VANGUARD - Expressing the viewpoint of the Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist)
For National Independence and Socialism • www.cpaml.org
On Tuesday 4 February, the ACTU held an online webinar for affiliated Unions to outline the ACTU's plan for the fast-approaching federal parliamentary elections. The webinar was run by ACTU Secretary Sally McManus and President Michelle O'Neill with support from State and Territory Secretaries.
Over 700 people joined the webinar from a diverse range of Unions covering workers from many different industries and backgrounds.
Sally McManus said that the coming election was being framed by the mainstream media and Dutton as a referendum on the how the Albanese Government has "performed" regarding the rising cost of living. The ACTU's intention was to frame the election around the theme "Don't Risk Dutton".
For Union members and workers generally, the ACTU campaign would emphasize the risk of workers losing the gains made on the workplace front under the Albanese Government term of office if Dutton and the Liberal Party were in government. Sally McManus specifically mentioned multi-employer bargaining, Same Job-Same Pay, Workers Right to Disconnect, Wage Theft laws, restrictions on use of casual labor and Delegate Rights.
McManus implied that Dutton's agenda on these workplace issues alone would see workers worse off and therefore intensify rising cost of living issues for workers.
In this respect the thrust of the ACTU campaign is similar to the Rights of Work, Worth Fighting For campaign which was a main factor in the defeat of the Howard Government in 2007.
The difference in 2025 is that the existing rising cost of living issues for workers did not subside under the last three years of an Albanese Labor Government. The exception has been significant pay rises ranging from 15% to 25% to thousands of Aged Care and Child Care (Early Childhood Education) mainly women workers and a relatively small number of labor hire workers who are already seeing the benefits of the Same Job, Same Pay laws despite vigorous opposition from the multinational mining companies.
In the webinar, there was no mention about ACTU campaigning on issues such as opposition to AUKUS, Palestinian struggle and surprisingly no mention of the specific issue of affordable housing.
The ACTU plan for their election campaign is a focus on key marginal Seats in each State and Territory and asking Unions to "lock in their membership base " to the theme "Don't Risk Dutton" by focusing on the workplace/industrial issues mentioned above.
The campaign is being launched on 18 February with Unions in each State and Territory conducting leaflet blitzes at busy public places such as train stations. This will be followed by the now familiar door knockings in targeted Seats and phone calling members and holding workplace meetings.
Union members in past elections have shown that they can be an influential force when mobilized on the ground to have conversations with fellow workers and their communities.
Many Union members are from English as Second Language backgrounds and in the western suburbs of Sydney in particular, many are from Middle Eastern backgrounds. Their main issue may be the lack of support by the Albanese Government for Palestinian people which results in them lodging a protest vote against the government. Many other workers may agree with the ACTU about a Dutton led government trying to wind back workplace rights gains made, but they also may lodge a protest vote against the current government which may mean more votes for Liberal candidates or more likely, more votes for Independents or the Greens Party.
At the webinar, there was some awareness of this possibility with the ACTU steering away from any slogan that included "Vote Labor".
How rank and file Union members react to the ACTU proposed campaign remains to be seen, with some key Unions already deciding to withdraw funding of the ALP for the election and deciding to support the Greens.
Whether it is a Labor or Liberal Party forming the next government or minority government, both will continue to support AUKUS and the Australia-US Alliance and resulting US domination of this country. There was no mention of this reality in the ACTU election campaign webinar presented on 4th February.