In 1948, the Chifley Labor government declared war on the Miners. The workers were forced back to work by starvation and impoverishment. It took the Labor Party 40 years to recover when Hawke and Keating took office in 1983. The Whitlam Labor government was sacked by the Governor General in 1972.
The Albanese Labor government has attacked the CFMEU. How long will it take for the Labor Party to recover from that, if ever?
We must defend our unions, if you can make it, come to this rally organised by the Electrical Trade Union Queensland. You don’t need to be in a union to defend democratic rights but it helps.
Defending our unions does not mean we support misogyny!
The compromise
Despite there being no criminal charges currently against CFMEU officials in Queensland, Labor premier, Steven Miles, backed up Anthony Albanese by saying the state branch of the party will not accept any donations from the CFMEU.
Miles, who looks unlikely to be re-elected, is taking a gamble because in previous state elections the ALP has relied heavily upon union support, in particular support from the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) and Electrical Trades Union QLD (ETU). The unwritten compromise for unions is for them to support the ALP.
The Labor Party has broken the Covenant that has existed since the formation since the 1890s when the parliamentary party was formed out of the union movement.
Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union of South Australia this week voted to disaffiliate with the Labor Party. Grahame McCulloch has resigned from his position as Labor government appointed administrator of the Victorian branch of the CFMEU.
Ian Curr
13 September 2024