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Issue No. 137 | 24 May 2002 |
An Aussie Icon
Interview: Just Done It? Tribute: Lest We Forget History: Solidarity Forever Technology: Unblocking the Superhighway International: Gloves Off Unions: Out Of Work Review: Strange Business Poetry: The Lawyer's Lament Satire: Government Mourns Loss Of Last Anzac
Retailers in Outworker Spotlight Syd in Vicious Backpacker Stand-off Microsoft Monopoly Under Challenge Kiddies Not Exactly Having a Ball NSW ALP Faces Asylum Seeker Test Canberra Acts on Industrial Manslaughter Santa Claus Strikers on Christmas Island Abbott Believes Management Should Dictate Low Paid Not To Blame For Beer Price Rise Casino Award Covers Eastern States Security Workers Want Bosses Sacked Sydneysiders Rally For Western Sahara
The Soapbox The Locker Room Bosswatch Postcard Week in Review
Your Tools Page is Down Big Dave Foster Give Us a Click! Will the Real Mark Latham Please Stand Up? Unified Labour The Last Survivor Not Hate Mail
Labor Council of NSW |
Letters to the Editor Unified Labour
In reply to Peter Lewis' excellent editorial, in which he points out that the Union Movement is already a decade along the road towards modernisation, while Simon Crean has only just picked up on the term "modern," I would suggest it is a plus that at least the Parliamentary Leader of the ALP has actually updated his vocabularly. We all know that, in order to win the next Federal election, Labor has to present to the people of Australia a clearly defined policy, that is readily identifiable as a positive alternative to the Coalition. A great many people say to me that there is no longer any significant difference between Labor and the Coalition. This was brought home to me when I was handing out "How To Vote Labor" leaflets on November 10 last, at the strongest Liberal polling place in the whole of Australia: St Martin's Anglican Church, Killara, Sydney. While the Greens were not able to spare anyone to hand out leaflets, they had left a box there for anyone who wanted this choice. A number of elderly voters, especially women, asked for a Green's leaflet, which I was happy to give to them. What many people probably don't know is that it was the Greens preferences that helped our excellent Labor candidate for the seat of Bradfield, Kathie Blunt, to defy the Nation-wide swing of 1.5 - 2 % towards the Coalition, and turn Bradfield from the second safest to the third safest Liberal seat in Australia. In fact there was a minute positive swing, an a two party preferred basis, towards Labor in the seat held by Brendan Nelson. The fact that the Coalition is running shit scared of failing to make a fourth term, was clearly evidenced when the Minister for Finance, Nick Minchin, toted the idea of an amalgamation of the Liberal and National Parties. The future for any kind of democracy in Australia is utterly dependent on Labor ousting the Coalition at the next Federal Election. A unified front representing ALL factions of Labor MUST be established within the next 2 1/2 years. Julian Hancock
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