Monbiot is Right: Keep the Big $ Out of Politics

George Monbiot, British journalist and activist, advocated recently for fundamental reform to political donations in Britain (“Death of the Noble Idea“, The Guardian 5/2/2008). The political malaise which Monbiot touches upon is also present within Australia; political parties are desperately reliant on corporate donations. In fact, recent figures published by the Australian Electoral Commission indicate that the ALP received $14.9million in donations for the 2006/07 financial year.

Paul Howes: a lesson in not what to do

Paul Howes, national secretary of the Australian Workers Union (AWU), was recently reported advocating setting up a portable long service scheme. Personally, I would be in favour of such a scheme, however, the way in which Mr Howes announced the scheme, and also the way in which it was reported serves the union movement two constructive lessons.

Trade Unionism 101

There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth regarding the state of the Unions in Australia over the last 15 odd years. Chances are, if you are visiting this blog, you will not need yet another overview of the great decline in union density and numbers, the Howard Government’s attacks on organised labour with WorkChoices, and the impact of the globalisation of capital. Please don’t get me wrong, there are some quality pieces of analysis covering these events and trends. However, this blog is primarily about the renewal of the Australian trade union movement.