The unions in Australia's election

Submitted by martin on 25 November, 2007 - 12:18 Author: Introduction to Riki Lane's article

For Australia’s federal election on 24 November, the ACTU (Australian TUC) is for the first time ever producing its own “how-to-vote” cards, suggesting a Green vote for the Senate.
Click here for Riki Lane's article

The election is by Alternative Vote for the House of Representatives and STV for the senate (the only house where the Greens are represented or likely to gain representation)

Left Labor-affilated unions like the CFMEU are bolder, making donations to the Greens and the activist-left Socialist Alliance as well as to Labor. The ETU in Melbourne has a giant “vote Green” banner outside its offices.

Also unusually, the Greens and Labor have agreed to exchange second preferences everywhere except in Tasmania.

The background to this is the drastic anti-union laws introduced by the conservative government of John Howard; the trashing by Blair-model leader Kevin Rudd of most of Labor’s pledges to repeal the laws; the Greens’ strong and consistent stand for repeal... and the unions’ failure to fight within the Labor Party.

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