democracy - Red Flag

16 1 SEPTEMBER 2013Newspaper of Socialist Alternativewww.redflag.org.auREDFLAGThe Liberal visionfor a bosses’QueenslandPaul DMCampbell Newman’s Liberal NationalParty (LNP) has made clear its visionfor Queensland: one inspired by theneoliberal method of attacking workersand defending the interests of thebosses and their profits.Newman has slashed jobs andservices, attacked workers at everyopportunity and legislated to make itincreasingly harder for our unions tofight back. So at this half way mark,it’s worth taking stock of the story sofar.Ongoing job cutsFrom the very beginning, the LNPhas had Queensland workers in itscross hairs, with public sector workersbearing the brunt of the attacks.Although promising no forced redundancies,once elected, Newman appointedPeter Costello, former Howardtreasurer, to head an “independent”audit of the state’s finances.After the audit warned of a loomingbudget crisis, Newman declaredhe had little choice but to slash publicspending. First to go were up to 3,000temporary staff, axed together in onefell swoop on what became known as“Black Friday”, 30 June 2012.However,even permanent employees were notsafe, as the budget for the 2012-13 financialyear included 14,000 cuts ofpermanent staff from across the publicservice. To facilitate this, Newmanunilaterally removed job security provisionsin the existing EBA, which heenshrined in legislation despite unionprotests.Those public sector workers whomanaged to keep their jobs are nowsubject to “contestability”, whichNewman describes as “testing whethersomeone else can do it for less money,do the same job or an even betterjob for less money than is currentlyoccurring”.This paves the way for outsourcingto the private sector, with treasurerTim Nichols declaring, for example,that Queensland’s TAFE institutionsare at “the top” of the government’s hitlist. Contestability is also being usedto drive down wages, as is occurringin WorkCover, where 188 positions arebeing downgraded, workers having tochoose between accepting an averageof $10,000 less per year and being retrenched.Services savagedNewman also stripped fundingfrom a range of community organisationsthat provide services to someof the most disadvantaged sectionsof the population. Under the $260million Grant Funding Efficienciesprogram, savings are being made by“ceasing or reducing funding for lowerpriority projects and services”.Such “low priorities” have includedsexual health services, subjected tothe loss of 30 jobs, despite health careprofessionals warning that this willlead to “a public health catastrophe”.Although Kevin Rudd has sinceannounced, as part of the federal electioncampaign, funding to keep servicesgoing for another year, the Queenslandhealth minister has dismissedthe move, describing it as “ridiculous”.Such is the LNP’s disdain for thecommunity sector that it completelyrejected a similar $2.5 million lifelinefrom the commonwealth that wouldhave allowed the state’s Tenancy Adviceand Advocacy Service (TAAS) toremain open.As a result, the service was forcedto close its doors on 30 June, despiteincreasing demand, including froma growing number of homeless. OneBrisbane TASS office described theservice as being for many “the differencebetween having a roof overyour head and homelessness”. Clearly,those living under the constant threatof eviction, or who are already livingrough on the streets, are another “lowpriority” for the LNP.Attacking unionsNewman’s vision includes a strongstate that stamps out dissent andsupports the bosses against any fightback. Newman quickly moved to introducecumbersome balloting procedures,making it more difficult to engagein protected strike action. From1 July 2013, the LNP introduced a newcode of practice aimed at crackingdown on union activity in the buildingindustry following a heroic andsuccessful nine week strike over equalpay at the Queensland Children’s Hospitallate last year.The new code aims to prevent majorprojects being “held to ransom bymilitant unions” – in other words, preventingunions taking similar successfulaction in the future. Newman haseven taken away the official May Dayholiday, long celebrated in Queensland,as a deliberate insult to unionsand an assertion that we should recognisejust who’s boss in this state.Newman has also passed legislationrequiring unions to get members’approval before embarking oncampaigns that will cost more than$10,000. Under the guise of empoweringmembers, this measure is aimedsolely at making it more cumbersomefor unions to campaign on behalf oftheir members. Although rejected bythe Industrial Relations Commission,Newman went so far as to attempt toban the Together public sector unionfrom communicating with its membersor adversely commenting on currentEBA negotiations.Such is the arrogance of the LNPthat one MP even threatened on hisFacebook page to have organisersof a demonstration against the closureof a nursing home charged withcontempt of parliament after he washeckled when he tried to address therally. And of course Brisbane has theG20 to look forward to in November2014, when police and security powerswill be bolstered and local residentswill require passes just to access theirown homes.Newman’s government is an expressionand reinforcement of existingclass divisions within the state,Newman’s “reforms” clearly targetingworkers and the disadvantaged.With moves to continue outsourcinggovernment functions and services,including handing over control of the$1.8 billion Sunshine Coast UniversityHospital currently under constructionto private sector interests, it’s alsoclear that the LNP will continue toserve the interests of business at ourexpense.Meanwhile the LNP parliamentarianshave their snouts well and trulyin the trough, pocketing a 42 percentpay rise while crying poor and offeringpublic servants a measly 2.2 percent.The trend will continue until ourside can build a sustained fight backin our unions and on the streets.Queensland Premier Campbell Newman.Newman’s visionincludes a strongstate that stampsout dissent andsupports thebosses againstany fight back.