Large left-of-Labor vote in Victoria

BY GRAHAM MATTHEWS

MELBOURNE — The victory
of the Labor Party in the Victorian state election has surprised few. The
most encouraging aspect of the election was the huge increase in the left-of-Labor
vote, which in some inner-Melbourne seats totalled around 30%.

The swing towards the ALP will give Premier Steve Bracks the ability
to “finish the job” of undoing the damage done by the previous Jeff Kennett
Liberal government. But looking at the pitiful start the Labor Party made
in its first term of office, it has much work to do.

The
Bracks government has followed the same ethos of the Kennett government
it replaced. It has failed to renationalise public utilities, has reopened
only one of the more than 350 schools closed by Kennett and has done little
to alleviate hospital waiting lists. It would be a brave person who would
suggest that Bracks will now take social services for the poor and disadvantaged
much further at all.

Among the first pieces of legislation that Bracks has committed his
returned government to, is strengthening police powers. Police will be
given the power to search any building or vehicle (including homes) without
a warrant, up to seven days before a suspected terrorist incident, and
up to 48 hours after. “Who exactly is empowered to decide when seven days
before a suspected terrorist incident begins is not clear”, said Socialist
Alliance candidate for Brunswick, Judy McVey, speaking at her campaign
launch on November 27.

“This has been something of a no-choice election”, Arun Pradhan, the
Socialist Alliance candidate for Melbourne told Green Left Weekly.
“Neither mainstream party has offered any positive reforms. The Liberals’
threat to attack militant trade unions has set them apart from Labor and
made it important that Labor is returned. But Labor has offered nothing
— only more police, and a housing development at Royal Park.”

The Victorian Greens did extremely well. Receiving 9.2% statewide, they
scored more than 20% in four inner-city seats, the highest being Richmond
where they got nearly 28%.

At the root of their campaign has been a yearning for a fairer society,
based on ecological and socially just values. Kenneth Davidson, writing
in the November 28 Age, argued that the Greens were the real alternative
in the election, while Labor and Liberal were offering variations of the
same austerity.

“The Greens campaign was a very important one”, said Jackie Lynch, Socialist
Alliance candidate for Northcote. “The Greens placed genuine reform on
the agenda. They have campaigned for improved health, housing and education.
We sincerely congratulate them on this result and welcome the strong shift
left of Labor that it represents.”

However, feeling that they may have had a chance to win seats, “the
Greens played down the radical aspects of their program, such as opposition
to war and the demand to free the refugees.”

“The Greens’ failure to take a seat illustrates the undemocratic nature
of the parliamentary system”, Justine Kamprad, Socialist Alliance candidate
for Footscray told GLW. “Despite having received nearly 10% across
the board, and considerably more in some seats, the Greens have been denied
representation under electoral rules that gerrymander for the wealthy parties
supported by big business.”

The Socialist Alliance, standing in five lower-house seats, campaigned
strongly on opposition to war and support for refugees. All Socialist Alliance
election material carried an advertisement for the December 1 peace rally,
in addition to arguments for socialism.

“The Greens have opened up the space to say that you can go for someone
other than Labor or Liberal”, McVey said at her campaign launch. “The Socialist
Alliance can be that kind of a party. We are out there building a party
for working-class people to change society. The vote is not the most important
thing.”

The Socialist Alliance received more than 2750 votes across the five
seats it contested, with the highest being Kamprad’s vote of 2.62%. On
the day of the election, the Socialist Alliance mobilised 210 people, with
more for the campaign as a whole.

The Socialist Alliance will be capping the election campaign with a
further discussion on greater unity. Under the title “Fighting War and
Racism: How do we build the socialist movement today?”, the forum will
be held on Wednesday December 11 at the RMIT function room, Swanston Street,
city. For information call Graham 9639 8622 or David 0418 316 310.

From Green Left Weekly, December 4, 2002.

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From GLW issue 519