The danger of increased attacks on the working class from an Abbott-led coalition government is on the minds of many people.

 

Gillard follows the Hawke-Keating path. There is not much left of traditional social-democratic values in the Labor Party.  It is a party fully committed to US-led neoliberalism. People may not be clear that the genesis of this embrace of neoliberalism has always been present in the Labor Party, but they feel the effects of its current approach and they do not like it.

 

In previous elections, we have called for more time for Labor to expose its service to US imperialism in particular, and to capitalism in general, so that people may reconsider and move away from their deeply-held illusions about the Labor Party. To reiterate this call in this election is to keep those illusions alive.  

 

People know that the differences between the two main parties are very small, that they have essentially the same policies although they pursue them with somewhat different tactics.

 

Under these conditions we working people need to more strongly advocate an independent working class agenda and have our own immediate demands at the forefront of our political and organisational work. 

 

It is too early to have formal commitment by a range of people’s organisations, unions and community groups to such an agenda. But it is already taking shape as people share the knowledge that they cannot rely on Labor in office to protect and defend the people’s interests.

 

Components of that agenda include the need to get serious about a real tax on mining super-profits, a complementary financial transactions tax on the big banks and financial institutions, the fight against privatisation, demands for a new funding system for schools.  

 

Communities are organising for better public health systems, for improved and expanded public transport, for more and cheaper community housing. They are confronting the property developers, the politicians in their pay, and the big end of town that has taken over so many of the previous functions of government.

 

The development of this agenda under appropriate and careful leadership will build an unstoppable movement for anti-imperialist independence and socialism. 

 

Whilst taking account of tactics and different circumstances, above all else we must put forward and encourage mass struggle around this agenda as the most effective means of defending the interests of the people against the attacks by capital.

 

This is consistent with our view that parliament is a talking shop and that parliamentary “democracy” is a deception.

 

We do not support channeling such an agenda into parliament. This is a diversion from the path towards real democracy as exercised by the people in direct struggle against the ruling class. 

 

In certain future circumstances we may consider utilising parliamentary elections if it will assist in organising the people in struggle and help in promoting revolutionary ideas. 

 

The people must keep Abbott out but not be led into believing that keeping Gillard in is in any sense to select and support the best of a bad lot. A bad lot by any measure is not as good as persevering in the task of developing our own independent agenda.

 

Central Committee

March 2013