The Australian Worker Magazine Issue 2 2013 by Henry Armstrong

THE AUSTRALIAN

www.awu.net.au $4.50 (INC GST)

ISSUE 2 2013

WORKER

ELECTION 2013

KEEPING LABOR IN AND THE COALITION OUT

WORKING OUT WEST

THE AWU IN THE NATION’S BIGGEST STATE

ISBN 978-186396379-4

INSIDE: HOW THE LABOR GOVERNMENT SAVED AUSTRALIA

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CONTENTS

FEATURES 06 THE GOVERNMENT THAT SAVED AUSTRALIA

Let’s be perfectly clear, many Australians remain unaware that thanks to Labor Government action, the country dodged economic ruin. Paul Robinson sets he record straight.

10 THE ABBOTT FAMILY They’re creepy and they’re kooky and they want your vote! Dilvin Yasa introduces some of the stars of The Abbott Family. Be afraid!

THE TROUBLE WITH TONY Tony Abbott has a track record for daring double standards, impressive inconsistency and breathtaking backﬂips. Donna Reeves takes a look at Tony.

THE PEOPLE SPEAK Journalist Chris Ryan talks about why he is concerned about a Coalition win at the federal election. He also spoke to other Aussies, from all walks of life, about why they’re so wary about the possibility of an Abbott led government.

WEST AT WORK In a postcard from Western Australia, Michael Blayney explains that while mining is a big industry, manufacturing has a home there, too. And the AWU is working hard.

STRANGE CARGO With millions of tonnes of cargo shipped in containers every year, the occasional load ends up overboard.GavinDennett looks at everything from rubber duckies to Nike runners that have found a new home in the world’s oceans.

REGULARS 04 National Opinion 30 Meet the Delegate/Ofﬁcial 32 Frontline News 43 Mail Call 50 Bindi & Ringer

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AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION EDITOR Paul Howes, AWU National Secretary AWU TEAM Henry Armstrong, Nick Lucchinelli, Davor Schwarz Address: Level 10, 377-383 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Email: members@nat.awu.net.au Website: www.awu.net.au Telephone: (02) 8005 3333 Facsimile: (02) 8005 3300 BAUER CUSTOM MEDIA EDITOR Kyle Rankin ART DIRECTOR Wayne Allen SUB-EDITOR Lucy Tumanow-West PRODUCTION SERVICES Rachel Rae PUBLISHER Sally Wright PUBLISHING MANAGER Nicola O’Hanlon BAUER MEDIA GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Matthew Stanton Published for The Australian Workers’ Union (ABN 28 853 022 982) by Bauer Media Group (ACN 053 273 546) 54 Park St, Sydney NSW 2000. © 2013. All rights reserved. Printed by PMP, Clayton, Vic 3168 and cover printed by Webstar, Silverwater, NSW 2128. Distributed by Network Services, 54 Park Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. Articles published in The Australian Worker express the opinion of the authors and not necessarily Bauer Media Group. While all efforts have been made to ensure prices and details are correct at time of printing, these are subject to change. ISSN 1324-4094

www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER

NATIONAL OPINION

BI LL LU DW IG

Bill Ludwig National President

“… This Labor Government has made our economy the envy of the entire planet, during some of the toughest global conditions of all time.”

In the coming weeks I’m hoping Tony Abbott gets relegated to his rightful position: a historical curiosity. This year should be noted as the year Australia emphatically rejected a strangely un-Australian sort of political leader, who tried to push an aggressive, American-style of conservatism onto a nation that didn’t want a bar of it. Political historians of the future should scratch their heads at how this bloke ever got as close as he did to the Lodge. But we need to work hard to make sure that this is the version of history that gets told. Because if we don’t, 2013 will be remembered as the year Australia elected its own George W Bush. Very few – not even his own colleagues – genuinely believe that Abbott has any capacity to seriously wrestle with the complex challenges and opportunities Australia faces in the 21st century. He’s just not that sort of politician. He’s a wrecker and a brawler and game player. This makes

Ben Swan Queensland Branch Secretary

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him a particularly scary prospect for Australian workers. Because a conservative leader, who’s not quite up to it is a conservative leader, will be led by the nose by his puppet masters. If Tony Abbott came to power, there is no doubt that big business rent-seekers and hardright ideologues would have free reign over him. And the mess he would make would literally take decades to clean up. We need a smart, progressive government – working in cooperation with workers and industry – to make sure that not only do we continue to grow and prosper, but that the prosperity is enjoyed by the majority. Australia in 2013 just can’t afford a slowfooted Coalition government peddling yesterday’s ideas of free market extremism and deregulated industrial relations. We’ve made too many gains and we need to lock them in. Support programs for innovation and growth in our manufacturing industry, superannuation increases, the National Broadband Network, education reform, DisabilityCare – all of this would be under extreme threat if government changes hands this year. We can’t afford to elect a bloke who, when he was a minister in the Howard Government, said: “If we’re honest, most of us would accept that a bad boss is a little bit like a bad father or a bad husband. Notwithstanding all his faults, you find that he tends to do more good than harm.” Grown men who have an outlook like that don’t change. This Labor Government has made our economy the envy of the entire planet, during some of the toughest global conditions of all time. But there’s more to do. We have an excellent chance of ensuring that we are not blown off course by a lightweight Opposition Leader winning office. Let’s make sure 2013 goes down in history the way it should.

Ben Davis Victorian Branch Secretary

Russ Collison Greater NSW Branch Secretary

PHOTOS FAIRFAX/NEWSPIX

THERE’S WAY TOO MUCH TO LOSE

Stephen Price West Australian Branch Secretary

PAU L HOW ES

A LASTING LEGACY I believe that not too far down the track, Julia Gillard will be widely acknowledged as one of our great reforming leaders. I also believe that we in the Australian Workers’ Union should feel exceptionally proud of what we were able to achieve by working with the 27th Prime Minister of Australia. Prime Minister Gillard’s door was always open when it came to listening to the views and concerns of our Union, and over her three years in office this resulted in some excellent policy. The Opposition and sections of the media were able to kick up a huge cloud of negative dust during her time in office. But when that all settles, what will be left is the policies she diligently and tenaciously pushed through a hung parliament. These are not policies focussed on short-term populism. They are policies that were aimed at making our nation stronger in the decades ahead. Australia will continue to be a nation that makes things, thanks to strategic initiatives spearheaded by Prime Minister Gillard. These initiatives include the aluminium rescue package, which helped save 600 jobs and retain a vital industry for the future, the $300 million Steel Transformation Plan, and the historic creation of an Anti-Dumping Commission. More broadly, Julia Gillard was able to continue the social policy reform tradition of great Labor Prime Ministers before her. Future generations will now be able to benefit from DisabilityCare, the National Plan for School Improvement, paid parental leave, superannuation improvements and the Clean Energy Future Package, to name just a few. It is because of this proud record of reform that it is absolutely vital that we get behind the Labor Government, now led by Kevin Rudd, and ensure that it receives another term in office to cement the gains we have been able to make. Because there is no doubt that if Tony Abbott becomes Prime Minister, he will do his level best to wreck the progress that has been achieved

Paul Howes National Secretary

Great reformer Workers should be proud of Julia Gillard. Social policy reforms, such as DisabilityCare, have improved the lives of thousands of vulnerable Australians.

“Julia Gillard was able to continue the social policy reform tradition of great Labor Prime Ministers before her.” in the past three years. It is in his blood. Forward-looking industry policy will vanish and be replaced by a hands-off approach that will reward only those at the very top. The Fair Work Act will be ‘reviewed’ and then pulled apart. The National Plan for School Improvement will be abandoned. Superannuation rises will be ‘delayed’ and then forgotten about – a move straight out of the John Howard playbook. We cannot allow this to happen. We need to work hard for another term of Labor in power to ensure Julia Gillard’s reforms are able to put their roots deep down into the nation.

POST LETTERS TO: The Editor, The Australian Worker, Level 10, 377-383 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW 2000 OR EMAIL THEM TO: members@nat.awu.net.au FOLLOW ON TWITTER: @AWUnion

Wayne Hanson South Australian Branch Secretary

Ian Wakeﬁeld Tasmanian Branch Secretary

Wayne Phillips Port Kembla Branch Secretary

Richard Downie Newcastle Branch Secretary

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ELECTION 2013

THE

GOVERNMENT THAT SAVED

AUSTRALIA T

hanks to astute Labor government policy over the past six years, the Australian economy has been a survivor at a time when many of the world’s developed nations have been making heavy weather of it. And Australia is much be"er for it.

STIMULUS SUCCESS STORY The Þrst inescapable fact that sticks in the Coalition craw is that with its Þnancial stimulus packages, Labor stopped Australia sliding into recession when the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) hammered much of the rest of the world in 2007-08 The economy continues to perform be"er than most other advanced economies. Financial stability was stressed, but the system held. In the face of this obvious success, all Coalition carpers can do is criticise the amount of government spending – often accompanied with the phrase “like a drunken sailor”. Yet the facts are these: wasteful government spending in the Howard years 1996-2007 averaged

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third-biggest export, 24.2 per cent education, hard. of GDP (and a One of the main ways recent IMF study of 55 in which the Howard of the world’s leading Government raised money economies characterised was to sell off the farm. 2003-07 as a time of “Þscal Government asset sales proßigacy” in Australia, between 1996 and 2007, given that government including for Telstra and coffers were then awash DASFLEET, amounted with a ßood of company to some $72 billion. tax revenue, mainly from Then-treasurer Peter the resources industry). Costello also ßogged off Post-GFC stimulus two-thirds of Australia’s spending raised that to 26 gold reserves for the per cent of GDP in 2009-10, SAVED THE DAY Former Labor government Treasurer Wayne bargain-basement price but since then it has held Swan steered Australia safely of US$306 an ounce steady at 24 per cent. And through global economic chaos. (today gold is selling for there is a lot less revenue in US$1590 an ounce). But what’s left? government coffers to play with as the Will Joe Hockey put Medibank on the GFC hit property and share prices, and the block if the Coalition wins government? plunge in commodity prices and a high All of this makes the current relative Australian dollar sent terms of trade backwards. From an average of US68 cents economic stability achieved under a Labor government all the more noteworthy. The during the Howard reign, the dollar has past few years have featured low interest averaged US93 cents under Labor. This rates, curbed inßation, low unemployment hits mining, manufacturing and our

PHOTO\ GETTY IMAGES

Many Australians remain unaware that thanks to Labor Government action, the country dodged economic ruin. Paul Robinson sets the record straight.

encouragement to the major banks to pass on those interest rate cuts to the consumer, a family with a $300,000 mortgage is currently able to save $5000 a year. Under Labor there are 960,000 more jobs in Australia since 2007 and unemployment in Australia remains relatively low compared to the rest of the world. The unemployment rate decreased to 5.5 per cent in May this year, considerably under the historical average between 1978 and 2013 (6.95 per cent).

and an economy that continues to perform impressively. Coalition doom and gloom aside, a simple examination of the current economic facts tells the actual story. For a start, since 2007, the economy has grown by 14 per cent. During the same period the US economy has grown by 2.25 per cent and the European economy has shrunk by 2 per cent. ABS national accounts Þgures for the 2013 March quarter show solid 2.5 per cent growth for the year, with net exports making their strongest contribution to growth in four years.

Non-rural commodity export volumes were up 13 per cent, which helped drive the trend and is a sign that mining boom production is kicking in. New business investment, at 17.5 per cent of GDP, is continuing a 50-year high, while productivity growth is above trend at 2 per cent. Household savings are si!ing at 10 per cent and new housing investment rose by 10.2 per cent, the strongest annual growth in 10 years and further proof that non-resources sectors are improving. As far as what we owe, in perspective, the net Australian debt is 33 per cent the size of the Canadian national debt, 20 per cent of Germany’s and 12.5 per cent of that of the US. Despite belt-tightening in what are accepted to be the worst global economic conditions in 80 years, overall living standards continue to rise. Contrary to Joe Hockey’s claims, Australia’s AAA credit rating is not under threat. Only eight countries have the coveted AAA rating from all three major global ratings agencies. Fitch upgraded its Australian rating to AAA for the Þrst time in 2011. Standard & Poor’s (S&P) is more concerned about Australian household debt than government debt. And in April, Moody’s stated that the risk of a negative report was “relatively low” and reiterated that Australian debt is low by world standards at 10 per cent of its GDP. Compare this to Canada at 30 per cent, the US (90 per cent), Japan (117 per cent) or Greece (140 per cent). Oﬃcial interest rates are at a historical low, which takes some of the pressure oﬀ families trying to service a mortgage. Thanks to continued Labor government

AFFORDABLE OPTIMISM As the dollar falls in value, growth will be stimulated in the non-mining sector. Companies that have adjusted to the high dollar will also beneÞt. The US economy is slowly improving, which provides increased opportunities for Australian exporters. Sustainable economic diversity and encouragement to innovate will ensure future jobs as they increase our international competitiveness, also improved by the Labor energy policy, which has freed economic growth from the shackle of emissions growth. In the “Asian Century” there will be increased demand from the Asian middle classes – in China and India especially – for high-value Australian goods and services in areas such as education, tourism, agriculture and advanced manufacturing, Þnancial and health services, and digital media. Thanks to sensible government policy in the areas of productivity and structural reform through skills education, infrastructure, innovation, and tax and regulatory reform, Australia will be well-placed to take advantage of this imminent phenomenon. No mean achievement, considering these reforms were instigated under the inevitable constraints of a minority government. Under Labor there has been tax relief for low-income earners. The increase in the tax-free threshold means around one million Australians no longer have to pay tax. Taxes as a percentage of GDP are now 22.2 per cent – down from a 24.2 per cent peak in 2005-06 during the Howard years, the highest in Australian history. But it’s not just a solid economic performance that characterises this Labor Government – as some of Labor’s other ground-breaking achievements show… www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER

Education reform The National Education Reform Agreement, aka Gonski is the most comprehensive review of schools in 40 years and was chaired by respected business leader David Gonski. The government has signed agreements with South Australia, NSW, Tasmania, Victoria and the ACT, so far, to deliver more equitable funding to schools and a better education. Currently the federal government is only providing 15 per cent of the funding for public schools. The Education Act passed in June sets a base level of funding for each student at $9271 (primary) and $12,193 (secondary) for 2014. This can be topped up by loadings targeting disadvantaged students such as Indigenous pupils or those with disabilities. The government wants to ensure that the schools doing it toughest get the most money to provide staff, learning programs and better facilities. Negotiations continue with the other states. The Act follows

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the BER (Building the Education Revolution) program, which built or rebuilt infrastructure in 9500 schools and installed 967,000 new computers.

over their care. Over seven years, $19.3 billion will be delivered, representing the most signiﬁcant widening of the social safety net since the introduction of Medicare.

Health Federal government hospital funding is up 50 percent, with more than 1000 new nurse-training positions every year and an additional 1300 GPs either qualiﬁed or in training. There are new cancer research and treatment services, plus the largest ever mental health package that provides $2.2 billion for prevention, support and early intervention. Means testing the private health insurance rebate will deliver an extra $100 billion over 40 years back into the health system. And the Labor government’s $4.6 billion dental health reform package ensures 3.4 million children and 1.4 million low-income adults will receive adequate dental care. DisabilityCare Australia – the national disability insurance scheme launched on July 1, will give some 500,000 Australians with disabilities independence and choice

Climate change Ratifying the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change indicated the Government’s readiness to acknowledge responsibility as a developed nation for carbon emissions, and brought us into step with other advanced nations. An emissions trading scheme (ETS) will be introduced next year. The ﬁxed carbon price will be replaced with a ﬂoating price, around $6-$10 a tonne. Carbon tax compensation packages for families will remain. The government has also invested heavily in clean energy alternatives such as wind and solar power. Some one million households have had solar panels installed and 1.1 million homes were insulated under the insulation rebate scheme.

PHOTOS GETTY IMAGES

ELECTION 2013

A GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS Reforming education to ensure equal opportunities; climate responsibility; healthcare expansion; a strong voice in international affairs; and essential infrastructural support. All thanks to the Labor Government.

Infrastructure Labor has invested $60 billion in road, rail and ports infrastructure modernisation – more than most advanced economies and more than at any time in our history. The National Broadband (NBN) ﬁbre network is in the process of replacing the out-dated communications system. Ultimately 93 per cent of Australian homes and businesses will have direct access to high-speed internet.

Foreign affairs The government’s recent agreement with China ensures unprecedented dialogue with our most important trading partner. Australia has also won a seat on the UN Security Council for the ﬁrst time since 1986, boosting Australian inﬂuence on world affairs and in the region. Ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, joining other responsible nations in addressing climate change, was important for Australia’s reputation internationally.

Social welfare Increases to the age pension, pay rises for social and community services workers, and

PM WITH A VISION History will see Julia Gillard as one of Australia’s greatest prime ministers.

wage subsidies in the child and aged care sectors show this government’s continued concern for the more vulnerable members of our society. Also, this year’s establishment of a Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse is a sincere attempt by the government to address old oversights and give appropriate counselling to the more than 5000 victims of child sexual abuse, many of whom continue to experience the trauma of their ordeal.

Industrial relations The Labor government abolished WorkChoices and passed the Fair Work Act. Minimum wage standards and conditions, overtime, penalty rates, and paid parental leave – are protected and the independent Fair Work Commission guarantees a fair go for all employees. WorkChoices caused much animosity in the workplace without delivering any economic recompense to business or

workers – in fact, median Australian Workplace Agreement (AWA) earnings in 2006 were 16.3 per cent below median earnings for workers on collective agreements. By replacing the idea of consensus with an adversarial system, the Coalition cynically let workers risk losing wages and entitlements, and arbitrary dismissal. The Coalition says WorkChoices is dead and buried, yet they promise to expand the use of individual ﬂexibility arrangements in enterprise agreements – which sounds suspiciously like a return of the individual contracts system championed so rabidly by Abbott when he was Workplace Relations Minister in 2001-2003. Under Labor the industrial relations landscape is far more settled than during the Howard years. The number of workplace disputes has fallen by two-thirds since 2007. The minimum wage has been increased by 2.9 per cent and superannuation will rise from 9–12 per cent, meaning a better deal in retirement for working people.

www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER

The

t t o b AFbamily

SCOTT MORRISON, MP

Da-da-da-da click click! They’re creepy and they’re kooky, and they want your vote. Dilvin Yasa presents the stars of the Abbo! Family.

Shadow Minister for Productivity & Population and Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Displaying a lack of sensitivity, Mr Morrison publicly questioned the decision of the Labor government to pay for relatives of the 2010 Christmas Island boat disaster to travel to funerals in Sydney. Recently, he visited Nauru and took the opportunity to announce the Coalition’s asylum seeker processing facility plans. Interestingly, it appears his trip was funded by the Toll Group, a company that has been working on contracts to update the facilities since late 2012. IN HIS WORDS On punishment for asylum-seekers who dare protest against detention conditions: “Such sanctions will range from denial of privileges, such as Internet, phone access and visitation rights, through to suspension of immigration processing, conﬁnement or ﬁnes to pay for damaged property.” On whether it’s possible to minimise harm associated with long-term detention: “Well, of course there is. If people aren’t coming on boats, there’s no-one in detention centres.”

SENATOR ERIC ABETZ

CHRISTOPHER PYNE, MP

Shadow Minister for Employment & Workplace Relations and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Mr Abetz, a devout Christian and WorkChoices devotee, is committed to helping Australia’s lowest paid employees – by removing many of their award protections and replacing them with individual contracts that strip away basic entitlements such as protection from unfair dismissal. Fanatical in his dislike of unions, Abetz has made it clear that a Federal Liberal Government would reintroduce many elements of the WorkChoices regime, including slashing penalty rates for shiftwork and forced individual contracts. IN HIS WORDS On why unions don’t belong in our society: “Now every Australian worker will run the risk of being harassed by a ir lun llunchroom nch hro oom m at a tim ttime me wh hen mo union boss in their when more than 87 per cent of workers aren’t members of a union.” On workplace bullying: “Bullying in the workplace is to be condemned, but this overzealous reaction by Safe W Work Australia w will not help aanyone. Instead it w will tie employees aand their e employers down in red tape.”

Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships & Training Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives The man who could be responsible for the education of future generations, Mr Pyne is clear on his position on our current education model: class size is not important, many teachers don’t deserve salary increases (or jobs), and he couldn’t give a ﬂying Gonski about improving funding for secondary education, claiming “It is not a broken model”. IN HIS WORDS On class sizes: “I wouldn’t be arguing that they should be increased, but I think there has been an obsession with small class sizes, driven by the union movement in the education sector...” On a fair go for overworked teachers: “The solution isn’t just paying teachers more. The solution is paying the best teachers more and moving out of the education system underperforming teachers that currently can’t be removed from the education system.” On the importance of self love: “My wife sometimes says, ‘I don’t ay, y, h think that person likes you; and I say, how could they not like me? What are you talking about?” On changing the curriculum: “Australia and our character is t, ignored in the history document, because it’s all about diversity and difference and multiculturalism and different perspectives. It’s a very onesided politically correct view of Australian history and I would argue we need to get back to a stronger sense of what has made Australia a unique nation.”

10 0

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PHOTOS NEWSPIX, FAIRFAX PHOTOS, GETTY IMAGES

OH THE HORROR!

S SENATOR B BARNABY JOYCE Shadow Minister for Regional S D Development, Local Government & Water and Leader of The N Nationals in the Senate P Pro-lifer and anti same-sex m marriage campaigner Mr Joyce e earned himself the nicknames ‘‘Backdown B Barney’ and ‘Barnaby R Rubble’ after ﬁrst condemning, tthen supporting, the sale of Telstra. Alth A lh hou ugh concerned ccon nce ern ned d Australians A strralili Although are “going into hock to our eyeballs to people overseas”, he has no issues with plundering overseas resources, remaining one of the biggest advocates of mining in Antarctica, which is banned under the Antarctic Treaty. IN HIS WORDS On mining in Antarctica: “There’s minerals there, there’s gold, there’s iron ore, there’s coal, there’s huge ﬁsh resources, and what you have to ask is: ‘Do I turn my head and allow another country to exploit my resource... or do I position myself in such a way as I’m going to exploit it myself before they get there?”

JULIE BISHOP, MP Deputy Leader of the Opposition Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade Ms Bishop first made headlines for her work as lead lawyer for the CSR company opposing compensation claims from workers y go assbe esttoss-re elaate ed dis d seases. ase To Tod dying off asbestos-related diseases. Today, she is more famous for appearing on television programs such as The Chaser than for her policies, and was most recently in t news for “Shaming the t nation” (according the t former Prime Minister to G Gillard), for allegedly d declaring the Coalition h fixed an arrangement had w Indonesia to turn back with as asylum-seeker vessels. Bi Bishop has denied the cla claim, saying she was ‘m ‘misquoted’. IN HER WORDS On… um… IN som something: “There is much mor m re at sta ake e in n th hiss ca b tax debate than whether science can or more stake this carbon should ever be settled, and that includes the principle of free speech.” On limitations: “I’m in the Anne-Marie Slaughter school – women can’t have it all. They can have plenty of choices, but at the end of the day, they choose something which means they can’t have something else.” On women in parliament: “I can say this about the Coalition women, every single one of them was preselected on merit – they’ve earned their right to be there. Every single Labor woman is there because of gender, because Labor have a quota system.”

JOE HOCKEY Shadow Treasurer Famous for his gaffes and inability to get ﬁgures correct in crucial moments (kinda important when you’re Shadow Treasurer) ‘Sloppy d Joe’ recently misquoted e the size of growth in the Australian Public Sectorr ly 1 12, 12 ,00 00 00.. 00 as 20,000 when it is only 12,000. Although ridiculed after vacillating on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme in 2009, he now reportedly has an eye on the top job. IN HIS WORDS On tax packages: “Only the Labor Party could introduce a new tax package and end up with an at least $7bn hole in the budget”. The shortfall was later revealed to be $3.7bn. On our interest rate: “Uh… well… it’s… oh God… 3 per cent?” (Correct answer would have been 3.5 per cent.) On likening the reduction in the baby bonus to China’s one-child policy: “Now the government seems to want to penalise anyone that has a second or third child – I think that worked quite well in China, didn’t it?”

FOR SOME PURE GOLD FROM GOMEZ – OOPS – WE MEAN MR ABBOTT HIMSELF, TURN TO PAGE 14.

www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER

ELECTION 2013

THE WITH

TONY

here’s a joke currently making its way around the Internet about Tony Abbo! and the boats. Of all the boats that should have been stopped, it says, why couldn’t it have been the Oronsay – the one Tony Abbo! and his family arrived on from the UK via the assisted passage scheme in 1960. The fact that he is a ‘boat person’ of sorts is a li!le gem of irony if you consider the double standards and contradictory views Tony Abbo! holds and frequently espouses. Yet, if the polls are to be believed, this is the man who in a few short months may become the next Prime Minister of Australia. But what sort of PM would he be? Abbo! is, after all, someone even his own Party didn’t overwhelmingly endorse. He

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wrestled the mantle of opposition leader from Malcolm Turnbull by just one vote in December 2009 (giving the Liberal Party its third leader in two years). As David Marr wrote in his book Political Animal – The Making of Tony Abbo!, members of the Liberal Party were shocked at his ascendency to leader. “God almighty. What have we done?” opined one Liberal member inside the party room. Indeed. From when he was young, Tony Abbo! was clear about what he wanted to be: either a priest or a politician. While abandoning his ideas of entering the priesthood after spending a few years studying at St Patrick’s Seminary in NSW, he has clung tightly to his Catholic faith. The Church’s conservative views

on abortion, same sex marriage and euthanasia provide much of the moral framework under which he operates, and were reinforced by his mentor, Christian Democrat Bob Santamaria. At Sydney University, where he studied Law and Economics, Abbo! became heavily involved in student politics as a member of the Democratic Club, eventually becoming president of the Student Representative Council. His aim was to destroy the left-wing dominant student union, which he eventually succeeded in doing. However, he is not remembered for deft negotiating skills but, rather, for his bullying and alleged violent behaviour. (Abbo! has faced allegations of indecent assault and common assault from his time at

PHOTOS NEWSPIX, FAIRFAX PHOTOS, GETTY IMAGES

Donna Reeves looks at Tony Abbo!’s track record for daring double standards, impressive inconsistency and breathtaking backßips.

DIRE WARNING Former PM and fellow Liberal Malcolm Fraser has suggested that Abbott is perhaps one of the most dangerous politicans in Australia’s history.

“ … He might be a bad boss, but at least he’s employing somone while he is in fact a boss ...” university, and although the charges were dismissed, these episodes have tended to overshadow his political and scholarly achievements as a young man.)

DO AS HE SAYS, NOT AS HE DOES Although Tony Abbo!’s political views are shaped by his faith, history has also shown that he is not averse to stepping outside the Church’s doctrine when it suits. It is well known that as a 19-yearold university student Tony Abbo! believed he had fathered a child with his then-girlfriend. Even pu!ing aside the grave moral concern around sex before marriage, which didn’t seem an issue for the devout Tony Abbo!, neither did young Tony do the done thing of that day and oﬀer to marry his pregnant girlfriend. Instead, the relationship ended in her seventh month of pregnancy, a baby boy was subsequently born and given up for adoption, and Tony continued with his higher education. (It was later revealed that Tony Abbo! was not actually the baby’s father.) To be fair, everyone makes mistakes, and it’s a rare person indeed who would come out faultless if their life were to be put under public scrutiny. Commi!ing to marriage and fatherhood, and thereby giving up the dream of becoming a Rhodes Scholar, would have been overwhelmingly daunting for most people, let alone a 19-year-old with a seemingly big future in front of him. But this history makes it all the more galling to hear Tony Abbo! lecturing on the state of relationships and responsibility, as he did in his address to the Adelaide University Democratic Club as Health Minister in 2004: “What does it [the rate of abortions in Australia] say about the state of our relationships and our values that so many women (and their husbands,

lovers and families) feel incapable of coping with a pregnancy or a child? “To a pregnant 14-year-old struggling to grasp what’s happening, for example, a senior student with a whole life mapped out or a mother already failing to cope under diﬃcult circumstances, abortion is the easy way out. It’s hardly surprising that people should choose the most convenient exit from awkward situations. What seems to be considered far less often is avoiding situations where diﬃcult choices might arise… “But is it so hard to create a culture where people understand that actions have consequences and take their responsibility seriously?” He reiterated these views to The Australian Women’s Weekly in 2010, saying that women should stick to “the rules” – meaning abstinence –

MR SENSITIVITY When Tony Abbott says what he’s thinking, rather than what he’s been scripted to say, the results can be appalling. Take his treatment of the late Bernie Banton, AM, during the 2007 Federal Election campaign. Bernie suffered from Asbestos-Related Pleural Disease and mesothelioma, and despite his failing health, he was a fierce campaigner for having a mesothelioma drug added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Bernie, in a wheelchair and dependent on bottled oxygen, had organised to meet Tony Abbott at his electorate office to present him with a 70,000-signtaure petition. Abbott never showed, and Bernie called the then-Health Minister a “gutless creep”. Abbott was having none of it. He

when it comes to premarital sex. Tony Abbo! can often be found performing an impressive backßip. He famously declared that “Climate change is crap”, only to say in 2011 “Well, I’ve always thought that climate change was real because I’ve always known about the ice age and other things which indicate that over time climate does change.”

A WORD OF WARNING In terms of policy, it’s diﬃcult to know what an Abbo! government would do because, so far, no comprehensive policy document has been released. So let’s give the last word to former Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, who suggests Abbo!’s unpredictability, and the fact that he says whatever jumps into his mind, perhaps makes him one of the most dangerous politicians in Australia’s history. accused Bernie of posturing. “Look, it was a stunt, let’s be upfront about this,” Abbott said. “I know Bernie is very sick, but just because a person is sick, doesn’t mean that he is necessarily pure of heart in all things”. Bernie Banton died a few months after this altercation.

www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER

ELECTION 2013

IN HIS OWN WORDS

“There’s got to be emergency accommodation for people or systems to provide emergency accommodation for people who’ve got big problems and… we can do all of those things and we must do them better as time goes by. But we just can’t stop people from being homeless if that’s their choice or if their situation is such that it is just impossible to look after them under certain circumstances so I would rephrase a commitment like that.’’ – In response to a question about whether he would commit to the Labor Government’s target of halving homelessness by 2020.

“If we’re honest, most of us would accept that a bad boss is a little bit like a bad father or a bad husband. Not withstanding all his or her faults, you ﬁnd that he tends to do more good than harm. He might be a bad boss but at least he’s employing someone while he is in fact a boss.” – ABC Radio, July 2002 “I know politicians are going to be judged on everything they say but sometimes in the heat of discussion you go a little bit further than you would if it was an absolutely calm, considered, prepared, scripted remark. The statements that need to be taken absolutely as gospel truth are those carefully prepared scripted remarks.” – Herald Sun, May 2010 “ … do we really want to invest $50 billion worth of hard-earned taxpayers’ money in what is essentially a video entertainment system?” – On the National Broadband Network, 2010

Abbott and his mate Gina Rinehart “Mates help each other; they do not tax each other.” – Federal Parliament, Hansard, February 2011.

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“Jesus knew that there was a place for everything and it’s not necessarily everyone’s place to come to Australia… Don’t forget, Jesus drove the traders from the temple as well.” – When asked how Jesus would have dealt with asylum seekers on ABC TV’s Q&A, April 2010 “The climate change argument is absolute crap… however the politics of this are tough for us – 80 per cent of people believe climate change is a real and present danger.” – At a meeting in the town of Beaufort, Victoria, October 2009

“Well, we will have policy. We must have policy. We in fact do have policy ready to go. But the ﬁrst job of the Opposition is to hold the Government to account. Then once people have decided that they think the Government doesn’t deserve to be re-elected they look at us and say, ‘well, are these guys going to be a credible alternative, are they going to make a positive difference.’ and so it is a two stage process. But the ﬁrst stage is making the Government look bad.” – Interview on Sky News PM Agenda, December 2009

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“What the housewives of Australia need to understand as they do the ironing is that if they get it done commercially it’s going to go up in price and their own power bills when they switch the iron on are going to go up.” – Sydney Morning Herald, February 2010

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ELECTION 2013

THE PEOPLE

SPEAK!

Journalist Chris Ryan is concerned about a Coalition win at the federal election. He also spoke to Australians from all walks of life about why they’re concerned about the possibility of an Abbo!-led government.

here are times my faith in the Labor Party has been shaken, but I know that I’d never vote for the Liberal Party instead. Part of the reason is that I will never understand their visceral hatred for the union movement – a movement that is so intrinsically Australian; a movement that, at its heart, is about Þghting for a fair go, not just for yourself, but all workers. “You’re on your own,” seems to be the Liberal’s philosophy, “And if you’re struggling or exploited, you’ve only got yourself to blame.” In his maiden speech Eric Abe", the would-be Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, told parliament, “The history of liberty is the history of the limitation of governmental power.” It’s the kind of line spewed out by someone who has never known what it’s like – or even considered what it might be like – to work in a job that’s dangerous, or back-breaking. The liberty that Abe" dreams of

AWU MEMBERS HAVE THEIR SAY The AWU is at the coal face of working life, representing the interests of working Australians across a wide range of industries. If anyone can talk about the threat of a Coalition government on workers, it’s an AWU member. Here’s what some of them had to say…

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is millionaire business owners having the liberty to treat workers as they like, without unions or a political party to protect them. That’s ‘liberty’ I’m happy to do without. I want to live in country where workers have the liberty to have a say in their working conditions, and where their contributions to making Australia great aren’t dismissed, but celebrated. I went out into the community and asked others about how they felt. Here’s what they had to say…

CORINNE GRANT Comedian, TV presenter, writer and actor How did you come to support Labor? I’m not from a Labor family. My parents voted Liberal until Jeﬀ Kenne!. I did a Year Twelve project on The Dismissal and it changed my

view on politics. I got an idea of what the Labor Party stood for. It’s about social equality and making sure everybody has the same opportunity. It’s about protecting people. The ALP talks about bringing everybody up to the same standard, while the Libs talk about privileging some people over other people – the nerve of them to talk about class war, when they’re waging it. What Labor initiatives make you proud to support the Party? The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a really good example of pu!ing people Þrst and the NBN, that’s about equal opportunity for communication and education for everybody in the country. There are basic Labor values being reßected there. What worries you about Liberals running the country? I don’t think they’re a Party that cares about people. I think they care about

“I am deeply concerned about potential job cuts in Canberra by Tony Abbo! and Joe Hockey. They have suggested it could be as much as 12,000 jobs.” LIBBY DENNIS

AWU delegate, Canberra, ACT

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their mates and that’s it. I just think they are incompetent. I don’t think anybody wants Joe Hockey as treasurer – the man’s an idiot. An economy is a very Þnely tuned instrument, it’s not going to take much for him to screw it up.

DI SMITH Actress, and ALP candidate running against Malcolm Turnbull in the NSW seat of Wentworth How long have you been involved in politics? I’ve been in the ALP since the late ‘80s. Growing up the conversation around the table was often political. My father would open the paper every morning and say, “What are the fools doing today?” He was a printer and had a factory in Marrickville for years. He was a tradesman and then he employed tradesmen. He instilled in me the necessity to value workers.

What Labor ideals are important to you? Fairness and opportunity. The moments in my life when I’ve been proudest of our government have been under Labor. The Mabo decision, Medibank, the apology to the Stolen Generation, the NDIS, this fantastic national broadband we are rolling out – all of these massive reforms only the Labor Party does. Why run yourself? I think it’s necessary to stand up and stop Tony Abbo! being Prime Minister. You have to spread the message of the excellent policies that the Labor Party has put in under both Rudd and Gillard in the last six years. An Abbo! Government will totally dismantle our future if he gets in. I can’t sit back and let that happen. What would you say to people who say it doesn’t matter who you vote for? I’d talk to them about what it will be like with the National Broadband Network coming to a node at bo!om of their street,

“Who in their right mind would vote for Abbo!? The main reason I wouldn’t, and there are many, is to do with workplace laws. I work to make sure that workers in Australia are treated with dignity and respect and that would be eroded under Abbo!. SHANE BURD AWU delegate, Victoria

and having to pay to get it connected to their house or business. I’d talk to them about the Gonski reforms and how important it is to see that for our children, because they’re the future of our nation. When I started doing this I had to read the Labor Party platform and the Liberal Party platform. Reading those two documents it’s so glaringly obvious, the Liberal platform isn’t about working for everyone. It’s basically not fair.

REG MOMBASSA Mental as Anything member known for his artwork and his Mambo designs Have you always had an interest in politics? I’m not a political junkie; I follow it more when I feel threatened by government, which is usually when there is a right-wing sort of government.

“I won’t be voting for Abbo!’s Coalition because of his a!itude towards people, he’s given no policies and, in some form, will return WorkChoices.” PETER HARTWIG

AWU member, NSW

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ELECTION 2013

“As a delegate, I want to help fellow workers, but I can’t do that under a Liberal Government.” JAMIE FELLOWES AWU delegate, NSW

“I have no doubt that Tony Abbo! would take us all the way back to WorkChoices. He is a typical Liberal would-be Prime Minister. He wants the job too much, so he’ll do anything. If elected he’s going to look after the big end of town – simple as that.” BOB PARKINSON AWU member, Newcastle

Have you always voted on the left? I could never imagine voting for the right-wing conservative parties. My mother came from the bo!om rung of the English working class. Her father was a cleaner and they lived in Manchester in those inner-city tenements, and my father grew up in rural Ireland and they had no money either. Dad was a carpenter. At times he was working for companies and was a member of the union. He was also building spec houses, so my parents were small business people at times, but they always voted Labor – their sympathies were on that side. What Labor traditions are important to you? Welfare for people is very important. Obviously it can’t be excessive because you can’t aﬀord it, but I’ve always thought having a decent safety net is crucial. What do you think of people who say, because they made it anyone can? It doesn’t work like that. I consider myself extremely fortunate that I’ve managed to make a living as an artist and a musician. It’s not because I’m particularly talented or hardworking, it’s because I’ve been lucky. I know

a lot of artists and musicians my age, who I consider be!er than me, and some of them are really struggling. I don’t like the sense of entitlement some people have. The arrogance of their sense of, ‘I’ve done well, so why can’t you?’

people every opportunity – particularly people who haven’t necessarily been born with a lot of opportunity – so they can achieve their best. It’s working towards providing a be!er community, a be!er country, and a be!er environment for everyone to live in.

What are your concerns about an Abbot-led government? To be frank there are some decent, well-meaning people in the Coalition, but there are a lot of anal-retentive sort of right-wing control freaks. I think Abbo! sounds like he was quite thuggish when he was younger. I hope he has mellowed a bit, but I’d prefer for him not to be the Prime Minister, that’s for sure.

What’s the Federal Labor Government done to impress you? The work the government took coming out of the global Þnancial crisis to make sure we didn’t suﬀer the same situation that’s being suﬀered by developed economies around the world, where thousands upon thousands of people lost their jobs because governments were too timid to do something. The Labor Government put out various packages to stimulate the economy and kept many people safe from the turmoil overseas. One of the crowning achievements of the Labor Government will be the legacy of the NDIS. It will be a benchmark for other countries around the world.

JUSTIN MADDEN Former Carlton Ruckman, Member for Essendon in Victorian Parliament What do you think the Labor Party stands for? It stands for equality, and it stands for a sense of optimism. It’s about giving

“Why put someone like Abbo! in? I just don’t trust him. I think he would bring back WorkChoices but doubly worse. He’s born of John Howard, so that’s why I wouldn’t want an Abbo! Government.” PHIL TUCK AWU member, Victoria 18

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What are your concerns if the Coalition is elected? I’m worried that they’ll fall into the old habits of conservative governments. That they cut services, and run austere

“I believe the Libs are all about looking after big business. Of course Labor has to look after business, too, or there would be no jobs, but Labor also looks after workers as well. Labor has balance, and the Libs don’t.” TOM MATHIESON AWU member, Newcastle

“My main concern is the industrial relations laws. There is fear that an Abbo! Government will wind back the Fair Work Act and bring back WorkChoices. Also mining magnates, like Rinehart and Forrest, have said things that make me believe that Abbo! will do deals with them and they’re backing him. At some point down the line the Libs will have to pay the piper and that will mean workers’ rights will be aﬀected.” WAYNE PRINGLE AWU member, Newcastle budgets to the point where people suﬀer, whether it’s people who rely on government services or government support, or the jobs that government not only provide directly but support by spending money in those parts of the economy. It’s the template for conservative governments not only across the world but particularly at a state and federal level in Australia to come in and just take a razor to the budget so the economy stalls. We’ve seen that around the country, they just can’t resist the temptation. Any concerns about Tony Abbott in particular? I think we can have a lot of suspicions about what he’s planning. He’s not prepared to proclaim it and preach it, because he’s scared how it’s going to be received if he tells people Þrst hand what he’s going to do. This is not a leader who is known for his ability to get on with people. This is a leader who has been combative for his entire parliamentary life, whether it was as the Industrial Relations Minister, as Health Minister, or Leader of the Opposition, this is a man who doesn’t unite, he divides.

VOICES OF REASON I asked a couple of friends to share their views about the coming election and here’s what they had to say…

Jane Smith SMALL BUSINESS OWNER I’d never vote Liberal as the memory of the shame I felt when John Howard was PM is still far too raw. When a country starts voting like shareholders in a company rather than members of a society there is something drastically wrong. The Liberals always talk about the dollars – it’s their whole platform – and it’s just wrong. Tony Abbott is particularly scary to me. Unlike John Howard, his predecessor, he has not done his time or been really challenged while being the shadow leader and I fear that when he is, about pretty much anything, he will crack and the real Tony Abbott will be revealed. We know this because his own party and advisers know this. He has been well gagged by his own party in the lead up to the election. I mean, what party tries to stop their leader campaigning because

they are scared of what he will say? Doesn’t that just reiterate why we should be worried about him being the leader of this country?

Phoebe Colman ACCOUNTANT The Labor Party’s response to the GFC was very effective and Australia weathered the economic storm much better than most other developed nations. The NDIS has also been needed for a long time and will make a huge difference to many people’s lives. I do not think Tony Abbot would make a good PM. His social conservatism concerns me greatly, and his main policies of repealing several of the Labor Government’s achievements just highlights that his incessant negativity as opposition leader is likely to be continued if he becomes PM. A backwards-looking PM is not in the country’s best interests.

“One company I know of has paused their EBA negotiations probably pending the outcome of the election. An Abbo! Government and a new version of WorkChoices will mean less pay and fewer rights for workers. The other thing is that Abbo! has a complete lack of policy on anything. The mainstream media are a complete joke and it’s as if they want Rupert Murdoch to own everything.” GEOFF TERRILL AWU member, Victoria www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER

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THIS PAGE Perth – the capital of The West. OPPOSITE PAGE (clockwise from top left) Matt Dixon, AWU WA Branch Offshore Alliance and Growth Campaigns organiser; BP Kwinana, Australia’s largest oil reﬁnery; AWU WA Branch Secretary Stephen Price and AWU Assistant National Secretary Scott McDine with BP Kwinana on-site delegates.

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WEST AT Photography: David Hahn

WORK

The state of Western Australia is home to some of Australia’s most valuable resources. But manufacturing has a home there, too. Michael Blayney heads west to report from Perth.

t’s Wednesday afternoon inside a busy Perth Airport, and the departures board is painting a revealing picture. In the next two hours, eleven Qantas domestic flights will take off from this airport, yet only one of those planes is heading interstate. The remaining ten will service the WA mining industry, flying to Port Hedland (three flights), Cloudbreak (two), Karratha (two), Paraburdoo, Newman and Broome. Tellingly, the colourful scene at the check-in counter is a sea of hi-vis fluoro – fly-in-flyout (FIFO) workers heading to the mines. This gateway to Western Australia is a scene of intense energy, and that very same energy drives the AWU’s WA Branch Office. “At the moment, it feels like Perth is the centre of activity, and being in the middle of the city we can take advantage of that,” says Stephen Price, AWU’s WA Branch Secretary. For all the good times, there is a flip side. The mining industry in Western Australia has been predominantly non-union for the

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better part of 20 years – since Richard Court’s State Coalition Government introduced statutory individual workplace agreements in the mid-’90s. This policy was effectively the template for the Howard Government’s WorkChoices. “We were having blues over deunionisation in the ’80s and ’90s, and the rest of the country caught up with us in the mid-2000s,” Stephen says. This situation is slowly being remedied with the recent opening of the State’s seventh AWU office in the mining town of Tom Price. Here, the Union will target more than 15,000 of Rio Tinto’s non-unionised workforce in the Pilbara region. “We’re getting on the front foot purely to respond to the cries of help from members and potential members,” Stephen says. Stephen also believes that Australia’s ‘two-speed economy’ means that only a handful of people are benefiting from the boom, while the majority pick up the tab. “People might be earning a reasonable income, but their debt level is just about on a par with their income,” Stephen says. “A lot of these FIFO workers might have a big house and a flash car, but they can’t afford the repayments. Many workers are in this cycle, which then makes them worry about job security. Unfortunately, it makes our

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job a little bit harder, because they wrongly think that if they join the Union, they’ll lose their job.”

THE GOOD OIL We hit the road to and meet some AWU members at the workfront. Our guide is Matt Dixon, the Branch’s Offshore Alliance and Growth and Campaigns Organiser – a top bloke with an incredible depth of knowledge about the industries the Union covers in Australia’s biggest state. Today, we’re visiting BP Kwinana, the site of Australia’s largest oil refinery. Alongside Stephen Price and AWU Assistant National Secretary Scott McDine, on-site delegates Dee Solly, Alicia Stephens, Kylie Taylor, Clive Hacking, Mick Glover and Rob Phillips have just stepped out of initial Enterprise Agreement negotiations with BP management. It’s early days, but the team is confident that their demands will be met. “We’ve asked for nothing out of the ordinary, just a fair pay rise and a guarantee that our conditions won’t be changed,” says Dee Solly, an AWU delegate in the refinery’s laboratory and a new member of the State Executive. You get the feeling Dee will come up trumps, having survived the Thatcher years in the north-east of England. She describes that time as the most challenging in her work life.

“We supported the cause in 1983, delivering Christmas presents to the kids of striking miners. At that time, we watched our union numbers shrink from 30,000 to 10,000.” That level of membership loss is the polar opposite of what is presently occurring in Australia’s West. Since Stephen was elected WA Branch Secretary in 2008, membership growth has almost doubled. “When I became an organiser, membership was below 4000. All up, we had nine people working for the Union. Now, there are sixteen of us spread all over the state looking after 7500 members. It took a lot of hard work to do that, and we made some tough decisions,” Stephen says, adding that most of the current WA Branch ofﬁce staff have come off the shop ﬂoor. “That hiring approach has worked for us. Straightaway they have an understanding and connection with the workers.”

ALL ABOUT ENTERPRISE One of BP Kwinana’s closest neighbours is the Alcoa alumina reﬁnery. One short drive later, we’re in a meeting with Alcoa delegates forming strategy for the current round of Enterprise Agreement negotiations. Visiting AWU Assistant National Secretary Scott McDine has the ﬂoor.

OPPOSITE PAGE (from left) WA Branch ofﬁce staff – the frontline of the Union; AWU Assistant National Secretary Scott McDine (left) with WA Branch Secretary Stephen Price. THIS PAGE Perth, the capital of the West (above); BP Kwinana delegates (from left) Alicia Stephens, Kylie Thompson, Clive Hacking, Mick Glover, Rob Phillips and Dee Solly.

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“Alcoa will test us, but it’s important to keep our eyes on the main game, and that’s what the members want. It’s our job in every negotiation to extract the best deal we can get. Job security and secure pay rises are the important tenets.” Andy Hacking is the full-time site convenor and State President of the AWU in these parts. An Alcoa delegate for 20 years and State President coming up to seven years, Andy is proud to say that the AWU is the largest union on-site, clocking in at 420 members. A self-confessed ‘Ten Pound Pom’ and rugby union nut, he arrived at the port of Fremantle with his Scottish parents as an eight-year-old. Andy now considers himself an Australian in all respects. “Once the kids came along, that was it for me. I’m now a complete Aussie,” he says. Despite Alcoa’s recent cost-cutting habit of downgrading reﬁneries to terminals, the impending negotiations hold no fear for Andy and his team. “If Alcoa is sensible, we will be as well,” he says. “Now is not the time to be militant, and that’s on both sides of the bargaining table. Having said that, if Alcoa tries to restructure because they think the world’s caving in, we’re not going to be party to that way of thinking.”

WE’RE A UNION THAT MAKES THINGS After exiting Alcoa, we make our way back to Perth. That evening we visit the site of Western Australia’s largest manufacturer of lime and cement, Cockburn Cement. AWU delegate and Process Attendant Ron Woods and AWU Organiser Mike Zoetbrood join us at the front gate for a personal tour of the plant. The AWU is a union that makes things and this is the sort of worksite where things get made every minute of the day, every day of the year. The job is hard work and can be noisy and hot in summer, however there are no complaints from the Cockburn Cement crew though. Approximately 200 people work at the plant and the AWU is the most represented union on site. Our members are worried about job security and concerned at the recent dumping of quicklime from overseas.

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Site unions led by the AWU and Cockburn Cement are working together in seeking to protect good local manufacturing jobs from unfair overseas dumping. The next morning, we head south of Perth again to the world’s largest bauxite mine, Alcoa Huntly. Surrounded by pristine jarrah forest, the site itself is a moveable feast with everything revolving around the crushers. When pickings become slim, the ‘circus’ moves on. The McCoy Facility is the current focal point for ten production pits, ranging in size from 5 to 40 hectares. Two crushers work the site breaking down ore into pieces the size of a softball. The bauxite is then transported along a conveyor belt 25 km to the Pinjarra alumina reﬁnery. AWU member and Trades Assistant Keron Stewart plays with Alcoa’s big boys’ toys all day, and this morning he’s just ﬁnished blasting a 150 tonne

haulage truck with a water cannon. After dislodging 500 working hours’ worth of caked-on red dirt, Keron will then take the vehicle in for its regular service. This hulk of a 150 tonner now drying in the morning sun is capable of reaching speeds exceeding 50 kilometres per hour, holds up to 180 litres of oil at any one time, and ploughs through 1800 litres of diesel fuel every day. When it comes time to refuel, the fast-ﬁll gun pumps out 800 litres of diesel per minute into its tank. Imagine those speeds at your local servo! Keron has been an AWU member coming up to 19 years. A dozen of those years were spent at his previous job, working underground at the Mount Charlotte gold mine near Kalgoorlie. “I like this job as I get to do different tasks every day,” he says. “Alcoa is a great company to work for. They’re good on safety and really pride themselves on that fact.”

“When I became an organiser, membership was below 4000. Now we’re looking after 7500 members.”

OPPOSITE PAGE (clockwise from top left) Ron Woods, AWU site delegate at Cockburn Cement; Dardanup’s Laminex Processing Plant in full swing; Keron Stewart, ALCOA employee and AWU member; the long and winding road to Alcoa, Huntley. THIS PAGE AWU WA Branch Secretary Stephen Price at ALCOA Bauxite Aluminium Mine.

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We move on further south to the Laminex Processing Plant in Dardanup, just south-east of Bunbury. As soon as we step out of the car, the invigorating aroma of pine hits our nostrils. Here, 142 AWU members call this place work, manufacturing particleboard on-site. The radiata pine is sourced from local plantations, although the process will all change next year when logs will be chipped in-ﬁeld (off-site) by contractors. The company has given a guarantee that no-one will lose their job as a result, however staff may need to be relocated within the plant. Nothing here is wasted. While the

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timber is chipped and processed into particleboard, the bark from the logs is used for mulch. During the heating process, temperatures up to 360 degrees Celsius extract up to 40 tonnes of water out of the wood every hour. Operational 24 hours a day, the Laminex plant has been open for business coming up to 40 years. Gary Free, a local Bunbury boy, has worked here for 16 of those years, half of that time as a delegate. For the last three-and-a-half years he’s been the site delegate, and is a valued member of the State Executive. The next challenge for Gary and the Union’s members is the latest Enterprise

Agreement which is due in November. “It’s nothing out of the ordinary,” says Gary. “We’re just after fair and reasonable pay and conditions. You only have to look around. The average employee has worked here for something like an average of 20 years. We like working here.” Outside of work, Gary keeps occupied on weekends when his grandkids pay him a visit. Although Western Australia is a two team State in the AFL competition, Gary begs to differ when asked who he supports in the big league. “The Eagles, mate. There’s no other team over here,” he says, with the hint of a smile.

OPPOSITE PAGE (Clockwise from top, left) Workers at Cockburn Cement; Gary Free, AWU delegate at Laminex Dardanup Timber Mill; AWU

WA Branch Organiser Mike Zoetbrood (left) with Claude Pelliccione, lime attendant at Cockburn Cement. THIS PAGE Andy Hacking, AWU State President and site delegate at Alcoa Kwinana.

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POSTCARD FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA

HISTORIC ALLIANCE The AWU has joined forces with the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) Mining and Energy Division to organise Rio Tinto iron ore miners in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. The Western Mine Workers Alliance joint venture has been formed to reach out to Rio’s 15,000-plus non-unionised workers in the region. Behind the scenes, this has been one of Stephen Price’s proudest moments as the AWU’s Western Australian Branch Secretary. “We believe we’re taking a proactive approach, not a reactive one. We have two organisers based in Tom Price purely to give the guys at Rio a chance to protect their benefits and then to increase and better them over time,” says Stephen. Gary Wood, CFMEU WA District Secretary, Mining and Energy Division, agrees with Stephen’s sentiments. “It’s about putting ourselves out there, and if people want assistance they’ll be in contact and we’ll help,” he says. “It’s all about building relationships and helping workers at Rio Tinto in the Pilbara.” One person who understands the historical significance of a return to the Pilbara is Paul ‘Curly’ Asplin, AWU WA Branch Assistant Secretary. In 1986, he was working in the region as a plant operator for Thiess when the catalyst for de-unionisation, the Robe River dispute, reared its ugly head. “We were all locals then, no fly-in fly-out,” Curly says. “There was a sense of community. Kids had opportunities to get apprenticeships and workers were longterm, 20-year employees. Nowadays, people have a four- or five- year plan, and then they’re out of there.” At that time, mining company PekoWallsend took steps to crush union spirit by no longer settling industrial problems through negotiation, conciliation and arbitration. When the unions resisted, the workforce of more than 1200 employees was sacked. After a long dispute, the company was forced to reinstate most of its workers, but the campaign had fractured the union movement in the Pilbara. “Our return is all about righting the

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wrongs of the past,” Curly says. “People have been crying out for leadership and direction in the Pilbara, and when people start to get good outcomes, you watch the momentum grow when word-of-mouth takes hold. There’s a genuine commitment from both unions to do this.” Five years ago, this alliance would have been viewed with suspicion from all sides, but instead of dwelling on the past, the focus is on the Pilbara workers and their continued lack of representation at the bargaining table. “We needed to put our own individual pride to one side and work out what was the best way to help the guys at Rio,” Stephen says. “It’s frustrating representing members at a bargaining table and you don’t have the ability to influence the outcome to their benefit. You can achieve a lot more collectively than individually. Sure, there’s still a lot to do to change people’s mindsets, but we’re up there.” There are also global implications in the Rio Tinto return, with many unions throughout the world eagerly watching the outcome before replicating it. “This will work and we’ll see the true benefits under a Federal Labor Government. The rabbit-proof fence is well known in Western Australia, and I’ve always said that what we need is some federal funding to put in an Abbott-proof fence,” Curly says.

OPPOSITE PAGE (from top, left) WA Branch Assistant Secretary Paul “Curly” Asplin; glimpses of the Western State. THIS PAGE Cockburn Cement by night.

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MEET THE OFFICIAL

V ICE PRESI DEN T, GREAT ER NSW BR A NC H

GLENN SETON

PURE GOLD Glenn’s town is home to the famous Tamworth Country Music Festival.

am Vice President of the Union’s Greater NSW Branch and am in my 14th year of working for the Union. I became an organizer for the Western Region and every day is an adventure. A lot of my focus is taken up by GrainCorp and the hard rock mining industry out here. I’m also the coordinator for several regional ofﬁces. It’s a massive territory and we drive everywhere because many of the places are too remote to ﬂy into. I get around in my trusty Toyota Kluger which has about 400,000 km on it. All our country boys do quite a bit of travelling to and from the areas we cover. Thankfully, we get heaps of help from our hard working and dedicated delegates to make our jobs easier to do. I come from a large union family. My mother’s side were shearers in the West around Condo and I worked as a shearer with my grandfather. The whole family were shearers and AWU members. I’ve got a great mum and dad, three ugly brothers and we are all very close. When I left school I did whatever I could to make a quid. At one point I was working for a construction mob and they were going over to Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs). I told them they couldn’t do that, and they said: “we’ll increase your wage”, but they were going to decrease the wages of the other 11 blokes. I wasn’t having any part of that. Fairness has been bred into me. I have four great kids. My eldest two girls live in Orange NSW. Stacey has a degree in public relations, but is currently breeding! She has two little girls, aged three and two, who are the light of my life. I get to see them a lot because of all

“I come from a large union family. The whole family were shearers and AWU members.” 30

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the travelling I do and I love it. My other daughter, Sam, who also lives in Orange, has spina biﬁda and is in a wheelchair. But she lives independently and likes to study. The other two live in Tamworth and my 18-year-old daughter, Gabbie, is an accomplished ballet dancer and hopes to make a career out of it. She has just

ﬁnished her ﬁnal level with the London Dance Academy. My son Michael is about to do Year 12 and is a budding champion tennis player. He has even started coaching. My family, my kids and grandkids are my “hobby”. I really enjoy being with them. Back to the Union – my “other” family – we couldn’t do what we do for the workers out here if it wasn’t for the support and backing of Russ Collison, the Greater NSW Branch Secretary. He’s has always driven the need for the AWU to have a strong presence in regional areas. We currently have more country organisers than any other union in regional NSW. Russ has said to me many times that he’s happy that they’re out there having a “real dig”. We are working hard to expand into different areas to make our shop lists bigger, especially in areas thought too hard to break into a decade ago. The changing face of the workforce has led to the continued evolving of “what we do and how we do it” and the AWU is leading the way. We look forward every day to the challenges and changes that we meet.

MEET THE DELEGATE

AW U DELEGAT E AT NAT IONAL T RUST OF AUST R ALI A, V IC TOR I A

“When you belong to a union you really know that you’re not out there on your own.”

TRISH ROTHVILLE

AS TOLD TO LAURA MACFARLANE PHOTOS GETTY

y employer, the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), is the custodian of many heritage properties around the state including the Old Melbourne Gaol, Crime & Justice Experience. I work at the Gaol and, like many National Trust employees, my job is multifaceted. It includes program support, volunteer co-ordinator and tour guide. We do educational tours mainly pitched towards school children and, if they want to, they can participate in a courtroom drama, which is a re-enactment of the trial of Ned Kelly. So my job is a cross between entertainment and education. The courtroom dramas are also conducted during holiday times for all visitors, and calls for people to volunteer to act the parts. They get to dress up as well and the kids love it. So do the adults – and so do I! Before I started working at the National Trust, I was in the public service for 20 years. I worked in the Department of Customs and then Telstra. I took time out after this to have my family. Unfortunately my marriage broke up and after that I went to Swinburne University to study and complete a Bachelor of Business. I had never quite ﬁnished a degree after I left school and this was a new start for me. Because I love history, particularly Melbourne’s history, I decided to become a volunteer for the National Trust. I was working in the events area and this helped me get back into the workforce. It was during that time I worked with a dynamic manager and she encouraged me to take a paid casual job in customer service that was available at the Old Melbourne Gaol. I’ve always been fortunate to work with good managers. At the Gaol I was asked if I wanted to train as a guide. I then began working permanent part-time and now support all the programs run at the Gaol. I also prepare a communications bulletin for the staff and look after our volunteers. When I was in the public service I was always a union member, but I joined the AWU when I began working at the Gaol and it was here that I really

witnessed how a union can work for you. Our ﬁrst EBA was very difﬁcult – it was during Howard’s WorkChoices time – and the National Trust was changing our pay scheme to annualisation. This meant they cut our weekend penalty rates unless we worked more than 13 or 20 weekends in a year. This meant they were able to roster staff to work no more than those weeks and therefore not be paid penalty rates. At this time I was only a bystander to the negotiations and the lady that was doing it really took a lot on for all of us. The gardeners of The National Trust were AWU members and we they helped us to get the Union involved. Ben Davis (now Victorian Branch Secretary) came down and got things sorted out for us. Although our pay remains on the

annualised system, the AWU has worked to get things like the correct number of breaks per shift and a thermal clothing and shoe allowance because we work outside a lot. JP Blandthorn, our current organiser, is a great help and the current EBA is a testament to this and represents good conditions that have been improved progressively, including redundancy conditions that we didn’t have before. When you belong to a union you really know that you’re not out there on your own. You know you have people in your corner. It’s because of this backing that I became a delegate in 2010 and was instrumental in negotiating the last EBA. My unionism has rubbed off on my eldest daughter, Fiona, has worked in unions. Also, she has just qualiﬁed from La Trobe University as a lawyer and now works at Fair Work Australia. It’s in our genes. Anna, my second daughter, is an artist making glassware and jewellery. Anna has a mild intellectual disability and it is through her work at Lilydale’s Wesley Fire & Clay that she creates her art. The artists sell their products at markets, galleries and on the Iinternet. I have a passion for travelling, and work has enabled me to indulge in some great adventures. These include a tour to Italy where we shopped at the markets in Umbria and then cooked wonderful dinners. I also took my girls to Egypt to indulge Anna who has a passion for all things Egyptian. These were great experiences. More recently in 2010 and 2012 I went to New Orleans Jazzfest on music tours organised by 3RRR. This is my indulgence! I wish I could go every year…. New Orleans is amazing and has such a resilient spirit. It has bounced back after hurricane Katrina and then the oilrig explosion in 2010. I love my job and as long as I keep working, I will be in the AWU and as long as I keep working. Then I can travel!

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FRONTLINE NEWS ► NATIONAL/QUEENSLAND

NAT IONAL

ANTI-DUMPING CAMPAIGN VICTORY The Australian Workers’ Union has welcomed the historic launch of the Australian AntiDumping Commission. The Commission’s establishment follows a long campaign by the Union, most notably through the ‘Don’t Dump on Australia’ campaign. AWU National Secretary Paul Howes said Australia’s previously lackadaisical approach to dumping, especially from China, had been damaging the national economy. He said the new Commission was a vital step in turning the corner. “The Australian Anti-Dumping Commission represents much needed relief for the national manufacturing sector and manufacturing workers,” Paul said. “Australia has been out of step with other developed nations in allowing dumping to occur relatively unchecked. From now on the AntiDumping Commission will be keeping guard and our nation’s economy will be stronger for it.”

LOOKING FORWARD

After 30 years of not seeing eye-to-eye, the Australian Workers’ Union and the Construction Forestry Mining & Energy Union (CFMEU) are proud to have jointly launched the Western Mine Workers’ Alliance. This historic alliance provides a voice for up to 15,000 workers at Rio Tinto’s iron ore mining operations in the Pilbara region in Western Australia. This will allow them to bargain collectively with the company, on an even footing, for the ﬁrst time in decades. AWU National Secretary Paul Howes described the alliance as an historic moment. “It’s no secret that our unions have had our differences in the past, a tension that Rio Tinto has been able to exploit,” Paul said. “The days of divide and conquer are well and truly over. We will not

allow a wedge to be driven between us.” Paul said that it’s the ﬁrst time in decades that 15,000 workers at Rio Tinto’s Pilbara iron ore mining operation will have effective union representation. CFMEU Mining General President Tony Maher said the alliance gave workers an alternative voice in the workplace. “For too long, managers at Rio Tinto have been the only avenue of appeal when the workforce has grievance,” Tony said. “This agreement allows members of the new Alliance to shake that up. It will boost the power of the people who actually produce our nation’s mineral wealth, the workforce. And that can only be a good thing,” he added. The Western Mine Workers’ Alliance came into effect in July and looks forward to a bright, new era for Pilbara mine workers and their representative unions.

QU EENSLA N D

STAND UP FIGHT BACK CAMPAIGN The AWU Queensland Branch’s “Stand Up Fight Back” campaign, launched on Labour Day 2013, is about AWU members standing up for their job security, protecting fair wages and ﬁghting back against attacks on our rights. Queensland workers have seen how a conservative government can legislate away workers’ rights and job security. In Queensland, under the guise of ‘contestability’, key services such as public health and disability support will be contracted out and privatised, which will lead to further job losses and, more importantly, a serious decline in the quality of patient care and services across the State. The Union has launched the

standupﬁghtback.com.au website which has resources, videos, petitions and contacts for members. As part of the campaign the

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Branch has held a series of events across the State. Members have also been circulating a petition seeking a guarantee that there will be no

The AWU will always stand up and fight back!

privatisation of health services and no reduction in patient care. This campaign has only just begun – more members across Queensland will become involved to ensure that the attacks on our rights at work are defeated.

FRONTLINE NEWS ► QUEENSLAND

QU EENSLA N D

ANOTHER NEWMAN FAILURE When Campbell Newman declared that Queensland was the “Spain of Australia”, most people thought it was just over reached rhetoric coming from a new Premier trying to make his mark. However, he was serious. March 2012 saw

a seismic transformation in Queensland; a new age of austerity was ushered in. Alarm bells started ringing for workers when a ‘Commission of Audit’ was launched, headed up by former Howard Government treasurer Peter Costello, who

QU EENSLA N D

BIG WIN FOR AWU MEMBERS AT CAPRAL

AWU Queensland Branch members at Capral Aluminium had a big win with their latest agreement earlier this year, after 12 months of planning, growth and campaigning. Last year, the Union began mapping the site and developing a log of claims with members and delegates. This was later developed into a draft agreement. Queensland Branch Organiser Bede Harding and delegates Dale Johnston, Daren Lowe and John Shorter said the benefit of starting the log of claims process so early was that members had the opportunity to focus on formulating clauses important to them. At the first meeting with the company, the Union presented a draft agreement. As a result, some of the significant wins for members were: ● Three-year agreement with 3 per cent wage increase each year. ● Shift allowance calculated on percentage, which will increase with wages. ● Proper classification structure based on skills with no cap on positions.

●

Guarantee if CPI exceeds 3 per cent, wage increases would go up in line. Throughout the process the AWU also increased membership from 75–90 per cent and recruited an extra delegate and two codelegates. This demonstrates that a co-ordinated approach can produce good industrial outcomes, even when the manufacturing industry is under pressure.

declared Queensland was being self-indulgent and he had a “plan”. We have seen Newman lay to waste 14,000 public sector workers, slash hospital budgets and patient beds, privatise cleaning and linen services and cut community services across the State. As a result, Queensland now has more debt, slower growth, a downgraded credit rating and higher unemployment (having just

reached a 10-year high of 6.4 per cent). Newman has done more damage to the Queensland economy in the last 18 months than the GFC did in the preceding years. While the LNP’s mates in big business won’t tell you this very often, they know this approach simply doesn’t work. ANZ boss Mike Smith had this to say: “All this austerity just doesn’t work; you’ve got to create some stimulus as well.”

QU EENSLA N D

POLLIE WANNA PAY RISE? The Queensland government recently tried to award itself a 42 per cent pay rise, which would have seen the Premier, Campbell Newman, earn almost $400,000 a year. When challenged to rescind the pay rise the Acting Premier, Jeff Seeney, declared that he found the idea of legislating away an entitlement that exists to be repugnant to anyone that has a belief in the Parliamentary system. The only hiccup for the Government is that it did precisely that in 2012 when it legislated away job security and no-contracting-out clauses from all public sector certiﬁed agreements and awards in Queensland. The government decided to take an interim pay rise of 42 per cent while they waited to set up a so-called “independent”

tribunal. While this government is happy to take the cash, it is determined to stop a 2.2 per cent interim pay rise for public sector workers. This government has set two standards – one for workers and one for itself. That is the deﬁnition of hypocrisy.

QU E E NSL A N D

ASBESTOS SCARE After a riot at the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre in Townsville in May, AWU members were exposed to dangerous asbestos ﬁbres. The Union immediately put bans on work in the stores until a satisfactory clean-up had occurred. AWU Northern District Secretary Cowboy Stockham slammed management at the centre for continuing to put workers’ lives at risk following revelations that asbestos ﬁbres had been found in a location that management labelled a “decontaminated area”. After hearing that this area and potentially other parts of the centre were still contaminated, the Union has banned the stores building for workers. Members who have been affected have been put in touch with Union legal advisers.

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FRONTLINE NEWS ► NEW SOUTH WALES

NEW SOU T H WALES

WAITING GAME FOR WHITEGOODS The AWU is ﬁghting to retain manufacturing jobs at one of the most important companies in Orange, whitegoods company Electrolux, as the company threatens to move jobs to Thailand due to the high Australian dollar. Management has told the Union it won’t make a decision on the plant’s future until December. The worst case scenario is that the plant will remain open until 2015. Greater NSW Branch Secretary Russ Collison made a commitment to ﬁght alongside members and protect their conditions and entitlements in this uncertain time. “We’ve had many battles out there and have come out on top. We’ll do it again this time.” Regional Organiser Brock Skelton has met with management on a number of occasions. “There are many things that come into play when making this decision – redundancy pay, cost of moving the plant and the Aussie dollar.” Electrolux, previously Email, has been a major employer in the Orange community. Ever since the gates opened in 1946, the AWU has represented its members at the Orange plant. Over the last 60 years the plant has faced

many challenges, which the Union, with its strong membership and delegates, has overcome. Older members will remember a time when the plant was ﬁlled with asbestos. In 2000, Electrolux overtook Email and the workforce was cut from 1200 employees to 600 employees. The Union fought long and hard to ensure that its members got their entitlements, saving as many jobs as possible.

It sucks!

NEW SOU T H WALES

HARD ROCK MINING IN COBAR AWU mining members in Cobar have seen their pay and conditions boosted over the past 12 months, as a series of WorkChoices-era agreements have ended. Union membership declined during the dark days of the Howard Government, but the situation has improved recently, especially at the ﬁve major mines

within an hour of the union town. The Union has managed to improve conditions substantially at both Cadia Valley in Orange, and the CSA mine in Cobar through new Enterprise Agreements. The Union is also currently negotiating improved conditions of employment on behalf of members at CBH Endeavour Mine at Cobar.

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Cadia Valley gold mine.

NEW SOU T H WALES

GOING FOR GOLD Employees and contractors at Newcrest’s Cadia Valley gold mine have been feeling the pain of a dramatic downturn in the industry. Newcrest’s share price has plummeted from a high of around $40 to hover around $10 in light of a restructure announcement. Contracts have been terminated early without notice and pressure has been brought to bear on suppliers to review prices. “The atmosphere at Cadia and the region in general is very insecure,” Greater NSW Branch Western Region Organiser Alan Haynes said. “Many workers and contractors alike relocated their families here from across the country to take up positions at the mine. Alan said the events of the past few months have made people very nervous. Newcrest is also under the ASIC spotlight due to a 15 per cent drop in the share price just before the announcement of the restructure. While Union membership had been steadily growing since an EBA was negotiated, the number

“This EA will be the ﬁrst to have a structured and guaranteed pay increase included in a mining agreement for more than eight years,” AWU NSW Branch Organiser Glenn Seton said. “Membership is growing across all ﬁve mines, with the AWU representing more workers in Cobar than at any time in the past 20 years. AWU Greater NSW Branch Secretary Russ Collison said that hard rock mining has always

of people joining in recent times has skyrocketed. Since the start of the EBA negotiations, local officials, with support from officials from the Sydney office, have completed 150 site visits. Members have been represented on numerous occasions for a variety of matters. “Miners are joining on a daily basis, they are really concerned about their future and are looking to the AWU for support,” Alan said. AWU Greater NSW Branch Secretary Russ Collison said significant progress had been made in negotiating an EBA. “With a life expectancy of some 30–40 years, we have only just begun the battle for a fairer deal for the workers at Cadia,” Russ said. “We are here for the long haul, not just for the mining community but for members from all industries and future members of the AWU.” The establishment of a new branch office in the CBD of Orange has been a good indicator of the commitment of the Greater NSW Branch to members in the western region of NSW.

been one of the cornerstones of the Union. “It’s a tough business, but our delegates and members are tough as well, and they are ﬁghting hard across the metal mining sector to reclaim the protections and conditions they deserve,” Russ said. “Credit must go to many of our members who stuck fast through those hard times and continue to grow the Union, proving that we are stronger together.”

FRONTLINE NEWS ► NEW SOUTH WALES/NEWCASTLE/PORT KEMBLA

NEWCA ST LE

JOB LOSSES AT WESTRAC

Duck? Where? Oh, duck!

NEW SOU T H WALES

FAIR GAME FOR NATIONAL PARKS

The NSW Government’s decision to abolish the Game Council and create strict guidelines to ensure the safety of staff, hunters and the public is a victory for the AWU, which represents 700 field staff in NSW national parks. AWU Greater NSW Secretary Russ Collison said Environment Minister Robyn Parker had agreed to each safety issue that the Union had raised on behalf of field staff. In particular, the Union welcomed the decision to have the program regulated and managed by the National Parks & Wildlife Service, with all volunteer hunters to be fully supervised. The Union also welcomed the decision to not allow children to hunt in National Parks, a ban on the use of bows and black powder muskets, and independent competency testing. “On three occasions we met with the Minister to raise the safety concerns that National Parks field staff had about the proposal for amateur hunting in National Parks,” Russ said. “These were identified following extensive consultation – including a State-wide vote of members – and it is a credit to the NSW Government that these issues were implemented. Russ said that the Union has now achieved a positive outcome that can ensure the safety of the program through the abolition of the flawed Game Council and the management of this hunting program by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.” The Union has also welcomed the decision to restrict the program to 12 parks and reserves, allowing its effectiveness and safety to be reviewed before any further roll-out occurs. “Public safety will be ensured by having notice of these activities announced at least four weeks in advance, the total closure of park areas where pest control operations are occurring, appropriate signage, road closures, and no hunting during school holidays,” Russ said. The decision to suspend hunting in State Forests, where the AWU represents 400 field staff, was also welcomed by the Union. “The Dunn Report uncovered worrying details about how this program was managed by the Game Council,” Russ said. “We welcome the decision to disband the council, hand its functions over to the Department of Primary Industries, and suspend hunting programs in State Forests immediately. We will advocate that hunting in State Forests not resume until identical safety procedures to those put in place for National Parks have been implemented.”

The AWU Newcastle Branch has secured superior redundancy entitlements for several hundred members at WesTrac, thanks to a sustained organising and recruitment campaign. The mining and construction equipment supplies company has announced it is making 45 per cent of its NSW workforce redundant, after a steep downturn in the price of black coal. “There’s no doubt about it, this decision is a kick in the guts,” AWU Newcastle Branch Secretary Richard Downie said. “For the last three and a half years we have worked our guts out to organise WesTrac, and it’s been a proud achievement for the Union. “Delegates have stepped forward to show tremendous leadership in their

workplace, while young apprentices have gained a solid understanding of the value of being in a union,” Richard said. “It’s never good to see wide-scale redundancies, but thanks to a spirited and energetic organising campaign, we are at least assured of one thing. AWU members at WesTrac will not be left in the lurch. Thanks to the Union’s campaign, voluntary redundancies will be offered first with larger payout figures. The ‘Pathway’ outplacement program will also be worth $1300 for each affected employee. “As well as superior entitlements and transition arrangements, there is a lasting benefit from our campaign at WesTrac and that is the enduring belief in unionism,” Richard said.

Bluescope’s Port Kembla steel operations.

PORT KEM BLA

GOOD AND BAD NEWS FOR STEEL WORKERS The AWU Port Kembla Branch has negotiated a solid pay rise along with substantial back pay for 1600 members at Bluescope’s Port Kembla steel operations. Members will get a 3 per cent increase from October 23, followed by a further 2.5 per cent on July 23, 2014 and then another 2.5 per cent one year later. The decision handed down in the Fair Work Commission in late May came despite a concerted effort by management to strip conditions from the agreement.

“Throughout this campaign, members of the AWU stood firm, and together we stopped the company winding back our conditions,” AWU Port Kembla Branch Secretary Wayne Phillips said. “We had Federal Court orders against us, staff scabbing on our members in the blast furnace, as well as threats and contempt from the company on a daily basis. “I’m immensely proud of what we have achieved together.” Whilst the parties were waiting for the Fair Work Commission’s decision, a manager in the plate mill area decided to sack 30 people in the department. Management is also threatening further cuts to the coke ovens and staff canteen. “The fight never ends, but I’m confident we will meet this attack by management as we always do,” Wayne said.

www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER

FRONTLINE NEWS ►VICTORIA

V IC TOR I A

CHANGING OF THE GUARD IN VICTORIA There’s been a changing of the guard in Victoria with the departure of AWU Victorian Branch Secretary Cesar Melhem and the election of long-serving ofﬁcial Ben Davis to the job. Cesar resigned as Branch Secretary in May to become a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, bringing a 22-year Union career to an end. His decision to leave the Union was a difﬁcult one, he admits, but the opportunity to continue to represent working people, this time in the Victorian Parliament, was one he decided to embrace, and the conditions were right for a change.

“I am leaving the Branch in good hands with Ben Davis as Secretary. He’s experienced, he’s smart and he’s committed. I am conﬁdent that our members will support him as they have supported me over many years,” Cesar said. As far as Ben is concerned, he’s hit the ground running. “Cesar has left an indelible mark on the life of this Branch and this Union, and he also left a very orderly organisation in excellent shape ﬁnancially, so it’s full steam ahead,” Ben said. “I have a strong belief that the Union has an important role to play in building a safer, better, fairer working future for our members. The Australian Diamonds.

Former Branch Secretary Cesar Melhem.

I wouldn’t be doing this job if I was not conﬁdent about what lies ahead.” Ben’s career with the AWU started 18 years ago and has taken him all over the State as an organiser. During 11 years based in Bendigo, he covered almost every region of Victoria at one stage or another, as well as Whyalla (SA) for a time. “In Melbourne and the regions, I’ve negotiated a lot of agreements, I’ve helped settle a lot of disputes,”

New Branch Secretary Ben Davis.

Ben said. “And I’ve talked to a lot of members about the things that are important to them. It’s invaluable experience.” For the past three years he’s been Lead Organiser for Growth, and he’s served on the AWU National Executive since 2009. He’s also been a Victorian Vice-President since 2009, and at the time of Cesar’s departure, Ben was Victorian Assistant Secretary elect.

V IC TOR I A

NEW LEAD ORGANISER

V IC TOR I A

NETBALLERS SCORE Great news for our worldbeating netballers, the Australian Diamonds, who ﬁnally have a pay rise after more than a year of hardfought negotiations by the AWU. The players have voted to accept increases that will see their daily payment increase gradually from the current $200 a day to $400 in 2015. Our international representative players are paid for an average 50 days a year, which means they were getting $10,000 per annum; that ﬁgure will rise to $15,000 this year,

$17,500 next year and $20,000 in 2015. Details of a bonus payment are still being discussed. The AWU has been looking after netballers’ interests since 2004 when the Diamonds were paid on average $2000 a year. The Australian Netball Players’ Association (ANPA), which is part of the Victorian Branch, looks after the Diamonds and players in the ﬁve teams in the ANZ Championship League. Congratulations to AWU Victorian Branch Lead Organiser and Executive Director of ANPA John-Paul Blandthorn for a job well done.

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The AWU Victorian Branch has a new Lead Organiser for Growth – Shannon Threlfall-Clarke – who has been part of the team for the past three years. Shannon, who is a Victorian Vice President, took up her new post with the experience of hundreds of site visits behind her, and a belief in the future of the labour movement. “People still join unions for the same reasons as they always did, for protection of their rights at work, which makes the AWU as relevant today as ever,” she said. “We get a warm welcome when we turn up at most sites. It’s rare that workers aren’t keen to talk to us, to ask questions about what we can do for them.” Young workers often had a different set of queries, she said. “If you’ve grown up in the internet age then you are used to

searching online for whatever you want to know. Young workers in particular sometimes think that’s enough, that they know their rights,” Shannon said. “We tell them the smart thing to do is to be part of a union. If everyone’s in the union and ﬁghting for the same things you are going to get better results and better protection for everyone.”

V IC TOR I A

VALE ROYCE BIRD Many Victorian Branch members will grieve the passing of a great friend of the AWU, former Federated Ironworkers State Secretary Royce Bird, who died in early June. AWU Geelong Organiser Gavin Penn was a friend of Royce’s and said he was known internationally for his knowledge of OH&S in all aspects of the aluminium industry. “You would never ﬁnd a more dedicated, more respected, or fairer person who gave everything he had for the people he represented. The legend of Royce Bird will live on,” Gavin said.

FRONTLINE NEWS ► VICTORIA

V IC TOR I A

FIGHTING FOR GEELONG AND VICTORIAN MANUFACTURING

Shell’s Corio refinery.

V IC TOR I A

BUSTING THE BULLIES

The future of Geelong is worth fighting for, and that’s exactly what the AWU Victorian Branch intends to continue to do as the region faces challenging times. The decision by Shell to sell its Corio refinery is the latest in a series of blows to the future of manufacturing in the region. If a buyer is not found to run the refinery as a going concern, then the company plans to use it as a terminal with the loss of hundreds of jobs. AWU Victorian Branch Secretary Ben Davis said the Shell move compounded a string of announcements and decisions that hit members directly and indirectly. “We are half-way through the two-year assistance package for Alcoa at Point Henry to allow time to see if it can be a viable operation, and now we have the threat of the refinery turning into a terminal if a buyer can’t be found,” Ben said. “There’ve been about 260 redundancies from Qantas and

Chandler MacLeod at Avalon this year and, of course, there’s the recent announcement by Ford that it will stop making cars at Geelong – a decision that will indirectly affect many of our members.” The Victorian Branch had a powerful response to last year’s review of operations at Point Henry, and continues to be involved in monitoring the progress of the assistance package for which the Union lobbied long and hard. “We’re not going to stand back and watch the progressive gutting of the manufacturing sector in Geelong, along with the inevitable loss of skills that follows on from massive job losses,” Ben said. “We are talking to the Federal Government about considering economic assistance, and we’re urging the State Government to sit down with the relevant parties to come up with a plan for the region to ensure it continues to have a healthy manufacturing sector.” A Victorian Government

Bullying at work is a problem the AWU Victorian Branch plans to attack at its source by framing a campaign of prevention. AWU Victorian Branch Secretary Ben Davis said legislation to allow the Fair Work Commission to deal with complaints and make orders if necessary, was a vital step forward but not the total answer. “We need more and better information to stop bullies, hopefully before they cause any damage. Prevention is better than cure,” Ben said. “We’re asking members who have been bullied, witnessed it, or may even have been bullies themselves to come decision to slash TAFE funding should be immediately and totally reversed if the State is not to lose the skills necessary for it to retain its prosperity into the future. “We need to get it right with Geelong because it’s a microcosm of what is happening more broadly in manufacturing nationally. We can’t afford this hollowing out of the architecture of manufacturing,” Ben said. The AWU is in regular discussion with Shell and is keen to meet interested parties to maximise the potential for a sale. “We’ll talk to anyone at any time about anything that affects the

forward with their stories.” Victorian Safety Ofﬁcer Jim Ward has been ﬁelding phone calls from members with an eventual aim of a series of focus groups to discuss the broadranging concerns around bullying at work. “Everyone recognises bullying when they see it,” Jim said. “You can smell it, you can feel it, you can taste it. There is no excuse for not stepping up and talking about it. And there’s no reason why we can’t do more to nip this problem in the bud before the damage is done.” If you would like to tell your story, contact Jim on 1300 362 298, or at jim.ward@awu.net.au future of jobs, because that is one of the best ways we can represent our members,” Ben said. The Branch is also increasing the pressure on the State Government to enforce a strict local procurement policy on all major projects, including Bendigo Hospital and the Monash Children’s Hospital. “Locally produced goods must be prioritised on these developments. The best assistance you can give Victorian manufacturing is a big order,” Ben said. “We have the glass, the concrete, the steel, the aluminium and a lot more that can be sourced in this State. We intend to make sure that what should happen, does happen.”

www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER

FRONTLINE NEWS ► SOUTH AUSTRALIA/WEST AUSTRALIA

SOU T H AUST R ALI A

BRADKEN ADELAIDE SECURES PAY DEAL AWU members employed at cast iron and steel products manufacturer Bradken have been locked in a protracted battle for a fair pay rise, ﬁnally winning an 8 per cent increase over the next 18 months. Members took several rounds of industrial action after commencing the campaign in November, with stoppages of one, two and eight hours, along with bans on overtime. AWU South Australian Branch

Organiser Joe Kane said the campaign had been difﬁcult and, at times, bitter. “We’ve copped alleged coercion, harassment and discrimination against members, along with arrogance from management,” Joe said. “But I will always be humbled to stand side by side in the rain with a group of foundry workers ﬁghting for a fair go.” AWU Senior Site Delegate Neil Brown agreed: “Bradken’s

motto is ‘Proud to Belong’ but we have felt the exact opposite of that as we have watched 460 of our patterns shipped out of Adelaide to Malaysia and China,” Neil said. “We have worked very hard over the last decade, sacriﬁcing our weekends, while Bradken posted record proﬁts from our labours. “This company seemed to think it was okay to offer us a paltry 2.8 per cent while management salaries skyrocket into the millions

on the back of yet another record half yearly profit.” The Union’s campaign firstly culminated in a full day strike on May 31, leading to a Fair Work Commission hearing and an offer of 8 per cent over two years, with back pay. “Our members stood firm and fought very hard to secure this offer,” Joe said. “We have now made inroads into catching up with the other foundries and with the benefit of this experience together, we will be ready for our next Enterprise Bargaining Agreement in 2015.”

W EST ER N AUST R ALI A

RIO RAIL WORKERS RALLY FOR A BETTER AGREEMENT AWU members have been working on the railroad, all the live-long day… But they’re determined to get better conditions and pay! Over the last 16 months the AWU West Australian Branch has been waging a prolonged and hard-fought battle against, Fluor Rail Services, the company that constructs, re-rails and maintains thousands of kilometres of rail lines for Rio Tinto’s expansive Iron Ore operations throughout the vast Pilbara Region of Western Australia. During the Enterprise Agreement campaign, which is now coming to a conclusion after 16 months of bargaining, the Union has seen its membership grow by over 150 per cent. It is now at a stage where, through strong, loyal and capable AWU delegates and members, we were able to take protected industrial action against Fluor Rail Services. In essence, this forced parts of Rio Tinto’s Iron Ore shipping industry to grind to a halt under AWU members before Rio can resume normal rail operations. The Union’s central claims in these negotiations were income protection coverage for members, fair and reasonable pay increases in line with other similar operations, better provisions for mobilisation and de-mobilisation, members not having to pay for their own

Rail maintenance workers fight for a better deal.

ﬂights to return to homes on the east coast and a joint AWU Consultative Committee between the two areas of FRS operations. Despite the Union identifying areas of the business where the company could save money in order to fund our new agreement proposals, the company had refused to implement the claims requested by members. However, when AWU members stand together, we win together because we are stronger together. At the time The Australian Worker is going to print, members are about to vote on an agreement that not only secures a 15 per cent pay increase over four years, but awards them in the major areas that they were seeking. AWU WA Branch Secretary Stephen Price said that there had been some huge wins for AWU members however the OH&S and environmental

THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au

management matters now being inserted into the agreement are significant. These recognise that work can stop when the temperature reaches a defined point, plus they take into account other environmental factors involved in the work – the heat of the steel tracks being laid, the blue metal and other machinery being used. “When the temperate says 40ºC outside, our members might be working in heat closer to 55ºC-60ºC, depending on whether they are flash-butt welding, laying steel tracks, packing blue metal – whatever they are doing to get the job done,” Stephen said. Perform this type of work in a valley of magnetite ore, and you have an environment of heat-stress conditions. You need to be careful – you need to ensure these workers are monitored so they don’t overheat

and become very ill. These conditions can prove fatal. “Having an AWU Committee now working together with the company to enforce these OH&S provisions is a great win for the Union – because safety is union business.” Stephen added that he was disappointed that negotiations took so long on the FRS part, but praised the commitment and loyalty of Union members involved. “From the start, AWU members put forward a sensible and well-costed alternative during these discussions and FRS rejected our claims consistently. Not only would our agreement better acknowledge the work done by our members in extreme and adverse heat and other weather conditions, but would also improve turnover and retention of the current employees,” Stephen said. “Having the agreement now at the stage it is, puts us in a great position in four years’ time to keep on improving it.” While the construction agreement was ﬁnalised several months ago, the re-rail (maintaining existing tracks) agreement voting process is still ongoing. Stephen said he hoped that AWU members were happy with the proposed offer and looked forward to the conclusion of the bargaining period.

FRONTLINE NEWS ►WEST AUSTRALIA

W EST ER N AUST R ALI A

PILBARA ALGAE WORKERS STAND STRONGER TOGETHER

BHP’s Mt Whaleback.

W EST ER N AUST R ALI A

SMARTER THAN WE LOOK Over the past six months the AWU West Australian Branch has trained close to 160 delegates in iron ore and bauxite mining, oil and alumina refining with the aim of delivering better wages and conditions for our members. The AWU National Training and Education Co-ordinator, Beryl Lawson, has made Western Australia her home-away-fromhome most of this year when training members as far away as the South West to the North West Pilbara Region. Strategically, the WA Branch has trained over 130 Alcoa delegates from the Huntley and Willowdale mine sites and from the Pinjarra, Wagerup and Kwinana Refineries before their enterprise agreement expires later this year. With recent updates on cases and decisions, and amendments to the Fair Work Act, this training will prove vital. It will give the delegates the ability and confidence to report back to members on agreement negotiations. It will also give the Alcoa All Sites Committee the edge in negotiations to form a single AWU Enterprise Agreement to cover the 2000 AWU members across the five sites. Similarly, the Union has trained 15 delegates across the BP Kwinana Refinery in similar areas before their agreement expires and to assist in negotiations that are now currently underway. Delegates from production

and laboratory operations are now ready to secure jobs and conditions at the refinery, while competitors close and mothball their operations around Australia. The AWU was also requested by the various unions involved in mining operations at ‘The Hill’ in Mt Newman, to facilitate delegate training for the senior Union delegates who work at BHP’s Mt Whaleback Iron Ore operations. AWU WA Branch Secretary Stephen Price says in the past five years the Branch has trained hundreds of delegates through the AWU National Education program. “Our Union’s strength is in our delegates,” Stephen said. “They are the ones that our members go to first if there is a problem or an incident at their workplace. It is vital that they get the training in order to give the advice that our members seek.” Stephen also recalled his time as an AWU delegate before he became an organiser. “When members came to me for assistance and I didn’t have the knowledge to give them the correct advice or instruction, it would weaken the AWU presence on site,” he said. “That’s why training delegates has been a major focus for the Branch.” The Union is looking to train more delegates in Perth and Bunbury later this year for Level 1 and 2 courses. AWU members who are interested can call Matt Dixon on 08 9221 1686 or email matt.dixon@awuwa.asn.au

Since the election of the current AWU WA Branch Secretary, Stephen Price, there has been a long and concerted effort by the Union to reassert itself back into the regional areas of Western Australia’s Pilbara and Goldfields Regions. Despite there being extensive metalliferous mining and construction projects in these areas, there are still many other smaller operations that the Union has been proactive in organising and providing industrial advice and support for. One of these workplaces is Aurora Algae, located on the Dampier mudflats near Karratha. After a few visits from AWU West Australian Branch Organiser Shane O’Reilly, who explained the rates of pay that should apply, and that there were greater and longerterm benefits in having full-time instead of casual employment, the Union has seenmembership grow from zero to 100-per-cent density

within a few short weeks. AWU West Australian Branch Secretary Stephen Price said that for AWU ofﬁcials working across a wide range of coverage, common themes emerge no matter if you are working as a rigger on an offshore hydrocarbon project, in a steel factory in Perth, or in a timber mill in in the South West. “This is a testament to the Union and the service we provide to our members,” Stephen said. “We have answered questions from the workers, told them about collective action, made this site 100 per cent union, and now we are going to bargain for an enterprise agreement to enhance their pay and conditions.” Stephen also said that it was what the AWU does. “And we do it bloody well,” he added. The Union has also been successful in arguing that Manufacturing & Associated Industries Award and not the Aquaculture Award should cover those employed in algae-related operations as well. Global unity.

W E ST E R N AUST R A L I A

AWU STRONGER TOGETHER – IN VIETNAM! AWU supporter Ian Bishop, from Albany in the Great Southern Region, sent in this photo of an AWU ‘We’re older than the nation’ sticker from a tourist bar in Hue, Vietnam. Ian told The Australian Worker that he had problems uploading this image to Facebook because internet access was intermittent – perhaps due to the local authorities trying to block such uploads. Could it be that the Vietnamese government has an internet policy similar to the one being proposed for Australia by the Coalition? Thanks for the photo, Ian. Safe travels, mate!

www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER

FRONTLINE NEWS ► TASMANIA

TA SM A NI A

BELL BAY EDGES CLOSER The AWU continues in its bid to win a decent deal for members employed at Rio Tinto’s Bell Bay aluminium smelter in Tasmania. The Union won an historic victory at the site in January,

when a majority of the 330-strong workforce voted in favour of pursuing a collective agreement. It was the ﬁrst time in decades that a de-unionised workplace has voted to pursue such an agreement. AWU Tasmanian Branch

Secretary Ian Wakeﬁeld said management now needed to respect the will of the workforce. “We are not pursuing an excessive claim at Bell Bay, just the legitimate right of the workforce to be represented by a union,” Ian said. “Management’s response has so far fallen short of the outcomes workers are seeking. Bargaining

collectively is a democratic right that every worker is entitled to and Rio Tinto ought to respect that fact.” The AWU is seeking to shift the current non-union, common law agreement to a collective EBA. It would give the workforce greater protection if, as expected, Rio Tinto sells the smelter in the next 12 to 18 months.

TA SM A NI A

TASMANIANS STAND UP FOR RESPONSIBLE MINING The people of Tullah and over 2000 others from across the region made their voices heard on the need for responsible mining in the region during a community rally in late May. In the wake of the successful ‘Our Tarkine, Our Future’ campaign, which led to the Federal Government deciding against a National Heritage Listing of the Tarkine region earlier this year, the Tullah community has made it clear that responsible mining is vital to the region’s future. “No one loves this area more than the people who live here, but they understand that a healthy mining industry and conservation can co-exist,” AWU Tasmanian Branch Secretary Ian Wakeﬁeld said. “That’s why it’s heartening to see over 2000

people make the effort to come out and make their voices heard. Too often we hear from a noisy minority of environmental extremists. Getting the actual local community in on the action is exactly what we need.” Unemployment in Tasmania’s north-west is among the highest in the nation and youth unemployment is particularly dire. Responsible mining has the potential to boost the number of quality jobs Tasmanians need. “Just one short year ago it looked like responsible mining was not going to be allowed to develop across the Tarkine region. That would have been a disaster for this area,” Ian said. “There is now real hope for this region to improve its economy in the coming years thanks to its rich mineral deposits.”

THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au

Voters want conservation and responsible mining.

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POSTCARD FROM...

UNIONUPDATE The chart, below, details how much The Australian Workers’ Union allocates resources to each area of its operations. Union members can be assured that the AWU conducts its business lawfully and ethically at all times and is diligent in the protection and integrity of its members’ contributions.

7CENTS

MOTOR VEHICLES

7 cents of every dollar covers the cost of operating the AWU’s vehicles

7CENTS

BUILDING EXPENSES

7 cents of every dollar goes to owning and maintaining the buildings owned by the AWU

21CENTS

ADMINISTRATION 21 cents of every dollar goes towards the general administration of the AWU

4CENTS

EDUCATION PROGRAMS 4 cents of every dollar goes to membership training and education programs

3CENTS

COMMUNICATIONS 3 cents of every dollar goes to AWU communication with its membership (including this magazine and the website)

58CENTS MEMBERSHIP SERVICES

Providing direct services for AWU members

LETTERS

MAILCALL JOIN THE CONVERSATION! Once upon a time people stood on soap-boxes at street corners and in parks to argue for a better deal for workers. Listeners would often stand out in the wind and rain to show their support – until the police or paid thugs came along to break it all up. These days, the arguments are just as passionate, but you don’t need a soap-box and a booming voice to have your say. And you’re less likely to get arrested! The new world of social

media is a great way for all of us to express our views and opinions and to participate in the national conversation. The AWU is expanding its social media activities, and developing new ways for members to get involved in the big issues. We’re on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and we’re building an exciting new web site. Getting on social media is not just being heard, it’s also about showing your support for other AWU members.

YOUR NEWS AND VIEWS Employers, business and bosses will always seek to intimidate, cut corners (in safety, pay and working conditions), and take unfair financial and personal advantage from their employees. They are there to make a profit, and selfishly seek success and personal gain, at the detriment – and expense – of their workforce. This is why workers should always have a designated negotiating authority representative like a union. Unions stand for decency, safety, dignity and a better life for all of their workers. Unions represent the greater good for all. Unions are only as strong as their members. Strength in Unity. We are the Union. Pete Learmonth I would like to thank the AWU Greater NSW Branch for its help on May 9 in my unfair dismissal claim with the FWC. With specific thanks to AWU delegate Mark Hughes and lawyer Kate Thomson. Their assistance in this matter resulted in a win for the little guy... Stronger Together. James Hawkins

GET CONNECTED Are you on Facebook? Make sure you ‘like’ the AWU Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/AustralianWorkersUnion Are you on Twitter? Make sure you follow @AWUnion Prefer to use email? Email your letters to: members@nat.awu.net.au Still using snail mail? Then send in your letters to: The Australian Workers’ Union, Level 10, 377-383 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW 2000. By submitting your letter for publication you agree that we may edit the letter for legal, space or other reasonable reasons, and may, after publication in the magazine, republish it on the internet or in other media. Views expressed on the ‘Mail Call’ page are not necessarily those of the AWU.

The AWU has been congratulated for its stand regarding hunting in NSW National Parks and workplace and public safety.

I congratulate the AWU and ask that you please keep speaking out on behalf of the workers you have in NSW National Parks. And also for us, the general public, who do NOT want hunting in any form to be taking place in what traditionally have been safe havens for animals and HUMANS. Something terrible, I feel almost sure, is bound to occur at some point... Janet Drummond www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER

WORLD VIEW

ALL AT

SEA O

n October 5, 2011, the Greek container ship MV Rena was sailing in clear weather from the New Zealand port city of Napier to Tauranga on the country’s North Island. At precisely 2.20am, disaster struck when the vessel ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef. The ship was carrying 1368 cargo containers, eight of which contained hazardous materials, in addition to 1700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 200 tonnes of marine diesel oil.

With millions of tonnes of container cargo shipped across the high seas every year, the occasional load ends up overboard. Believe it or not, this “lost treasure” brings a wealth of information to science. Gavin Denne! reports.

The MV Rena accident was an unmitigated environmental disaster, with a 5-kilometre oil slick emerging within days that threatened wildlife and the area’s rich ﬁshing waters. Within a week, oil began washing ashore at Mount Maunganui beach. To make the already perilous situation worse, the vessel itself began to shift onto the reef, causing it to lose another several hundred tonnes of oil. In addition to the hazardous oil loss, MV Rena developed a large crack in its hull

and began to break up. Over the course of a week, it lost between 30 and 70 cargo containers overboard, which eventually ﬂoated ashore on Motiti Island. Further debris and cargo reached land over the ensuing weeks, causing widespread damage to the New Zealand coast. By January 2012, MV Rena had completely broken in half and shed over 300 containers into the sea. The environmental impact drew widespread condemnation across the world, but the

NO PLEASURE CRUISE MV Rena is battered by strong seas as it is stuck on Astrolabe Reef in Tauranga, New Zealand. The stricken vessel encountered a three metre swell, which led authorities to fear it may ﬁnally break up. The vessel spilled 350 tonnes of oil, and almost 100 shipping containers.

www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER

WORLD VIEW

CAN OVERBOARD The bow of MV Rena after breaking up on Astrolabe Reef in New Zealand. Floating containers and debris have been found northwest of the vessel and more are expected to wash ashore. RIGHT Scavengers sift through a container that drifted onto Branscombe Beach in Devon, England, in 2007. The container came from the beached MSC Napoli (seen in background).

loss of cargo and the washing ashore of debris put the spotlight firmly on the containerisation industry. News vision of cargo containers bobbing about in the sea was shocking. Reports emerged of thousands of packets of powdered milk finding its way to Waihi Beach in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty. Some families, who had relocated to Australia from earthquake-ravaged Christchurch, had all their possessions which were loaded into shipping containers flung into the sea. As the MV Rena drama unfolded in the final months of 2011 and into 2012, footage of the cargo containers towering above the ship’s deck and ultimately meeting their demise as they toppled over and eventually lost their grip, raised questions of how such loss of cargo doesn’t happen more often. As it turns out, it does.

TRASH AND TREASURE Each year, approximately 10,000 cargo containers are lost overboard at sea. The advent of globalisation in the midto-late 20th century saw an explosion of international commercial trade, meaning

THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au

it is always peak hour in the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Over 100 million containers are in a constant state of movement across the globe, satisfying demand for consumer goods and commodities. With so much freight traversing the globe, especially between China, Europe and the United States, it is inevitable a percentage will end up in the drink. Due to the overwhelming demand for international trade, specialised container ships are full to the brim with freight. Such is the way these ships are stacked, cargo containers can be vulnerable in severe storms. This means even without disasters such as the grounding of MV Rena, the odd container will be lost overboard. At any time, the world’s oceans can be home to thousands of weird and wacky ﬂoating household goods. The most fascinating case of lost cargo was the container of ‘Friendly Floatees’ toys thrown overboard from a ship during wild weather in January 1992. Manufactured in China for The First Years Inc., the container of 29,000 ﬂoating children’s bath toys departed Hong Kong destined

for Tacoma, Washington, in the US. While sailing in the North Paciﬁc Ocean, close to the International Date Line, an angry storm hit, throwing 20 containers into the sea, including the one housing the rubber ducks, turtles, beavers and frogs. Because these colourful items were designed to ﬂoat, once the container burst open from the impact of waves, their escape was complete and a worldwide journey began.

MAKING A SPLASH Over the course of the next 15 years, the Friendly Floatees saw more of the world than the modern backpacker. Some of the bath toys ended up washed ashore in Hawaii and Alaska, while others set off on a 27,000-kilometre journey taking in the Arctic Circle and landing on the west coast of England in 2007. A similar fate met five cargo containers chock full of Nike trainers en route from Seoul, South Korea, to Seattle, United States, in May 1990. When a storm hit the Hansa Carrier vessel midway across the Pacific Ocean, the containers were five of 21 which plunged into the chilly sea. Four of these burst open,

THE BOX – VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

unleashing over 61,000 Nike high tops. Over a year later, hundreds of the sports shoes began washing ashore on the American west coast in Washington and Oregon. With the Nikes still wearable, locals began gathering at swap meets to try to locate an exact size match to complete a pair from the shoes they collected from local beaches. The buzz generated by the Nikes exiting the sea tweaked the interest of renowned American oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer, who enlisted the help of enthusiastic beachcombers to track the shoes’ progress and landing sites. What Curtis was able to discover from the floating footwear was to change the study of the world’s ocean currents forever. Because Nike had extensive tracking data on their lost cargo, Curtis was able to pinpoint the exact movements of the beached shoes. This information proved vital as it gave him rare insight into where the spontaneous flotsam began to drift and where and when it washed ashore. This combined with the sheer numbers of shoes involved provided more comprehensive information than scientifically placed drift

In September 2008, the UK’s BBC News embarked on a project to track the path of a standard 12-metre shipping container for one year. Dubbed ‘The Box’, it was emblazoned with the BBC logo and fitted with tracking equipment with the purpose of studying modern international trade and globalisation. • The Box was transported by the Nippon Yusen Kaisha shipping line and set out from Southampton, UK, by rail to Coatbridge, Scotland. Upon arrival, it was loaded with Chivas Regal whisky and bound for Shanghai, China. Along the way, it stopped in Belfast, Northern Ireland, passed through the famous Suez Canal, and made a stop in Singapore. • After unloading the booze, the container was loaded with tape measures, cosmetics and gardening products destined for Big Lots department stores in the United States. It travelled via Japan, then across the Pacific Ocean to Los Angeles. It was then transported by rail to New Jersey and by road to its final destination in Pennsylvania. • No sooner did Big Lots have their loot, when The Box was filled with ink, spearmint flavouring, food additives and polyester fibres and shipped by sea to Santos, Brazil. • In Brazil, the container bizarrely paired monosodium glutamate with auto parts and headed by sea via Cape of Good Hope, Singapore and Hong Kong to Yokohama, Japan. • An undisclosed load was then shipped from Japan to Thailand in one week, before the container was rammed full of tinned cat food in Bangkok and set sail for Southampton, where The Box’s journey had begun the year before.

markers ever could. The “Great Sneaker Spill” may have been an untimely accident, but this bizarre turn of events revolutionised oceanography study of currents and sea trash, while also changing the path of Curtis’s career. Armed with the information from the Nike spill, Curtis took a particular interest in the Friendly Floatees tale in 1992. “When thousands of bathtub toys

started washing up, I took immediate interest,” he explains. “I’m quite surprised how far they have travelled. They are examples of floating trash and by 2001 they had literally floated all over the planet. “We have a computer model for the North Pacific that updates where everything is every 12 hours. We noticed from observations they circled around the North Pacific in three years, whereas water would

www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER

WORLD VIEW

The duck armada ﬂoats through the Arctic – some trapped in ice Several thousand toys sail through Bering Strait By 2003 the toys are being found in Europe 100 toys reach Alaska in 1995

Ship leaves Hong Kong 1992

Ducks ﬂoat down as far as New England

Containers lost overboard

Many toys are found ashore in Australia and Indonesia

take six years. So they were moving twice as fast as our model predicted for water. We were surprised how fast these toys were moving. But the wind was on them and they were like little sails above the water and the wind scooted them along.” These observations enabled Curtis and his team to learn crucial information about the movement of ocean garbage. “It told us trash moves across the ocean a lot faster. There is not a lot of information on trans-ocean trash. Roughly 10-20 per cent of the trash on one side of the ocean ends up on the other side. In Britain, for example, 30 per cent of their trash comes from North America. Florida [in the US] gets 30 per cent of their trash from South America. We all live upstream from one another. “We always knew the North Paciﬁc Gyre [a vortex of currents between Japan and Alaska] existed, but until the ducks came along, we didn’t know how long it took to complete a circuit. It was like knowing a planet is in the solar system, but not being able to say how long it takes to orbit. Well, now we know how long it takes: about three years.”

CAST ADRIFT The sheer volume of floating rubber toys allowed for the careful observation of the world’s ocean currents and the distribution of flotsam around the planet that was previously limited. Their path took in much of the Pacific Ocean, Australian waters, Indonesia, North America, the Bering Strait between Russia and

THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au

Some of the toys head to South America

QUACK TRACKING Not all that ﬂoats is a boat! Thousands of rubber bath toys are being traced traversing the world’s oceans as the result of a shipping cargo container spill.

Alaska, Iceland, the site where the Titanic sank and Britain. Based on their trailblazing path, Curtis was able to correctly predict thousands of the Floatees would become frozen in the Arctic ice and rocket along at over a mile a day en route to the Atlantic Ocean. “The toys represent the contents from just one shipping container,” Curtis adds. “The 10,000 overboard annually is actually a low accident rate, but at any one time I am tracking spills from containers such as Nike shoes, hockey gloves, computer monitors…” This proverbial jumble sale of consumer goods traversing the world’s ocean streams may seem comical and bizarre, but through Curtis Ebbesmeyer’s work it is highlighting the very real problem of ocean trash and the effect it has on choking the marine ecosystem, the engine of the Earth’s entire climate. There

have been reports of whales washing ashore with stomachs full of plastic waste, emphasising the problem of junk material that doesn’t break down at sea. “The Floatees washing up in Alaska after 19 years were still in pretty good shape,” muses Curtis, with a resignation implying the problem is far greater than most people can truly understand. But if the adventures of a few thousand bath toys can help save the planet, then the loss overboard in that storm back in 1992 was not in vain. And through better understanding of the power of the sea, it is good to know that if you’re ever stranded on a desert island like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, an SOS message in a bottle is a feasible idea. Chances are one day someone will pop the cork and read your note somewhere in the world.

TECHNICAL SPECS: • Powered by a reliable Seiko VD53 movement • Water resistant to 3 ATMs • Precision date display

When you’re 500 metres underground, the weight of the world is on you. So are the hopes and dreams of the people above. When you’re a miner, the wealth of our nation is in your hands. Those very hands, caked with dirt and sweat and steeled by sheer guts, keep Australia strong. Now The Bradford Exchange is pleased to issue a distinctive watch that any miner (or those who admire them) would be proud to wear.

WORLDWIDE EDITION LIMIT

A Magniﬁcent Achievement in Craftsmanship and Design Precision crafted, the “Miners United Watch” captures the rugged individualism of the miner in durable stainless steel. On the face, a specially-designed motif atop a map of Australia expresses the importance of mining to our nation’s prosperity. Etched on the side are the words Stronger Together, a heartfelt tribute which unites every miner and every Australian as one. The face motif has been carefully etched on the reverse, encircled by the minerals, ores and precious metals mined in g Australia. Each one drives Australia forward to a bright, nks to the sweat and toil of our prosperous future and it’s all thanks dedicated miners.

Earliest reservations will receive the lowest edition numbers

Reverse

EXPERTLY ENGRAVED Side

A FINE JEWELLERY EXCLUSIVE ONLY FROM THE BRADFORD EXCHANGE

Exceptional Value, e, Satisfaction Guaranteed

INTEREST-FREE INSTALMENTS

Complete with a custom case and d Certificate of Authenticity, this ble exclusive timepiece is a remarkable sy, value at $225, payable in five easy, interest-free instalments of $45, plus d $19.99 postage and handling and e. backed by our 120-day guarantee. To reserve yours, send no moneyy now; just fill out and mail the Arrives in a custom-crafted coupon or go online today. presentation box with a Certificate of Authenticity

For quickest delivery, order online:

70220 503-FAN17.01

THE BRADFORD EXCHANGE Please Respond Promptly

Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms

First Name:

Surname: Address: Postcode:

YES!

Please reserve the “Miners United Watch” for me as described in this advertisement. This watch is available for ﬁve instalments of $45, a total of $225, plus $19.99 postage and handling. I understand I need pay nothing now. Please allow up to 28 days for delivery. All sales subject to product availability and reservation acceptance. Credit criteria may apply. From time to time, we may allow carefully screened companies to contact you. If you would prefer not to receive such offers, please tick this box.

❑

✂

• Watch crafted in rugged stainless steel • Chronograph measures up to 12 hours in seconds, minutes and hours

Phone: (optional) Email: (optional)

✓your preferred reservation option: Please select ❑ 1. ❑ MAIL no stamp required, to:

The Bradford Exchange, Reply Paid 86369 Parramatta NSW 2124

or 2. ❑ FAX to: (02) 9841 3399 – 24hrs or 3. ❑ ONLINE at www.bradford.com.au

quoting promotion code:

70220

✉

BINDI & RINGER

CROSSWORD

Bindi & Ringer have a big challenge for you. It’s a crossword puzzle, but some of the clues might seem a li!le tricky. Our two friends have compiled it this way, so you can have a fun project to do with your mum or dad. The answers appear at the bo!om of the page and you can take a peek, but only if you have to! 1

10 12 13

14 17

18 21

ACROSS 1. Aussie entertainment group kids love! (3, 7) 8. Someone who is using something (4) 9. Moved forward (8) 10. Robber, gangster (6) 11. Slimmer, trimmer (6) 12. Secret agent (3) 13. What an editor does (5) 15. The -----, important cricket match between Australia and England (5) 17. --- and the Kangaroo, famous Australian children’s book (3) 19. Plot, plan (6) 21. Legendary King of Camelot (6) 23. Union ofﬁcer (8) 24. Frog-like animal (4) 25. Made longer (10)

DOWN 2. A wife is married to one (7) 3. Spice -----, musical starring The Spice Girls (5) 4. Big, tall people from myths and legends (6) 5. Very energetic (6) 6. Summer shoes (7) 7. Line of people (5) 14. Popular long-running British police drama series (3, 4) 16. Teach, instruct (7) 17. Create a pattern to make a dress (6) 18. Small portable computer, iPad, eg (6) 20. Places where you buy cups of coffee (5) 22. Name of a book or song, eg (5)

ANSWERS: (Across) 1. The Wiggles; 8. User; 9. Advanced; 10. Bandit; 11. Leaner; 12. Spy; 13. Edits; 15. Ashes; 17. Dot; 19. Scheme; 21. Arthur; 23. Ofﬁcial; 24. Toad; 25. Lengthened. (Down) 2. Husband; 3. World; 4. Giants; 5. Lively; 6. Sandals; 7. Queue; 14. The Bill; 16. Educate; 17. Design; 18. Tablet; 20. Cafes; 22. Title.

THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au

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www.primesuper.com.au Prime Super ABN (60 562 335 823) is issued by Prime Super Pty Ltd (ABN 81 067 241 016, AFSL 219723, RSE L0000277). Call 1800 675 839 for a Product Disclosure Statement.

Australia’s Fund of the year 2012 and 2013. At Sunsuper, our dream is to make our members’ dreams come true. It’s one of the qualities that sets us apart from other super funds. So we’re honoured that our efforts have been recognised by being named Australia’s Fund of the year by both Money magazine and SuperRatings for the second year in a row. Find out more about how we can help make your retirement dreams more than dreams. Just visit sunsuper.com.au or call 13 11 84.

make your dreams more than dreams Products issued by Sunsuper Pty Ltd ABN 88 010 720 840 AFSL No. 228975. Read relevant Product Disclosure Statement before making any investment decisions regarding these products. For a copy contact Sunsuper on 13 11 84. bcm:sun0961