SP Newsletter No.287
For the past few months the capitalist press has bombarded us with stories about alcohol-fuelled street violence in Australia’s major cities. Socialists accept that crime and late night anti-social behaviour is a problem in many areas. We wholeheartedly understand people’s concerns.

After all it is working class people that are most likely to be victims of anti-social behaviour and therefore they are rightly worried about safety on our streets. However if we are serious about reducing anti-social behaviour we first need to look at the facts and understand the reasons why it occurs.

The first point to make is that according to the latest police statistics, crime in many major cities has actually decreased. For example statistics released by the Victoria Police earlier this year show that crime has gone down for the last eight years running.

The overall crime rate has now fallen 25.5 per cent since 2000/01. While assaults have risen by 5.4 per cent in 2008/09, half of the increases were related to family violence and not street violence.

There has been a statistical increase in public behaviour offences but even the Police Commissioner Simon Overland admits that these increases are due to increased enforcement and the introduction of Penalty Infringement Notices for a range of minor offences.

In a nutshell there is no evidence to suggest a real increase in street crime or anti-social behaviour in the city centres. While the capitalist media has been happy to run an unsubstantiated fear campaign about working class anti-social behaviour, criminal activity carried out by the capitalist class continues to go unreported.

The theft of workers wages, big business tax fraud and people being killed at work due a negligent bosses are much less important than drunken youths according to the mainstream papers. Even the pubs and nightclubs who profit from selling excessive amounts of alcohol have mostly avoided criticism.

Most commentators have also failed to look at the root causes of crime and alcohol fuelled violence. Studies have shown that the biggest factors likely to trigger violence and criminal activity were prolonged economic deprivation, family stress, school exclusion and drug or alcohol abuse. All of these issues effect working class people disproportionately and are getting worse as a result of the economic downturn.

It is clear that the best way to undermine crime and anti-social behavior is to improve people’s living conditions. Unfortunately government policies are perpetuating a system which will let more people fall into poverty. ‘Anti-social’ policies like cuts and privatisation continue unabated under both State and Federal governments.

All of the main parties are united in their calls for a law and order approach to the ‘problems’. Many papers are urging governments to put more police on the streets while some states like NSW have introduced new laws against public drunkenness. Local laws are also being considered by some Councils in Victoria.

New laws and more police on the streets do absolutely nothing to undermine the conditions which lead to crime and anti-social behaviour. The law and order approach is more about shifting responsibility for social problems onto ordinary people. Socialists argue that those who determine the quality of housing, schools and healthcare should take responsibility for the social problems that exist.

A program of investment in public services would be much more effective at reducing anti-social behaviour and crime than law and order. Free 24 hour public transport in the city centres would be a good start as it would ensure people could get home quickly and safely. Other options like providing free quality entertainment for young people in the suburbs should also be implemented.

But ultimately if we are to seriously reduce crime and anti-social behaviour it will be necessary to build an alternative form of society. A socialist society that can meet the needs of all and eradicate poverty and alienation would be the best way to cut across drunken behaviour and the many other social problems that exist.

Upcoming SP meetings

The Melbourne Branch of the Socialist Party meets every Wednesday 7pm at Trades Hall on the corner of Lygon & Victoria Streets Carlton South. Upcoming meetings include:

11/11/09 – 70th Anniversary of World War Two
18/11/09 – Marxism and Religion
25/11/09 – What socialists say about immigration?
2/12/09 – 155th anniversary of the Eureka Stockade

For more information or for details of meetings in other parts of Australia contact our National Office on 03 9639 9111.

News links:

Scotland: SNP tables ‘independence’ referendum bill
http://socialistworld.net/eng/2009/11/0201.html

Austria: Universities occupied, 50,000 students on the streets
http://socialistworld.net/eng/2009/10/3001.html

Germany: Cleaning workers’ strike ends in success!
http://socialistworld.net/eng/2009/10/2901.html

Join the Socialist Party

If you agree with what you have read in our newsletter or on our website you should consider joining SP. The Socialist Party has branches in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle and Perth as well as members and supporters in all other states.

We are involved in trade union work and student work. We also run community, anti-war and environmental campaigns. But most of all we want to build a party that will fight to get rid of the capitalist system, the system that is at the root of all of these problems. We fight for socialism - a system that will bring an end to wars, poverty and environmental destruction. To join SP contact our National Office on 03 9639 9111 and we will send you a membership application form.

Subscribe to ‘The Socialist’ newspaper!

Support the Socialist Party by subscribing to our monthly newspaper ‘The Socialist’. Subscription rates are only $10 per year or $20 solidarity price. You will receive 11 copies per year delivered to your door every month. You will also receive our email newsletter every week and you will know that you are supporting an organisation that is at the fore of fighting against the capitalist system. To subscribe to ‘The Socialist’ contact our National Office on 03 9639 9111 and we will send you a subscription form.

Socialist Party contact details

Melbourne: Phone Anthony on 0396399111.
Sydney: Phone Gary on 0297287727.
Newcastle: Phone Samantha on 0249681545.
Perth: Phone John on 0894020728.
Rest of Australia: Phone our National Office on 0396399111.
Rest of the world: Phone our International Office on ++ 44 20 8988 8760.

The Socialist Party is the Australian section of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI). The CWI is organised in over 40 countries across the world.

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