The Victorian Socialist Alliances lead candidate for the Senate, Margarita Windisch, gave this speech to the monthly meeting of the Melbourne branch of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA).
Analysis
In the lead up to the federal election, your guide to whats really happening behind the spin of the official campaign.
Almost 90 Western Australian construction workers are due to suffer fines of up to $22,000 each on November 5, after admitting at an October 24 court hearing to taking unlawful industrial action in February last year. The workers crime was to take part in a 400-person strong strike in February 2006 on the city tunnel section of the Perth-Mandurah rail line to demand the reinstatement of their elected health and safety union representative Peter Ballard, who had been sacked by building company Leighton-Kumagai for insisting on maintaining safe working conditions.
The scientists are horrified. But not being media-savvy publicists, they generally leave their shocking findings in scientific journals. The politicians quote cautious statements issued by scientific committees early in the decade, and worry about scaring off corporate funding. The business executives look for the chance of new profits, and hire public relations experts to advise them on cultivating a green image.
The connections between water scarcity, power generation and the federal governments promotion of nuclear power are worth reflecting on with National Water Week held from October 21-27.
The Big Melt is a new report from Australian climate campaigner David Spratt of Carbon Equity. It warns that the latest data shows the effects of climate change are speeding up, with real dangers of the setting in of self-perpetuating, deepening “runaway” global warming.
There is an idea promoted by the ALP, aimed at obfuscating the partys true nature, which is often used by ALP left-wingers to justify their continued allegiance. Its what may be called the generational myth, and it goes like this: previous generations of ALP leaders and membership have always been more progressive, have more clearly seen the light on the hill, and its only the partys current leadership that has sold out.
Know your candidate: Dr Tim Kirchler (Moncrieff, Queensland)
In a candid chat with Green Left Weekly, Kirchler, who works as a general practitioner on the Gold Coast, spoke about his reasons for running.
"I believe it's time that we in
On October 31, Victorian planning minister Justin Madden released a report that gave the environmental green light for the dredging of Port Phillip Bay. Channel deepening, which is tied to port expansion, is essential according to the Port of Melbourne Corporation (PoMC) because of the bay’s shallowness. Opponents argue that the risks are too great and that alternatives exist, but the Labor state government has made it clear that it wants the project to proceed.
A call for socialist ideas
Speaking at the launch of Socialist Alliance candidate Jim McIlroy’s campaign for the federal seat of Griffith, held by ALP leader Kevin Rudd, veteran socialist and university lecturer Gary MacLennan called for the continuation of the struggle for socialist ideas.
On October 21, the day of the great debate, Labor leader Kevin Rudd announced Labors latest policy to help working families. He promised, if elected, to increase the federal government rebate on child care costs from 30% to 50% and to pay the rebate quarterly rather than annually. This promise stands alongside Labors pledge to allocate $2.5 billion dollars to allow working families to claim 50% of educational costs up to $750 per year for primary school kids, or $1500 for high schoolers. And of course, lets not forget the education revolution.
Guy Pearse the speechwriter for the federal Coalition environment minister from 1997 to 2000 who blew the whistle last year on the Howard governments use of Australias biggest polluters to write its greenhouse gas emissions policy visited Melbourne on October 24 as part of an east-coast speaking tour.
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