Advance Australia Fair - Building Sustainability, Justice and Peace
Closing plenary - Working together to build an alternative
Sunday 31st July 2005

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Julius Rowe

National President, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union

We must defeat the Howard Government and we must do it quickly. Unless we do this the vision of a more just society and an alternative to corporate led globalisation will be even more remote. The reasons for this are obvious – it is much easier to see the social and political change we embrace in the Conference statement occurring in Canada, in Europe or Australia than in the US. This is because the alternative political and community organisations, particularly the trade union movement, are stronger and because there are stronger social institutions upon which we can build. If we delay, the Americanisation of our society will be more entrenched and the organisations capable of fighting against it will be weakened.

The Howard Government cannot be defeated unless we build a movement with policy coherence, sustained activism and effective reach into the community. Such a movement creates the best opportunity for a new Government to strengthen democratic, collective and community structures and move in the direction of social justice.

At this conference some excellent speakers have outlined the biggest obstacle to the defeat of Howard. That is the way in which Howard’s wedge politics of fear and division have been able to flourish in a climate where the opposition to free market and free trade policies is weak.

I am convinced that Howard cannot be defeated without a sustained campaign, which engages the public widely and deeply – it is not good enough to start a few months out from the poll. I also argue that Howard is unlikely be defeated, unless the ALP is seen to stand for something coherent and differentiated on people’s economic futures. If the conservatives are to be defeated changing ALP policy and ALP effectiveness is one of the important battle-fronts. There are good historical reasons as to why we might be pessimistic about whether this can be achieved. However, the campaign against the industrial legislation offers us some hope.

The experience of the past century around the world is that you cannot have social justice and effective democracy without a strong trade union movement. The exploitation and loss of workers power and dignity which the new laws will unleash will set back social justice in every sphere. The community organisations fighting for environmental sustainability, for an end to poverty at home and abroad, for gender equity, for Indigenous rights, and for public health, education and housing will all be weakened if we lose this battle.

Remember that in the US minimum wages when compared to average earnings are half what they are in Australia. This is what the new laws will produce in Australia along with the removal of penalty rates, overtime rates and a dramatic increase in employer power.

The ACTU’s TV ads correctly show that the objectives of the Howard industrial legislation are lower wages and conditions and shifting the balance of power to the employers at the cost of workers' job security, dignity and control over their lives. The loss of power of the individual workers shown in the union ads is a broader allegory for the loss of power of working people and community organisations. Trade unionists are not fighting for the protection of their members or their institutions – they are fighting to defend and extend workers' power in society.

The industrial relations agenda of the Howard Government is based the inexorable logic that if we have a free market in the interests of big business in all other aspects of economic and political relations then it is inefficient and unsustainable to not do so in the labour market.

It will therefore be hard to win this campaign if the ALP continues to reinforce the view of the employers, the Howard Government and the conservative media that what Australians are enjoying is an unprecedented period of economic sunshine. Labor has to much more clearly talk about the very high levels of real unemployment and underemployment and poor quality, underpaid and insecure employment. It has to stand for defence of quality jobs

This is where the campaign against the industrial laws and a promise to reverse them is so critical to defeating the Howard Government. It offers the glue for an alternative economic policy, the glue for a vision of an alternative social and working life, and the essential basis for a long term campaign which engages widely and deeply. However, it will not work if the ALP says it will have fairer industrial laws but jobs will still be at the mercy of the market. It must be linked to a broader vision about the economy and work including an industry job creation policy, stronger public education and health and an alternative policy on corporate globalisation and free trade.

The movement must talk much more clearly about the increase in work pressures and the pressures of high levels of household debt. We need to expose our unbalanced economy – the record current account deficit and the collapse in manufacturing exports which has resulted from Howard’s free trade policies and his rejection of coherent industry policies. Of course individualism and insecurity have come to be accepted by many and this does make the task harder but there is a rich vein of fear and dissatisfaction which can be attracted to a real alternative. Most people will say Australian firms have to be competitive, many are scared about unbalanced budgets, and most will say we can’t create “fortress Australia”. However, this does not mean they will oppose policies which include a level of intervention and protection.

The biggest obstacle to the ALP putting forward an economic alternative policy with a fair industrial relations system at its core, and therefore winning the next election, is the widespread and deep acceptance within the Parliamentary Party of free trade and neo-liberal policies. What is worse is the inadequacy of the internal and public debate on this question. The orthodoxy still seems to be that all will be well if people are reminded often enough about the Keating legacy on economic reform and labour market deregulation!

The major pressure points for the development of support for an alternative policy are the industrial laws, free trade with China, intervention to maintain and create more secure and quality employment, and defence of public education and health. At present ALP leaders support free trade with China – a death sentence for a balanced Australian economy with a viable manufacturing industry. They oppose strong Government intervention to promote industry development. But they do not vigorously oppose the World Trade Organisation, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank as they continue to implement their bill of rights for the multi-national companies against the interests of the vast majority of the people of the world.

It is possible for a mass movement to change this situation. Bob Hawke saved the Franklin River and Gough Whitlam brought the troops home from Vietnam despite their previous opposition to these policies.

The campaign has started very well but we should not underestimate the task ahead. The employers, the Federal Government and their media supporters have massive resources to use against us. The public is now alert and alarmed but there needs to be a much deeper understanding of just how the laws will hurt workers and their families. The campaign needs to go much deeper – more education, more discussion, more mobilisation at the workplace and community level, and further mass protests.

It needs to be clear that this campaign will not stop the laws. The campaign may achieve some valuable changes in the short term but the essential character of the ideological agenda will be implemented. Workers will have to defend their existing organisation in the workplace from strong attack by Government and employers.

The campaign of the trade union movement has created some hope where there was despair. Some hope that Howard can be beaten. Some hope that the ALP will differentiate itself more effectively and decisively from the Howard Government on both social and economic issues. Some hope that there will be a sustained campaign by the trade unions and a broad range of community allies over a number of years. These are essential preconditions for the defeat of the Howard Government.

I would like to greet and thank the organizers and sponsors of this conference for inviting someone from the Philippines to participate in these discussions on global menace of neoliberalism, and the dangers as well as challenges it poses to the Australian people, and the peoples of the world.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union website

Australian Council of Trade Unions website

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