Alternative parties discuss jobs, union rights
By Rachel Evans
MELBOURNE — "On the Election Trail" is a recent addition to 3CR's Friday breakfast show. On a recent broadcast, David Risterem from the Greens, Vannessa Hearman from the Democratic Socialists, Bill Deller from the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) and Matthew Townsend from the Australian Democrats discussed job creation and industrial relations.
The Democratic Socialists, the PLP and the Greens agreed that jobs could be created by reducing the working week and putting money back into public transport, housing, and health.
Townsend supported more money for public infrastructure and claimed his party supports "increasing job security for workers". This last promise sounded rather hollow, the other party representatives pointed out, since the Democrats helped pass Howard's draconian Workplace Relations Act.
Hearman laid the blame for unemployment squarely on big business and the major parties' drive to impose austerity and privatisation. Both the Democratic Socialists and the PLP advocate a major increase in corporate tax and an end to the current regressive taxation system.
In contrast, the Democrats and the Greens believe business can play a role in increasing employment. The Democrats advocate giving business more money by abolishing payroll tax and replacing it with "pollution taxes".
While stating that company tax should be increased to 49%, the Greens advocate an expansion in small business and argue that this can be the basis for a more humane labour system.
Rather than giving more money to capitalists, both the Democratic Socialists and the PLP advocate nationalising companies, like BHP, who sack workers.
Hearman, the Democratic Socialists' Victorian Senate candidate, declared: "Let's stop hand-outs to business, get rid of lousy youth wages and give those who create society's wealth — the working class — the right to run society. Let's subject big business to democratisation by opening up their account books. If bosses can't run their firms without sackings, then let the workers run them."
Hearman also hit out at nationalism. "Nationalism and protectionism are a dead-end. The interests of Australian bosses and workers are two separate things.
"As the world capitalist economic crisis gets worse, bosses will always argue for more wages cuts, more job cuts and more government cutbacks to fund hand-outs to boost their 'competitiveness'.
"Workers have to fight big business when it attempts to shift the pain to the workers, not protect them."
The Greens and Democrats believe their role in parliament is crucial to prevent reactionary laws being passed, stop further attacks on ordinary people and the environment, and implement progressive policies.
The Democratic Socialists and the PLP argue for an activist approach to the elections. The PLP's Bill Deller said that, if elected, PLP MPs would use their positions to give the workers' movement a voice.
Hearman added that socialists have no illusions in parliament. "Socialists run in elections to help build mass movements to fight for working people's demands and to expose the real nature of capitalist government. Socialist parliamentarians would need to be accountable to the grassroots activists and play a campaigning role."