The following Editorial was published in "The Guardian", newspaper of
the Communist Party of Australia in its issue of ednesday, August 21st,
2002.
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Editorial: Beware the lies
Airlines and airports have been in the news lately and one headline in
the Australian Financial Review (15/8/02) is worthy of comment. It said:
"Soaring airport prices: deregulation not to blame". It's a good example
of the widespread brainwashing and cover-up that is being heard more and
more in the media and from many politicians as the economic crisis deepens.
The Sydney airport has only just been privatised by the Federal
Government and landing costs are going to go up by 40-130 per cent
according to Allan Fels, Chairman of the Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission.
Formerly, when the airport was publicly owned, price caps were in place.
These these were removed on July 1 this year. It is just plain nonsense
to say that deregulation is not to blame. It is a direct consequence of
the removal of the price caps (deregulation) and of privatisation.
Allan Fels went on to say that the private airport operators are "also
increasing other charges such as taxi fees, car parking rates and
check-in counter rentals.
Anyone parking at Sydney airport will know of the exorbitant cost of
parking there. As most users of the car park are merely visiting the
airport to meet or farewell departing friends they have to suffer the
outrageous slug of $6 for half and hour or $12 for up to an hour.
Virgin Blue refused to accept the higher fees being demanded by the
airport authority for the use of the departure gates left vacant by the
bankrupted Ansett. Virgin Blue has used an inadequate shed as its
terminal during negotiations with the airport authorities. In the
meantime the Ansett terminals are unused and Virgin Blue has now
announced its intention of spending $15 million to extend its present
terminal building rather than pay the $18 million per annum demanded by
the airport authority for use of a limited number of Ansett gates.
Such is the stupidity of capitalism as various companies push and shove
to enhance their own profitability.
Meanwhile the Federal Government has refused to lift the present cap of
49 per cent on foreign ownership of Qantas. Qantas chief executive,
Geoff Dixon has pushed hard for the foreign ownership cap to be removed.
In commenting on the Federal Government's decision, Dixon is quoted as
saying that he hopes that "in time, good sense will prevail in the
national interest".
This is yet another example of a business leader who, by playing with
words, attempts to turn black into white. How can the sell-off of Qantas
to foreign capital be in the "national interest"? The more foreign
capital, the more foreign investors will repatriate Qantas earnings.
Under those circumstances Qantas will cease to be an "Australian icon"
and become nothing more than the plaything of international capital and
the other major airlines of the industrialised countries, many of which
are already in serious financial difficulties.
These are the direct consequences of deregulation and privatisation and
one after another the "captains of industry" and politicians are
attempting to cover-up their stupidity, inefficiency, incompetence and
outright betrayal of Australia's national interest.
The Pacific Forum and Zimbabwe
It appears that the Pacific Forum has been pressured and cajoled by
Howard into supporting a resolution of condemnation of Zimbabwe. Howard
attempted to justify the call for the expulsion of Zimbabwe from the
Commonwealth by asserting that the events that led to the expulsion of
Fiji are the same as those in Zimbabwe.
This is yet another of those lies which are calculated to hoodwink the
unwary. The expulsion of Fiji followed a military coup (there were two
such coups) against the democratically elected government of Mahendra
Choudry. There has been no such coup in Zimbabwe.
The Mugabe Government was re-elected in Zimbabwe elections only last
year and the Government is carrying out a land reform program that it is
entirely entitled to carry out and which was the main issue in the
Zimbabwean elections. Thoroughly democratic, in fact!
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