Brisbane meeting for `Reworking Australia'

By Bill Mason

BRISBANE -- “Economic rationalism in practice has proved irrational. It has produced injustice, poverty and unemployment”, Professor Frank Stilwell, from the Sydney University Economics Department, told a meeting of 150 people at the Town Hall here on September 1.

The meeting was organised by the group Reworking Australia.

“Basically, economic rationalism is a faith in the free market to resolve our problems.”

Stilwell criticised this “faith” on three grounds: it is theoretically faulty; it subordinates social justice to economic efficiency; and it has not worked in improving the Australian economy.

He slammed the economic rationalist policies of both Labor and Liberal parties, and called for new policies, including a leading role for the public sector; an end to privatisation; an interventionist industry policy, involving an end to tariff reductions, and government action, together with unions, to create environmentally friendly jobs; progressive tax reform; and guaranteed minimum incomes for all.

Other speakers included community development worker Sr Rosemary Grundy, Anglican Bishop Rt Rev Ron Williams and Professor Ian Lowe, Griffith University Science Department.

A Brisbane branch of the national organisation Reworking Australia is to be established this month.

This article was posted on the Green Left Weekly Home Page.
For further details regarding subscriptions and
correspondence please contact glw@greenleft.org.au

Tools

• Bookmark This Page
• Print This Page