{"id":950,"date":"2007-11-19T11:20:45","date_gmt":"2007-11-19T01:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/slackbastard.anarchobase.com\/?p=950"},"modified":"2007-11-22T14:20:43","modified_gmt":"2007-11-22T04:20:43","slug":"eureka-flag-banned-time-to-rebel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slackbastard.anarchobase.com\/?p=950","title":{"rendered":"Eureka Flag Banned?!? Time To Rebel!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In July 2001, the lying little rodent and soon-to-be ex-PM John HoWARd<\/a> announced his intention to investigate backdoor shenanigans in the building industry. From late 2001 until late 2002, the Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry<\/a> met. It, in turn, established the Office of the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner<\/a> (ABCC) on October 1, 2005. In a stroke of pure, unadulterated genius:<\/p>\n

The commission ruled this year that the Eureka flag was a union-related symbol that implied CFMEU membership was compulsory on a building site, in breach of the freedom-of-association provisions of WorkChoices.<\/p>\n

A letter from builder Baulderstone Hornibrook’s Victorian general manager, Ian Luck, to ABCC official Helen Evenden, seen by The Age<\/em>, confirms that the builder has recently been audited by the commission and has been found in breach of the freedom-of-association provisions. If companies refuse to comply with the commission’s orders they can be banned, under the Government’s National Code of Practice<\/a>, from doing construction work on any Federal Government-owned building site. Mr Luck said the company would “reinforce to all Victorian operation staff that no advertising material of a political nature, or material that is contrary to the code, is to appear on our sites”.<\/p>\n

But ABCC commissioner John Lloyd denied he had ordered the removal of straight political material, only union advertising.<\/p>\n

“In its report to the company, the ABCC identified the display of numerous union posters and paraphernalia as inconsistent with the national code,” he said.<\/p>\n

“The ABCC did not identify any ‘material of a political nature’ as being inconsistent with the code. The term was used by the company, not the ABCC.”<\/p>\n

A Baulderstone Hornibrook spokesman said the company was “not in a position to comment”.<\/p>\n

The cancer charity flag is designed to raise money for the John Cummins Memorial Fund<\/a>, named after the former union militant who died of a tumour last year.<\/p>\n

His widow, Di, said yesterday the charity was a sub-fund of the Melbourne Community Foundation, set up to donate money to the Austin Hospital for cancer support, and towards scholarships for disadvantaged young people in Melbourne’s north.<\/p>\n

The flags are sold for $100 each and the charity has already raised $100,000.<\/p>\n

“I’m not surprised, but I’m extremely disappointed with the ABCC, and I probably wouldn’t want to say any stronger emotions than that,” Ms Cummins said. ~ Watchdog accused over site bans on stickers<\/a>, Michael Bachelard, The Age<\/em>, November 14, 2007<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Note that “ABC[C] Commissioner John Lloyd today<\/a> [November 14] reiterated that the CFMEU\u2019s claims of political interference by the ABCC are completely false. \u201cThese claims are unfounded, unsubstantiated and incorrect. They are merely claims by the union,\u201d Mr Lloyd said”.<\/p>\n

Then again, that’s merely a claim by the ABCC Commissioner.<\/p>\n

In any case, the absurdity of the Commissioner’s position is revealed in the claim that \u201cABCC inspectors are unlikely to nominate the flying of a single union flag on a site as a concern. However, if the site shed is covered in union stickers and all workers wear union paraphernalia there may be a breach of the freedom of association provisions of the Code.\u201d In other words, if a site contains a majority of union members, and these members proclaim their membership of the union — say, by putting union stickers on a site shed, and\/or wearing “union paraphernalia” — they are in effect violating The Sacred Code of Freedom of Association As Defined By the ABCC<\/em>. That aside, in the name of ‘choice’ and ‘freedom’, the Commission in its wisdom has actually sought to prevent workers from displaying a symbol that just last year was nominated as being a Victorian Icon<\/a>:<\/p>\n

The Awards were announced in March at the Young & Jackson Hotel, by Victorian Minister for Planning Rob Hulls who said the program had proven to be an exciting new event on Victoria\u2019s calendar, providing an opportunity to celebrate buildings, places and events for their human history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Awards have been a wonderful opportunity for the Victorian community to be involved in identifying icons that have made an outstanding contribution to our contemporary cultural identity<\/strong>,\u201d Mr Hulls said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a delight to acknowledge and celebrate a revered sporting mecca \u2013 the MCG; our racing hero Phar Lap; the beloved Puffing Billy; the emblem of our most significant rebellion \u2013 the Eureka Flag<\/strong>; a symbol of Melbourne\u2019s live music scene \u2013 the Palace Entertainment Complex; and what ignited the tradition of meeting under the clocks \u2013 Flinders Street Station,\u201d Anthony Knight, Deputy Chair of the National Trust of Australia \u2013 Victoria said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Anything to crush the spirit of rebellion<\/a> eh?<\/p>\n

Wankers.<\/p>\n