Federal Election: No real choice for ordinary people
SP Newsletter No.321
For Australian voters the upcoming Federal election will be a choice between who will carry out the least severe cuts to jobs and services. While the massive stimulus packages helped keep Australia out of a technical recession, the cost has been the racking up of a huge debt. Both Labor and the Liberals are at one with the view that it should be ordinary people, and not big business, who should pay this debt. The agenda for both parties is one of cuts, cuts, and more cuts.
The Liberals have said that if elected they will slash $45 billion worth of services. This will mean attacks on the public sector with reduced services and increased costs for working people. Labor is no better, with Gillard boasting that they have already made nearly $84 billion in cuts! We can be certain that more cuts are to be expected if Labor is returned to power.
In recent years we have seen a significant increase in the cost of living. The price of electricity, housing, fuel and groceries have all risen above the rate of inflation, yet wages have remained stagnant. When workers demand pay rises to defend and maintain their standard of living they are vilified in the mainstream media and by both the major parties.
The representatives of big business cried foul when a modest increase of $26 a week was given to those receiving the minimum wage, yet see it as acceptable when some of the wealthiest in society increase their private fortunes by billions of dollars.
The election of a Liberal government would be a disaster for working people, but Labor are just as bad. They have broken their promise to rip up Work Choices, flip-flopped on climate change and refugees and wasted millions on the failed insulation scheme and the scandalous school building program.
Many people, especially young voters, will look to the Greens to provide an alternative to the policies of the two major parties. But as the decision of the Tasmanian Greens to join in a coalition with Labor demonstrates, they are incapable breaking with the policies of the parties of big business. Instead they are now part of a state government that is neglecting public services and increasing prices while giving tax breaks to the super rich.
The lack of choice for ordinary people in this election demonstrates the urgent need for a new party that puts the interest of workers, welfare recipients and young people first. Rather than continuing to support the Labor Party, unions and community groups should join together to form a new mass workers party.
Until a real political alternative is built, people can expect the same rotten anti-worker, pro-big business policies from whichever capitalist party comes to power. In order to tackle issues like unemployment, climate change, under funded services, and welfare cuts we need to build a mass movement to fight for a different way of organising society.
Regardless of who wins the election all the fundamental problems will remain. The best way to effect real change is to join the movement and fight for socialism.
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:
4/8 – The NT Intervention 3 years on
11/8 – Report from CWI world school
18/8 – The politics of the Greens
25/8 – Federal election debrief
For more information or for details of meetings in other parts of Australia contact our National Office on 03 9639 9111.
News links:
Germany: Love Parade catastrophe was preventable
http://www.socialistworld.net/doc/4417
Northern Ireland: Riots expose reality of sectarianism
http://www.socialistworld.net/doc/4416
Italy: Metalworkers resist FIAT blackmail
http://www.socialistworld.net/doc/4415
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!
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Socialist Party contact details
Melbourne: Phone Anthony on 0396399111.
Sydney: Phone Gary on 0297287727.
Newcastle: Phone Samantha on 0249681545.
Adelaide: Phone David on 0883441474.
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.
