frightened to organize and campaign around a range of diverse issues. He embraced the organizing approach with both resources and vigor. He established a communication medium through Workers-On-Line, which enabled debate and constructive criticism. He took the fight up to the State Labor Government on a range of issues including contracting out, particularly in State Rail. He ran his Executive based on a consensus model wherever possible and played an instrumental role in ensuring the NSW union movement had a real and important role during the lead up to and operation of the Olympic Games. Michael himself might regard his reconstruction agenda for Currawong, the sale of 2KY, or initial moves to restore Trades Hall as also great achievements. In my view however his ability to bring people together and break down the old left/right union rivalries by campaigning on issues of common cause was his greatest attribute. Notwithstanding his achievements, especially in his time as Secretary of Labor Council, his biggest challenge is yet to come. If Costa really believes in defactionalisation beyond the trade union movement then he is about to step into one of the great drivers of factionalism, the NSW Parliamentary Caucus. I've often said that once factional caucusing stops at Macquarie Street factions will become far less relevant. Of course Costa will be part of one of the right-wing tribes in Macquarie Street. How can it be otherwise if he is to fulfill an aspiration to be part of the leadership of any future A.L.P. Government? However the protocols, the customs, the practice, the gagging and the arm twisting will all cause him great angst, especially when we know he has a strong view on most things. Costa will want to get things done, cut through the bureaucracy and bullshit. He won't want to be held back necessarily by factional constraints in caucus. If anything he'll want to provide leadership and work through the issues. Time will only tell whether his ideals of defactionalisation succumbs to the practical imperative of having to be a factional "yes man" in N.S.W. Based on history and the way the A.L.P. works, most will put their money on the later. For mine I'll take the long odds and say by the time he departs Parliament the NSW A.L.P. in Macquarie Street will work somewhat differently than it does now.
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   Interview: Exit InterviewMichael Costa looks back at his 14 years with the Labor Council to chart the highs, the lows and the bits in between. Parliament: Opening SalvoIn his Maiden Speech, delivered this week, Costa gave vent to his views on immigration, Marx, globalisation and mental health. Scandals: My Evil TwinCo-conspirator and 'intellectual soulmate' Mark Duffy recounts the legendary 'Leaked Paper' Affair and how its predictions soon came to pass. Politics: An Agent for ChangeFormer secretary Michael Easson argues that Costa was instrumental in redefining the factional balance in NSW in the wake of the Cold War. Review: The Thoughts of Chairman MCNeale Towart trawls the collected works of Michael Costa and looks at his love-hate affair with Marx. Factions: Kyoto SunsetNaomi Steer - the first left-winger to work at Labor Council in decades - recalls how she discovered the real Michael in a Karaoke lounge. History: A Proud TraditionFormer Premier Barrie Unsworth argues Costa enters Parliament as the best qualified Labor Council leader ever to make the transition. Psychology: The Man Behind the MaskCosta's predecessor Peter Sams argues that behind the bluff facade lay a loyal and caring friend. Seduction: Michael and MeChris Christodoulou recounts how Costa convinced him to cross the factional divide and take up residence in Sussex Street. Satire: Ode to LeonLong-time sparring partner, Peter Botsman submits this lyrical tribute to Costa's career.
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