The main objectives of the federal budget are cuts to social spending, culling the pubic service and privatisation of public assets and government functions. This is being done in the name of fixing “Labor’s mess”, tackling a “debt and deficit disaster” and ending “unsustainable” spending on social welfare and the public sector. The truth is that there is no budgetary crisis, government debt is not about to spin out of control, social welfare spending is NOT unsustainable and the public service is already beyond “lean and efficient”.  more ...

The Royal Commission into “union corruption” has kicked off in spectacular fashion with former Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) official Ralph Blewitt telling the inquiry he put $90,000 of union members’ money towards buying a Melbourne home. Mr Blewitt previously claimed that he and fellow AWU official and boyfriend of Julia Gillard at the time, Bruce Wilson, had set up a slush fund to elect favoured candidates to trade union posts. Sensationalising tabloids and smugly conservative broadsheets will have a field day.  more ...

Two weeks ago Prime Minister Tony Abbott cancelled a visit to Indonesia, immediately after the Australian Navy intercepted a fishing boat carrying 18 asylum seekers. Immigration Minister Scott Morrison refused to confirm or deny Indonesian reports that two extra asylum seekers were forcibly transferred into the boat, which was then forced back into Indonesian waters.  more ...

The labour movement has a proud history. It has made many substantial gains for the working class. Through the strength of its organisation and unity of purpose it has won better wages and work conditions, gained shorter work hours and paid holidays and a whole range of social and welfare services.  more ...

Since September 2013 when members of the Community and Public Sector Union Civil Service Association (CPSU/CSA) lodged their claim with the state Liberal government of Colin Barnett and began their campaign for a new General Agreement, they have not made inroads in securing a meaningful outcome to their General Agreement 6 claim.  more ...

Protesters on the ABC’s Q&A program last week certainly rattled guest panellist, federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne. A lot of the subsequent corporate and social media commentary got bogged down in the question of the right of participants to their chanting and banner dropping protest. But their message was spot on – the Abbott government is putting the foot on the accelerator of long-standing plans to hand higher education over completely to the corporate sector.   more ...

This year, one of the custodial deaths which launched the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, will be remembered, 33 years later, with a national day of action, rallies and marches and a three-decade-old-call for justice. Eddie Murray died while in police custody in 1981 and his family and supporters are demanding a new inquiry into his death, claiming missing clothes and a Coroner’s report which proved he suffered a broken sternum while in custody, were proof that he was murdered.  more ...

The little paperback is a highly revealing anthology of the current Prime Minister’s statements. Three of the less rational examples will suffice, for a start:  more ...

As the bells in the tower of Sydney’s General Post Office chimed eight o’clock on the evening of Friday July 1, 1932, the peals were picked up and carried to every state of the federation. “This is the Australian Broadcasting Commission”, said the announcer, Conrad Charlton. Then he introduced the Prime Minister, Joseph Lyons, to pronounce the Commission inaugurated.  more ...

I received an email recently from GetUp! seeking to introduce me to two GetUp members in our electorate who have just had a meeting with our local member, Karen McNamara, a Lib, “on behalf of the 3,280 GetUp members who live in Dobell”.  more ...