Jim McIlroy, Brisbane
"We are issuing a challenge to Premier Peter Beattie to use his almost certain big majority after the coming state election to make some significant changes in this state", Coral Wynter, the Socialist Alliance's candidate for Brisbane Central, said on January 31.
Wynter has issued a call for a "Challenge to Beattie" rally to demand that the ALP government use its new term to bring in some long-awaited fundamental reforms. The rally will be held at noon February 4 outside the premier's electoral office at 541 Boundary Street, Spring Hill.
"We all know that Beattie will win this election", Wynter said. "The real question is: what will Labor do with its majority? In the last three years, the Beattie government has done almost nothing to address the burning issues of health, education and large-scale land clearing, in urban and well as rural areas.
"Poverty and homelessness are on the rise in Queensland. Beattie's offer to compensate for stolen wages never paid to indigenous workers is pitiful and insulting. Abortion, which should be a women's right to choose, remains on the criminal code with laws passed in the 19th century. Public housing is woefully inadequate to meet the needs of low-income earners."
Beattie has openly stated that a large majority did not necessarily mean a government could, or would, introduce sweeping reforms and social change. On January 29, Beattie said: "Some people said to me after 2001 when we ended up with our majority 'why didn't you do this?' and 'why didn't you do that? The reason we didn't do some of the airy-fairy ideas that people wanted was, one, we didn't agree with it, and two, we didn't promise them."
Wynter told Green Left Weekly: "I urge people to join the protest outside Peter Beattie's office on February 4 to demand full compensation for stolen wages, more money for health and education, an end to privatisation and outsourcing, the expansion of public housing and the decriminalisation of abortion.
"Our challenge is for Peter Beattie and the Labor Party to actually carry out some of these changes, which are based on the real needs and interests of the people, not 'airy-fairy ideas'."
For more information on the Socialist Alliance challenge, phone (07)3358 5032 or contact < brisbane@socialist-A HREF="mailto:alliance.org"><alliance.org> or
From Green Left Weekly, February 4, 2004.
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