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Issue No. 150 | 30 August 2002 |
Shut It Down!
Interview: Australian Worker Unions: Morning Ambush Cole-Watch: Grumpy Old Men International: Arrested (Sustainable) Development History: Illegal Alien Economics: The Trouble With PPPs Poetry: Is This 'My Country'? Review: Garage Days
Eight Weeks Only for Bomb Survivors Justice At Last for Woodlawn Miners Labor for Refugees Put Acid on Crean Canberra Cash Linked to Hall of Fame Stoush Osama Poster Sparks Controversy Underwear Obsession Prompts Rehab List Community Workers Win Lifeline Mad Monk Staff in 'Mad Hatter' Protest Education Forum To Spark Public Debate
The Soapbox The Locker Room Week in Review Bosswatch Indigenous
Choral Classics Sleeping Giants
Labor Council of NSW |
News Osama Poster Sparks Controversy
Talkback radio jockeys, including Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett have taken aim at the MUA for the hard-hitting material, part of their ongoing campaign to save Australian shipping. But the MUA says the adage "there is no such thing as bad publicity" has a lot going for it. The poster prompted Mr Kennett to invite MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin on air to debate the issues, giving the union extensive airtime to argue against the Howard Government shipping policy. The National Secretary began by explaining how companies like CSL were getting away with unfair competition and circumventing Australian taxation, migration and other laws. This, he said, had a domino affect. "But today you've protested against the Prime Minister as opposed to CSL," said Mr Kennett. "You've put a poster together and it's headed up what do these two men have in common? And there's a photograph of the Prime Minister and Osama Bin Laden," he added. "Don't you think this is an abject insult to the Prime Minister and don't you think this will only upset people who might otherwise support your cause?" "Well, I'm not sure the Prime Minister supports our cause," retorted the National Secretary, explaining how Bin Laden and Al Qaeda use flags of convenience ships because there's no accountability. Mr Crumlin then pointed out how US President George Bush is making sure that flag of convenience ships don't go to the US and making sure that American seafarers trade their domestic routes, but the Howard Government is doing the opposite. "There's a big difference between what George Bush is saying about border control and what John Howard is saying," Crumlin retorted.
Meanwhile MUA national office has recieved no calls protesting the poster, but legal officer Bill Giddins says he is preparing in case we do get a writ from Mr bin Laden or his followers for the comparison made with PM John Howard.
Read Jim Marr's backgrounder http://workers.labor.net.au/131/b_tradeunion_osama.html
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