As expected, the NSW Labor caucus has (again) approved the privatisation of the NSW electricity system, against the wishes of the great majority of delegates to the recent Party conference, and without even a a whimper of dissent (Electricity dissidents face expulsion from party: Iemma, Andrew Clennell and Brian Robins, The Sydney Morning Herald, May 16, 2008). Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) NSW Secretary Paul Bastian reckons “All the unions are united in their opposition to this and we know we have the support of the public. Eighty-five per cent of the people of NSW are opposed to this sale” (Unions stand strong against power sell-off, The Guardian, May 14, 2008). Meanwhile, Morris has pissed off to China, presumably to help flog off state assets (Iemma denies power sell-off behind China trip, ABC, April 17, 2008). “Unions NSW boss John Robertson reckons “a state-wide day of protest is being planned and communities will be asked to vigorously lobby their MPs”, while Greens ‘John Kaye thinks there is still a chance of defeating the legislation. “We only need three ALP backbenchers to cross the floor,” he said’.
The moral of this story? Don’t fuck with Costa.
The Labor Party is Australia’s oldest and largest political party.
Established in 1891, Labor has a proud history of achievement for the working families of Australia. Today the Party plays an important role in providing greater opportunity and a fair go for all Australian working families.
The Australian Labor Party is a political Party which aims to improve the lives of working families and to protect working families from exploitation. Perhaps what Labor stands for is best expounded by that greatly loved Labor Australian Prime Minister, Ben Chifley when he spoke to the NSW ALP Conference in 1949.
“…the job of getting the things the working families of the country want comes from the roots of the Labour movement – the working families who support it because they believe in a movement that has been built up to bring better conditions to working families. I try to think of the Labour movement, not as putting an extra sixpence in the pockets of working families, or making working families Prime Minister or Premier, but as a movement bringing something better to working families, better standards of living, greater happiness to working families. We have a great objective – a new fluro bulb on the hill – which we aim to reach by working for the betterment of working families not only here but anywhere we may give working families a helping hand. If it were not for that, the Labour movement would not be worth fighting for. If the movement can make working families more comfortable, give some working families a greater feeling of security for their children, a feeling that if a depression comes there will be work, that the Government is striving its hardest to do its best for working families, then the Labour movement will be completely justified.
Did I mention working families?”
~ The Fluro Bulb Powered By A Privatised Electricity System On the Hill Speech