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Issue No. 160 | 08 November 2002 |
A Dry Argument
Interview: Life After Keating Industrial: That Friday Feeling Bad Boss: Begging to Work Organising: Project Pilbara Unions: Off the Rails International: Brazil Turns Left Environment: Brown Wash History Special: Learning from the Past Corporate: Will the Bullying Backfire? Technology: Danger Lurks For The Passive History: In Labour�s Image Politics: Without Power Or Glory History Special: A 'Cosy Relationship' Culture: Blood Stains the Wattle Satire: Iraq Pre-empts Pre-emptive Strike Poetry: The Executive Pay Cut Review: Time Out
African Immigration Scam Widens Unions in New Economy Breakthrough Water Workers Told to Stay Home Rural Campaign Against Rail Carve-Up Seven's Deadly Sin: Email Access Denied Vic Election: It�s Bracks �v- Jeff junior Aboriginal Health Workers Denied Minimum Wage Zookeepers Settle But Pay Stink Continues Nurses Gear Up for Aged Care Action Stoppage Over Rubbish Protection Nurses Care For Themselves Too New Roster Undermines WA Prison Security ICFTU: Japan No Workers� Paradise STOP PRESS: Libs Plan $70m Arts Heist
Month In Review The Soapbox The Locker Room Indigenous Postcard Bosswatch
More Power To The Workers Us V Them In Name Only Marital Status
Labor Council of NSW |
Letters to the Editor Official Green Hatemail
In response to the most recent editorial in Workers Online, if the Cunningham by-election showed anything it was that the voters ignored the siren song of the ALP hacks which went something like "If you vote Green it could cost you your job". This historic win for the Greens showed the sort of siren song that the ALP machine will resort to. The by-election also clearly demonstrated that the Greens are now the third force in Australian politics and that come the next federal election we will be winning more Senate seats, probably from the Democrats. It is worth remembering that all the Democrat Senators voted for the Workplace Relations Act. The Greens Senators Bob Brown, Kerry Nettle and now Michael Organ are currently vigorously opposing the expansion of that act. On the issue of power The Greens are possibly one or two elections away from holding the balance of power in the Senate, which, in the circumstances of Democrats policy on Industrial Relations, can only benefit the labour movement.
The labour movement is currently made up of about two million members and about 100,000 of these are members of the ALP. This leaves plenty of room for growth of the Greens working class membership base at no expense to the ALP. Indeed Bob Brown was very glad to see many union members in Tasmania helping to double his vote in the last federal election, a seat that otherwise may have gone to the pro-Workplace Relations Act Democrats. Those voters who do leave Labor for The Greens usually preference back to the ALP so there is no loss of seats to the Coalition. I believe the Greens are also helping to expand the base of electors by showing Australian youth that there is a point to registering to vote. Most of those young people who vote for the Greens will preference the ALP ahead of the Liberals, so no harm there. I rather like the image of unionists tying themselves up in knots on boats to support the ALP - it seems very appropriate. However it would be more useful for the labour movement, the Greens and enlightened sections of the ALP working together to campaign for clean, sustainable industries and jobs. History presents us with great opportunities to make NSW and Australia clean, green and exporting environmental best practice to the region, because if we don't we may all be scrambling for boats!
Regards Se�n Marshall Greens NSW Industrial Relations Spokesperson
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