SYDNEY — Anne Gardiner, an opposition candidate for general secretary of the Public Service Association (PSA), the union covering state public servants in NSW and general staff on NSW universities, has described NSW Liberal Party leader John Brogden's latest policy for the public service as "a recipe for job cuts and corruption".
Brogden is proposing to pay public servants 10% of any money they identify as government waste. "The incentive payments will go to senior executives, not those who will pay the true price of the cuts: the public and our members", Gardiner, a WorkCover employee, told Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly. She is contesting the PSA general secretary post on behalf of the Progressives.
Public servants, Gardiner argued, should be remunerated properly so their decisions are in the public interest and not distorted by potential personal gain. "Job security is the number one issue for our members and they shouldn't accept any pay deal that leaves them vulnerable. We find it unacceptable that members should pay for salary increases through the loss of jobs."
Brogden's proposal provides an incentive to cut corners which could have devastating consequences for the health and safety of the public and our members, said Gardiner. "Brogden is desperate to make savings at our expense because he wants to scrap the vendor property tax. He wants to shift the burden from wealthy property owners to public servants."
"Both Brogden and [Labor Premier Bob] Carr can expect a genuine defence of public sector workers if the Progressives replace the current leadership faction in PSA elections next month", said Gardiner.
Jenny Long
Roxon hit by gay marriage protest
MELBOURNE — On August 17, a double same-sex wedding took place at a protest outside federal Labor shadow attorney-general Nicola Roxon's electoral office in Footscray.
The Melbourne Western Suburbs Socialist Alliance called the protest action to condemn the ALP's support for the Coalition government's ban on same-sex marriage.
Linda Waldron, the Socialist Alliance candidate for Gellibrand, officiated as marriage celebrant in a symbolic double wedding of two local men and women. She told the 15-member congregation that "on a black day for social progress the ALP and the Coalition last Friday [August 13] passed the Marriage Amendment Bill which reaffirmed the discriminatory and limited 19th century common-law definition of marriage".
Karl Miller and Stuart Coe, made vows pledging to struggle against all legal, social, ideological, economic and material discrimination of members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex community.
Miller and Coe vowed to take each other as "lawfully wedded
partners in the struggle for social justice and GLBTQI rights; to support one another in their endeavours to bring about social change, to love one another for their vision of a different world and to stand by one another throughout the upsurges and downturns of struggle."
Rally participants responded with a resounding "No!" when Waldron asked if anyone could think of any reason why the young couples should not be united in a socially and legally recognised union.
A letter signed by the protesters was presented to Roxon's office condemning the government and Labor for "joining forces on Friday the 13th to cut short speeches on the same-sex marriage ban and gag debate on the amendments proposed by the minor parties".
The letter added that, "By carving his definition of marriage into legislative stone, John Howard has entrenched the second-class status of same-sex relationships. The message — that gay relationships are less worthy, loving and committed than their straight counterparts — will hurt not only same-sex couples but their children."
Ron Lynquist
Hobart protest against gay marriage ban
Thirty people sailed in "HMS Matrimony" from federal Labor MP Duncan Kerr's Hobart electoral office to Liberal Senator Eric Abetz's office on August 11 to protest the Labor-Coalition decision to ban same-sex marriage. The protest was organised by the Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group.
Alex Bainbridge
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, August 25, 2004.
Visit the