Opposition to Voice Grows, Weak Housing Crisis Solutions Pushed and Environmental Activist Repression Extends - Red Report Back
24.7.23 - 7.8.23
Labor Breaks Out Guilt-Tripping in Response to Growing Opposition to Voice
As Labor faces growing opposition to its Yes campaign for the Voice to Parliament, they have resorted to the classic liberal tactic of guilt-tripping people into uncritical support for its weak proposal. Recent studies have shown that support for the campaign has been declining, in part due to the scare tactics used by the right-wing No camp, but also due to the cracks in Labor’s vague, hollow Voice plan.
In response, Labor came out guns blazing at the Garma Festival held in Arnhem Land last week, doing all it could to cast an air of legitimacy over the Voice campaign. A myriad of faces were brought forward to send out essentially the same message - the only way forward for First Nations peoples is through becoming part of the colonial Constitution, and anyone who disagrees is a racist that doesn’t want to see change for First Nations mob.
This guilt-tripping, manipulative angle was ironically highlighted with Albanese continuing to place emphasis on the primacy of the Voice over all other solutions to issues facing First Nations people. He was quoted stating “We will not deny the urgency of this moment,” continuing by saying “We will not kick the can down the road. We will not abandon substance for symbolism, or retreat to platitudes at the expense of progress.”
We say ironic, as the Voice has repeatedly been highlighted to be devoid of substance and chock full of symbolism. It has been shown to be a retreat from materially addressing the needs of First Nations peoples and communities so that progressive platitudes and gestures can be made. It is kicking the can of decolonisation down the road, and prioritising assimilation into the colonial state rather than addressing the contradictions of the colonial system.
This was highlighted by the representatives of big business and capital who were present, pushing the substandard Voice to suit their own interests. Included was Business Council president Tim Reed, Telstra chief executive Vicki Brady, Rio Tinto chief executive Kellie Parker, Woodside boss Meg O’Neill and Cape York leader Noel Pearson to name a few. Many of these representatives have been involved through the years in actively utilising their funds, resources and influence to attack, silence and undermine militant First Nations movements to protect their own financial and personal interests.
With these pro-colonial representatives from big business at the helm, it is no wonder that much of what has been said this week has sought to highlight the deradicalised nature of the Voice to actually achieve material changes for First Nations peoples. They have centred on emphasising that there is no firm plan for a treaty, that there will be no powers of the Voice other than to give advice, and that the property-owning classes have nothing to fear from this tame body. At the same time, there has been the odd strain of rhetoric that equates constitutional recognition and assimilation with solving all the problems of First Nations communities.
In reflecting on the progress of the campaign for the Voice to Parliament, we leave our readers with these points to reflect on. The colonial state refuses, and will always refuse, to work against the interests of the capitalist, property-owning classes. It will allow communities to be removed, to be deprived of resources, for Country to be bulldozed and blown up, and for young people to be murdered by police, if it protects their interests. This has been shown time and time again. Further, it will always seek to dilute and dismiss the demands of militant voices that threaten the power of the capitalist system through alternative, declawed institutions that are beholden to the colonial state.
There are thousands of voices speaking, yelling and crying out now. They are being ignored and actively silenced, and will continue to be ignored, because while the capitalist state in Australia may now be offering a Voice on their terms, it will not be a voice that is listened to so long as the colonial state remains. Revolution is the only solution, and that starts by educating and building up the strength of our comrades, neighbourhoods, and communities. #novoiceundercolonialism
Enviromental activists targeted by state
On the environmental front, West Australian Police have continued their campaign of harassment and intimidation against environmental activists from Disrupt Burrup Hub (DBH), with the latest statistics showing that in the last six months, there have been 12 home raids, 30 devices seized and 13 data access orders.
The ramping up of these targeted attacks is in response to DBH campaigners holding a protest outside the home of Woodside CEO Meg O'Neill on Tuesday, where counter-terrorism police attacked those involved. Police from the State Security Investigations Group were lying in wait for the protesters, and arrested three campaigners at the scene. Later, the SSIG arrested two more organisers off site, raiding their homes and seizing their electronic devices.
In response to the crackdown, one of the campaigners from DBH, Matilda Lane-Rose, said in a media address that "I refuse to let the state, the police forces and Woodside's intimidation scare me off from speaking out on what I believe is right". Addressing the double-standard media backlash over the action at Meg O'Neill's house, Matilda continued in stating that "I find it ironic that the media coverage of the past few days has revolved around one very wealthy woman and her right to a peaceful home, when in the next 365 days globally there are 20 million people set to lose their homes due to climate change."
This crackdown is part of a trend that has been growing in recent years, as evident with attacks on those from Blockade Australia and other environmental activist groups over the last 12 months. In the past few weeks alone, this backlash has once again been unleashed on First Nations communities and their supporters who are attempting to defend Country from reckless environmental destruction. At Binybara in the Northern Territory, the government is seeking to clear a cultural site and tropical savanna forest for a defence housing facility. Community members launched a blockade of the site, coming into conflict with developers until a pause was implemented on the development.
Similarly, Gumbaynggirr Elders in the Coffs Harbour region are continuing their protest against the logging of more than 2000 hectares of native bush in the Newry State Forest. These Elders and their supporters have been arrested and physically removed from the site by dozens of police officers, who doused a sacred fire lit by the protest camp. Elders refuse to be deterred, stating that it is not only important environmentally, but culturally and socially, as it is a sacred men's area with many dreaming trees and cultural sites.
The logging itself is being undertaken by the state-owned Forestry Corporation NSW, with approval from the Minns Labor government. Many criticised the environmental vandalism which has been undertaken without consultation of local Gumbaynggirr custodians, and without public meetings or documents. In response to the ongoing logging and repression, Elders issued a statement in which they said "Our land is being destroyed at this time by logging. The Newry State Forest holds our Nunguu Miirlarl, our sacred men’s place and is home to many endangered animals, particularly our Koalas and our possum glider. We need to protect our totems. We need to protect Gumbaynggirr Culture."
In looking at the growing repression on climate activists, we also see the dismissal of First Nations voices on land management that is characteristic of Labor’s hypocrisy beyond its skin-deep tokenism. Reflecting on these events, we must realise that it is not just a few trees or acres of land that are at stake. It is the cultural wellbeing of First Nations peoples and their sacred sites. It is the survival of endangered native species, such as koalas and old-growth forests. But it is also the liveability of areas that are cleared and exposed to the ramifications of drought. It is the wellbeing of rural residents who are caught in heatwaves without the ecosystems required to mitigate their impacts. It is the wellbeing of thousands of interconnected ecosystems that feed into each other which launch a domino effect when a vital link collapses.
Furthermore, it is the ability to grow food and access water that sustains millions in our metropolitan areas. It is workers, First Nations peoples, disabled peoples and the poor who will disproportionately suffer the impacts of these attacks. We must realise that we are not powerless in the face of their repression. We must organise and mobilise for the fight ahead. We know what side they are on. We know what they will do to protect the interests of the capitalist state and those who profit from it. We must prepare, and we must build. Solidarity with the climate defenders and staunch First Nations mob standing up to this environmental destruction. We see you, we hear you, and we stand with you.
Party Engages Rural Hubs as Part of Housing Campaign
As many of our supporters no doubt saw, members from the Australian Communist Party and Community Union Defence League from our New South Wales organisations recently held events in two of the state's regional hubs as part of our Housing Campaign. The first of these was a free community barbeque and information stall held in the town centre of Coffs Harbour.
The event was a great success, with dozens of members from the community sharing their stories of the housing crisis, and discussing solutions with how workers can unite through community unionism to fight back against the issue.
This included many public housing residents talking about how estates in the area were getting privatised into community housing owners, as well as the squalid state of many public housing homes due to government inaction to undertake the necessary repairs and maintenance work. Likewise, many who attend our Coffs CUDL Street Kitchen shared their experiences of homelessness, with families having to bounce between motels and caravan parks, students having to couch surf, and workers having to sleep in their cars.
In Armidale, we held a street stall and talked to local workers about our upcoming Housing Crisis Forum that will be held in Armidale on the 27th of August. We heard from many local activists about the inadequacy of current responses to the housing crisis in the region. This included a lack of support for families facing domestic violence, many of which are forced to return to unsafe living situations. Likewise, we heard how local homeless youth are forced to sleep in tents under bridges in the midst of brutal winter temperatures, while other homeless individuals are forced to sleep in the open of the local park.
In the discussions we had with dozens of members at both events, we heard and saw firsthand the toll that the housing crisis is taking on workers in regional areas. Thousands are being forced into homelessness. More are forced to stay in unsafe living situations. Others are forgoing food and other basic necessities to afford soaring rents and keep their children housed. In holding these events, we have also gained insight and build connections to further strengthen our networks of solidarity in these areas, and fight back against housing injustice.
We must continue to help each other, and put ourselves into uncomfortable situations. We must let our fellow workers know that they are not alone, and that together we have the power to stand up and challenge our oppressors. We must continue to inspire each other, and build towards a socialist future in which housing is organised in a way that prioritises people, not profit.
Housing Australia Future Fund Bill Reintroduced in Parliament
This fortnight, the Australian Labor Party have reintroduced their Housing Australia Future Fund bill. For those who don't recall the specifics of the HAFF, it is a proposal by Labor to invest $10 billion into the fund, any returns made from this gambling on investments may be used to construct new dwellings. Labor states that there will be a $500 million minimum spend a year, and that this would construct 30,000 dwellings in the first five years. However, the actual results will far less, reliant on profits made from the investments to fund new constructions, rather than direct funding of the construction itself.
Due to its failure to pass the first time it was introduced, the ALP have to conciliate with the Greens for it to pass, due to the refusal of the Coalition to support the bill and its meagre proposals.The Greens, who previously opposed the bill when it was first introduced, want the government to spend at least $2.5 billion a year as well as to co-ordinate with the states on a national rent freeze, as well as the abolition of negative gearing.
Naturally, as Labor does when presented with valid criticisms or recommendations, they played the victim and turned the criticism back on the critics. Their response was to tell the Greens to 'drop their ambit claims and political games and pass the bill', as Treasurer Chalmers said. However, it's also worth nothing that the Greens have caved on many of their initial proposals, dropping their original demands for a direct investment of $5 billion a year towards social and affordable housing.
Due to the ongoing disagreements between Labor and the crossbench on these details, the Senate refused to pass the bill on Wednesday, and if they do so again Albanese can use this decision to trigger a double dissolution election. At the same time, new estimates have shown that the government's refusal to address pro-landlord tax concessions will cost the Australian people $39 billion this year alone.
As with the Voice, we are once again exposed to Labor’s habit of pursuing meagre measures that fail to address the material needs of those in question, while at the same time stifling any criticism of their subpar initiatives by attempting to take the moral high ground over their critics. Labor continues to ignore the advice of communities, tenants, professionals, analysts and research groups to build public housing to solve the housing crisis.
The ALP continues to let workers suffer, to let millions be forced into poverty so that the profits of developers and landlords are not impacted. They dare not interfere with the status quo of ‘the market’, preferring to leave people in squalid, unsafe living conditions. They continue to hide behind verbal commitments to vague progressive policies, all the while knocking down public housing, letting estates deteriorate and letting landlords deprive the Australian public of billions through their pro-landlord tax concessions. We see through their bullshit, and we will continue to call them out for out. Say yes to public housing. Say no to half-assed policies that leave workers on couches, in vans and on the street.
From the Picket Line: TWU National Convoy Calls for Major Transport Reform
Last week, the Transport Workers Union descended upon Canberra with convoys of transport workers including truck driver employees, owner drivers, and transport gig workers. The convoys were launched to deliver a message calling for the Federal Labor Parliament to pass reforms to the transport industry later this year.
The reforms being tabled are the result of a recommendations report that came from a two-year Senate Inquiry into the viability of the trucking industry. This led to a subsequent commitment from Labor to empower the Fair Work Commission to set enforceable standards in transport to make the industry safer, fairer and more sustainable for transport workers.
Since that report was issued, 100 truck drivers have been killed at work in Australia. TWU National Secretary said that “This industry convoy is about showing Federal Parliament that transport is beyond breaking point and the solution is soon to be on the table before them." He noted the danger of the current conditions in the transport industry for workers, stating “Already this year, 132 people have been killed in truck crashes, including 34 truck drivers. A further two transport gig workers have been killed – and there may be more that have fallen through the cracks of underreporting."
Industry conditions that threaten the wellbeing of workers, not just towards their livelihoods but their very lives as well, must be crushed to protect us. As with the banning of silica dust that threatens construction workers, so must the reform of the transport industry be pursued to protect the wellbeing of transport workers. We support the reform of industry to protect workers, but we also recognise the danger of putting our faith in the government as the primary means of addressing the issues that impact us.
One need only look at the subpar conditions offered to nurses, midwives, teachers and healthcare workers in New South Wales by the Minns Labor government this week. We must recognise that the promises made by politicians cannot be accepted at face value. We must build our power and use it to force their concessions in the current period. Workers and their unions must be prepared to take on the employers that endanger us, and the governments that permit them to. There are lives at stake for us, and only profits at stake for them. Our lives are worth far more. Solidarity with our staunch transport worker comrades.
Australian Education Union Launches For Every Child Campaign
The Australian Education Union launched its national For Every Child campaign this fortnight to secure full funding for public schools. The union has launched the campaign in a bid to pressure the government to commit to a five year plan that will secure full funding for public schools. The campaign is pushing this funding campaigning to address many of the issues that have been disproportionately impacting public schools in recent years due to the impacts of neoliberal policies on the education sector.
The funding would assist in reducing class sizes, increasing the amount of one-on-one support for students, and also provide more time and classroom assistance for teachers to perform their jobs with less stress. The increase in funding would also assist in closing achievement gaps between students from working class backgrounds and their priveleged counterparts.
The union has launched the campaign to address the current inadequate state of funding that impacts public schools across the nation. AEU Federal President Correna Haythorphe highlighted how currently, 98% of public schools are funded below the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS). This standard is drawn from a decades-old agreement which stated the minimum amount of funding required for schools to meet the needs of all students. They continued by stating “The needs of our children are growing but the funding from governments hasn’t kept up. Principal and teacher workloads are unsustainable, and more and more teachers are leaving the profession early."
These developments come in the wake of a national survey of 7,808 teachers, principals and support staff in public schools that revealed the following:
90% of principals report teacher shortages in the last year – almost double the number that experienced them three years ago.
Two thirds of teachers say their workload has increased in the last year and less than 1 in 5 are committed to teach until retirement.
There are worrying falls in student and teacher wellbeing with over 70% of principals saying there has been a decline in student wellbeing in the last year.
Almost 90% of principals are taking funding from other areas of their school budget, such as maintenance, due to a lack of funding for students with disability, whose numbers have increased by 29% since 2015.
Over 90% of teachers believe there are four key changes that would help them improve student outcomes: additional support for students with a disability or behavioural issues, more time for lesson planning, more classroom assistance and smaller class sizes.
Principals believe children who have fallen behind in literacy or numeracy and those with a disability or learning difficulties are the ones who would benefit the most from full funding of public schools.
It is long overdue for the government to take action and address the shortfalls impacting the working class students in public schools. For too many years, teachers and other school staff have struggled to provide students with what they need to simply get by, and it has impacted their mental, physical and financial wellbeing. The government must take action to assist the vital work of our education professionals, as well as the youth who are being robbed of their right to a decent education. Any government that provides millions upon millions to wealthy, elite private schools, but leaves our public school students and teachers suffering, is no government that supports workers. We need action, and we support the AEU in taking the initiative with this campaign.
CFMEU Launches Campaign to "End the Housing Crisis"
The CFMEU has recently launched a campaign called "End the Housing Crisis" which is lobbying for a super profits tax to fund social and "affordable" homes. The campaign aims to push Labor to adopt a policy of 40% super profits tax on all companies with turnovers of more than $100 million which mostly includes large banks, mining companies and retailers to raise $500 billion over the coming years to cover cost of building 53,000 more homes each year.
This policy initiative comes from a study by Oxfam Australia subsidised by the CFMEU, which claims that there is currently a gap of 750,700 social and affordable dwellings in Australia (the housing gap) and that the cost to fix the problem is $511 billion dollars. The CFMEU believes that the Labor partys housing plan is not ambitious enough, and as such they will be pushing for their solution to become ALP policy at the next national conference this month, an initiative unlikely to succeed.
This campaign follows the heated parliamentary debate on the Albanese government's reintroduction of the Housing Australia Future Fund bill (HAFF). With the CFMEU's push for "affordable" housing, which is defined as "priced at approximately 10% lower than private rental, with annual rent increases", and the simultaneous mobilisation for community housing, which is more expensive and less secure than public housing, it is obvious that their campaign is still hampered by the neoliberal agenda of the Labor party.
To overcome these limitations, workers need to unite to fight for public housing where dwelling rents are capped to 10% of ones income and this is adjusted when income changes so they stay affordable. Additionally, these housing estates would be run and managed by the government with a low eviction rate, making it a more secure, safe option for tenants.
Despite the shortcomings of this initative, the Greens welcomed the CFMEU campaign. The Greens noted the campaigns attempt to draw attention to the need for alternative solutions to the housing crisis, stating “from the unions, to economists, homelessness support services, and the construction industry, everyone is now telling Labor that it needs to do more to fix the housing crisis.” Indeed, the CFMEU’s report is clear, the housing crisis will get worse under Labor’s Housing Australia Future Fund. However, it will also get worse unless the solutions proposed fight to invest in far more public housing.
We call upon the CFMEU, its members and all their affiliates to reorient the campaign to "End the Housing Crisis" towards fighting for greater investment in public housing, accessible for all. Likewise, we call upon all unions to do their job as the organised representatives of the working class and join the fight for public housing. We also need to hold the CFMEU accountable for actions that are against the interest and needs of the working class in the midst of the housing crisis. This would take the form of actively mobilising their members to not take part in the attacks public housing estates, as they are doing at Barak Beacon right now. Rather, the union movement should be actively push for a black ban on this project and others like it.
The demolition of public housing by CFMEU members will not only impact the people who need it, but it will also act to actively gentrify working class areas by replacing current housing stock with more expensive dwellings, therefore increasing the cost of living of all nearby residents. This only serves to further advance Labor's neoliberal agenda of building a world for the few not the many. If the CFMEU really wants the housing crisis to end, then they must draw the line in the sand and take action to defend existing public housing estates and their residents, as the mighty BLF did before them. Down with tokenistic actions. Up with public housing.