By Stephen Robson
PERTH — In the first 100 days of the Richard Court government thousands of jobs have gone as state-funded projects are closed. Decisions on mining have shown that the Coalition sees national parks as the property of the rich.
And so far the state parliament has yet to meet!
After the pious editorials in the mainstream media about how WA Inc would be no more, and democracy would be restored, we have more of the same.
The range of attacks reveals an agenda as sweeping as that of Kennett in Victoria. The approach seems to be to bring on as many attacks at the same time as possible and see how much they can get away with.
Yet so far there has been no sign of an organised mass response to these attacks. Trades and Labour Council assistant secretary Tony Cooke suggests the TLC leadership is keeping its powder dry. In fact, it seems content to wait until 1997 and then hope to elect a Labor government.
Included in the government's industrial attacks so far are:
- the proposed closure of Robb Jetty abattoir in South Fremantle by June 30, 1994, throwing 500 workers on to the unemployment lines.
- the closure of Westrail's railway workshops at Midland by March 1994, affecting 750 jobs. Another 300 jobs are expected to go as part of a review of the state rail authority and 150 jobs are expected to be axed at Westrail's East Perth head office.
In the past decade the Westrail work force has been cut from 10,000 to 4900. During the election campaign, Court gave a commitment to keeping the workshops open, re-equipping and turning them into a modern heavy engineering complex.
- hospital cleaning and catering services to be contracted out, undermining already pitiful working conditions.
- the possible restructuring of hospitals through the privatising of some services and the introduction of tendering for contracts on medical operations.
- an attack on the no ticket, no start practice that is common in some industries with well-organised unions. Labor relations minister Graham Kierath has indicated that the government would insert a "freedom of association" clause in the Industrial Relations Act.
- a bill to undermine working conditions in underground mines.
Education Minister Norman Moore has raised the possibility of school closures. Power to sack education staff will be given to individual schools.
Moore wants to ensure that universities cannot include student guild fees as a condition of enrolment. This will end compulsory student unionism. Reportedly the bill has already been drafted and agreed to by cabinet.
On the environment, mines minister George Cash decided to open up for exploration possible oilfields in the Ningaloo marine park in the north-west. The Ningaloo reef with its rich and diverse species is in real danger of being destroyed.
The government has opened the Rudall River National Park to mining giant CRA. Reportedly, the uranium deposit at Rudall River is the biggest in Australia.
The Environmental Protection Authority has been restructured. On April 22 EPA head Barry Carbon was informed that the government wanted to split his role as chair and chief executive; Carbon was in effect dismissed. Three of the other four appointees to the EPA have been told their existing contracts are invalid.
The Liberals' pre-election rhetoric of opposition to the development of the Swan Brewery is gone. Now it is supposedly "too late" to stop the project.
Court has indicated that he wants legislation brought in early to prevent the Mabo decision from blocking the mining industry's plans.