E D I T O R I A L

The Long March
Half a million Australian workers turn out for the largest industrial protests the nation has ever seen, an old style symbol of resistance linked by new world technology, opposing laws from another galaxy.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Public Defender
The CPSU's Stephen Jones has confronted the Howard Government's IR agenda at close quarters.

Legal: Craig's Story
An inquest in western NSW is a cautionary tale of the use of AWAs, writes Ian Latham

Unions: Wrong Way, Go Back
The WorkChoice legislation sends Australia down the wrong economic road by smashing the instittutions that have made it strong, argues Greg Combet.

Industrial: WhatChoice?
The Howard Government has shown itself to be the master of illusion, writes Dr Anthony Forsyth

Politics: Queue Jumping
The changes to industrial laws, betray a new vision of Australian society, writes James Gallaway.

History: Iron Heel
Conservative governments using laws to take away basic civil rights. It's nothing new, writes Rowan Cahill

Economics: Waging War
When was the last time you heard an Australian politician talk about incomes policy, asks Matt Thistlethwaite

International: Under Pressure
The push for UN intervention in Burma is intensifying, following a report by Vaclav Havel and Bishop Desmond Tutu into slave labour.

Poetry: Billy Negotiates An AWA
More and more people are meeting Billy, the hero of page 15 of the WorkChoices booklet, including our resident bard, David Peetz

Review: A Pertinent Proposition
Nick Cave's "Australian western" touches on some themes still relevant today, Julianne Taverner writes.

N E W S

Aussies Shrug Off Threats

PM Executes Back Flip

National Rally Boosts Local Action

Restaurateurs Do a Runner

St Hilliers No Angels

Penalties Frozen on Sundaes

Slammer Threat for Operators

Sunday Light on IR Shadows

Sol Dials Up 12,000 Scalps

Boss Likes Women 'Work-Hardened'

Bread Winner on $9 an Hour

King Goes the Gouge

Jo Jacks Up

Currawong Funds for IR Battle

Howard Joins IR Rogues

Arnie Terminated

Activist's What's On!

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Men and Women of Australia
What makes a perfect speech? Michael Fullilove has scoured Australian history to find out.

The Locker Room
The Hungry Years
Phil Doyle gets the feeling we�ve been here before

Culture
From Little Things
Paul Kelly's song about the battle for land rights misses one important character, writes Graham Ring

Parliament
The Westie Wing
Ian West takes a look at Public Private Partnerships, and wonders if we should all just drink rum�

L E T T E R S

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Aussies Shrug Off Threats

They defied a sustained campaign of intimidation, by John Howard and his big-business backers, to take part in the biggest act of civil disobedience Australia has witnessed.

An estimated 170,000 people jammed streets around Melbourne's Federation Square to hear ACTU secretary, Greg Combet, build on the theme with a pledge not to pay massive fines John Howard has in store for trade union activists.

" I will not pay a $33,000 fine for asking for people to be treated fairly," Mr Combet said. "And, I will be asking other union leaders to do the same."

The Melbourne centrepiece was beamed across the continent on a Sky Channel hook-up that linked more than 300 venues. Estimates of total numbers varied between 500,000 and an ACTU figure of 600,000.

Twenty five thousand rallied in Brisbane; while twin Sydney rallies at Martin Place and Belmore Park drew another 50,000. Several Sydney suburban protests, attracted thousands, including those at Stanmore, Gymea, Blacktown and Bankstown.

There were hundreds of other protest venues in towns and cities across NSW.

Eight thousand rallied and marched in Wollongong, while more than 15,000 turned up to venues in and around Newcastle.

At the other end of the scale, a dozen people turned out at drought-stricken Collarenebri; there were 53 at Coonabarabran; 131 at Doug Walters' old stamping ground, Dungog; 425 at Lake Cargelligo in the central west; and another 300 in two-pub Werris Creek.

Hundreds took to the streets, after the hook-up, in dozens of regional centres, including Wagga Wagga, Albury, Moss Vale and Bowral.

Thousands more stopped work in Perth, Dampier, Mackay, Townsville, Darwin and Adelaide.

Everywhere, the theme was resistance.

Thousands of building workers ignored threats of $22,000 fines issued by Workplace Relations Minister, Kevin Andrews, and his Australian Building and Construction Commission chief, John Lloyd, in the days leading up to November 15.

Similar lines were run, over and over in the build-up, in a bid to intimidate workers out of protesting.

Federal departments were instructed to deny people time off to express their opposition and threats were issued against those who attended on their own time.

Several departments, including Centrelink and the ATO, warned staff that using flexi-leave or personal leave to attend the rallies would be "unlawful".

CPSU officials said, last Friday, they had been contacted by more than 100 members concerned that they had been "unfairly or illegally" blocked from attending the protests.

The chief of the Australian Industry Group, Heather Ridout, told the media her organisation would assist individual employers to prosecute staff who joined the protests.

Two of the government's biggest IR supporters, Qantas and Visy, also played the intimidation card, threatening action against individual employees.

Reports are coming in of other acts of intimidation. At Glen Innes, in the NSW Northern Tablelands, hospital managers and the local council blocked employees from attending with threats of disciplinary action.

But the efforts failed to stop the largest single protest in Australian history.

Unions NSW secretary, John Robertson, summed up the mood when he told Sydney protesters the rallies were only round one.

"Today is just the beginning. We will be taking this battle into every electorate and every town in Australia," Robertson said.

"This government, and each of its members, will be held accountable for every family that suffers because of its actions."

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Last Modified: 21 Nov 2005