Socialist Alliance stands in Cunningham

September 18, 2002
Issue 

BY MARG PERROTT Picture

WOLLONGONG — The Illawarra Socialist Alliance met on September 8 and unanimously endorsed Chris "Will" Williams as its candidate in the October 19 federal by-election for the NSW seat of Cunningham.

Williams is a 24-year-old part-time worker at the People's Medical Centre in Warilla. He is a leading member of the Wollongong Refugee Action Collective, assistant secretary of the South Coast May Day committee and was recently elected as secretary of the Wollongong branch of the Democratic Socialist Party. Earlier this year he helped organise the "Justice for Palestine" campaign.

There is much anger and cynicism in the Illawarra about the resignation of the sitting ALP member Steven Martin. Martin was shadow minister for trade and tourism at the time and had been speaker of the House of Representatives.

Martin announced his retirement on the day he became eligible for all possible parliamentary retirement superannuation and perks. He claimed to be "burnt out". Last week he was given a fellowship at the University of Wollongong.

The ALP candidate in the by-election is Sharon Bird. Bird is well known for changing faction — from "left" to right — in an unsuccessful attempt to win preselection for the federal seat of Throsby, now held by Jennie George. Bird objected loudly to the use of the "N40" rule in that preselection, under which the national executive gets half the votes, and the local branch half. Bird's preselection for Cunningham was under N40 rules.

The apparent hypocrisy of this has generated much discussion on local talk back radio and many letters to the local paper.

When interviewed by local ABC radio, Williams stressed that the Socialist Alliance opposed any war on Iraq and mandatory detention of asylum seekers.

"The government spends billions of dollars on the military to kill people and keep them out of this country, while our health and education systems crumble", he said. "The Socialist Alliance wants to rebuild Medicare and our hospitals, reintroduce free tertiary education, abolish work for the dole and we will never sell Telstra. In fact, we believe that the government should fully renationalise it, along with the banks, insurance companies and big businesses like BHP."

Williams was a guest speaker at the September 11 "Hug for Peace" in Wollongong, an attempt at the Guinness Book of Records' biggest hug. The 500 participants listened to Williams condemn the exploitation of our compassion for the victims of September 11, in order to justify war on Iraq. Williams stirred the crowd to a resounding "No" when he asked if war and violence are a solution to violence and poverty.

The Illawarra Socialist Alliance is calling on the NSW Socialist Alliance to join forces on October 19 to hold a day of political action in Cunningham.

From Green Left Weekly, September 18, 2002.
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