Editorial: Bye, bye, Kennett The following EDITORIAL was published in "The Guardian", newspaper of the Communist Party of Australia in its issue of Wednesday, October 27th 1999. Contact address: 65 Campbell Street, Surry Hills. Sydney. 2010 Australia. Phone: (612) 9212 6855 Fax: (612) 9281 5795. Email: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Webpage: http://www.cpa.org.au Subscription rates on request. ****************************** No-one was more surprised than Jeff Kennett, when the dice rolled him out of office in the Victorian elections. Kennett pushed privatisation at break-neck speed, government accountability and democratic procedures went out the window, health and education became poor relations to big business interests and the trade union movement was anathema to the Coalition Government. These policies were taken straight from the manual of the economic rationalists. That the people of Victoria have rejected them after only seven years is a warning to other governments across Australia, both Liberal and Labor which are pursuing similar policies. It remains to be seen whether the fundamental policies implemented by Jeff Kennett, especially privatisation, will be changed. In welcoming the election of the Labor Government, Leigh Hubbard, Secretary of the Melbourne Trades Hall, has called for quick action on the restoration of common law rights of the seriously injured to sue a negligent employer, the re-establishment of an industrial relations system for the 40 percent of workers who have no protection in Victoria, more resources for health, education and the public sector, an end to compulsory competitive tendering in local government and the restoration of the Auditor- General's powers. These are all good policies which need to be implemented without delay. There is also the question of electoral reform, giving priority to the introduction of a system of proportional representation. A number of organisations have called for this for the Victorian Upper House, the Legislative Council, which remains dominated by the Coalition parties. This body can block legislation coming from the Legislative Assembly and after the Government's honey- moon is over, they are certain to act to look after conservative interests. The Communist Party calls for the introduction of proportional representation for both Houses of Parliament. The present single member constituencies for the Legislative Assembly virtually guarantee the continued domination of the two-party system for many more years. The demand for proportional representation may seem to be a popular and logical demand for a Labor Government to implement but what is happening in NSW is a warning that what may seem to be logical is not what the main political parties want. In NSW the Labor Government is about to implement electoral "reforms" which will make it virtually impossible for small parties such as The Greens, Democrats, the CPA and others to obtain registration. NSW Labor is making these changes because 30 per cent of the electorate does not support either of the main parties and this trend challenges their control. A main feature of the Victorian elections was the swing in the countryside indicating that farmers and those dependent on agriculture in country towns are hurting badly. The closure of banks, government offices, post offices, etc., cut-backs in transport, health and education facilities and services have affected the countryside more than the cities. The volatility now to be seen in rural and regional areas in all States is both a warning and a challenge. It is a warning because their votes and actions could swing to the extreme right as was to be seen in Queensland where One Nation received a high vote. It is a challenge for the trade unions and labour movement parties to champion and do something about the needs of country people. In this respect Leigh Hubbard has called for the re- establishment of regional infrastructure to provide more jobs in the countryside. Australian politics have now entered a period in which large swings are taking place. It reflects the rejection of economic rationalist policies and a search for new ones but what those new ones need to be is not yet clear to most. It will be impossible to bring about any meaningful changes until policies dictated by the interests of the big corporations are brought to an end and policies based upon the economic, social and political needs of the people are implemented. Bye, bye to Kennett does not mean bye, bye to the policies that have made many Victorians unhappy. -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
