The alarming statistics, produced by the Audit Bureau of Circulation show that readership has reached crisis levels, particularly amongst the young.
And in a warning to newspaper editors, Morgan Research shows that the credibility of journalists is very low, as is the public confidence in the content of newspapers.
Despite desperate attempts to win back readers through giveaways, semi-clad models and lotto draws, newspaper chiefs appear to be unable to halt the decline. Worse still, they appear at a loss to come up with any new ideas to re-establish their relevance.
From a peak of more than 80 per cent readership in 1947, levels have steadily fallen as the population has increased. By 1996 newspaper sales in Sydney had dropped below one million for the first time, a decline of one third in 22 years.
Despite the steady rise in population the Sydney Morning Herald sold fewer papers in 1996 than in 1947.
While some newspaper bosses argue that technological and structural change such as the advent of television may have contributed to the decline, they can not walk away from the fact that readers are talking with their feet and finding alternate sources of information.
And with new technologies like the Internet on the rise, things can only get worse for the editors and their hacks. One can only wonder if the current newspaper bosses will be condemned to preside over a dying medium....
To the driving surf music of The Wetsuits and the dulcet tones of jazz diva Su Cruikshank, the marchers heard real stories from real workers about the impact of the changes, sang along to Solidarity Forever and danced to Wipe Out and other surf classics.
Workers and police agreed it was the least aggressive rally of its size in memory and the media images of young workers like KFC employee Claire Hamilton provided fresh images of trade unionists on the TV news.
The rally was consistent with Labor Council's shift to an organising approach, with a focus on members rather than officials. Pointedly, no union officials appeared on the stage during the rally - although a few were spotted dancing nearby!
The big crowd had earlier gathered in Hyde Park and marched past State Parliament through to the Prime Minister's office in Phillip Street. There was a big turnout by many unions - some of whom bussed members and delegates into the city.
The Transport Workers Union added to the rally, directing more than 100 trucks into Hyde Park to honk their support and ensure that city motorists realised there was some action going on.
Once outside the Prime Minister's office, ordinary workers told their stories and outlined the impact of the Reith Second Wave on their jobs.
Claire Hamilton from KFC at Mosman and a member Shop Assistants Union told the crowd that under the Second Wave she'd be deemed to be part of an illegal closed shop, because her union has more than 60 per cent coverage. She spoke of the difficulties young people faced in dealing directly with their employers, particularly in large organisations.
Di Smith a member of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance and a familiar face from her work on A Country Practice and more recently, The Great Outdoors, spoke of the impact on weakening the award safety net on workers. The attempts to strip back the actors' Nudity Clause was one example of how workers could be more vulnerable without the award!.
John Walton , a member of the maritime Union of Australia, was working for Patricks the night Corrigan and Reith sent the dogs in. He thanked the crowd for their support during the dispute and the lessons he has learned since, particularly the importance of sticking together.
Belinda Nicholls, a housekeeper at the Hyde Park Hyatt, recounted how her experience after joining the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union. Hotel management tried to shift them on to Peter Reith's anti-union individual contracts, going as far as approaching them to sign the AWAs while they were working alone in hotel rooms.
Roy Lamoon, one of the victorious Oakdale Miners , spoke of his struggle for justice and success in securing protection for all workers' entitlements. But he warned until legislation was in place the battle was not over.
Spencer Morrison ,a member of the Transport Workers Union, told of how he had been thrown out of work after 12 years when his business had gone broke, leaving him $39,000 out of pocket. Spencer and his colleagues at J Dem are now the focus of a major union campaign.
Dion Neale, a customer service operator at Telstra and a member of the Community and Public Sector Union, spoke of the full impact of the sort of family-busting work practices that the Howard government is promoting within the public sector.
Mario Barrios, one of the building workers who brought the Olympics Stadium project in on time and under budget, spoke of the campaign of harassment now being waged by Peter Reith's Employment Advocate.
Finally, Joy Buckland , a member of the Finance Sector Union and manager of the Padstow Branch ANZ, spoke about life in an industry where one million hours of unpaid overtime are worked every week. In one of the most poignant quotes of the day she said "we want to live in a society, not an economy".
Workers Online wants to thank all the speakers for their brave contributions, they - more than anyone - made the day a great success..
After the speakers, many unionists proclaimed it was the best rally they'd ever attended - suggesting the formula of live music, real workers and fun over friction may be tried again.
The ACTU' executive this week gave its in principle support for the Virtual Communities deal by a vote of 49-1 (that some scoreline, Costa!). This means that Vizard's company can move to the next stage of its plan to exchange cheap computers for e-commerce rights over the union movement.
Sole dissenter, Labor Council secretary Michael Costa says, despite the vote, there is still a high degree of scepticism - even among those who voted for the plan in principle.
"It was very clear that there are major holes in the proposal as it stands. Most of the pitch from VC was once again focussed on selling the merits of the Internet as a concept rather than the specifics details of the commercial arrangements," he says.
"For those union officials who have not thought about the Internet, it was clear they were mesmerised by its potential rather than the specifics of this deal.
"Many, for instance, were unclear about the difference between a portal and a web-site. This should send alarm bells ringing."
This week's executive meeting heard nothing about the key aspects of the proposal such as portal control and commercial share. And the promoters indicated they don't have a computer supplier deal finalised; they did not have an ISP deal finalised; and that pricing projections have increased in the past few weeks from $8 per week to nearly $9.
But it was confirmed that unions won't be guaranteed any equity in the project and that the portals as opposed to union web-pages would be controlled by Virtual Communities - with some minor restrictions on commercial content to primarily appease the industry funds. It was also revealed that the VC would target non-unionists at a slightly higher rate - $9.95 per week.
"The reason I voted against it was so it was very clear that the Labor Council was no longer bound by any exclusivity arrangements the ACTU had entered into and would now be free to pursue alternate proposals," Costa says.
He said Labor Council would continue to scrutinise the Vizard deal and develop alternative options for the ACTU Executive to consider. Telstra has already contacted Labor Council offering an alternate proposal on hardware, Internet access and telephony.
"This is akin to the Dutch buying Manhattan Island off the native American for a few beads and trinkets - in this case the beads are cheap home computers and the island is the union movement's presence in cyberspace.
"I would, however, compliment the people at Virtual Communities for snaring the deal of a lifetime - they have chosen their target well..."
But the behind the scenes deal with Peter Reith has outraged unions, who didn't know of the impending compromise until it was settled.
Unions like the Shop Assistants Union (SDA), which has 100,000 members aged under 21, are now threatening to withdraw election funding from the ALP.
And the NSW Labor Council has branded the deal as "reprehensible", taken for short-term political advantage.
"If the Labor Party is embarrassed with their relationship with the trade union movement, they should be up front about it," Council secretary Michael Costa told the weekly Labor Council meeting.
While conceding that consultation with the union movement was "not what it could have been", Bevis says the outcome is a win for both the union movement and Labor Party in their efforts to remove discriminatory clauses from awards..
He says the deal represents a back down by Peter Reith in two key areas: it provides a mechanism to remove youth wages from existing awards and kills outright Reith's push to extend youth wages to areas where they do not currently exist.
Responding to criticism of poor consultation, Bevis says Labor's position had been public since June, when Opposition leader Kim Beazley stated Labor would not pursue the option of legislating against junior rates. "What should we have done? Backed legislative changes that would never pass through Parliament?"
So why the outrage now? Bevis says he was genuinely surprised that Peter Reith agreed to compromise in the areas he did, meaning a deal was stitched in a short period of time. And given the lack of feedback from the June announcement, Bevis says he moved to stitch a deal that he believes is a victory.
"A lot of the heartburn this week would have been avoided if the union movement had signalled a difficulty with our position in June," he told Workers Online.
But union officials are seething that a proposal to lift the youth wage for 18 and 19 year olds has been discarded in the negotiating process.
And several young union officials say they had received assurances by the Opposition Leader that Labor would not renege on this part of the reform proposal. "We spoke informally to Beazley to seek assurances that we could campaign on this issue and not be setting ourselves up for an embarrassing defeat," says one.
As Peter Reith watches the bombs go off around the labour movement, he must be savouring the prospect of some more "political defeats" like this one
The Finance Sector Union claims the high levels of sicknesses - ranging from stress to cancers - are a result of overwork, lack of relieving staff and ever increasing workloads.
But instead of dealing with the core issues, bank management are using tactics of fear and intimation to prevent workers taking sick leave.
Branch president Peter Presdee says while staff levels are at crisis point, some supervisors within the bank are being threatened with a reduced performance bonus if workers take more than five days per year sick leave.
"Some staff report being pressured into returning to work before they're well enough, of constantly being called at home by their manager for an update on their condition, or asked to provide a doctor's certificate for every day they are absent," Presdee says..
"Privacy is also a concern, in some cases staff have been asked to comment in detail on a colleague's illness," he says.
And things are only getting worse. The Commonwealth Bank has earmarked another 500 branches for closure, meaning another 3000-4000 jobs will be lost.
The FU is planning a community campaign to "put people first in banking" and have been conducting focus groups of members on the issue. For more details see this week's Pierswatch.
The move follows media reports that a key games sponsor Pacific Dunlop - who has subcontracted the production of uniforms offshore - had lobbied against the trip arguing an earlier visit by SOCOG officials had given the Fiji, Malaysia and Indonesia facilities an "excellent" report
But unions say they are not happy with aspects of the initial report, which purports to evaluate whether production complies with the Licence Goods Code of Conduct, struck between the ACTU and SOCOG.
The report does not even name the companies that Pacific Dunlop are using, meaning there is no means to verify the SOCOG report.
Labor Council senior industrial officer Chris Christodoulou says the report is in parts both superficial and heavily reliant on what the employer has told the SOCOG official.
For instance, the report for one Malaysia factory states: "their HR Department clearly stated that the country abides by the labour laws of Malaysia and that they were proud of their humanitarian approach to the staff."
And the issue of Freedom of Association appears to have been misunderstood, with no mention of the right to belong to a trade union or the rights of unions to organise in those factories. Instead, the report runs a standard line for several factories that: "there is no compulsory unionism. Employees negotiate directly with the employer".
And under the heading of "Fair Wages" most of the companies assert they pay above the industry rates, but there is no mention of what those rates actually are.
Christadoulou says the Labor Council has requested that SOCOG bring together the monitoring committee associated with the Code of Conduct to see whether they can find a way through what is increasingly becoming a very difficult issue.
"We understand that SOCOG have limited resources to investigate alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct, but we can help overcome this by requesting union officials in these countries visit the sites and provide us with a genuine report on the working conditions.
CityRail management took the action against workers at Lidcombe railway station after they imposed five days of limited bans (refusing to announce trains to check tickets) in a bid to recover thousands of dollars in back pay that had been promised them from July 1.
After a 30 minute stoppage on August 25, management agreed to pay the money - part of an enterprise agreement for station staff. Management had claimed the delay was because of a computer problem - although they were able to agree to start payment from August 27, once the action had taken place.
Once work resumed on Wednesday, staff were told they would receive no pay for the five days that bans had been in place - even though they still performed the majority of their work.
The ability to dock workers for imposing limited bans is one of the key aspects of Reith's anti-worker laws and is designed to force workers into taking all out strike action - where they can be exposed to damages claims in the civil justice system.
Lidcombe station worker Greg Molloy told the Labor Council says he only took the action because he need the $5000 that CityRail management was refusing to pay.
"As a worker I never thought a Labor Government would treat me this way," he said.
NSW Labor Council secretary Michael Costa said that unions were becoming "sick and tired" of the state Labor Government's attitude to industrial relations.
The report "Constructing the Future" by the Newcastle Employment Studies Centre, confirms that performance levels in major building construction and now close to world's Best Practise.
And it criticises the recent Productivity Commission report being used by Peter Reith to caste unions as impediments to change for following an ideological agenda.
"Rather than relying on anecdotal evidence as used by the Commission to link union presence with claimed inflexible work arrangements, our quantitative data shows that productivity and performance has improved substantially in major commercial construction and is now close to world best practise levels," the report's co-author Roy Green says.
"In fact, the Commission preference for excluding trade unions and devolving industrial relations and pay arrangements to sub-contractors is a recipe not for improving productivity but reducing it."
Green says the real key to reform is to increase inadequate skill levels, victims of the rush by investors to grab immediate profits rather than plan for the industry's long-term future.
CFMEU national secretary John Sutton says the report is a nail in the coffin for the Reith agenda.
"Peter Reith and the Productivity Commission want more self-employed sub-contractors, casuals and labour hire workers in construction," Sutton says. ""They want to drive down wages by using piece-work rates and all-in payments.
"But that's not going to improve productivity in the industry. The University of Newcastle research shows that strategy will lead the industry down a less, rather than more productive path."
The Stats Have It
The CFMEU also released a series of statistics to back up its argument:
* Labour productivity in the Australian construction industry ranks near the top of OECD nations, with Access Economics putting only the UK in front.
* A recent international comparison by quantity surveyors Page Kirkland, found the base cost of construction in Australia was less expensive than Germany, the US and the UK.
* Australia has the lowest construction output prices of any country.
* Australia construction workers work very long hours - ranking second only to American workers.
The Australian Workers Union and the Transport Workers Union are planning to turn up the heat on the issue, calling for a meeting of the mine's receivers and other affected parties to achieve a workable solution to achieve justice for the workers.
TWU state secretary Tony Sheldon says, with the Federal Government forced to act on unpaid entitlements, it is time for unions to force the issue and maintain its position as the key advocates for reform.
Sheldon says he wants to investigate repayment for the Woodlawn miners, who were sacked in March 1998 when their mine went into receivership, as well as options for rehabilitating and reopening the mine.
Next in Line
Meanwhile, workers owed $200,000 from the latest company collapse will protest outside a creditors meeting in Sydney this week.
The Transport Workers Union members, employees of failed Central Coast trucking company J-Dem are owed wages, redundancy pay, holiday pay and long service leave.
One of the workers, Spencer Morrison, told this week's Second Wave Rally of how the employer had liquidated the business after returning from an overseas trip.
"I'm in my sixities, I have a mortgage and no-one is going to employ me," he said.
STOP PRESS The Howard Government released its Discussion Paper on Workers Entitlements this afternoon.
The recommendation is contained in a report completed by Labor Council President John Whelan and secretary Michael Costa, follow a request by a breakaway group of unions to affiliate with the Labor Council.
The Illawarra Council of Trade Unions is seeking affiliation after breaking with the South Coast Labor Council following a disputed ballot for the SCLC's leadership positions earlier this year.
Following the vote, where Paul Matters claimed victory, a sequence of unions left the SCLC and entered a new cross-factional alliance, which became the ICTU.
The two camps have remained in conflict, despite attempts by union stalwarts Tom McDonald and Tas Bull to mediate the issue. With the ACTU Congress due to be held in Wollongong in June 2000, the report argues there is a need to bring about reunification quickly.
Under then proposal endorsed by the NSW Labor Council, all unions that have been affiliated to the SCLC in the past three years would be eligible to vote. Unions would show their bona fides by depositing one quarter of a year's affiliation fees and agreeing to abide by the outcome of the ballot.
John Whelan and Tom McDonald shall be the joint returning officers in the ballot for secretary and the executive, which would take affect from March 2000.
It was also recommended that once the ballot is finalised, changes proposed by Tom McDonald and Tas Bull would be implemented and TUTA director Michael Crosby would be asked to conduct an independent audit and devise an organising strategy for the South Coast.
by Phil Davey
"The Big Drum Up for East Timor" takes place on September 3rd from 7:30PM at the Harbourside and features some of the best percussionists and exponents of World Music on the planet, including Epizo Bangoura of Mali, Deva Permana of Indonesia and Indian Tabla supremo Bobby Singh.
Other feature acts for the night include all female band "Night Flight to Venus" and Master Percussionists Greg Sheehan and Blair Greenberg. Entrance for the night is $10.
A recent APHEDA delegation to East Timor found that food and medicine is being deliberately withheld from East Timorese communities in the lead up to the referendum. The APHEDA East Timor Emergency Appeal seeks to literally keep these communities alive and provide alternative food and medicine until freedom is won.
Jose Ramos Horta stressed in Sydney last month that now is the time to support East Timor. Hopefully by Christmas it will all be over and an appalling 24 years of
murder torture rape and genocide will be history.
The money raised from the "big drum up" will enable Timorese communities to hang on until then.
As the "big drum up" will take place on the Friday after the referendum on independence organisers are hopeful the event will turn into somewhat of a victory party if/when the independence vote gets up.
The concert has been arranged at short notice so any assistance with publicity and promotion would be greatly appreciated.
Tickets will be available at the door on the night, but for enquires or if you wish to pre purchase tickets, please call Deidre Mahoney at NSW Labor Council on 9264 1691, or Phil Davey at the CFMEU on 9394 9494.
The trip will include a public forum, co-hosted by Workers Online, to be held in Trades Hall on Wednesday September 9.
Eric will chart the rise of the Internet, outline how some trade unions and other community groups have harnessed it and set out some signposts for the future.
This will be an interactive forum, with the audience encouraged to participate in the discussions.
Stick that one in your diary and watch Workers Online for further details
It is good to see some critical analysis of the special deal with Vizard's company to supply computers to union members. Content on the web is very important, and if you control a major portal, you effectively control what content gets viewed. I am all for cheap deals for union members, but don't lock up (or filter) content.
The Unions @ Work document shows that internet communications for organising workers is vital. From my own experience, I know that the internet can enhance a union campaign. I ran a solidarity site - 'Takver's Soapbox - War on the Wharfies' last year on the MUA dispute.
This website complemented the MUA's website by providing up to date information, as well as daily bulletins sent to a number of email lists at the height of the dispute. The fast dissemination of this information was used by people around Australia and internationally. My website provided timely information, such as to the West Coast dockers which came out in strong support of the MUA. The advantage of my website was its unofficial nature - I have no formal connections to the MUA - and was free to publish commentaries and calls to action without legal eagles breathing down my neck or fears of action by the ACCC.
I can imagine the Vizard 'Virtual communities' portal filtering my site out because of my anarchist politics, thus denying a useful resource to the Australian Union Movement. I know that my website has contributed effectively to the union movement in the MUA campaign. Web content is far too important to leave up to any third party business to filter or block in a cheap deal. I hope the ACTU doesn't sell us short.
Keep up the good work
in solidarity
Takver
NO,NO,NO,NO,NO to any union group using MSN. Not just on political grounds but due to the inferiority of the system and the isidious nature of its cookies and who else uses it. The Television station, NINE, who lobbied hard for pay TV in cable form and who is now advertising the 'wonders' of HDTV as furthering titvation over and above more content via multichannelling, has done nothing but attempt to maintain the most controlled standard of television media broadcasting in the world. It follows as a predictable pattern that NINE would form a business partnership with MSN since Microsoft also wish to maintain market 'dominance' otherwise known as control.
While everywhere else in the world, excluding the UK to my knowledge, has free and unpunctuated access to the BBC, CNN and many other free to air digital broadcasts in English not even available to Australians who pay for these privileges,NINE and others are fighting and have succeeded in relation to cross border broadcasting to maintain a level of control over satellite services and price so the average Australian cannot afford to view content out of reach of the control of NINE and its allies in the department of Communications and in the Australian Broadcasting Commission and various soft headed 'research' departments dealing with communications.
For the Unions to be associated with MSN would be to vote in support of media control for the wealthy over the 'average' Australian, especially those of low income and in rural areas, in maintaining a type of broadcasting in accessible to them but accessible to their piers in every other country in the region. The average Romanians had access to cheap satellite dishes and geostationary satellites put in place by countries interested in communications over profits and were able as a result to get access to views that were not jingoistic, not biased toward the views of the powerful in side Rumania, and did not just show the achievements of winners who fit into the local accepted standards rather than universal standards.
The media situation, as desired by Microsoft and NINE, in Australia excludes the average Australian from any better view of the world than the Indonesian farmers who think they are only lighting small bush fires. German TV, Chinese TV and other countries around the world have satellite signals that every Australian should have access to as do other countries in the region without having to pay thousands for so ahuge dish can be obtained like SBS has. The key to this is a reduction of price in both satelliterecievers and computers perhaps via susidies which would allow the bulk of Australians to see where the filtered news they currently recieve originates and the context of that news. The upcoming olympics will offer the best view yet of what differences exist between Australian media and OS points of view. The failure of Australia to provide access for the Serbian community to their home broadcasts on TV which were available Western Europe, or to the Chinese point of view, was the most prominant recent example of just how narrow the standard is which big players in information transmission wish to maintain. For the Union movement to accept a contract involving MSN is to accept a relatively poor situation for the Australian worker, to support the maintenance of this deliberate effort, and to compound that inequitable level of control by these media tycoons over what information Australians have access to. The union movement must trust that all Australians will can be discerning about the information they recieve and that restricting information is a national weakness.
Thankyou for your forbearance.
Andrew Burgess
Steve Vizard is one of the forward thinkers of the Telstra board.Sell off all Business Phone systems to Plestel, Sell off the construction arm of Telstra as NDC, sell off Mobilenet Memo the Mobiles message group. A great champion of the worker old Steve .
Bill Kelty is a champion as well : Enterprise Bargaining, The Accord, Union density from 52% to 27% in his reign. A great pair .
Don`t fall for any further salesmanship from either. The Union movement in Australia has some of the brightest and best we should be using them.
Steve Mason
CEPU Qld.
by Bryan Dawe
Thanks for joining us. We are coming today live from Parliament House, Canberra. I'm joined by the Minister for Workplace Relations, Mr Peter Reith. Mr Reith, thank you very much for coming in.
Nice to be with you Bryan.
Are you comfortable?
I make a living, Bryan, yes.
How are you feeling at the moment?
Well, it's been an exhausting time in government in this country. I mean we have had a couple of years of very draining industrial disputes.
Yes, they can be pretty exhausting can't they.
Yes, they, they can.
It takes a lot out of you.
It does, yes.
Yes. Why is that again?
Well, we started a lot of them and the effort of keeping them going is gargantuan. I mean, it's a ...
Yes, and you've got a Republic referendum at the moment?
We do, yes, in November, yes.
Did you work out which Monarchist was going to write the question?
Yes, John Howard's written the question and he's done a very beautiful job of it in my view. He's running the republican debate.
Yes. He's opposed to the republic isn't he?
He is, yes. It's going beautifully to my mind...
Do you think John Howard ....
It's going very well in this country. Can I make that point.
Sure. Do you think John Howard's leadership might be in trouble?
No no no, I think a lot of people are behind John.
Not the electorate obviously.
Not the electorate obviously, no. But a lot of the important people are behind John Howard.
Yes, so he could be in trouble. What is going to happen with the referendum? I mean, you're at odds with the Minister on the whole question of a republic aren't you?
No, no, no, no.
Yes you are.
There are a lot of aspects of this about which John Howard and I are in complete agreeance, but that's not to say ...
Yes, but there does seem to be a fundamental difference between you though, isn't there.
No, there's not....
Well come on Mr Reith ...
There's not a fundamental difference...
You disagree about who's going to run the country.
No. It's not about who's going to run the country. Bryan, the country's going to be run by the same people who always run the country. This is about the Head of State. You won't notice any difference in the way the country's run. It'll be run by exactly the same people.
But you're a direct election man aren't you.
I am. I think the President should be elected by, you know, the people. This is after all a domon, demung ...
A democracy?
Yeah, one of those, and obviously that's the way that the thing should work.
So this should be done at a secret ballot?
At a secret ballot, yes. The bloke they want, the bloke they approve of, that's the bloke they should be electing.
Yes. Or she.
No, no, no. My point is that the bloke the majority of people vote for should be the President.
Yes. Or She.
Oh, men and women all vote in a demung, doming...
A democracy
Yeah. And men and women all get a go.
Yes. I mean a woman President, I'm talking about.
A woman President?
Well, we've got a woman Queen.
We do too. I wonder if John knows that. I might have a word with him.
Mr Reith. You are the Minister for Workplace Relations and Small Business?
I am. Yes Bryan, I accept that allegation. And of course, it's been a bit of a golden period in some of these very important areas.
Yes. A golden age in the workplace?
I was thinking more of a golden age in the Ministry for Workplace Relations.
And small business?
Small business?
Yes.
No, we fixed that. We've got a GST coming in in a minute. You won't see much more of that. I mean uh...
Mr Reith, the stockmarket is in overdrive obviously?
It is, yes. 40% Bryan of all Australians own shares. 40%.
Why is there so much money in the stock market at the moment?
There's nowhere else for it to go. A lot of it is in super funds. I mean the super funds have got an absolute fortune, and it's got to be in the market, there's nowhere else for it...
Sales of luxury vehicles are booming?
Sales of luxury vehicles are booming!
Who's buying those?
Who's buying them?
Yes.
I imagine the people who are looking after the super funds have got to have something to drive about in Bryan. I mean ...
Mr Reith, to what do you attribute the spectacular success that we are having in this country at the moment?
In Australia?
Yes. Leadership?
Leadership it is, Bryan. Strong ...
Gutsy?
Imaginative - gutsy (good word) - gutsy, imaginative, professional, farsighted leadership.
Yes. This sounds like you again.
Bryan. Don't try and trick me. Don't try and trick me.
I'm not trying to trick you. I'm suggesting ...
Look, I'm well known for my loyalty to the current Prime Minister, and indeed to the current Treasurer. I have an iron-clad and non-negotiable loyalty to the people who are currently in those positions.
Quite frankly ....
I beg your pardon?
Well, you normally say 'quite frankly' when you are making statements of that kind. Don't you?
Statements of what kind, Bryan?
Well, you just said current leadership. I mean, when you use that expression ...
Well, Bryan, nothing's permanent is it? I mean, let's be clear about this. I'm simply reflecting the existential dilemma that faces all of us. I mean, I'm in the same position myself. Personally, for example, I am myself currently the Minister for um....
Workplace Relations
Whatever it is...yes.
Quite frankly
I beg your pardon?
It's just that you always say 'quite frankly' when you're....
Bryan, quite frankly, I don't know quite what you're talking about.
OK. Minister, can we now just very quickly talk about the Oakdale Miners?
Oohh! I'd rather not talk about the Oakdale Miners. I mean, if it's all the same with you Bryan ...could we just perhaps ...
Mr Reith, with due respect, you got rolled in Cabinet on this one.
I did not get rolled in Cabinet. I DID NOT GET ROLLED IN CABINET. And especially not by John Fahey. ESPECIALLY NOT!
Yes, well as late as a few days ago you were unequivocally saying there'd be no special payment to the Oakdale Miners. But then the Government announces a $6 million package three days later.
What a great result I got for those people. What a great result!!!
But you were the opposition to this.
I beg your pardon?
You were in opposition to this.
Bryan, look! Have a look at what I said. Bearing in mind the nuance and subtlety of the way I expressed it at the time.
Such as?
Well ... Some concern for the position of the ....
Fairness?
Yes, for the fairness of the issues and the position ...
Compassion?
And some compassion for the families of those involved.
Did you really say that?
I might have.
Well, you could have really not said it either.
You're getting a bit hypothetical here I think Bryan.
Alright. Let's move on ...
Stick to the actual!
OK. You announced the results of the Productivity Commission Inquiry into the Construction Industry didn't you?
That's right, yes.
Is this preparing the groundwork for an assault on the construction industry?
Now, listen Bryan, your language needs to be ... Bear in mind, this is not an assault. You're characterising this as an assault. 'Assault' is not the right word. It is not an appropriate ...
Alright. I don't want to be semantic but how would you put it?
I would characterise this Bryan, as the government engaging in vigorous intercourse with the construction industry.
Alright. When you've previously engaged in vigorous intercourse, as you put it, with an industry, you've tried to precede that with a Productivity Commission Report. I mean, you did this with the ...
Have you got any evidence at all that supports this extravagant claim Bryan?
Waterfront, coal industry ..
I beg your pardon?
Waterfront and coal industry.
A simple 'yes' will do Bryan. 'Yes, I've got plenty of evidence'.
And is it true that these Productivity Commission reports all seem to come to the same conclusions? Each one of them?
What, break the unions....
Dismantle industrial protection
Sack the workers and get a multinational accounting firm ...
To come and clean up the scraps, yes.
Well, I think that's, you know ...that's the way ...
It's fairly callous. Some people might see this as fairly callous.
Bryan, ...
Someone might see this as economic rationalism gone mad.
You're getting a bit rhetorical now Bryan. Can I remind you you're not on the ABC now.
Alright.
You're not on the ABC.
Thank you for reminding me, Minister, thank you.
We need to deal with the real world.
OK, well how do you think economic rationalism is going?
I think economic rationalism is going very well Bryan. And you've got to understand, in order to discuss this - it's a good question and I'm answering is seriously - what we are trying to do in this country is to build a new nation. Clearly we cannot do that unless we create wealth. Now, this is going to happen in a hurry. It's tough and a lot of people are going to get hurt. It's quite radical. You obviously can't make an omelette without breaking a few um.....
Heads?
Unions. And that's what we are going to do.
Do you think you are an impartial umpire in industrial relations. Do you see yourself that way?
I do think I'm an impartial umpire, and I pride myself on my impartiality Bryan.
Why are you accused then, of running an anti-union campaign?
Only by idiots in the pro-union side am I accused of that.
What do the people on the anti-union side think?
They agree with me. They think I'm much more fair. They think I'm a fair-minded person, obviously.
But you've stated that you're not impartial. That you are on the side of making profits. On the side of private capital.
Bryan, I'm completely consistent in my statements and if you go back over my record, obviously there are two sides in these things.
Remind me, two sides?
Well, the government and big business.
So, where do the workers and the unions fit in?
Well, we can deal with them somewhere down the road. Read the papers. We'll keep people informed Bryan.
Mr Reith, can I just read you something?
Yes. Who wrote it?
It's a media release accompanying the Productivity Commission Report.
Oh yes, one of my favourites.
"The construction industry is a lawless jungle of union goons riding roughshod over the rights of courageous small operators. The industry is characterised by anarchy, violence, and a disregard for the sanctity of private property. At the top of this malaise is a small cabal of Marxist misfits that refuse to recognise the principles of enterprise and freedom and how they've triumphed in the 20th Century".
Beautifully phrased Bryan. Beautifully phrased.
What's your response to that?
Well, you know. I mean, quite frankly ...
Even handed?
Pardon?
Even handed?
I think it is even handed. I think it is very even handed.
Not just a tad over the top?
No, I don't think it's over the top.
Quite frankly ...
Quite frankly, Bryan, I think people in this country have had it up to here with this for far too long.
Can I read you something else?
Ohhh...!!
Just quickly
Just the edited highlights, Bryan.
Reports recently issued about the construction industry. One report by the University of Newcastle says the construction industry in Australia ranks at the top - the top - of the OECD nations in terms of labour productivity. Access Economics and World Competitive Practices ranks Australia in the top three.
Bryan, you've got to appreciate that the union movement in this country has for a very long time engaged in propaganda.
Whoa, whoa. Excuse me, just a small point...
That's one of the things they do.
Mr Reith, wasn't Access Economics the very group you used to develop and promote the Fightback Package in 1993?
Look, quite frankly Bryan ...
How do you account for the fact, really, that the Sydney Olympic Building Program was completed under time, and on budget?
Good management, Bryan. Good leadership. Good management. A very well managed project .
May I remind you again, the construction industry, it says here, 'characterised by anarchy, violence and a complete disregard for' ...
Bryan, what is your point? What is your point?
Well, it could be suggested Minister, that the Sydney Games can now be claimed to be the only Olympic construction program in the last 20 years to deliver that sort of efficiency you have been going on about for the last five years.
You've had that Michael Knight in your ear, haven't you Bryan?
No, I haven't. Now Minister ...
How is he? You obviously spend a bit of time with him.
Minister, you are against the closed shop in the workplace.
I am, ..
Yes, you are
...I am in the construction industry, Bryan. And let me be clear about what I'm saying here. This is the position: You cannot get work in that industry if you are not a member of the union. It is compulsory.
Or the waterfront.
Pardon?
Or the waterfront.
Yes. You are going to have to be a member of the union or you can't get a job. It's not voluntary. There's no freedom of association. It is a very important point Bryan and it is an issue of principle!
What was that principle?
It's an issue of principle, Bryan.
Sure. Are you a member of a closed shop union yourself?
No. I'm a member of the Law Society of Victoria.
Is that compulsory?
No, of course it's not compulsory.
No, I mean for lawyers?
Oh, yes, obviously it's compulsory for lawyers Bryan, but ...
But only for lawyers?
No one else is forced to join the Victorian Law Society.
Can you get work if you are not a member of this ...?
Can you do law work if you're not a lawyer, Bryan?
Yeah.
Bryan, of course you can't. You're not going to be very happy are you, if you've got a legal problem and you go along to someone who doesn't know what he's doing.
No, that would be terrible. But it wouldn't matter with a building?
Bryan, quite frankly, I don't know quite where you are going with any of this.
What I'm trying to do is to get you to explain the differences between the Law Society of Victoria and a union.
Bryan, look, there is absolutely nothing in common between the rather nice kind of chap that you run into at the Law Society and some of these mongrels who work in the bloody Australian building unions, if that's what you're getting at. There's no similarity at all! They're way down the food chain.
So, this is why you've got private investigators running around ripping down union posters on building sites?
Quite frankly Bryan, that is an issue of aesthetics. Look. We've got the Olympics here next year. We have got to have the place looking nice, don't we? You'd agree with that.
So, it's becoming illegal now to express a pro-union viewpoint in this country is it?
It's not ... as yet ...no, Bryan. But we haven't finished the reform programme yet. We'll keep you informed.
Now, moving on. We've released a statement, or you've released a statement about the Government's position on industrial reform.
Actually, we haven't released a statement yet. But we've prepared one.
Yes, but you've got it there, haven't you.
I have indeed.
Would I like to read from it?
Yes.
I haven't got my glasses.
You can have my glasses if you want.
Are you short sighted?
No, I'm long sighted.
I'm rather famously short sighted. I don't know whether you read the papers.
Well, I've got a copy of the statement here so maybe we could do it together. I'll read...
Well, I'll have a go at reading it and you correct me if I go wrong.
Off you go.
OK. Well, I'm reading from the beginning
Fine
'The Reith government ...'
Howard government
I beg your pardon?
The second word there is 'Howard'
Oh, sorry. It says 'Howard'.
Mmm
'The Howard Government is dedicated to performing the Austrian rail-station system' ..
'Reforming the Australian Taxation System'.
Oh, yes. That would make more sense wouldn't it.
Yes.
'It will continue to maximise disruption in the Australian workplace'.
'Increase productivity' I think it says.
Oh, sorry, it's miles away. 'And consequently will be continuing with its policy of class hatred'.
'Industrial reform'.
Good Lord. Is it?
Yeah, you've jumped a line. You're down here.
Oh, I beg your pardon. '...with an organised campaign of provoking Australians...'
'Providing Australians'.
'To despise one another...'
'To develop together'
'As we approach'.... Is it 'approach'?
Yes
Well, that's not bad is it.
No, you're doing well
'The 20th Century'
'The 21st Century'
I beg your pardon?
Wrong century
Oh. "So I would sack ......'
'Say to'
Sorry. 'I would say to all you mongrels...'
'To all Australians'
'We're after your arse'
'Wherever you are'
'And we'll get you'
'Wish you well'
Yes. And that seems to be the finish. How was it?
Good. The rest of it was great. Pretty spot on.
Good.
So, do you have any final words to the audience?
Oh God. They're not still there are they?
Well, we've got your names. Tell them we've got all their names. They might be getting a visit from the OEA.
What's the OEA?
It's just a nice little idea we picked up from Suharto.
Right. Thank you very much for ...
We've got your name too Bryan.
Thank you very much and goodbye.
You're fired.
Address to Plenary Session of the International Labour Conference, 87th Session, Palais des Nations, Geneva, 9 June 1999
On behalf of the Australian government, I would like to congratulate you on your election as President of the Conference. I also welcome the opportunity to comment on the Director-General's landmark report on the ILO and its priorities in this period of major global change.
I am encouraged by the New Director-General's strong advocacy of reform and modernisation. I also take this opportunity to acknowledge the development of reform proposals by Asia-Pacific Region Members, particularly noting the efforts of New Zealand. The strategic approach to budgeting outlined by the Director-General, which provides a clear framework for ongoing reform, is a particularly welcome development. Australia is committed to zero nominal growth budgets as part of the ILO reform process. This will require continued efforts to improve management efficiency and focused use of resources. Australia welcomes the emphasis on clarity of purpose and the results to be achieved, and an effective monitoring and evaluation system that features provision of regular progress reports to the Governing Body.
I would like to congratulate the Director-General on his proposals for modernising the structure and activities of the Office, including the delivery of technical assistance programs. I note that his intention is to create a management structure that will promote a sense of collective responsibility among staff, greater transparency and improved communication within the Office. This restructuring should enhance the ability of the Office to serve the needs of the organisation effectively.
I strongly agree with the Director-General that improving the visibility, effectiveness and relevance of the Organisation's standard-setting system must become a priority.
The Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, which has the firm support of the Australian government, is a significant milestone on the road to reform of the standard-setting process. The Australian Government's workplace relations legislation reflects our respect for the fundamental principles in the Declaration. For the first time in our federal jurisdiction the national legislation expressly recognises the principle of freedom of association by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of membership or non-membership of a union. The Act also contains extensive provisions designed to prevent and eliminate discrimination against employees on a range of grounds including those listed in the core Convention on Discrimination in Employment and Occupation.
In the true spirit of the Declaration, it is timely for the ILO to focus its energies on the core purposes of its work and standards.
Clear evidence of the urgent need for reform of standard-setting processes is the very poor ratification rate of conventions in recent years. The Director-General has pointed out that only three of the 23 conventions and two protocols adopted since 1983 have received 20 or more ratifications. This low rate of acceptance damages the credibility of the ILO's international labour code. It made little sense to keep adopting new conventions that have little support because Member States consider them to be either too prescriptive or not relevant.
The ILO needs to ensure that its labour code is contemporary and has universal relevance. Over time, many conventions and recommendations have lost their relevance for both developing and developed countries in a rapidly changing world. Therefore, it is high time that the labour code was brought up to date. This can be achieved in the following way.
Firstly, Australia believes that the ILO needs to introduce improved processes for identifying new labour standards that are likely to enjoy widespread support. In this way we could avoid wasting time on consideration of issues like contract labour for which there was little real support among Members.
Furthermore, where new labour standards are proposed, they should be expressed in flexible, principles-based instruments of general relevance. This accords with the Director-General's concept of framework conventions. Matters of detail concerning the way in which conventions could be implemented should be incorporated in accompanying recommendations. The Discrimination instruments adopted in 1958 are a good model.
But we need to go further than that. More consideration should be given to the adoption of recommendations, without accompanying conventions, that give guidance on many labour issues not considered appropriate for inclusion in conventions. A good recent example is last year's recommendation 189, which provides guidance for Members in the design and implementation of policies on job creation in small and medium-sized enterprises. Appropriate use of recommendations would help ensure Member States can apply new labour standards flexibly in accordance with changing circumstances and their particular national conditions.
In proposing this type of approach to standard-setting, I note the concern expressed by the Director-General that the present supervisory system at times gives equal weight to very serious issues and other issues which are essentially only matters of detail. I also note his comment that the system of supervision as a whole is increasingly bogged down under its own weight. He is right to point out that governments should understand the mechanisms for flexibility built into conventions.
Australia believes that more should be done to rationalise existing standards. Many conventions cover a good deal of common ground. It is time to consider how such conventions and associated recommendations can be reformulated to produce new instruments that express contemporary labour standards relevant to all countries.
It is vital that the ILO approaches reform of standard-setting expeditiously. I note that a number of steps to review conventions and recommendations have been taken in recent years. However, as only limited progress has been made, it is important that standard-setting reform remains firmly on the agenda.
My government is seriously considering ratifying the 1997 ILO Constitutional Instrument of Amendment which allows for the abrogation of obsolete international labour standards. The appropriate consultations have not yet been finalised, and the formal treaty-making processes must be completed before I can make any formal undertaking. However, I can say that to date, no objections have been raised to this most reasonable proposal.
The reform agenda must enable the organisation and its members to focus on practical issues. For example, the Australian Government has already laid before the international community the plight of two of our citizens, Messrs Pratt and Wallace, who are employees of the Australian division of the humanitarian aid organisation, CARE International, in the troubled Balkans region. These two employees have been wrongly accused and sentenced to long gaol sentences on baseless charges by the Yugoslav Government. These two workers were performing their employment tasks in most difficult circumstances. They have been deprived of basic human rights. We repeat our call for their immediate release - not just on humanitarian grounds but in order to recognise and respect their rights as employees. I have already raised this matter directly with the Director-General and am encouraged by his interest in this issue.
I welcome the opportunity to confirm Australia's support for a new Convention and Recommendation aimed at eliminating the worst forms of child labour. Their adoption will provide significant support for the ILO's efforts to promote and realise its fundamental principles.
In conclusion, I reiterate Australia's strong support for reform of the ILO's structures and processes. It is vital that the opportunity to achieve significant reforms is not permitted to slip away. The measure of the Organisation's success in achieving real, durable reform will be evidence of increasing compliance with the fundamental principles of the Declaration and contemporary labour standards.
You might think that it's a little out of place for a television actor to be standing up here talking about Peter Reith's stripping of our award system. I know that many people have the view of actors that it's all big money and your own trailer on the backlot beside Tom Cruise. For most of us, it couldn't be further from the truth. Actors are workers. Workers who have basic day to day conditions to work under with an employer.
The two major headaches for performers under the new Industrial Relations Act are (and this is what Mr Reith doesn't seem to understand):
1. We work for many different employers in any one year, for varying periods of time, and are more than likely doing a totally different type of job each time.
2. We work in an industry that has incredibly specific requirements. Therefore, this means a day on a film shooting out near Cobar needs far different conditions, rates of pay and hours of work, than a national tour of the musical "Chicago" - and voicing a radio commercial for an hour in a soundproof studio bears no resemblance to wearing a banana suit for twelve hours a day.
### Peter Reith's industrial reforms could not have been worse for us. It has meant that each time we are employed, sometimes it is only for one day, we have to negotiate the terms and conditions for that day. The job is always unusual by nature, so Reith's ten basic points are hopelessly inadequate.
For instance, Performers share many of the same conditions required by the job description of the man or woman standing next to you. But, as an example of the specifics of the industry, the man or woman next to you would probably never have to negotiate doing that job without any clothes on. But I'll get back to that ...
Reith's 1st wave of reforms removed the standard contracts that dealt specifically with each different type of job that a performer might have. And more terrifying still, the insufficiency of Reith's basic points mean that in an industry where the competition is fierce, the lack of minimum wages and conditions is disastrous. If it means scoring that job, performers will work for less than the minimum wage; and taker no touring allowance for working interstate; and forgo the ten hour break by knocking off at 11pm and starting again at seven if it means work. In our business, there is always someone who will do it for less - so, unless the contracts can protect us, we end up undercutting each other and forcing our wages down and down. We CANNOT, as Mr Reith laughingly would have us believe, convince a huge production company who has a line of two hundred auditionees at the door that we are worth more than wages and conditions that are the bare minimum. This state of affairs means that making a living for experienced, well known and respected actors has become more and more difficult. - I'm not talking about people just starting out in the business - this has affected some of the cream of our dramatic talent as well.
Okay, now back to the specifics of an actor's job. The clearest illustration I can give you is nudity. The nudity clause in the standard contract deals with something that not too many other professions need to deal with. The builders labourers probably will never have to negotiate appearing naked on the site (now there's a picture !).
It's a fact in modern theatre and cinema. It's not shocking or unusual. It's part of many a role that actors, both men and women, find as part of their job at one time or another. The clause laid out things like:
# .. the set where the actor was to appear naked was to be a closed set ... This means that only absolutely essential crew were to be allowed access at that time;
# .. that details such as whether the actor was to be viewed from a full frontal or back and be clearly stated in the contract
# .. and that an extra loading be added to the fee for the performer over and above the rate of pay for the job.
Peter Reith last year lodged a notice of objection to the stripped back (pardon the pun) version of the contract, stating that the clause relating to appearing nude was not a allowable matter. What needed to be done was to inform the actor formally that they would be appearing nude. He also wanted to remove clauses regarding the termination of sick or injured performers ... and even the kettle from the kitchen in a job where you are often unable to nip down to the shop to get a cuppa because of the banana suit you're wearing.
Performers, however, voted to take this matter further through our union, the EQUITY section of MEAA, and took Peter Reith to task on the nudity issue.
Our standard theatre contract, thanks to a long and concentrated battle fought by the MEAA remains. The full bench of the Industrial Relations Commission found it to be an "exceptional matter", and must stay in place for the fair employment of performers in theatre. So did the EIEA, the employers association.
That was the first wave ... now there's more to undermine us. And this stuff is really dangerous.
Firstly: Employers will be able to use non-standard contracts ... This means that even if the employer has signed a Performers certified agreement, they can legally offer lower rates of pay and conditions in a secret agreement;
Secondly: If there is more than 60% union membership in a production, then Equity will be investigated. Equity (by the way) has 100% membership.
Thirdly: Services of the Industrial Relations Commission to conciliate matters will cost both parties ... That's if you can get the other party to agree !
The major point for me is the knowledge that, for performers, individual agreements do not serve us well at all, and that collective bargaining is the only way we can begin to ensure that our basic, basic right as workers are protected. Reith's reforms make it impossible for the individual to negotiate fairly with employers.
If you can join a union, do it.
If you are a member, support it.
It's the only bargaining tool most of us have left
Rich nations take back $9 in debt repayments for every $1 given in aid. That is money that could be spent on health and education. The UN estimates that debt relief could save the lives of 7 million children every year.
The campaign for debt cancellation is realistic, affordable and achievable. But we need to keep up the pressure and that's where you come in. We handed in an incredible 17 million signatures to the world's leaders at the G8 Summit in Cologne in June 1999. We will be handing more signatures in the months ahead and only need to collect five million more signatures to make it the world's largest petition.
Sign the petition now and make the millennium a celebration for everyone.
Jubilee 2000 needs to collect 22 million signatures for the world's largest petition. Chain letters have traditionally been an effective way of spreading information fast. With email, it is even easier.
At a click of a button we can get the petition out to hundreds of people. If they send it to all their contacts, we have the potential to reach a vast network of people with information about the campaign.
Play your part by firstly sending an email petition signature to us, if you have not already done so, and secondly by copying (submitting) all the text below into a new email to all your friends and contacts.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
1. Sign the Petition yourself.
Send an email to mailto:[email protected]
"We, the undersigned, believe that the start of the new millennium should be a time to give hope to the impoverished people of the world.
To make a fresh start, we believe it right to put behind us the mistakes made by both lenders and borrowers, and to cancel the backlog of unpayable debts of the most impoverished nations.
We call upon the leaders of lending nations to write off these debts by the year 2000. We ask them to take effective steps to prevent such high levels of debt building up again. We look for a new beginning to celebrate the millennium.
2. Get your friends to sign the petition - select all the above text into a new email, put "Cancel the debt" in the SUBJECT and then send the email to all your friends and contacts asking them to sign too.
For all the latest news and information on the international movement that is Jubilee 2000, see our web site - http://www.jubilee>2000uk.org
by Lee Rhiannon
Concerns about the health of these people has been taken up by representatives of The Greens, the CFMEU (construction division) and the LEAD group (the toxic metals lobby action organisation) at a meeting with Mr Debus, the Minister for Emergency Services. The deputation requested that the NSW government direct insurance companies to cover the full costs of cleaning up contaminated ceiling dust.
"We were very pleased with the positive hearing Mr Debus gave to our joint request that insurance companies be required to cover the full costs of removing all dust from ceiling cavities before work begins," Gerry Ayers, OH&S Coordinator with the Building Trades Group stated.
"Mr Debus indicated that he saw merit in our suggestion and that he would ensure this matter comes up at the Southern Sydney Disaster Recovery Taskforce.
"If insurance companies are not obliged to pay, the important job of cleaning up the contaminated ceiling dust will not occur. Workers and people living in these houses will be exposed to dangerous substances," Gerry Ayers added.
Ceiling dust frequently contains a cocktail of carcinogenic heavy metals, asbestos, pesticides and other toxic and dangerous substances.
Greens member of the NSW Upper House, Ms Lee Rhiannon, in correspondence with the Minister prior to the meeting, had warned that some Sydney homes have lead levels as high as 20,000 parts per million (ppm). As anything above 300 ppm is regarded as a moderate biohazard, there clearly is a need for urgent action to protect people living or working in a building where the ceiling is being replaced.
"Mr Debus, as the Minister, and all those involved in emergency services have responded fantastically in the aftermath of the hail storm. Now the Minister needs to follow through and ensure residents and workers do not suffer. The government needs to oblige insurance companies to accept their responsibility. Anything less will put people's health at serious risk.," added Lee Rhiannon.
Elizabeth O'Brien, coordinator of the LEAD group, explained to the Minister that many residents and workers in 'tarp' city do not understand the dangers posed by contaminated ceiling dust.
"We are aware that most of the workers involved are contractors and therefore do not enjoy the safeguards normally associated with permanent employment," added Elizabeth O'Brien.
by Lucy Taksa
It's part of a major effort to research and record the rich history and culture of the workshops.
The event is hosted by the Australian Technology Park which now controls the buildings of the former workshops. The main location is the ATP Atrium, formerly the "new" loco workshop.
From the Steam Age to the Information Age
The Eveleigh Railway Workshops were built during the 1880s, and operated for just over one hundred years. Recognised as one of the most advanced railway workshops in Australia, numerous conservation plans have documented their heritage value.
A new multi-media and virtual reality project is helping build a bridge between Eveleigh's railway past and its current role as a Technology Park.
With an Australian Research Council grant, labour historian Dr Lucy Taksa of the University of NSW has begun to develop a number of inter-related multi-media products using the latest information technologies, to provide greater understanding of Eveleigh's industrial and social history, and the people who once worked there.
Re-connect to Eveleigh - oral history, mementos, family history
A focus of the reunion will be the display of lists of people who worked at Eveleigh between 1887 and 1950, as published in the NSW Government Gazette. People will be able to start to trace theirfamily members who once worked at the heritage site. Former employees can register to recordtheir oral history of working at the site.
People with memorabilia from Eveleigh will be able to display their historical materials and register their willingness to loan them for future display at Eveleigh or donate them to organisations like the State Library of NSW.
Important groups of former workers are expected to join other participants in reunions, including:
� Many of the thousands of trades people who completed part of their training in the Workshops
� Members of Eveleigh Returned Services Association
� Officials from trade unions that once covered those who worked at Eveleigh
� Families of 25 Labor Party figures who began their working lives at Eveleigh
� Retired Railway Employees Association
A Railway Song and Poem Competition, sponsored by the Rail Tram and Bus Union, will be launched at the picnic, with entries closing at Easter 2000.
There will be a display of models of every steam locomotive built at Eveleigh. Entertainers taking part in the Australia Wide Folk Week of Music Song and Dance will perform at the picnic.
The NSW Folk Federation has welcomed the Eveleigh Workshops event because of the important contribution that railways have made to our country's rich folk culture.
Former Eveleigh workers who want to register for a reunion, to participate in the oral history project, or bring along memorabilia, can give their details by phoning 02 9668 9914.
The register will form part of a commemotative wall at the Eveliegh site.
For further information: Peter Murphy 0418 312 301
by Michael Purvis
Becoming a republic would mean cutting the last link with Britain so the Queen would no longer be our head of state. And without the Queen there would be no role for her representative in Australia, the Governor-General. So who then would become our head of state?
There would appear to be several good reasons for appointing the Prime Minister, who is already head of government, to be also the head of state.
First, we would save money. Maintaining the current office of Governor-General costs some millions of dollars and presumably the cost of maintaining a president would cost a similar amount. Second, having the PM as head of state sidesteps the question of how we pick the president, whether by direct election or by two-thirds majority of Parliament or some other method. Third, it would also avoid the difficult question of what powers we want the president to have. Would the president just assume the powers of the Governor-General? If so, would he or she be able to sack a democratically elected government, as happened in 1975? What would happen if, in the new republic, President Reith and Prime Minister Beazley didn't get on?
The reality is that there are many things that the Governor-General can do but not a lot that he or she has to do. The Governor-General can give an address to the nation on Australia Day, lay wreaths on the War Memorial in Canberra on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day. He or she can also make useful contributions to the national debate on matters of public importance, such as reconciliation between indiginous and non-indiginous Australians as the current Governor-General, Sir William Deane has done.
All of theses are important and valuable functions but none of them could be described as an essential part of discharging the functions of the office of Governor-General. Each of these could be done by the Prime Minister and some might argue it would be more appropriate if they were discharged by the Prime Minister since he or she is the senior elected representative of the people.
As far as I can work out the only part of the Governor-General's job that could be described as essential is that of presiding over the orderly transfer of power after a change of government. Someone has to open Parliament and swear in the Prime Minister and the other ministers after each election and to date that has always been the Governor-General. If we did become a republic, the spectacle of the Prime Minister swearing in himself may seem a bit too Napoleonic. Likewise, the Prime Minister swearing in the other ministers or opening Parliament might seem inappropriate to some eyes.
So, in a republic without a president who could we turn to fulfil these important if infrequent duties? Federal elections are required to be held every three years and there are ministerial reshuffles from time to time that require new ministers to be sworn in. While opening Parliament and administering the oath of office are extremely important duties and therefore must be discharged by someone of sufficient stature they could hardly be described as so arduous as to occupy someone of high stature on a full-time basis. The role is essentially part-time.
In the United States the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, in addition to his primary responsibility of running the nation's most important judicial body, also administers the oath of office to the incoming president. Could the Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia administer the oath of office to the Prime Minister? Could the Chief Justice open Parliament? I cannot see why not. But if there was significant opposition to this, either from the Chief Justice or from the public, perhaps an alternative could be found in the Speaker of the House of Representatives. This may be a more appropriate option since the Speaker is the spokesperson for the people's chamber.
Any way you look at it the bunfight going on at the moment about how we choose the president just seems to be an argument that is better avoided. Unfortunately, the November 6 referendum will shed more heat than light on the matter. The question we will be asked to vote on is so muddled it is unlikely that we will get a clear picture of what has been decided no matter what the outcome. We are being asked not simply whether we want to become a republic but whether we want a particular type of republic, one with a president appointed by Parliament. No matter what the outcome to the question, all sides will put their particular spin on the answer.
If the question is lost the monarchists will claim it as a victory for those who want to keep the present system, even though many of those voting no will be in favour of a republic. Those who want a directly elected president will claim it is a victory for their side. What Malcolm Turnbull will claim is anyone's guess but I doubt he'll accept it as a defeat. The problem is that we are being asked the wrong question. It might be better for us to vote 'no' and next time, ask the right question: Should Australia become a republic? Yes or no. If the answer is yes, which seems likely, we can then start talking about what we want this new republic to look like and whether we do, in fact, need a president.
by The Chaser
CANBERRA (Friday): The Federal Liberal Party is considering taking action to overcome a huge slump in support in key marginal seats, even though the election is more than eighteen months away.
"We may have to sell off more of Telstra or some other public body to fund our marginal campaign," admitted Senator Richard Alston, one of the Ministers involved in the dolling out of funds from the Federation and Cultural Heritage Program, funded from the sale of the first third of Telstra.
According to senior Liberal sources, most of the second tranche of the Telstra sell-off will be used to reverse the huge slump in support in the seats which Kerry Chikarovski has visited during her "Listening Tour of NSW".
The scheme is a breakthrough for the Liberal Party as it is based on no financial input on their part. "It's a bonanza," admitted one senior Liberal, "we sell off the public institutions to the Australian public and then use the funs to convince those in marginals to vote for us so we can start the whole process again."
"I must admit though, we didn't think of it first. The Labor Party did. We just made it much, much bigger."
Sen. Alston admitted, however, that the medium-term viability of the scheme was under question. After we've sold off Telstra, there's not a lot more to sell. Of course, we can sell of the post-office and then the roads - but Kennett's already thought of that," he said.
Sen. Alston ruled out selling off the Reserve Bank of Australia. "We believe in preserving the independence of the Reserve Bank," he said. "Everyone knows that if it became a private business that its links would be far too close to the Liberal Party."
WORKING THE MENACE
"The desk clerk says the old man sees, spooks and sometimes scares the guests." Eco Foucault's Pendulum
Sure. You could injure yourself matey. So? Whatchya want me to say for Christ's sake? Is that whatchya bloody gettin at? Is that whatchya want? Life. Always some bloody reason to stop us makin decent money.
Trench warfare.
So where's the pursuing imagination? To dream, simple, rich, attainable. Why the burial before an official declaration of death? Is there no history? No life here? Where are the risks?
Sure life gets injured. There was a time, you must remember, before tops and rotating buzzers, dolls and miniatures of all kinds became real popular. For everybody. And the hours in the dark, the cold . . . were spent playing Eskimo Cat's Cradles. Was that no rehabilitation? Of life's injuries?
Everybody knew. Each time they knew. So well. This hunting was dangerous. What choice did you have? The kayak or the kayak.
Anyway.
They were particularly safe. Fully equipped for seal hunting and carried on the curved deck - what smelled of oil and salt - the harpoon and throwing-board, stabbing spear, inflated sealskin buoy and a circular sieve-like drag for attachment to the quarry, and wound-plugs to prevent loss of valuable blood and buoyancy. (They were something else. Great improvement; not all that safe but.) Later a white cloth was added for camouflage on the ice. But injuries continued to happen. Serious. And deaths.
Soon as you get up first thing in the morning, right? You could break a leg. Go to the bathroom, Smash! (He clapped his hands too loudly.) Your head bangs on the bath. Gone! A cripple for the rest of your fucked up life. Soon abandoned.
You seen what happens?
A small voice, tired eyes.
You go out on the road and one of a million cars could smash you. Some mad driver thumps the shit outayou. Once is all it takes. Once.
He looked out the window.
You'll be breathing pesticides, lead, manganese, all sorts of fumes, petrol, benzene. All day. Food could have bugs in it, the doctor could kill you, chicken bone gets caught in your throat. Finito! You going to guarantee this wouldn't happen?
He leaned towards me, pointing. Bullets. Arguments built word by word over so many years. A lifetime. Cat's Cradle.
You go to work, something falls on yr head, right? Life's risky! The whole joint's dangerous mate. Real bad. It adds up. And here you are! Worried about asbestos!
You're breathing dust all fucken day, wool dust, cotton dust, shit dust, fumes, chemicals, all kinda crap through central heating or cooling systems. Some bloody giant airconditioning that makes you feel weird. Solvents, metals in the air . . .
He'd been through this theatre before. And the fear of losing his job. Constantly haunted by humiliation.
Factories near you are pumping wastes in the rivers, creeks, everything. Not to mention your lungs. It's like you're living in a chemical soup. It adds up. You know what it adds up to? It adds up that life is just fucken risky. See?
That's it.
So what you wanna worry about all of that for? It's just another one. Breathe it, lick it, eat it, it's crawling all over you. Every part of yr body.
Manic.
He had grown old enough to be shit-scared of what's around the corner from the earliest years of working with asbestos. For one. But he wasn't ready to talk about his permanent nervous cough. From time to time he offered me a Butter Menthol which he chewed incessantly.
Why then complain about breathin a bit more asbestos, a bit more fibreglass, a bit more this, more that? Or that the water pipes coming to yr house carry a few asbestos fibres into yr guts? What do you reckon? Are a few asbestos fibres in yr gut going to be worse than no asbestos fibres in yr guts? Or less of 'em anyway? Who yr kidding? Good fibre diet I reckon!
The long-distance runner broken through the humiliation barrier long ago and become a clich�d cynic. A commentator on life. Bitterness had given him an air of complicity in the main show. He had become a surviving career-oppressed, the lifetime vocation of the helpless.
He was also shit-scared about his cough.
BUCKETS FROM HEAVEN
Well, look. That's one thing. But they are lucky to have a job. Do you know the level of unemployment here?
About six suspiciously polite managers and scoffing supervisors (Should I be evasive?) and some over-eager workers followed me around during the walk-through. Because they were I s'pose. Some of the managers wore suits. A slow inspection. Notes. I usually follow the product (whatever) from entry to exit. From the point it arrives to the factory in some raw form to the point where it leaves as cash "crop" (so to speak). Sometimes I start the other way around. Confuses people. Sometimes me too.
Inspecting is tedious. Sometimes bizarre. I stop frequently. I ponderously consider posts, poles, joists, ceiling rafters and (particularly carefully) ceilings. Slow. Ceilings are interesting (maybe that's going too far) and can tell a yarn all on their own. Various types of insulations lurk here. Moisture and fumes will discolour ceilings. Dusts or fibres all form strange veils gently moving in the uplift of drafts.
Those who join me, unsure of what to look for, or my method, simply swing their eyes and heads along with mine. Wherever I direct my gaze. Management discomfort is often palpable. Just long enough. They should learn.
We arrived at a very large dust-covered corrugated-iron shed. Must be hell in summer. In the middle of it was a long, (rusty) corrugated-iron tower about 8-10 metres high and about 3x3 metres square. Housing for a powerful bucket-conveyor. Heavy metal buckets attached to a moving vertical chain. The bottom bucket scoops the product, which may be sand or smashed glass, and hoists it vertically to the top to tip out onto another conveyor heading at a slight decline into a hopper.
The taking and shifting. The world moved about only to return to an equilibrium in its own good time. Sand and rocks.
Many times factory operations are stopped or plant is being carefully maintained when I conduct inspections. At this workplace this very dusty operation had stopped for maintenance. Silent, dust covered. Apparently dead.
Members of the inspection party were talking to each other, working at becoming casual. Nonchalant. About two metres from the bottom of this corrugated tower. They were just beginning to get bored with the unexceptional.
I slowly looked upwards to the top of the stack. Up to the heights of the shed. Swept with my eyes beam to beam. More ceiling-gazing. I noticed a couple of forced puffs of dust, suddenly, expelled under some pressure. Oddly, like an inversion layer it hung up there for a moment before dispersing. All machinery and processes had been stopped for hours . . .
I glanced at the entrance to the main shed. We were about eight metres from it. A heavy railway wagon was parked just outside on the shiny rails that meandered throughout the site.
So! Just a puff of dust. I had seen such puffs before. It happened on an uneventful descending evening. It came from a thick tug rope pulling a ship off the wharf in the Port of Melbourne. And then the rope snapped like an exploding whip and nearly killed an assistant harbour master as it swung whistling and thumped ferociously across the stern, whiplashed on the concrete wharf. A canon shot, Jock, you might as well go home tonight! the pilot radioed the stunned man on the wharf.
I said to the group with me that something wasn't right and stepped gingerly outside the front entrance and behind the powerful rail wagon. Some of the men looked at each other and one or two began drifting towards me. Overcautious?
And then the explosion! Inside the corrugated-iron housing. An enormous continuing falling and crashing noise. Something heavy was careering to earth. Home. The thin corrugated-iron walls were wobbling in and out like the sides of a balloon about to burst. The group froze.
The entire event didn't last more than about 8-10 seconds. The metal chain carrying the buckets had snapped and the entire bucket-conveyor and all the buckets crashed to the bottom of the stack in a huge heap. Had the stack shell broken open . . .
WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE?
". . . an abundance of owls of all kinds, scarabs and ibises, and Oriental divinities of uncertain origin" . . . Eco
So you like sugar. Then why the torture? Eat.
In one of these places large amounts of chemicals were on sale. To the public. Well, No, and Yes. It's sort of unusual. All biocides (killers of life you can call them), like pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, slimicides, herbicides . . . are used to kill all kinds of organisms and plants that people don't want. Na. It's not. Infanticide is different. I'll tell you another time. Bugs.
In some of the sheds (like big tool sheds) I inspected, groups of these chemicals were stored in strange containers. Well, wait and I'll tell. The state of some of these containers had to be seen to be believed. Even then you wouldn't believe it.
Half-torn, half-empty plastic once-were-orange-juice bottles, with dirty lumps of singlet for stoppers. Like corks, bottle tops. Some of these chemicals are cancer-causers. I don't bloody know how.
That just means a cancer-starter. Like firelighters. No. No. Firelighters don't give you cancer, though some of the chemicals in them are dangerous . . . but anyway what I meant . . . they start a fire, just the same as cancer-causers are able to start cancer. But it's not all that simple. Because I was trying to explain it to you in some way. Wasn't I? No. Cancer is not like a fire. But it hurts alright and very often can scare you or even kill you. But it can stay inside your body for a long time and slowly eat you up. Na. Na. I didn't mean really eat you up like a monster . . . But I suppose you could see it that way. Sort of like a monster eating you up from the inside. Quick-like. I suppose I could describe to you what such a monster looks like but I think you're too little and you could end up getting sad and depressed if you could imagine it too well. And don't forget you need to be a worker one day.
Well, it's sort of like getting an image inside your head and you can sort of see it, or look at it. No, I don't think there's a screen inside your head but . . . yes you can get cancer inside your head and it eats your brains out, yum yum. No, that's sheep's brains. Yes they can get cancer but usually they don't live long enough because . . .
OK then, I'll tell you.
Often the wooden floors in these sheds acted like blotting paper for leaking drums. For chemicals that leaked during pouring out from one container to another. The result was that a constant invisible cloud of chemical fumes hung in most of the sheds all the time. It was so strong it could be smelled metres away outside.
In one shed with a stained wooden floor. A metre off the ground. On wooden posts. That's right. Some of the chemicals had leaked through the floorboards. Over the years small chemical stalactites formed below the floor. Under the cracks. Like in caves. Remember? They just hung there like knobbly chemical bats. Upside down.
The fumes from this particular shed, from under the floor, drifted more than 20 metres outside. Some of the weeds within that range were mutated with knotted and asymmetrical leaves. Uneven. The entire area around this depot was desolate, not a single flower.
The men themselves argued that they could no longer smell any fumes. No masks were available.
I asked the manager why wasn't there good ventilation in this shed, why weren't there any safety information sheets, why wasn't any training provided, why wasn't greater care shown with use of chemicals.
The very best that this man could come up with was some mumbled talk about budgets and that "all chemicals are dangerous anyway".
Aren't they? Everything could, could, mind you! hurt you, couldn't it.
'A Kind of Violence' is published by Vulgar Press
For more information contact Ian Syson on phone (03) 9348 2140/2615 or fax (03) 9348 2448 or mailto:[email protected]
Environment
Greens, CFMEU call for Action on Ceiling Dust
History
Eveleigh Railway Workshops celebration
Republic
Does the Republic Need a President?
Satire
Liberals May Need to Sell of More of Telstra
Review
A Kind of Violence
Something funny happened at Radio National this year. No not really. They started playing comedy programs at half past five in the morning. Something to do with giving breakfast serial presenter Peter X Thompson an extra half hour in bed. It was either dead comedians or dead air. RN's idea of comedy is My Word, Hancock's Half Hour, Just a Minute and other geriatric jolts from the BBC vaults which don't cost a thing because no-one in them is still alive. Frank Muir and Denis Norden, Hancock, Hattie Jacques and Sid James all went to the great comedian in the sky long ago so there aren't any repeat fees to pay. The BBC generously donates its dead to volunteer community stations who don't have budgets or production facilities. How RN qualifies for such charity is not clear. They've got plenty of moolah and high tech equipment so what's really missing must be a sense of humour. As if you need me to tell you that.
RN doesn't spend money on its own comedy programs any more. Some time in the 1970s when it was still Radio 2 leftie baby boomers started their move on anything trivial and RN is now a place to crank the angst, a 24 hour service of earnest concern, with selected repeats. Even the music shows have to express cultural relevance.
Nothing, however, is more concerned with relevance than Life Matters. Every morning at 9 - twelve hours later in a cut down version - RN launches its daily flagship, or rather raises its audio distress signal. LM is communal hand wringing, psychic pus squeezing and relentless social worry-gutsing where the earnest 'issues' flow in streams of soupy lava and serious 'matters' are probed like throbbing boils. Heroin, child, wife and husband abuse, getting old, stress, loss, dysfuctionality, the future, the poor, getting old, heroin, staying relevant, the future, stress, identity, fear of unemployability, heroin, getting old, the terrible challenge of Coping with Change.
One can only hope some of it sinks into its listeners' own greying matter because the folks on the show don't seem to learn too much from all this exposure to relevance. Head nurse Geraldine Doogue shares the caring with radio's bedside doctor Norman Swan and even after thousands of hours hearing the woes of the world explained they still come up with 'what does it all mean?' or 'and what were your feelings at the time you lost your husband/leg/house?' or, my favourite 'oh really, is that right?'.
The rest of RN is less of more in different packages but if you want a quick refresher on any or all of it go to the Religion Report for yet another final world on Mabo or the GST, economic rationalism, downsizing and outsourcing. Religion on RNB has to be especially relevant.
Want something off-the-wall like a radio play with actors and laughs or a non topical docco with 'field' sound effects? Forget it. RN doesn't do art during the week. So, if you like actually listening for its own sake you won't want to be into anything outdoorsie or sporty because you'll have to be there by the wireless on Saturday or Sunday afternoon, the only place drama and doccos get scheduled on RN. God knows why but the schedulers assume the only people interested in this stuff want to hear hours of it back to back at the weekend.
If you want something arty during weekdays you'll need to work at it. Come to the wireless with a dictionary and lecture notes and be prepared to joust with the cultural cadres who think Melbourne is the intellectual capital of the Southern hemisphere. Yes, because after 'Life Matters' it's 'Arts Today' by which time I'm gone to the sublimely dopey Classic FM, the ABC station that broadcasts to we retired cardigans who have not a care in the world but the collection of opus numbers. The earnest task of being catalogue accurate for CD addicts who spout dead composers - and those who sound like they ought to be - is what Classic FM is really all about.
Our champion is Margaret Throsby the dumbed down Doogue. Every day she has a chat with a visiting nob. Whether it's a writer with no ideas, a painter with no taste or an adventurer with neither but a serious addiction to Sousa Margs likes to keep it cheery while she's digging deep: childhood traumas maybe, favourite recipes, ooh yes please! Another slice of Monteverdi? Nice warm cup of Brahms?
Every great interviewer has a trade mark. Margs has a classic catchphrase: 'I never knew that' she says. Love it. Margs finds it hard to listen to these people and their fascinating stories. Thankfully, she interrupts them just as they are getting to the point. Why? To remind them that her listeners are stupid, that's what. Unlike at RN audience research is taken very seriously at Classic FM, so she's probably got it right. Just like the opus numbers.
The Jays have the same respect for what they call Indie Bands. Underneath the breezy blah there's a very serious concern for giving garage guitars a national platform. The rest is mostly lairy and ladsy but a partial brain has regrown since the mass lobotomy of the early 1990s. Yes, an earnest succession of issues and serious stuff - sex, drugs and work for the dole - in lolly form is presented in true junior Doogue style. Kiddie club RN.
For real, dirty and down earnest dopiness you can't go past 2BL. Popular and cuddly manager Peter Wall has evolved a genuine mission for BL - to make the back page of The Sydney Morning Herald, by comparison, read like the Philosophers' Quarterly. Wall is a big boofy bloke who has done his ratings homework. There can be no other reason to explain his liking for the round-the-clock natter of bland and quacking nerds hosting celebrity forums, gourmet quiz shows, memorabilia moments and 'literary' lunches. Being heard to be thick is taken very earnestly at BL.
Which leaves us with my preferred ABC station: the Parliamentary News Network, or, as PNN's unfortunate weekend presenter Kel Richards let slip one overtired Sunday night, 'You're tuned to CNN'. Yes, PNN is the ABC's relay station. When parliament isn't running it relays Deutsche Welle, Radio Nederlands, BBC World Service and, amazingly, lots of meaningless 'grabs' lifted from Ted Turner's TV news outlet. PNN is radio without pictures, relevance, brains, beauty or anything, and nobody cares or notices. It certainly doesn't take itself seriously. How could it, there's nothing there. My kind of radio.
The Auditor
For every season, There is a reason, And a time, For every purpose, Under heaven.From The Bible via Pete Seeger.
Spring is a schizophrenic time for the sports fan.
At once, the mad weeks of footy finals fever - and the imminent emptiness that is October.
The juggernaut of test cricket will arrive, as ever, in late November.
For some, the eight-week interval between grand finals and the Gabba test is a welcome hiatus of quiet reflection, or hibernation.
For others, it is a dark and desperate tunnel, navigated blindly, until Healy's gruff cry of "Bowled, Warnie" leads us blinking to the sun.
There are distractions, if you want them. But most are flashy trinkets littering a soulless marketplace.
These Kings don't rule
I caught my first Sydney Kings game last year. Admittedly, it was at the fag end of a disappointing season for Australian basketball's most disappointing outfit.
But what an underwhelming experience. Buried under 18 layers of hoopla is a very ordinary trundle up and down a tiny court with broken down Americans playing by memory.
Mind you, kids under 12 years love it. And the Kings' new home base at the sparkling Homebush Superdome should be worth a visit. Then there�s the rumour that Chicago Bulls bad man Dennis Rodham will turn out for Perth this season.
The sweet stench of horse
Switch to the racing channel. The big money races and the good horses are on the way back.
With the ongoing decline in racetrack attendances, there�s more room for those of us who don�t mind the sweet stench of horse.
A day out at Royal Randwick can punctuate the Spring stupor, but be sure to get out before the last race, when the atomised tribe of penniless drunks comes out to play. Also, take your own food.
Every punter has a system. Mine used to be form but I�ve had no luck with it. This spring I�m backing looks, and all my money rests on the beautiful three-year-old Marachel, who I swear winked at me on Sports Tonight.
A higher calling
Still with me? Then sit back and take a deep breath and - imagine, in the words of the prophet, all the sports fans in the labour movement giving it up for eight weeks, in the name of a higher cause.
If an old sports nut like Mike Willisee can find God, then surely we can find the republic.
Because when the referendum results are tallied up on November 6, it will be too late. Watching a smirking Howard and Reith toast the Queen will be worse, much worse, than watching John Elliot and Carlton wrap themselves in the AFL flag, or Manly hoist aloft the NRL trophy, or (OK, I�m being creative) England snatch back the Ashes.
On the front burner
It's not a Fenian thing, it�s a class thing.
A defeat for the republic will be a defeat for the labour movement. It will entrench Howard, advance Reith and make our job that much harder.
That's why we need to move the republic on to the front burner for spring.
And, with no real sport happening - there's a deep reservoir of talent and passion lurking in the minds and hearts of us sports fans.
Let's turn it into a spring tidal wave and wipe out the monarchy and its quislings.
Get the yes vote out
The ARM needs all the support it can muster. For those who want more change and an elected president, there�s the Yes - and More! campaign.
Take your pick, but get the yes vote out. Then, when you sit back for the first session of the first test in November, you will be one proud sports fan.
Peter Moss is a Director of Lodestar Communications.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
How you play the game: the contribution of sport to the promotion of human rights - is a unique conference being held in Sydney from Wednesday 1 September at the Swiss Grand Hotel, Bondi Beach.
It is the first international conference of its kind on sports and human rights. It is sponsored by the Human Rights Council of Australia.
Issues to be discussed at the conference include: The role of team sports in building reconciliation and tolerance; The role of sports people in human rights campaigning and as advocates for change; Issues facing indigenous sportsmen and women; Drugs and sport: the human rights issues
For further information:
Human Rights Council of Australia Inc.
P.O. Box 841
Marrickville N.S.W. 1475
Telephone and fax: +61 (0)2 9559 2269
Email: Andr� Frankovits
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~hrca/
So what does an Organiser at Labor Council do?
Good question, but I think the debate is moving beyond whether we need to Organise - I think the more pertinent question is where to begin? There is little question that workers are coming under increasing attack and with union membership falling many unionists are accepting the fact that we will have to Organise our way out of trouble.
What do we actually mean by Organise? Empowering workers at workplaces to improve their working lives by developing activists and promoting collective activity around issues which are widely and deeply felt - definitely not rocket science.
So how do we develop the Organising capacity of Labor Council?
Firstly, by working intensively with individual unions on campaigns of significance - not simply by assisting with Commission work but by providing on the ground support. This does not just mean an extra organiser but also includes assistance with research, planning, activist development and review.
Secondly, by working one-on-one with organisers and activists to assist in the development of appropriate training structures.
Thirdly, by improving our capacity to mobilise quickly on issues of movement wide importance. This process was kicked off on Tuesday with the circulation of a "Workers Support Register".
And last but definitely not least - continuing the push for cultural change within the Labor Council, from a competent provider of industrial support to a campaigning centre providing the impetus and encouragement for affiliates to experiment with new ways of Organising.
What is the "Workers Support Register"?
Basically it is a list of supporters prepared to be involved in activities which either defend the rights of workers to organise or assist in organising campaigns. People who sign onto the register opt for varying levels of commitment - from taking part in 'peaceful community assemblies', to becoming correspondence activists, to giving up a Saturday to help organise non-members.
Despite a modest birth, the potential of the Register is exciting because it's this kind of commitment from workers to get involved in organising, which is going to form the basis of union renewal.
To go on the Worker Support Register send us your:
- name
- address
- phone number,
- email address
- union
And lets us know which of the following activities you would be interested in participating in (indicate numbers 1-6):
1. Participate twice a year in a phone tree which is activated when workers rights are being violated, either attending a picket at short notice or ringing five other people to explain the situation to them.
2. Collect signatures for petitions supporting the rights of workers
3. Write a letter expressing support for workers whose rights are under threat.
4. Spend one Saturday a year assisting in the organisation of non-union workers?
5. Handout leaflets to the public to support workers rights
6. Assist at my workplace with the Labor Council/ACTU campaign for reasonable working hours and job security.
The Outrage
Greg Combet's ascension to the ACTU secretary's position received wide and positive coverage this week - except from Piers' sponsors .
While most journalists were struggling to come to terms with Combet's stated direction of shifting the focus back to workers, the Daily Telegraph was seeking to trash the concept before they even understood it.
It was old-style anti-union propaganda at its best. In a shoddy and hysterical front page story, the Telegraph attempted to make a scandal of the fact that the Finance Sector Union had paid members $20 to attend focus groups.
Despite the fact the FSU was conducting research to frame an important campaign on working hours, the Telegraph contrived it into an example of the "growing apathy" in union affairs.
The report veered into the comical, asserting (ahem) that the research was being run "by an independent body called ASSIRT". We think they meant the Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training or ACIRRT. But let's not be pedantic.
Now for the reality check. Focus groups meetings are called to get a better understanding of members' concerns, needs and attitudes, are standard practise in all major organisations - political and corporate. The Daily Telegraph does it too - although you wonder what sort of scrutiny our old mate Piers gets?!?
Indeed, one advertising industry source told Workers Online he was amazed anyone would turn up for less than $50 - which means the real story should have been, union members are so dedicated that they're prepared to turn up to meetings for less than half the market rate! Not that that would make great Telegraph copy ...
*********************
Terror Threats
After Tuesday's successful rally, a few of the performers were sitting around over a drink and joking that "even the Telegraph will struggle for a negative angle".
With no aggro and young speakers from the workplace telling real stories, the rally was free of the usual cliches that give rise to the bully-boy headlines that normally accompany these events. But we laughed too soon.
Late afternoon, a Telegraph journalist rang Labor Council seeking comment on allegations that some people had been drinking at the rally. Apparently, out of the 15,000 who attended and behaved so well, half a dozen were seen sucking on twist tops.
Pierswatch is not condoning this behaviour - we believe that newspaper editors and senior columnists are the only members of society who should be permitted to drink at lunch-time.
But to us, the giveaway was that there was one person who went looking for trouble at the rally - and that was the Daily Telegraph reporter.
Unions were trying to do something different - the sort of things the Telegraph has been railing us to do for eons. Yet when we do change - the Telegraph seems unable to change with us.
As it transpired, the Telegraph ditched their bucket job - it probably contradicted so fully with police reports, TV news reports and the AAP wire , that they realised how silly they would have appeared if they'd tried this one.
But the incident is a reminder to everyone in the labour movement of the power these bunch of big, smelly blokes up in Holt Street possess.
*********************
So Where's Wally?
And where was Piers through all this? Secluded in unusually tame self-reflection. While his fingerprints are all over the editorial coverage, we must sit tight and await his next salvo with relish ....
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