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THE AUSTRALIANWORKERwww.awu.net.au $4.50 (INC GST) ISSUE 1 2011HOW CHINA BREAKSFREE TRADE RULESDESERTFLOWERSTHE SONGS OFINDIGENOUSWOMENHISTORY’SWORST JOBSWHATAWAY A WAY TOEARN A LIVINGHELL & HIGH WATERSTORMS, CYCLONES & SURVIVALINSIDE:SPECIAL REPORT:2011 NATIONAL CONFERENCEISBN 978-186396379-4

CONTENTS06Special reportA General Meeting of The Australian Workers Union,West Australian Branch Industrial Union of Workersheld on 16th March 2011 in Perth endorsed theproposed amalgamation with The Forest Products,Furnishing and Allied Industries Industrial Unionof Workers, WA and the proposed rules of theamalgamated Union.The Union intends to apply for registration of theproposed amalgamation and rules to the Registrarof the Western Australian Industrial RelationsCommission 35 days after the date of this issue ofThe Australian Worker. A member may object to theproposed amalgamation by writing to the Registrar ofWestern Australian Industrial Relations Commissionwithin 35 days of this issue of The Australian Worker.For further information or a copy of the amalgamatedUnion’s Rules, members can contact AWU WA Branchon (08) 9221 1686.FEATURES06 DON’T DUMP ON AUSTRALIAIllegal dumping – mainly by China – is killing theAustralian manufacturing industry. A new AWUcampaign aims to raise awareness about the needto protect Australian jobs.PULL-OUT SECTION:2011 NATIONAL CONFERENCEFor 125 years the Australian Workers’ Union hasbeen at the forefront of protecting the interests ofAustralian workers. Now, the Union looks forwardto continuing to do this well into the future.02 Contents03 Photos04 Resolutions: 04 Anti-dumping, 05 IndustryCampaigning, 06 AWU growth campaign,07 Union education, 08 Precarious work,09 Cost of living, 10 Superannuation 12 Asbestosremoval, 13 National OHS laws,14 Guard it or Ban it,15 Mexican miners.16 Speeches: 16 Paul Howes, 17 Bill Ludwig,18 Anna Bligh, 19 Julia Gillard, 20 Wayne Swan,21 Bill Shorten, 22 Greg Combet, 22 Jeff Lawrence,23 Bob Katter.24 Photos40 WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKSWhen floods and a massive cyclone ravagedQueensland, AWU members were in the thick of it.44 DESERT FLOWERSIndigenous women raise their voices singingsweet harmonies with a strong message.48 YOU DO WHAT FOR A LIVING?Read about some of the most dangerous jobs inhistory and you’ll wonder why some people stillbelieve workers have never needed unions!REGULARS04 National Opinion 12 Meet the Delegates/Officials50 Bindi & RingerPRIVACY NOTICE This issue of The Australian Worker may contain offers, competitions, or surveys which require you to provide information aboutyourself if you choose to enter or take part in them (Reader Offer). If you provide information about yourself to ACP Magazines Ltd (ACP), ACP will usethis information to provide you with the products or services you have requested, and may supply your information to contractors that help ACP to dothis. ACP will also use your information to inform you of other ACP publications, products, services and events. ACP may also give your information toorganisations that are providing special prizes or offers and that are clearly associated with the Reader Offer. Unless you tell us not to, we may give yourinformation to other organisations that may use it to inform you about other products, services or events or to give to other organisations that may useit for this purpose. If you would like to gain access to the information ACP holds about you, please contact ACP’s Privacy Officer at ACP Magazines Ltd,54-58 Park Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000. Cover photo: Getty ImagesAWUEDITORPaul Howes,AWU National SecretaryAWU NATIONALCOMMUNICATIONSCO-ORDINATORAndrew CaseyAWU NATIONALCOMMUNICATIONS OFFICERHenry ArmstrongAddress: Level 10,377-383 Sussex Street,Sydney NSW 2000Email: members@nat.awu.net.auWebsite: www.awu.net.auTelephone: (02) 8005 3333Facsimile: (02) 8005 3300ACP CUSTOM MEDIAEDITORKyle RankinART DIRECTORWayne AllenDESIGNERAdrienne ZinnSUB-EDITORAaron BertramPRODUCTION SERVICESRachel WalshPREPRESS SUPERVISORKlaus MüllerGENERAL MANAGERSally WrightPUBLISHING MANAGERNicola O’HanlonACP MAGAZINESMANAGING DIRECTORPhil ScottPUBLISHING DIRECTORGerry ReynoldsNINE ENTERTAINMENT CHIEFEXECUTIVE OFFICERDavid GyngellPublished for The AustralianWorkers’ Union (ABN 28 853022 982) by ACP Magazines Ltd(ACN 18 053 273 546), 54-58Park St, Sydney NSW 2000.© 2011. All rights reserved.Printed by PMP, Clayton, Vic3168 and cover printed byWebstar, Silverwater, NSW 2128.Distributed by Network Services,54 Park Street, Sydney, NSW2000. Articles published in TheAustralian Worker express theopinion of the authors and notnecessarily ACP Magazines Ltd.While all efforts have been madeto ensure prices and details arecorrect at time of printing, theseare subject to change.www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER 3

NATIONAL OPINIONBill LudwigNational PresidentQueenslandBranch SecretaryWe started this yearoff with a great nationalconference here inQueensland where thefeeling amongst Delegates andobservers was clearly that, in thisour 125 th year as a union, we’re ridinghigh and we’re ready to continueto do big things for our members,the working people of Australia andtheir families.For me, of course, it is humblingto be National President of this greatunion whose history is so stronglyembedded in the life of my homestate Queensland.AWU Reps are theface of our Union in theirworkplaces, and they doa bloody great job.”Later this year I am hoping to hosta special meeting of our NationalExecutive in Barcaldine where theUnion started and where its historyis celebrated at the Australian Workers’Heritage Centre next to the famous“Tree of Knowledge”.Barcaldine, of course, played asignificant role in the history of theAWU and the birth of the AustralianLabor Party. In 1891 it was one of thefocal points of the national shearers’strike, with the Eureka flag flyingproudly over the strike camp. Underwhat has now become a landmark, theTree of Knowledge, the strikers met toair their grievances.Whenever I have a chance to visitthis place I am reminded that thebackbone of our Union are its memberswho are prepared to fight for what isright – and the most important groupare the Delegates who deserve specialacknowledgement.The hundreds of Delegates whoturned up to our national conferencein February made me really proud to bepart of the AWU. I told them that it istheir job to ensure we leave the Unionand its members better off than whenwe first joined. We are all, after all, justpassing through and we all want toensure the Union and its members arebetter off than when each of us firstfound the Union, and our place in it.The AWU is the greatest union inAustralia because of our members.We should all feel a strong sense ofpride and responsibility at being partof its history.Certainly I continue to look to thefuture and continue to believe ingrowing the Union to ensure that wehave another 125 years of involvementin this wonderful country – and many,many more years after that.AWULEADERSRuss CollisonGreater NSW BranchSecretaryRichard DownieNewcastle BranchSecretaryAndy GillespiePort Kembla BranchSecretaryCesar MelhemVictorian BranchSecretary4 THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au

THE BIG ISSUEDON’TDUMP ONAUSTRALIAIllegal dumping – mainlyby China – is killing theAustralian manufacturingindustry. A new AWUcampaign aims to raiseworker and communityawareness and make thegovernment understandthe need to protectthousands of Australianjobs. Paul Robinsonreports…Words: Melissa Sweet!6 THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au

Australia has oneof the most openmarkets in theworld and thismakes thelocal marketvulnerable.e don’t make stuff in Australiaany more. They can do itcheaper overseas.”It’s a common enoughsentiment, although not really true– yet. But the writing is on the wall. Thefact is, for the past 20 years, Australianmanufacturing industries have beendoing it tough. Faced with relentlessforeign competition, able to regularlyundercut the local industries on pricing,many have gone under. Who rememberswhen we had a viable Australian clothingindustry, for instance?Australia has one of the most openmarkets in the world, but far from givingeveryone a “fair go”, this makes the localmarket extremely vulnerable to predatorytrade practices such as ‘dumping’.Dumping – it’s a trade practicesoffence that involves foreign companiespricing their products below market valuein an attempt to undercut domestic pricesand, in the worst-case scenario,eventually to destroy the domesticcompetition putting the local companiesout of business and thereby achievea monopoly. These foreign exportersseldom adhere to the same industrial andenvironmental standards as Australia,and are often aided by governmentsubsidies such as tax breaks.Regulations exist to control thispractice in Australia. The anti-dumpingsystem is administered by the AustralianCustoms and Border Protection Services.However, a recent Australian GovernmentProductivity Commission report (May2010) admitted that the industry andproduct coverage of the anti-dumpingsystem is ‘narrow and diminishing’. Inplain speak that means the regulatorywhip has only been applied to a minorityof cases, fewer every year. Since 2006,Customs has collected a paltry averageof $9m a year in anti-dumping duties.This is small potatoes in the context ofthe total value of imported goods,averaging $240 billion a year.Free trade mantraOften, the official mantra has been tomake goods cheaper for the consumer.But at what cost to Australia? In itsblinkered pursuit of that mythicalfree-trade Holy Grail, a “level playingfield” – and seemingly unwilling to rockthe boat for raw material exporters – thegovernment is crippling the Australianmanufacturing industry to the pointwhere many sectors are facing collapse.Obviously, this situation representsmassive job losses and the resultantknock-on socio-economic effects tocommunities, which are already biting,have the potential to be catastrophic.Cheaper toilet paper hardly stacks upagainst thousands of job losses.ROBBIE RUDD (STEELWORKER, VIC)“Anyone with half a braincan understand thatbringing in cheap imports isgoing to shrink our market,and give us less chance ofgaining employment. Howbloody level can the playingfield be with cheap importsfrom China? Labour costsare nothing, so they canafford to flood us withcheap steel. And theirgovernment owns the steelmills. If your materialsaren’t up to scratch, there’sgot to be some impact. Oneexample is the big ferriswheel they were building inthe Melbourne Docklands.The first really hot day wehad – about 37 degrees –the damn thing started tobuckle and fall apart. They’dbought Australian steel, butsent it overseas to bewelded. It came back ascomponents ready to beassembled, but the weldswere sub-standard. Thething is still in bits!”www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER 7

THE BIG ISSUEThe main dumping offender – inAustralia and globally – is China. The WorldTrade Organisation (WTO), which has thefinal say on dumping disputes underArticle VI of GATT (General Agreement onTariffs and Trade) 1994, acknowledgesChina as the most frequent subject of newallegations and investigations. Australiais a signatory to GATT and a member ofthe WTO, but many consider theorganisation a bit of a toothless tiger,with too many rules and too few specificson how to enforce them. And China isaggressive in fighting any impediment toits trade, recently persuading the WTOto rule against European Union tariffsthat had been imposed on Chinese screwand bolt exporters.Where’s the government?Australia has more measures in place ongoods from China than from any othercountry, yet the Productivity Commissionreport ran scared on the issue, stating thatalthough “Australian recognition ofChina as a market economy raises someparticular issues for anti-dumpinginvestigations, this is a much broaderissue and beyond the purview of thisinquiry.” The report states its concernthat anti-dumping measures will becomea “crutch akin to tariff protection”.Apparently it’s all about your perspective.By its relative inaction, the governmentcan be seen as leaning towards the freemarketviewpoint, which generally regardsany form of ‘protectionism’ as a negativeact with harmful consequences for theconsumer. The plight of Australianmanufacturing companies and thethousands of workers these firms employseems to have slipped under the radar.And the Australian manufacturingindustry is hurting bad. Car manufacturingis a case in point. This industry has bentover backwards trying to stay competitiveas government support – such as theGreen Car Innovation Fund (GCIF) – isremoved. Since tariff protection wasstripped away, foreign car imports havegobbled up 80 per cent of the market. Theidiocy of this situation is obvious. Australiaexports iron ore to China and Japan atabout $250 a tonne. We then import it backin the form of motor vehicles for around$20,000 a tonne.The pulp and paper industry is alsofeeling the squeeze. Australian health caremanufacturer Kimberly-Clark announcedlast month that it would soon close twotissue machines and a pulp site at itsMillicent mill in regional South Australia.These closures would put 235 people out ofwork and devastate the small community.Once again, government attitudes havebeen trying to have a bet each way. In 2008dumping duties had been imposed onChinese and Indonesian tissue producersafter it found Chinese tissue productsbeing sold at between two and 25 percentbelow cost in domestic markets, andIndonesian toilet paper sold at 33-45percent below market value. All good, youmight say. But then the Trade PracticesCommission (TPC) overruled the decision,saying that there was “no material injury toAustralian manufacturers”. The extent ofthat ‘material injury’ is now being felt bythe workers of Millicent. And it isIndependent politicians Senator NickXenophon and Bob Katter, not thegovernment, who are going to bat forAustralian jobs by moving amendmentsto anti-dumping laws.The timber industry is also getting hit.Citing an inability to compete pricing-wisewith often illegally logged timber productsbeing dumped into the Australian market,timber giant Gunns recently halved theworkforce at its Manjimup plant inWestern Australia (and flagged thepossibility of more redundancies to come)in a shrinking industry.Dumping occurs in other “finishedAustralian steelprocessing andaluminiumextrusion industriesare “copping it”.goods” such as wind towers, rail track,rolling stock, solar panels, structuralsteel frames and mining infrastructure.Every cheap foreign import is another nailin the coffin of Australian manufacturing.But the Australian government offersminimal protection in terms of dumpingmargins by comparison with other tradingpartners such as Canada, the EuropeanUnion and the US.Australian steel processing andaluminium extrusion industries arecopping it. Despite stiff competition fromChina and the added burden of a strongAussie dollar, the government is offeringminimal support to companies facing8 THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au

JOHN SULEJMAN (STEEL WORKER, QLD)“The amount we’ve got to pay for ourlabour compared to China, we’re milesapart. It means they can produce at lesscost and charge less, which makes it hardfor Australian companies to compete. I’vebeen told their quality is close to ours, butthey’re able to undercut us because ourprotection is next to nothing. The worstpart is that we’ve got no protection for ourworkers. Some of the companies aroundBrisbane import [Chinese] coils and wecan’t compete with them on price becausewe buy ours straight from BlueScope. Andwe pay the Australian dollar market value,where they don’t. The blokes aren’t worriedabout what will happen in the next fewyears; they’re worried how things willgo this year and the year after.”subsidised and dumped productchallenges. Australian steel is qualitystuff and its manufacturers arecompetitive with a productivity rate atleast double that of other Asian producers.But the price of Chinese steel is only halfof which Australian manufacturers canproduce it for, mainly thanks to minimallabour costs ($3-$10 per hour).The price of steel in the Chinesemarket is up to 40 per cent cheaper thananywhere else in the world (AustralianSteel Institute estimate) and the Chinesecurrency is undervalued by up to40 percent. This is an unfair advantageup there with Mike Tyson vs Bambi.When I hearwords like‘level playingfield’ smokecomes out ofmy ears...DENIS BRADFORD(GLASS-WORKER, VIC)“We’ve pretty muchhad to live with this[dumping] since the1970s in ourindustry. We’vebeen moderatelysuccessful in shaking it off, but it’staken us up to two years to get somewins out of it. It [the anti-dumpingsystem] needs to be overhauled. Someof the quality is comparable, but withthe price you can just tell that some ofthese other countries are subsidisingtheir overruns and that’s not right. Weall know there’s no such thing as alevel playing field. China’s just got tohave an overrun or two and theAustralian market is wiped out.”RISTO TANCEVSKI(STEELWORKER,WOLLONGONG)“When I hear words like ‘level playingfield’ smoke comes out of my ears. Everycountry besides Australia has some sortof protection. The big corporations runthings and the government tows theline. When I left school, BHP [thenowners of BlueScope] used to hire inexcess of 1000 apprentices each year.Now theydon’t hire any; theygo to labour resourcecompanies. Theyoungblokes fear for their kids’futures. Andif you’re inyour40sor 50s, it’s a lotharder to re-skill or getanother job.”www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER 9

THE BIG ISSUEDALE JOHNSTON(ALUMINIUMWORKER, QLD)“They’re importing mesh productfrom China and the undercutting issubstantial. The containers arealready filled with aluminiumextrusions for windows and they justfill up the room left at the top with themesh and it virtually costs themnothing to ship it here. I’ve seensome of the imported metal – mostcustomers say ours is better quality,but it comes down to cost – they canbuy it cheaper from the Chinese.CRAIG SELL (ALUMINIUM WORKER, QLD)“I’m not happy about the dumping of anything, really. I’m in thealuminium industry and it’s especially hurting us at the momentin the extrusion side. The company I work for, Capral, used to doa hell of a lot more work than they do now. They’re in the sameposition we are – they want to stay in business and they want tostay in Australia. Chinese quality can be rough. I know wemakea superior product here in Australia. Politicians need to startthinking about Australia. We’re cutting our own throatsat the moment. We send them the raw stuff at goodprices and they send it back in ready-to-use form.”Victorian steelworker Robbie Ruddhas had a gut full. “Anyone who dumpscheap product on the market should bekicked in the arse because they’re takinganother bloke’s livelihood away.” He’srealistic about the situation.“Australian steel, given what it costsus to produce, is not a bad price. Ourworkers are multi-skilled and we produceit with a lot less people, but to competewith Chinese prices is just too hard. Thecompany is backing away from marketsthat used to be their bread and butter.”Risto Tancevski, who works forBlueScope Steel in Wollongong, ratesChinese steel as the number-one threatto his industry. “We make some of thebest quality steel in the world and that’swhat’s keeping us alive at the moment.”He knows it’s not rocket scienceexplaining why Australian manufacturingis finding it hard to compete. “We’re onan uneven playing field from the startbecause of the dumping – and we pay thesame price as the Chinese for our ironore. Every country besides Australia hassome sort of protection in place. Thebeauty of the Chinese system is thatevery penny they make goes back to theircountry – and if there are any problemsthe government bails them out.”Our environmental standards put usBRUCECHEONG(ALUMINIUMWORKER, NSW)“Working at CapralAluminium, wehave experienced adownturnin the volume ofsales and productionhere. The existingtariff does not enable the local industryto be competitive. The FederalGovernment should increase the tariffto the levels imposed by othercountries, such as Canada and the US.This would ensure the Australianaluminium industry and the workforceare looked after and able to compete.”at a further disadvantage, Risto says.“I don’t reckon there’ll be another steelfactory built in Australia, but I bet theChinese don’t worry much about theirsteel plants’ emission levels.”Queensland steelworker JohnSulejman can also see what’s happening.“I’m seeing the amount of work thecompany has lost. Contractors are goingfor the cheaper material. The Chinese canproduce for less and sell for less.” He has10 THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au

no doubt what action the governmentshould take. “The best thing they could dois set a quota for Australian steel contentin government buildings, schools andbridges. And we should have much betterprotection. The Canadians only let inabout 6 per cent foreign steel.”Aluminium extruders are in the sameboat. As Queensland worker Craig Sellsays, “There’s a lot of stuff coming intothe country and it’s undercuttingAustralian products.” He’s confident theAustralian product is superior. “We makea better product but contractors are oftenmore concerned about the hip pocket.”Craig also reckons the government coulddo a lot more. “They need to get out ofChina’s back pocket and provide moreprotection for our industries and jobs.”Bruce Cheong, from NSW, is alsoagainst dumping, but reckons too manyworkers either don’t know or don’t care aslong as that weekly pay cheque is comingin. “I know it’s because they don’t paytheir workers much. But we have a lot ofguys who don’t worry too much about thefuture. They’re just happy to have a job.”Queenslander Dale Johnston hashad experience of the knock-on effectsof dumping. “The undercutting issubstantial, to where we were running ata loss. Part of our factory that made meshproduct closed down at Christmas. About40 people out of a job. We tried to keepthings going as long as we could, but wecouldn’t compete on price.”Consequently, many of the workersare fearful for job security. “Three yearsago we were running 10 shifts on fourpresses at the Bremer Park facility.Now we are running seven shifts andwe have 100 less people working there.The blokes do feel threatened.”Taking actionDale agrees with Craig Sell: thegovernment needs to do something soon.“Until the government increases thepercentage of import tax on dumping, it’salways going to come back to the costfactor. There’s a hell of a lot to lose here.”Victorian Denis Bradford works in theglass industry. He reckons the Australianshare of the Southern Hemisphere glassmarket has shrunk by at least 20 per centsince the 1970s. “Malaysia, Indonesia,China – they’re not just competing, they’reactively working against us now. And theirlabour costs are so low.”He agrees that government action isway past due. “The government seems tobe hamstrung. You can have all thelegislation in the world, but if it hasn’t gotteeth, it’s no use.” Denis also agrees thatsome sort of Australian content minimumin government infrastructure is the go.”Schools, hospitals should all haveAustralian steel, concrete and glass.”AWU launches campaignThe anti-dumping viewpoint is oneinstance where the interests and attitudesof workers and manufacturing companiesare pretty much united. The Trade RemediesTask Force (TRTF) is a body of some50 Australian manufacturing companiesacross a range of industries, includingglass, steel, chemicals, plastics andcement. The TRTF strongly urged theProductivity Commission to consider theimpact of predatory pricing and dumping,especially in the wake of the GFC. DaleJohnston is impressed with the hard yardsbeing made by his own employer.“The AWU has done a lot of work withPhil Jobe [Capral CEO]. He was amazedat the support from the Union, but sofrustrated that he can’t seem to get anygovernment support. In a situation likethis, everyone is on the same page.”The AWU recently commissioned a pollthat showed a worrying lack of awarenesson the part of workers in regard todumping and its effects. Auspoll foundthat 17 percent (mainly union membersand older workers) have some idea; but40 percent were in the dark. However,once the situation was explained,80 percent of workers agreed thegovernment should set up a commissionto investigate illegal dumping and awardtariff protection to protect local jobs andbusiness; that this was more importantthan the constant drive to lowerconsumer prices.To make workers more aware of thethreat of illegal dumping, the AWU willlaunch its “Don’t Dump on Australia”campaign this month.“The campaign will seek legislativechange to ensure everyone is playing bythe same rule book,” says AWU NationalSecretary Paul Howes. “We want to formalliances between our Union and theAustralian manufacturing sector toconvince the Australian government weneed to harden up the oversight on thetrade cheats.”The campaign hopes to educateworkers and the community at large.“When workers are told how WTOrules are bent, they understand that thefailure to prevent illegal trade dumpingwill cause job losses and furthermanufacturing sector shutdowns,” Paulsays. “We will also talk to the communityabout these issues.”It’s simple. If Australia wants to retain ahealthy manufacturing sector then actionmust be taken against illegal dumping.Either we act now or we can forget about a“level playing field” – because the gamewill be well and truly over.Join the campaign!The Union has produced Don’t Dump onAustralia Campaign postcards. Pleaseemail members@nat.awu.net.au or call1300 885 653 and provide your name,address, membership number and howmany cards you’d like.www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER 11

MEET THE OFFICIALNAME:JOB:AND…Stephen BaliAssistant Secretary, Greater NSW BranchBlue Collar boy with a union pedigreeIgrew up in a traditional blue collarfamily and have remained a lifelongresident of Doonside located inwestern Sydney.Since my earliest memoriesI have been politically active. I havehanded out Labor how to vote cardssince the Whitlam era and my father,Charles Bali, was a staunch unionand Labor man. During the 1980sCharlie was the National Organiser ofthe AMWU and a Labor Councillor inBlacktown City and was Deputy Mayor.As a Labor Councillor he set up theBlacktown City Sports Awards in 1982which is still going today with manyAward winners going on to becomeOlympians and world champions.As a kid growing up, because ofmy father’s union activities, I wasfortunate to know, and often speak tothe labour movement giants such asRalph Marsh (ACTU), Bill O’Neill (ARU)and Laurie Carmichael (AMWU). Theyhelped form my strong social and moralconscience in support of the workingfamily and to understand that the roleof government is to assist all people tohave opportunities and protections.In my view politically, you can’t gopast Neville Wran. Wran, the man whoFormer PrimeMinister Bob Hawke(left) with former NSWPremier Neville Wran.Unionshave becomethe voice of thepeople and holdinggovernments toaccount.”Stephen BaliASSISTANT SECRETARY,GREATER NSW BRANCHbrought NSW Labor back from electoraldisaster and lead the Government withvision and great labour principles.Today, unionists such as RussCollison and Paul Howes, showthat unions are relevant not only totheir members but to the broadercommunity. Unions have becomethe voice of the people and holdinggovernments (regardless of politicalpersuasion) to account. Whether it isbeing the leading voice in stoppingthe privatisation of ferries or electricity(Russ) or leading national campaignsagainst overseas dumping in Australiaor refugee rights (Paul) we, as part ofthe union movement, can be proud thatthe AWU is respected and listened to.The best thing about being aunion official is helping people,resolving disputes and the friendshipsestablished, particularly withDelegates. When a worker’s rights havebeen trampled upon, it not only affectsthe worker but their family. Restoringtheir rightful pay, helping to make theworkplace a better environment, ordelivering great outcomes in enterprisenegotiations brings a great feeling.12 THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au

MEET THE DELEGATENAME:JOB:AND…Patricia GutierrezAWU Delegate at British American Tobacco in SydneyProud nanna and leadlight window makerIbecame a Union Delegate forthe Tobacco Workers Union,a branch of the AWU, in 1988.They needed a Delegate andI put my hand up for the job. I’vebeen a Delegate ever since.British American Tobacco (BAT),where I have worked for the past34 years on the factory floor asa technical operator, is in the processof taking the manufacturing of 15of its cigarette brands offshore toMalaysia and Singapore, so there isa lot going on.They are building a new factoryhere in Australia at East Gardens andwill now only manufacture two brandsin Australia – Benson and Hedgesand Winfield.We will lose about 130 peoplefrom the factory, a lot of whom arebeing forced into redundancy. ButBAT has been really good throughoutall this process by working withthe Union.They have set up a deal with anemployment agency, to give everybodythe equivalent of $6000 in retraining forother jobs, training with computer skills,assistance preparing a CV, or getting aheavy vehicle or forklift licence.Everybody is also getting threemonths’ pay on top of theirredundancy which will start takingeffect between June and Septemberthis year.The agency has also been told byBAT that if they find reemployment for100 per cent of people who wantanother job they will get a bonus.I’m 58, so I’m actually takingvoluntary redundancy, which won’t beuntil the end of 2012, but I still haven’tfigured out what I want to do in myretirement as yet.I’ve done a leadlight course in thepast and made windows for my homein Bexley. I’d also like to learn candlemaking but it’s difficult to find a placethat conducts such a course in Sydney.One of my greatest joys in life is myfour-year-old grand-daughter Sienna.She’s taken my heart away. Mydaughter Jody tells me when Siennawakes up in the night she doesn’t callfor her mum she calls for her nanny!I met my husband John, who isSpanish, after I came out to Australiafrom the UK in 1970. He works for CityRail and we have three children.I think when I’m no longer workingwith BAT, which will be strange after34 years, I will spend a lot, but not allof my time, with Sienna and any othergrandchildren that come along.We will lose about130 people from the factory,a lot of whom are beingforced into redundancy. ButBAT has been really goodthroughout all this processby working with the Union.”Patricia GutlerrezAWU DELEGATE, BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCOwww.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER 13

NATIONALCONFERENCE2 0 1 1NATIONALCONFERENCE2011120111886 8 - 20111YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE1 8 8 6 - 2 0 1 1AWUNATIONALCONFERENCEPull out & keep:ANTI DUMPING UNION GROWTH & EDUCATIONINDUSTRY CAMPAIGNING PRECARIOUS WORKCOST OF LIVING SUPERANNUATIONASBESTOS REMOVAL OHS AND MORE...CONFERENCE REFERENCE GUIDE 2011theaustralianworker 1

CONTENTSInsideAWU National Conference – 2011Resolutions04 DON’T DUMP ON AUSTRALIATighten trade rules now.05 UNION GROWTH STRATEGYAWU membership on the increase.06 INDUSTRY CAMPAIGNINGImplementing effi cient strategies.07 UNION EDUCATIONTeaching Reps their rights.08 PRECARIOUS WORKSecuring employment standards.09 COST OF LIVINGCombatting rising prices.10 SUPERANNUATIONBringing super benefi ts up to date.12 ASBESTOS REMOVALThe worst workplace hazard.13 OH&S HARMONISATIONCreating national cohesion.14 GUARD IT OR BAN ITTightening machine safety laws.15 INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITYSupporting the Mexican miners.Keynote speakers18 Anna Bligh19 Julia Gillard20 Wayne Swan21 Bill Shorten22 Greg Combet22 Jeff Lawrence23 Bob KatterImages: Shaney Balcombe;Getty Images2 theaustralianworker www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conference

Top: West Australian BranSecretary Stephen Price.Above: Newcastle BrancSecretary Richard DownieCentre right: Whyalla-Woomera BranchSecretary Graham Hall.Right: Tobacco BranchSecretary Norman McBridNATIONALCONFERENCE1886 8 - 2011120111WORKERS KNOWUNIONS ARE THEONE GROUP INOUR SOCIETYMOST LIKELY TOPROTECT THEIRINTERESTS.NOMATTERWHAT THEFUTUREHOLDS, THEAWU WILLBE THERE.www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conferencetheaustralianworker 3

RESOLUTIONNO. 1 ANTI-DUMPINGThe Australian Workers’ Unionhas resolved to launch acampaign to protectAustralian companies andAustralian jobs from unfair competitionfrom overseas.AWU research indicates that whileaccepting the World TradeOrganisation’s (WTO) rules regardingfree trade, Australia needs to do a lotmore to protect Australian industriesand jobs from overseas “predators”.Currently, Australian Customs andBorder Protection Service isresponsible, as a governmentinstrumentality, to determineallegations of “dumping” practiceswhich impact badly on Australianindustry. However, Customs runs abureaucratic and opaque investigativeprocess, which challenges its effi cacy.The AWU has looked at models inthe US and Canada where laws andregulations on dumping issues aremore transparent, giving workingfamilies more confi dence that freetrade has positive value which can helpimprove living standards.Recently WTO cheats have seen theAustralian market witness dumping ina wide range of “fi nished” goodscompeting with Australian producers.Products like solar panels, rail track,wind towers, mining infrastructuralequipment, structural steel frames,and more, are being producedoverseas, primarily by China, anddumped on the Australian market.The AWU has resolved to call on theFederal Government to establish anindependent commission to investigatedumping allegations and related mattersand legislate to enable affected groupsand unions to petition for investigationsto be undertaken by this new body.The Union also calls upon thegovernment to improve the effectivenessof Australia’s anti-dumping andcountervailing system by adopting aproactive trade policy-based approachin line with our WTO entitlements,rather than a negative competitionpolicy-based approach in assessingdumping cases.DON’TThe AWU is takinga proactive standagainst WTO cheats.DUMPON AUSTRALIA4 theaustralianworker www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conference

NATIONALCONFERENCE1886 8 - 2011120111NO. 2RESOLUTIONINDUSTRYCAMPAIGNINGTHE WAYOF THEFUTURERio RintoChiefLET’S GO TO RIO...ExecutiveThe Australian Workers’ Union has launched its first-everTom Albaneseindustry-focused campaign – the Aluminium IndustryCampaign. The Campaign is focused primarily on Rio Tinto’s Bell Bay smelter in Tasmania.“We are responding to increasing concerns expressed about workplace safety and the lack ofrespect for the workforce shown by Rio Tinto Alcan,” AWU National Secretary, Paul Howes said. “Rio Tintois one of the few companies in the Australian aluminium industry that has successfully managed to keepunions off their sites for the past 20 years. This means that Rio Tinto is more profitable than other unionisedsites, which puts direct wage pressure on our members at these other workplaces.“At Rio Tinto’s Tasmanian operation at Bell Bay, we have found workers performing the same work asour mainland members, yet they are being paid up to $20,000 less. Meanwhile, the company is refusing tonegotiate a fair pay deal with its Bell Bay workforce. As part of its industry campaign strategy, the Unionwill be targeting companies like Rio Tinto who undermine conditions across the entire industry,” Paul said.The first round of the campaign will be focused on the aluminium and glass industries where AWUmembers are facing a real threat to their hard won wages and conditions. In them meantime, the Union hassent Rio Tinto’s Chief Executive Tom Albanese a letter congratulating him on his own massive pay rise of31.4 percent, which equates to a salary of $4500 per hour.Over the last 20 years, a significant number of thecompanies employing AWU members have shifted tooperate on a national and International basis. Thismeans that while negotiations take place on one site,a company will then have the same discussions elsewherewith a different Delegate and a different Organiser fromanother Branch at any given time. More importantly, it givesemployers an opportunity to record the Union’s techniques,preparing for the next campaign in a different state andwith a different Branch.The Union has seen examples where this has occurred,in many cases making it difficult to obtain the best outcomesfor members. This does not only occur on larger sites or withlarger companies. These days it is not surprising to find40-50 employees working for the one company spread acrossall states and territories.Industry Campaigning is the next step for the unionmovement. With that in mind, it is crucial for the Union toselect appropriate targets.The AWU has had tremendous success through theAWU Growth Organising Plan leading us to becomethe fastest growing union in the country. In view of this,the Union is committed to making the appropriateresources available to develop and implement an AWUIndustry Campaigning Strategy.There is an abundance nc ofuranium in Queensland.AWUAssistantNationalSecretary,Scott McDine.www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conferencetheaustralianworker tralianworkeran5

RESOLUTIONTHE AWU GROWTHNO. 3 ORGANISING STRATEGYWE’RE AUSTRALIA’SFASTEST GROWINGAWU South Australian BranchSecretary, Wayne Hanson.Over the past two years, theAustralian Workers’ Union hascontinued to focus resources ongrowth. The AWU is now thefastest growing union and nationalleaders in union growth and campaigningtechniques. These results come off theback of the AWU Growth Organising Plan.Throughout the years of the HowardGovernment, workers and their unionsfaced daily attacks and fought the erosionof the working rights that generationsbefore us had fought for. Throughout thatperiod the Union directed its effortstoward protecting members from theseattacks, particularly so-called AustralianWorkplace Agreements, and it was a jobthat the labour movement did well.Since the Labor Government hasintroduced the Fair Work Act, anopportunity to start conversations inworkplaces about the benefits of beinga member of a union has emerged. Andthis has meant refocusing resources anddeveloping best practice campaigningtechniques to make it work.In early 2008, representatives fromaround the country came together toconstruct the basis of the AWU GrowthOrganising Plan. This collaborativeapproach lead to the development of theplan and identified what additionalresources were required to make it work.Since that time, the Union’s NationalOffice has put in place a team to workwith all Branches around the country toestablish growth. The team, comprises ofa Campaign and Organising Coordinator,Campaign Organiser and a Training andEducation Coordinator. Nationally, Brancheshave increased their resources with acampaign organiser and lead organiserto drive the campaign at Branch level.The early elements of the strategy builtin refresher training for all officials. Thiswas provided as in-house trainingsessions and led to the development ofour training and education strategy.The Union’s Growth OrganisingPlan has recruited some 5000new members.UNIONThe Growth Organising plan hasfocused on building the Union’s existingmembership base. It has worked byimplementing basic steps, which includeidentifying upcoming agreements, thenumber of members and non members onsite, and by working with the Site Delegatesto campaign for a new agreement.Another important implementation hasbeen the development of the July Intensive,(now the May Intensive). The Intensive isplanned ahead to ensure a seamless rolloutof the Union’s campaigns and reviewedat the completion to ensure improvementon previous results. In 2009 and 2010 theIntensives alone accounted for almost5000 new members. The direction takenhas ensured long term growth. The AWUUnion growth means betterconditions for Australian workers.Growth Organising Plan is still in itsearly years, however it has generatedthe largest increase in membershipin over 25 years. This plan will continueto deliver substantive improvements inthe working conditions of members andmaintains the Union’s position as thebiggest, strongest, blue collar unionin the country.In view of this success, the Unionis committed to the ongoingimplementation of the Union’s GrowthOrganising Plan to ensure that theAWU continues to gain the bestconditions possible for members,through the growth of the Union.6 theaustralianworker www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conference

NATIONALCONFERENCE1886 8 - 2011120111STRUCTURED APPROACHNO. 4RESOLUTIONAWU Newcastle BranchSecretary, Richard Downie.UNION EDUCATIONRESOLUTIONIn 2008 the Australian Workers’ Unionestablished the National Growth andCampaigns Team, which saw thedevelopment and resourcing ofCampaign Organisers in all Branches.This development and a campaignorganising plan saw the beginning of aNational Training and Education role tocomplement the new structured approachto organising, through promoting anddelivering Union education. This was setup to ensure that Delegates, members andactivists had access to training to furtherdevelop and enhance their skills andknowledge, and to provide them with thenecessary tools and resources to besuccessful leaders in their workplaces.From this, Delegates Training Level 1began. This course introduces Delegatesto their role in the workplace and the Unionand provides them with basic skills tomanage their tasks. It is expected thatLevel 2 and (any further development ofhigher skilled training) will beimplemented with a common approach.Specific campaign training has alsobeen delivered to a range of industries inQueensland and campaign training toGrowth Organisers within the AWU, whichgives particular focus to the industryinvolved. The Victorian Branch hascontinued a significant schedule oftraining to Delegates throughout the statein both in core delegate skills and OHS.A large part of our focus throughout2011 will be the National WorkplaceEducation Program (NWEP). A Delegatedevelopment program, as an extension totraining already provided, will specificallytarget members in regional and remoteareas. Training will be accessible toDelegates, members and activists of thoseareas allowing them to integrate formal orinformal or distance education throughdevelopment plans.There is also a focus on delivering aDelegate Leadership Program in 2011,which will increase skill sets. It will alsoassist Delegates to develop other activists,and participate in broader AWU activities.The AWU’s National Union EducationStrategy focuses on building a union culturethat values, promotes and integrates theaims of union education and contributes toorganising and campaigning plans. TheUnion is committed to dedicating resourcesto the expansion of union education.www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conferencetheaustralianworker 7

RESOLUTIONNO. 5PRECARIOUS WORKPRECARIOUS WORK CREATES CUT-PRICEAWU Tasmanian BranchSecretary, Ian Wakefield.Job trends in Australia, and acrossthe globe, show an increasingdemand by companies to shiftfrom secure to insecureemployment standards – making alljobs more “precarious”.In the last decade we have seen anexponential increase in temporary, morecasualised, more part-time and morecontracted jobs, along with an everincreasingout-sourcing of jobs fromAustralia to overseas sites.The unsavoury fact is thatworkers performing the same tasks,side-by-side, might share everythingexcept job security, wage rates andworking conditions.This alarming trend undermines theliving standards of Australian workers.Workers in “precarious” jobs have lesschance of gaining access to mortgagesand credit; and the right to live incomfortable circumstances and affordan education for their children isbecoming increasingly out of reach.The Australian Workers’ Unionbelieves that “precarious” work haswidened the gap between rich and poorand is undermining solidarity betweenworkers as it creates a cut-price labourmarket that drives down wages foreveryone. And while many of the Union’smembers are concentrated in highpayingresource sector jobs,“precarious” work is a key issueas today’s secure, well-paid unionisedjob could well become tomorrow’stemporary contract.LABOURThe AWU, therefore, is committingresources to fighting “precarious”work in Australia. The Union will callfor consultation with all levels ofgovernment to discuss the threat tothe nation’s living standards by thespread of “precarious” work and seekto obtain agreement on appropriateremedies. The Union will consult withmembers to formulate a new-modelanti-precarious work bargainingparagraph, and campaign to have itinserted in all of the Union’s agreementsduring enterprise bargaining.The AWU also recognises the globalnature of this threat and, where possible,will develop international links tochallenge the spread of “precarious”work through global mobilisation.8 theaustralianworker www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conference

NATIONALCONFERENCE1886 8 - 2011120111AWU Tobacco BranchSecretary, Norman McBride.RESOLUTIONNO. 6COST OF LIVINGWorkers around the countryare all concernedabout the increasing costof living.AWU members in the resources sectorare well paid because they are unionised.But even those well-paid workers, livingin isolated areas, where even the basicshave to be transported great distances,feel the sharp changes in living costs.AWU members who aren’t as wellpaid and live in the major capital citiesare also feeling the effects of housingcosts and mortgage rates, the sharpincrease in food costs, petrol prices, andthe rising cost of educating children.The AWU now calls on the FederalGovernment to consult with the unionmovement and the wider communityabout how best we can bring economiclevers to bear on the rising cost of living.The AWU is committed to buildingnew roads, rail and port facilities whichcan help Australians to move out of thebig metropolitan centres where familycosts are driven up by expensive housingand long commutes to work. The Unionalso supports intelligent long-termplanning to decentralise Australia;supporting the creation of good new jobs,quality hospitals and first classeducation and training facilities awayfrom the capital city centres whichdominate the economy.MEMBERS AREFEELING THEEFFECTS OFHOUSINGCOSTSwww.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conferencetheaustralianworker 9

RESOLUTIONNO. 7SUPERANNUATIONWORKERS NEEDFAIRERSUPERANNUATIONAWU AssistantQueenslandBranch Secretary,Ben Swan.AWU VictorianBranch Secretary,Cesar Melhem.Australia has a proud historyof compulsory superannuationcontributions for workers.And unions have been at theforefront of these reforms to thenational retirement savings scheme.However, many workers are beingleft behind. Those on low incomes,casual workers, the young, theold and many women are not reapingthe benefits of our nation’s progressiveretirement planning.The superannuation exemption clausestipulates that all workers who earnunder $450 a month are not guaranteedto receive superannuation payments,those under 18 and over 70 are alsoexempt from the guarantee.This effectively discriminates againstthe very people in most need of supportat retirement age – low income earners.Casual employees made up20 percent of the labour market in2009 and the female workforce is25 percent casual. This means thatthe exemption has particular affect onwomen’s retirement savings.The Australian Workers’ Unionbelieves that all work is a valuablecontribution to society and should berenumerated accordingly, and thatincludes superannuation payments.The $450 a month exemption wasa part of the original superannuationlegislation and was meant to be atransitional arrangement duringa period when casual employmentwas much lower. In the currentlabour market, the exemption hasbecome prejudicial.Many companies already paysuperannuation for those earningbelow the applicable monthly wageas the administrative costs of notdoing so outweigh the savings ofthe actual contributions. So theexemption is unnecessary andserves merely as a disincentive foremployers to do the right thing bytheir employees.Better superannuation is an ongoingcampaign for the union movement toensure that all Australians receivethe benefits that they are entitled to.The AWU believes that all Australiansshould be assured of retirement savingswithout discrimination and extendingsuperannuation contributions to allworking Australians would assurethat. The Union therefore calls uponthe Federal Government to immediatelyabolish the $450-a-monthsuperannuation exemption andTHE AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNIONBELIEVES THAT ALL WORK IS A VALUABLECONTRIBUTION AND SHOULD BERENUMERATED ACCORDINGLY, AND THATINCLUDES SUPERANNUATION PAYMENTS.10 theaustralianworker www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conference

NATIONALCONFERENCE1886 8 - 2011120111end discrimination against lowincome earners.Further, that while the AWU supportsthe Federal Government’s plans toincrease compulsory superannuationcontributions to 12 per cent over thecoming years, the Union maintains itscontinued commitment to campaignfor a further increase to the full15 percent which the Union believesevery Australian worker shouldrightly receive.The Union will pursue,through its enterprise bargaining,15 percent superannuationretirement savings to members.www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conferencetheaustralianworker 11

RESOLUTIONNO. 8ASBESTOS REMOVALUNSUSPECTINGWORKERSWERE EXPOSED TO ASBESTOS DAILYAsbestos is one of the most virulent diseasecausingmaterials of the modern era. Incommon use before 1985 it has beenrevealed to be a silent killer claiming the livesof hundreds every year and causing serious healthconditions amongst countless more. Unsuspectingworkers were exposed daily in the mining andmanufacturing of asbestos and in the constructionof the of buildings that contain the material.ASBESTOS – is a common cause of at least fiveconditions:→ MESOTHELIOMA – a terminal cancer whereexposure need not even be frequent or recent;→ LUNG CANCER→ ASBESTOSIS – A scarring of the lungs followingsignificant exposure to dust and fibres.→ PLEURAL PLAQUES – Marking on the lung lining.→ GASTRO-INTESTINAL CANCERSAWU West Australian BranchSecretary, Stephen Price.Miners, manufacturing and construction workersexposed to asbestos have suffered from serious healthconditions, sometimes resulting in death, for the lastdecade. It is believed that the next wave will be thoseexposed in their homes and offices to the material thatwas used as a fire retardant insulation for fifty years.The Australian Workers’ Union has long been a vocaladvocate for those who suffer from asbestos-relatedconditions. The Union has established a nationalasbestos registry for those exposed to asbestos. Theregistry is a knowledge bank helping to establish factsof a case in the event of future health complicationsdue to the exposure. In 2010 the AWU called fora “Dangerous Product” recall of all asbestos. TheUnion called on the Federal Government to establisha national body with a regulatory mandate to mappriority areas for asbestos product removal, such asschools and public places, and oversee its careful andtotal removal. The AWU called for an AsbestosSummit, to bring together industry leaders,regulatory bodies and medical asbestos diseaseexperts. The aim being that, along with all levels ofgovernment, such a summit could identify priorityareas for asbestos removal and develop a strategyto deal with the national emergency. The cost of theprioritised removal of asbestos is outweighed by thehealth cost incurred nationally if the material is leftonly partially regulated as it is now.The AWU now calls for the prioritised removal ofall asbestos with immediacy, as the insidious threatof asbestos exposure will not lessen without urgentintervention. To implement this, the Union willcampaign for the formation of a national taskforce ofstakeholders to facilitate this removal process, andthe inclusion of the Australian Workers’ Unionin any such body.12 theaustralianworker www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conference

NATIONALCONFERENCE1886 8 - 2011120111RESOLUTIONNO. 9OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH& SAFETY HARMONISATIONThe Australian Workers’ Union hasalways argued that workplace safetyshould be a priority issue forgovernments, unions and business.But the Union also believes that the“harmonizing” of Occupational Health andSafety standards across Australia shouldnot come at the cost of maintaining bestpractice standards.The AWU acknowledges the importance ofcreating national harmonised OHS standards,but does not believe this process should bea backward step. Unions have campaignedlong and hard for improvements in OHSstandards which have been achieved slowlyover the years – particularly in NSW.The Union calls upon the FederalGovernment to properly recognise that,as the representatives of workers, unionsplay a significant role in maintainingOHS standards in workplaces acrossthe country.The Union further believes that lawswhich simply rely on self regulation byindustry will not achieve best practicestandards in the workplace.Tragedies occurring in the miningindustry in Western Australia are proofof this.With states and territories developinglegislation on an ad hoc basis, there isminimal uniformity across the ten specificwork health and safety statutes (includingthe two Federal Parliamentary Acts) andthe multiple industry-specific legislation.The Union believes that this varied andinconsistent regulatory process has createda greater risk for workers who are employedin states and territories which have outdatedand inadequate regulation.The Union is committed to campaigningstrongly for OHS standards which willensure only the best standards availableto anyone wherever they work in Australia.Further the AWU will always argue that unionright-of-entry needs to be enshrined in theregulations, giving unhampered access toworkers to discuss with them OHS matters.The Union has therefore called on theFederal Government to ensure that theharmonisation of Australian workplacehealth and safety laws and regulations workcohesively to improve safety in Australianworkplaces rather than diminish standards.HARMONYIS NEEDED FOR OHSAWU Port Kembla BranchSecretary, Andie Gillespie.AWU Greater New South WalesBranch Secretary, Russ Collison.www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conferencetheaustralianworker 13

In Australia today, the rate of workplaceaccidents is so bad that an average of twoamputations occur each working day. Thisshocking statistic culminates in an averageof around 675 amputations being carried out asa result of industrial accidents.While the business sector can almost alwaysbe relied upon to blame workers and humanbehaviour for these incidents, it is rarely seen asthe fault of their workplace procedures andpolicies, lack of appropriate training, or poorsupervision. Nor do employers accept that poorlyANdesigned machinery and equipment causes manyaccidents.The horror of such a workplace accidentAVERAGE OFhappened to AWU member Alan Newey, who lostTWOhis right arm to a conveyor belt and subsequentlyspent ten years in recovery and rehabilitation. Inview of his experience – and the experiences ofthe many other workers who have sufferedsimilar horrific work-related injuries – theAMPUTATIONSRESOLUTIONNO. 10OCCUR EACHWORKINGDAYGUARD IT OR BAN ITAWU memberAlan Newey,who losthis arm toa conveyorbelt.Australian Workers’ Union will resource anational campaign to raise awareness of howpoorly designed machinery leads topreventable workplace deaths and casualties.The “Guard it or Ban it” campaign willunderline the Union’s position that all movingparts must be guarded (by a machine guardor guarding technique) in a fail-safe manner.Any removal or breach of such guardingmust automatically result in the machineimmediately becoming inoperable.The Union’s campaign will also call on theFederal government to initiate an appropriatereview process, involving Union reps and otherstakeholders, to ensure that all therequirements of relevant OHS regulations areadhered to strictly.14 theaustralianworker www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conference

RESOLUTIONNO. 11 INTERNATIONALNATIONALCONFERENCE1886 8 - 2011120111The Australian Workers’ Union strongly supportsthe rights of international unions worldwide andoffers aid to the many struggling at the handsof undemocratic governments. The MexicanMiners’ Union is currently being systematicallypersecuted by both public and private interests.Delegates at the AWU’s National Conference weretold by Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of InternationalMetalworkers’ Federation (IMF), that the Mexicangovernment must end its campaign of politicalpersecution against independent and democraticunions in Mexico. He said that a six-day campaign hadbeen launched to coincide with the fifth anniversaryof the deaths of 65 miners at the Pasta de Conchosmine disaster in Mexico on February 19, 2006.“Instead of attempting to rescue the miners atPasta de Conches and investigate the cause of thedisaster, over the last five years the Mexicangovernment has escalated its illegal and violentattacks on the Mexican Miners’ Union for demandingjustice,” Jyrki told the conference.Unions around the world affiliated with the IMF,including the International Federation of Chemical,Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM),the International Transport Workers’ Federation(ITF), UNI Global Union and the International TradeUnion Confederation (ITUC), are supporting theinternational campaign.Speaking in support of the global action, AWUNational Secretary Paul Howes spoke of the essentialrole trade unions have played throughout Australia’shistory in improving health and safety in the miningindustry, something workers in every country havea right to.In Australia, a rally was held at Parliament Housein Canberra on 18 February, to support theglobal action.PERSECUTIONOF THE MEXICANMINERS’ UNIONwww.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conferencetheaustralianworker 15

Paul HowesAustralia has theresources and thetalent to be innovativeIn his opening address, AWU National Secretary, PaulHowes said it was with great pride that he couldreport that, since its last conference, the Unioncontinues to fulfil its 125-year-old mission ofensuring that Australian workers receive a fair go.Paul acknowledged that while the recent floods, firesand cyclones have inflicted a toll, these tragedies have alsoshown that the amazing spirit of mateship is still alive andwell. He said that even in our darkest times the nationalspirit of togetherness, is also a spirit that guides the Unionin its commitment to the betterment of working peoplethrough collective action.Paying tribute to the AWU members who helped withsandbagging streets, moving people out of unsafe housesand running shelters for flood, fire and cyclone refugees,Paul reported that Selwyn Schefe, a long-standingQueensland Branch member had been killed in the floodsthat swept through this State. Selwyn, from the Murphy’sCreek area, worked for G. James Aluminium for more than30 years. He and his six-year-old daughter, Katie, wereboth tragically killed when they were swept away by thegreat inland tsunami of mud and water that stormedthrough the Lockyer Valley.Paul assured Delegates that the Union and the companywere working together to support Selwyn’s immediatefamily during this crisis. Selwyn was a part of the greatAWU family, so it was the Union’s duty to honour him andthe other victims of the disasters witnessed during thesummer. He also paid tribute to those Victorian Branchmembers who were affected by floods – and the many DSEmembers who, not long ago, were putting their lives on theline to fight horrific bush fires.Paul reported that the third annual AWU-Auspoll JobSatisfaction Index tracking study had been released. Thestudy is commissioned to read the pulse of workingAustralia. The latest Index shows that while workingpeople’s confidence had lifted at the end of 2009 – by theend of 2010 their confidence in the economy and jobsecurity was on the wane. But the study clearly showedthat workers know unions are the one group in our societymost likely to protect their interests. Unfortunatelyconfidence in Labor’s ability to protect the interests ofworking people has slipped.Paul said, that regardless of this lack of confidence,he felt that the leadership in Canberra will see anotherupswing among workers in their support for Labor.Investment in infrastructure, investment in rebuilding therail, roads and ports damaged by the floods and thecyclones will keep the economy growing.Paul said that shutting down the evil AustralianBuilding and Construction Commission – the ABCC – wasnow a matter of pressing urgency. With the massivere-construction projects in Queensland to rebuild roads,rail, and ports, AWU members in the construction industry(who will be the people building this infrastructure) donot want the evil of the ABCC hanging over their heads.The ABCC is a threat to their basic working rights andit is an instrumentality that can only undermine thereconstruction effort.Paul said that the time is now for Labor to remove thelast remnant of John Howard’s union busting governmentinstrumentalities. The AWU is ready to hold Labor toaccount to ensure we have good work laws in this country.Work laws which respect Labor’s core support base andrespect the rights of union members.Paul reminded Delegates that the 2010 federal electionsaw the threat of the reintroduction of WorkChoices if TonyAbbott and the Liberals had won. Paul also remindedDelegates of Tony Abbott’s track record in the HowardGovernment and of the damage he could have unleashed ifhe had become Prime Minister.Turning to the Global Financial Crisis, Paul said thatdespite the world gloom Australia remained economicallybuoyant – largely due to the resources boom. He said that itwas this sector that triggered a national debate aboutmaking those who exploit the natural resources pay for theright to mine minerals which they don’t own. In pursuingthe campaign the Union was assured by the governmentthat the Mineral Resources Tax imposed on miningcompanies would be spent in the regions, on projects ofnational significance and on infrastructure. More than halfof the Union’s membership live and work in regional andrural Australia. The resources tax will see these workersbenefit from a massive expansion of investment and jobs.Paul then referred Delegates to the manufacturing crisisin Australia. The level playing field Australia was promisedby the World Trade Organisation appears not to exist. Heannounced that the Union was launching its “Don’t Dump onAustralia” campaign targetting free trade “cheats”. Thecampaign will lobby Government to demand transparency intrade and the sidelining of those countries that circumventthe rules. The campaign will also promote the fact thatAustralia has the resources and the talent to be innovative inthe manufacturing sector and that the nation is not simplya sandpit for China and a tourism resort for North Asia.Paul told Delegates that for 125 years the Union andits members have fought for decency, equality, and a fairgo. He assured them, too, that the Union is right here,right now and will be there in the future, too.16 theaustralianworker www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conference

National President of the Australian Workers’Union Bill Ludwig opened the conference bypaying tribute to the six men who met in theback of a pub in Ballarat, Victoria, 125 yearsago, to plan a better life for themselves, their familiesand their mates. These forefathers of the AWU also hada collective vision for a better way of life for all workingAustralian men and women, both back then and in thefuture. And it was there, and then, that the AustralianWorkers’ Union was born.Bill told Delegates that when the Australian LaborParty was formed by AWU members under the Tree ofKnowledge at Barcaldine in Queensland, the Party andthe Union movement forged ideals to become a drivingpolitical force in Australia.Recalling his many years with the Union, Bill toldDelegates that during that time he had met memberswho had fought in both World Wars and it was thoseworkers who returned home to rebuild Australia. He saidthey worked with pride and a sense a humour and asense of solidarity.It is a unique and particular character that AWUmembers have always seemed to have, Bill toldDelegates. Be they men or women, working in heavyindustry, in shearing sheds, or in any other jobs that AWUmembers work. Bill said that they are the sort ofcharacters who arequick with a joke,NATIONALCONFERENCE1886 8 - 2011120111Bill LudwigThe AWU will always beAUSTRALIA’S greatest uniona smile and a hand for their mates. But, he said, they arealso quick to stick up for themselves and their mates.For 125 years, AWU members have usually been found inthe less glamorous jobs, the jobs that are hard andsometimes down-right dirty. But, Bill said,while others may not like to think about thesejobs, they are jobs that need doing.The real strength of the AWU, Billbelieves, comes from its members and theirworkplace Delegates. He said heunderstood fully that being an AWU rep cansometimes be a difficult and even thanklesstask. He said that often, when Delegatesare doing a good job, they’re not told so byanyone. But if things go wrong, it’s theDelegates who cop the flak.AWU Delegates are not paid for theirservices, Bill said. They do it out of acommitment to unionism, and a commitmentto helping their fellow workers.Bill thanked the Delegates for theirdedication and commitment and told themthat without their hard work, the Unionwould not be celebrating 125 years.The AWU is the largest blue-collar Union in Australiaand is also the fastest growing union. Bill sad thatDelegates should be proud that, together, they havehelped to arrest the membership decline that occurredThe realstrengthof the AWUcomes fromits membersand theirworkplaceDelegates.during the Howard regime’s war on workers’ rights.Now, the labour movement is, again, gaining strengthand it is fundamentally important that the Union takesthis opportunity to look to the future. Bill said that theUnion – and the broader labour movement– must bear in mind that while unionmembership increases are a great thing, ifunions are unable to deliver good outcomesfor their members, it is pointless signingthem up. Bill highlighted the need for theUnion to educate its members tounderstand the role they have to play inmaking their workplaces stronger. He saidthat the changing nature of work andworkplaces has seen the Union evolve tomeet the challenges of these changes andprovide communication and services to itsmembers that would have beenunthinkable 125 years ago.Bill said he believes that no matter whatthe future holds, the AWU will be therestanding proudly. He concluded his addressby saying that the assembled Delegates,officials and members were just passing through a greatorganisation. The AWU was there before them, and willbe there long after they had all gone. But, he said, it wastheir responsibility to ensure the AWU will always beAustralia’s greatest union.Delegates are not paid for theirefforts, they do it out of commitment.www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conferencetheaustralianworker 17

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh’scommitment to those who sufferedin the floods impressed the nation.Queensland PremierANNA BLIGHAfair day’spay for afair day’sworkshouldnever beforgottenTaking the stage at the 125th anniversary of theUnion’s foundation, Queensland Premier AnnaBligh also found herself in the midst of an epicand unprecedented string of natural disasters,on which she had little choice but to reflect.But she was also keen to assert that the verystrengths of local character on which the state’sformation had originally drawn were also those thatwould pull Queensland’s people through their currenttravails. And in this, members of the AWU could holdtheir heads high as being among those whose“inspirational responses to the disaster”were leading the way in getting the stateback on its feet.The Premier cited the “mighty effort” ofworkers who were part of the clean-up,the road and bridge repairs and thesandbagging that had protectedbusinesses and homes. She also spoke ofthe health workers who couldn’t do theirshifts or rosters because they were unableto reach their places of work, and thenthose who worked double shifts or aboveand beyond the call of duty at a time ofgreat difficulty to themselves.She spoke of those 55,000 people whohad volunteered and went on city councilbuses to places they’d never been to forpeople they had never met and who hadassisted householders who “felt defeatedby it in their own houses” in cleaning upmost “revolting mud you have ever seen”.She said the floods had affected disproportionatelythose living in low-lying parts of town, “poor people,working people who don’t have a lot of choice aboutwhere they live, young families, people renting, peopleliving in caravan parks people who were affected mostand worst. And many didn’t have much to start with.”Members ofthe AWU couldhold theirheads up highfor theirinspirationalresponsesto the disaster.And, while the worst of the flooding and the mess maynow have receded, and those passing through mightlook at the houses and say, “what flood?”, she said thatbehind those doors were people who may have beenpaying insurance, but were now finding out they mightnot have been covered for the kind of flood they hadsuffered and may have just a chair and a table left.The Premier said that the AWU has been successfulthough wars and big events and should be proud of itsachievements. Where its founding fathers and motherscould see the potential of an equality of opportunitythat had not been on the minds of thecolonial ruling class of the time, the fair goprinciple had since been establishedirrevocably now as a mainstream Australianvalue through the efforts of its members.She said they had fought for a fair day’spay for a fair day’s work and that we shouldnever forget that when we take our paidannual leave, get compensation for a workinjury or whenever we take paid sick leave,family leave or compassionate leave.She said our super entitlements and theconditions we take for granted were not justhanded out – every one of them has beenwon by the union movement, mostly in theface of massive opposition by leaders whoclaimed that every one of them would resultin the ruin not just of their industry but ofthe country itself.That same spirit would pull Queenslandthrough its present crisis, and it was the spirit of whichthe AWU should be proudest.In handing back the stage to National Secretary PaulHowes, she paid personal tribute to AWU President BillLudwig, as “a leader of substance and vision”, fromwhose wisdom that “he doles out in a pretty savageway” she had learned a lot.18 theaustralianworker www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conference

NATIONALCONFERENCE1886 8 - 2011120111PRIME MINISTER, JULIA GILLARDWe’ll be as bold inour future as we’vebeen in our pastPrime Minister Julia Gillard opened her address toDelegates by paying tribute to the Union’smembers and officials, both past and present,for their unfailing efforts in fighting for anddefending the rights of working Australians – and thebroader labour movement. She said that the history ofthe Australian Workers’ Union was a rich and colourfulone that told the story of unity, strength and theunwavering belief in a fair go for all Australians.The PM reminded Delegates that the Union’s greathistory has at its core a belief in the politics ofopportunity and social mobility. That the Union and thelabour movement had always had its focus on creatinga fair nation. She said the movement was built andupheld by working people who had and have done somecourageous things, fuelled by the ambition and beliefthat their sons and daughters would live a better life,a more prosperous life and a life that offered themgreater opportunities than their parents lives.The PM said she believed that while it may seemfashionable to dismiss the labour movement as being nolonger relevant and to arrive at the conclusion that,somehow, the Australian Labor Party no longerunderstood its purpose, these reflections are flawed andhold no justification. The labour movement has a boldcourse for the future, the PM said, and that it still has,like it always has had, a pivotal role in shaping thedestinies of working Australians.The PM then presented to Delegates her vision for hergovernment. She said that the Labor Government,despite being a minority parliament, was determinedto work as a political party with the broader labourmovement – and the broader community – to continueto bring positive change to our nation and furtheropportunities for all. She said that her governmenthas set a course to harness the benefits of economicprosperity, and to make sure that those benefitsare shared.She acknowledged that Australia faced some difficultchallenges and that they were different challengesto those presented to us in the past. Issues such asclimate change and pricing carbon, the rapidlychanging technology we have to keep up with, like theNational Broadband Network. She said that by risingto these challenges and taking clear, precise anddecisive action will keep Australian in front, ratherthan falling behind.She closed her address toDelegates with the assurancethat through unity and action,we will be as bold in ourfuture as we have been in ourpast in bringing opportunity toevery Australian. The historicmission of fairness that hascreated the Australian LaborParty that has endured allthese years has forged thelabour movement and theParty as an unbeatable team.The Union’sgreat historyhas at its corea belief inthe politicsof opportunityand socialmobility.Prime Minister Julia Gillardwith AWU women Delegatesand activists.www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conferencecetheaustralianworker theththaua t alialiawoanwow rker19

Deputy Prime Minister,WAYNE SWANI’ve marchedin the rainwith the AWUDeputy Prime Minister and Federal TreasurerWayne Swan opened his address by sharing hisown experiences as a member of the AWU. Hetold Delegates that the Union’s official recordssay that he joined the Union in January 1982. However,he said, those records didn’t capture the ticket he tookout way back in 1974 when he was employed byBrisbane City Council. To the Delegates’ delight, hedescribed his time as a sewerage maintenance worker,and also as a casual worker at the Brisbane Exhibitionwhere he shovelled chook manure!The Deputy PM spoke of his sense of genuine loyaltyto the AWU. He told Delegates that he’d workedalongside them, marched in the rain with them and, asa representative in the Australian parliament,represented their hopes and aspirations.The Australian Workers’ Union, he said, had beenthere for workers across many industries for a centuryand a quarter looking after decent, hard-workingpeople, defending and advancingtheir wages and conditions.Together, he remindedDelegates, battles had been won– and some lost. But the fact wasthe labour movement always winsmore battles than it loses. He saidhe believed that the movement’ssuccesses came about through thestrong links between the AustralianLabor Party and working togetherthat forges the movement’sstrength.The Deputy PM said hefelt it was impossible toseparate the history ofthe AWU from thehistory of our nation.The AWU had survivedand prospered, he said,because at key timesthe Union has helpedAustralians recognisethat, as a nation,Australia can only succeed if we band together. He saidthis was shown during the Global Financial Crisis, andproven yet again, through the recent natural disasters.He made the point that “stronger together” is morethan a simple slogan for the Union. He said that it was aphilosophy that can confidently steer Australia forward.Australia had changed so much in the 125 years of theAWU’s existence. In the mid-1880s, he said,when the Union was formed, Australianworkers died young, of avoidable illnesses,owning little and having enjoyed littlechance of education and self-improvement.And, he said, that’s why Unions werenecessary and why they were formed.The Deputy PM said that the pastoralworkers who formed the AWU could hardlyhave dreamt of the standard of living thevast majority of Australian working peopleenjoy today. Health care, life expectancy,Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swanjoined the AWU back in 1982.It is up tounions to helpexplain thebenefits ofreform toworkers whoare underpressure.retirement benefits, holidays and the prospects for theirchildren have come about largely through the work of thelabour movement.He said that today, unions like the AWUsimultaneously represent industries like tourism andmanufacturing that are struggling and industries like theresources sector that are prospering.It was interesting, he said, that one of the reasons whyunions like the AWU, the miners and the maritime workersgained a foothold, was the 19th century creation andexpansion of an export-oriented, resource-based nationaleconomy. As the world demand for wool, coal, iron ore andother resources went up, so did the bargaining power ofthe people who produced them. They made gains, he said,but when prices later fell, they fought hard to hold on tothose gains, which led to the great strikes of the 1890s andthe formation of the Australian Labor party.The Deputy PM said he believed that Australian unionscan find a new future in an era of continuing exportexpansion. He said that by working with employers, theAWU and other unions can help expand our resourceexportcapacity by creating jobs, increasing skills, boostingproductivity and, he said, particularly important for miningcommunities, giving a future to young Indigenous schoolleavers. He said that if ever there was a nation-buildingLabor Government, it was now. And while there is amassive job ahead to rebuild parts of Australia affected bynatural disasters, the government wasresponding to it with commitment, passion.The Deputy PM closed his address bysaying that the Labor Government wantedto ensure that every Australian has theopportunity to make what they wantof their life. And it was up to unions likethe AWU to help explain the benefitsof reform to workers who are underpressure and that by working together,we will see another defining momentin Australia’s history.20 theaustralianworker s l anworkerwww.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conference

NATIONALCONFERENCE1886 8 - 2011120111Adequatesuperannuationis a real issueFederal Assistant Treasurer and Minister forFinancial Services and Superannuation, BillShorten, was well known to Delegates andall AWU members as the former NationalSecretary of the Union. He told Delegates that whilethere are great things to be done in Parliament, and greatchallenges to face, he felt that nothing beats a Unioneducation, or his time of being a representative of theAustralian Workers’ Union for job satisfaction. He alsotold Delegates that trade unions are the most importantinstitution in a functioning, prosperous democracy.The Assistant Treasurer then turned his attention tosuperannuation and retirement. He said people wereliving longer due to the availability of quality healthcare,so there was concern about workers having enoughmoney to live on in retirement. He said that retiredworkers needed more than the aged pension to livecomfortably in retirement. In fact, he said, it’s beendemonstrated that for a dignified retirement, 60-65percent of a workers’ pre-retirement average weeklywage was required.In 1985, the Assistant Treasurer said, workers gaveaway a three percent wage rise to allow for“compulsory” superannuation, which Unions pushedthrough Awards. Then, in 1992, the Keating Governmentraised the percentage to 9 percent. However, all theseyears later, this is not enough. At the last election thegovernment went to the polls with a policy proposal toincrease superannuation from 9 percent to 12 percent.He said, of course, the Liberal Opposition is against this.The Assistant Treasurer explained that when theGovernment passed the Minerals Rent Resource Tax onthe super profits of mining companies, that money willreplace the tax income that we lose, because by movingsuperannuation on all Australian payrolls from 9 percentto 12 per cent means paying less tax on that 3 percentthat goes into super. It’s taxed at 15 percent rather thanthe normal marginal rate. So the loss of that to taxrevenue will be compensated by the mining tax. He saidthe Government is also proposing that workers who earnless than $37,000 per year receive $500 each year insuper regardless of their circumstances.He further explained that the super increase is not atax on business, it’s part of the improved remunerationpackage that employers decide they want to give theirworkers through negotiation. He said he knew it could bemoved to 12 percent and that, ultimately, moved beyondthat as a compulsory standard. And, he added, there isFederal Assistant Treasurer rerBILL SHORTENnothing stopping progressive unions from improving thesuperannuation payment to workers. The reality is thaton an issue of the adequacy of retirement income no oneelse other than a Labor Government, and an empoweredunion movement is going to deliver that outcome.He closed his address by reminding Delegates that theAWU was a union which prevails. He said he lookedforward to seeing even more work done to ensure thedignity of our members’ retirement.FederalAssistantTreasurer andformer AWUNationalSecretary BillShorten.There is nothingstoppingprogressive siveunions fromimproving thesuperpayment toworkers. rs.www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conferencetheaustralianworker theththaut aliliawoanwow rker21

Minister for climate changeGreg CombetClimatechangeis realFederal Minister for Climate ChangeGreg Combet told Delegates thatAustralia stands at a crossroads.He said that asa nation we areconfronted with a choicebetween continuing toreform to secure theliving standards of allAustralians for the nextcentury, and living in fearof the future.The Minister told Delegates that ifdecent rights at work were the mostimportant reason for the change ofgovernment back in 2007, climatechange was also one of the top twoor three. He said that climate changewas now a signature issue for the GillardLabor Government and that thegovernment was determined to deliveron a carbon price as a key economicreform supporting a long-term climatechange policy.Climate change, the Ministerexplained, begins with science. He saidthe government accepts the fundamentalconclusions of science: that climatechange is real, and that human activity iscontributing significantly through carbonpollution. If that pollution continues togrow, our climate could change in waysthat present risks to the economy, ourenvironment, and our way of life. He saidthat those risks fall most heavily on ourchildren and their children.The Minister said that the best way toapproach the issue is to place a price oncarbon pollution. He said that this pricewill tilt the economic balance in favour oflow pollution options and that a carbonprice gives incentives to low emissionstechnologies and encourageshouseholders to opt for lower emissionschoices by making these choices lesscostly than higher emissions choices.Over time, the Minister said, this wouldallow the decoupling of economicproduction from carbon pollution, whichis essential if Australia is going tocompete in a carbon constrained world.However, the Minister warned that thiswas a large-scale challenge and thatassistance was needed to transformhigh-energy consuming industries thatrelied on cheap electricity. Thesetransformations, he said, came withsignificant advantages if pursued assoon as possible, in a sensible manner.History has shown, he said, that thecountries that move first and developnew technologies and productionmethods benefit the most. He toldDelegates that we have no choice but tobegin this transformation, but that it can’tbe won without the support of the labourmovement through unity, discipline,passion and commitment.Australian Council of TradeUnions Secretary Jeff Lawrenceopened his address toDelegates by congratulating theUnion on its 125th anniversary andacknowledged that for the first time anAWU official has become a full-timeofficer of the ACTU. He welcomedMichael Borwick and said he lookedforward to working with him.Jeff reminded Delegates that at 125years of age, the Australian Workers’Union was older than the nation itself. Hesaid he believed that Australia grew intothe nation it is today because of unions.We could thank the labour movement forthe benefits working Australians enjoyedtoday, like universal healthcare, wideraccess to education and decentretirement benefits. But Jeffacknowledged that from its origins, theAWU had been in the forefront ofcampaigning for a fair go and throughthat commitment saw Australia be oneof the first nations in the world to adopta national minimum wage, win aneight-hour working day, put a workers’party – the Australian Labor Party – intoparliament. However, Jeff said, the labourmovement was just as relevant andpertinent as it had ever been and that itmust remain actively strong and grow.Jeff that the forces that wanted tocut the shearers’ wages back in 1891are still with us, as we had seen with theimplementation of the HowardGovernment’s dreaded WorkChoices. Hesaid that unions will always have a rolein ensuring workers’ rights and givingvoice to working Australians and it wasfundamental that this voice was strong.Jeff reported that the ACTU hadendorsed a full agenda for 2011 and wouldbe working through it to prioritise issuesthat will make the most difference toworkers and unions this year. The agendaincluded campaigns to increase jobsecurity, improve Delegates’ rights andensure that collective bargaining workseffectively in Australian industries andworkplaces. Most importantly, Jeff said, ina rapidly changing world, working peoplemust have a say in the future of their work.He said that markets should not be allowedto dictate working rights; that the recenttrends of workers remaining casual foryears on end and contractors paying theirown superannuation and workers’compensation while working for the oneemployer is not good enough. He alsosaid that waiting for a text message eachmorning to say whether you have workor not that day must end.Working life, he said, should be equallyshaped by the needs of workers, familiesand communities.ACTU SecretaryJeff LawrenceMarkets shouldnot dictateworking rights22 theaustralianworker www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conference

NATIONALCONFERENCE1886 8 - 2011120111There is no doubt that Bob Katterearns and wears his inimitabilitywith pride, and in this no onecould have been disappointedwith his conference performance.Bob comes from a long-establishedand influential Queensland family and hisspeech came full with references to theAWU and the labour movement’s history,but also a plea to the Union to pull out thestops to save the state’s sugar industry,which, he said, only the AWU could do.Citing historical precedent of his ownlearning about the power of collectivebargaining, he said that when thewool industry had its own collectivebargaining structure in place to protectthe interests of growers, “it was bringingin more than the coal industry”. Since,however, “because industry afterindustry has lost its rights, cattlenumbers are down 20 percent andsheep numbers down 60 percent”.He said, “The 200,000 peopleI represent desperately need the AWUto fight for them as the sugar industryis a bigger employer than even coal.”Yet, while Brazil is opening 20 millsa year to produce ethanol, Queenslandis closing seven mills every nine years.The Liberal-National Party he said,however, had introduced changes to thelegislation for ethanol that had takenthe industry’s production backwards,history of the union movement inAustralia and its initial foundationon the back of the defeatedshearers’ strike of the 1890s, Bobdescribed Australians as an “incrediblepeople”. He said, “if you know history,you can not write it without mentionof the AWU.”He spoke of how his greatgrandfatherin Charters Towers had in1894 put up the equivalent of $1 millionat today’s value to support that strikewhose cost had been 11,000 members tothe AWU and two years of starvation forthem while the “rats and scabs did welland got high prices” for their labour.He said he’d got his own start in lifewhen for a brief period in Mt Isa he wasan AWU Delegate, and how, “in 1907,one in 31 of those who went down themines would not come back up again,and if they came back up again theydied of [chronic lung disease, commonamong coal miners, due to the inhalationof coal dust] miner’s phthisis”. And hespoke of how even those who hadmanaged to leave the pits for politics,Anderson Dawson had been forced toquit because of it, at a time when evenBlack workers in South Africa enjoyedbetter protection for worker safety thandid local pit labourers.Bob spoke of his lifelong admirationfor Ted Theodore (who with BillIndependent MPBob KatterScabs gothigh pricesfor their labourIn 1907 onein 31 of thosewho wentdown themines didnot comeback upagain.from 72 million litres to a current24 million litres, making its futuresurvival precarious. But, if the useof ethanol could not be mandated infuels, the sugar industry – the 50,000workers in the biggest industry inQueensland would not survive, he said.In a speech peppered with in-jokes,asides and historical references to theMcCormack, was one of the Union’sforebears from the Amalgamated Workers’Association). Ted later became the premierof Queensland and a Federal Member ofParliament. He said this deep respect forTheodore was the one thing that unitedboth him and former Prime Ministers PaulKeating and Malcolm Fraser.He expressed his regret that when theGreat Depression arrived in the 1930speople didn’t understand Theodore’surgings for an expansion of the moneysupply and that instead the electorateblamed the Labor Party for the slump.The government then imported aneconomic advisor from the Bank ofEngland, Otto Niemeyer, whose solutionof sharp reductions in governmentspending had, in fact, perpetuated theslump.As he left the lectern, Bob reiteratedhis plea to the Union to save sugar.“Thanks to the Union,” he said, “some ofthose [sugar workers] were proudfarmers up until 15-20 years ago, andsome of them have sadly forgotten wherethey came from.”www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conferencetheaustralianworker 23

STRONGER TOGETHER: Delegates and friends of the AWUFor 125 years we havefought for what’s rightand we know we will behere for the next 125years to ensure that weadvance Australia.Paul Howes, AWU National Secretary24 theaustralianworker www.awu.net.au for more information on the AWU 2011 conference

REAL LIFEWhen the leveeBREAKSHopes of a bright, new year were dashed when aseries natural disasters shattered the lives of manyAustralians. But when a crisis occurs, AWU memberswere there, as they always are, lending a hand tohelp bring relief. Michael Blayney reports…PATH OF DESTRUCTIONTIMELINEImages: Getty, SuppliedJANUARY 9-13Devastating floods cripplesouth-eastern Queenslandwith Toowoomba, Ipswich,and Brisbane coppingthe brunt.▪ DAMAGE BILL:at least $5 billion.▪ CASUALTIES (at timeof printing): 35 dead and9 missing in floodsthroughout Queenslandsince November 30, 2010.JANUARY 12-14Major flooding acrossmuch of the westernand central parts ofVictoria.▪ DAMAGE BILL:Agricultural industrydecimated to thetune of an estimated$1.5-2 billion.▪ CASUALTIES: 0FEBRUARY 3Cyclone Yasi:Category 5 cyclonestrikes northQueensland, thefull force landingnear MissionBeach.▪ DAMAGE BILL:est. $800 million▪ CASUALTIES: 0

Nothing was sparedin the deluge.Roads became rivers.FEBRUARY 6-7Bushfire in the southeasternsuburbs of Perthdestroys 72 homes.▪ DAMAGE BILL:estimated to stretch intothe ‘tens of millions ofdollars’.▪ CASUALTIES: 0FEBRUARY 4Flooding throughoutMelbourne’s east,Gippsland, and northwestVictoria on top offlooding in January. Up to94 communities affected.▪ DAMAGE BILL:unreported, but estimatedto be hundreds of millionsof dollars▪ CASUALTIES: 0COWBOYSTOCKHAMEvery cyclone season,Rod ‘Cowboy’Stockham has one eyeon his television’sweather channel as he goesabout his business. In lateJanuary this year, a swirlingmass forming off the NorthQueensland coastlinecaptured his attention.“It was such an extensivesystem,” says Cowboy, AWUNorthern District Secretarybased in Townsville. “I wasn’tworried about the first one(Cyclone Anthony, a category2 cyclone that hit on January30). It was the big bastardtailing it that worried me.”The big bastard wasCyclone Yasi, the core of whichpassed between Cardwell andInnisfail early on February 3.The Stockham family (Cowboy,his wife, and two kids) washoled up approximately 200kilometres south, preparingfor a sleepless night upstairsin their Majors Creek home– without power.“We copped a hell of abattering. I’ve been throughabout a dozen cyclones, andthis was a particularly fierceone. The really big wind gustscame through about 8 o’clockat night, and it belted shit outof us right up until lunchtimethe next day,” he says.“I lay on the floor there forone minute, and thefloorboards were all movingunderneath me. It was thescariest feeling, like a snakecrawling across your belly. I gotup off the floor and sat back onthe couch pretty quick smart.”Cowboy stepped outsideat 4.30am to assess thedamage. Twice he attemptedto walk across the backyard,and twice he was blown off hisfeet. “That was enough forme,” Cowboy laughs. “Iheaded straight back inside.”When the wind and rainWE COPPEDA HELL OF ABATTERINGfinally subsided, Cowboycounted the cost. “Trees andpower lines down everywhere,a big tree crashed down on mymachinery shed, I lost the roofoff my stables, but nostructural damage to thehouse, thank God.”Days later Cowboy touredthe area by helicopter, struckby the devastation – and thedrenching. “We had 240 mills,10 inches, over 24 hours,” hesays, paying tribute to the roleAWU members played beforeand after the cyclone. “Manyof our members are alsoSES volunteers, and theylooked after others beforethemselves.”www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER 41

REAL LIFEJEENA HABIBWhen Jeena Habibtalks about therecent Brisbanefloods, emotions are raw.Although her Calamvale homewas unaffected, her parents’single-level brick house inJindalee was not so lucky.Jeena’s 76 year-oldmother is terminally ill,requiring regularchemotherapy.“When you’regoing through thistreatment you needto be positive or itcan affect therecovery process,”says Jeena, an AWU staffmember for 24 years. “Sincethe flood, Mum’s not sleepingand she’s lost weight.”Back in January, Jeenavisited her parents in Jindaleeon the same afternoon theBrisbane River broke its banks.Local roads were alreadyflooded, but her parents’ andtheir house were fine. Herfather was adamant that theycould ride it out, but changedhis mind that evening afterpredictions that the floodTHESTRESS ISWORSEFOR MUMBECAUSEOF THECHEMOwaters would peak in twodays’ time.“They went to my sister’splace in Westlake with just afew clothes and the cat. Theywere confident they’d be backin a few days’ time.”But when the river peaked,the Jindalee home went under,water rising inside to 1.25metres. Everythingwas damagedbeyond repair. Sincethen, the family hasbeen trying to returnthe home to itsformer condition.“We’re trying tomake things as comfortable aspossible while we get thehouse up to scratch. Thestress is worse for Mumbecause of the chemo.”Despite everything, Jeena’sbeen humbled by the supportof her fellow workers in theAWU Brisbane office. “I’m intears every time I think howgenerous people have been. It’smore like a family than aworkplace, and everyone hasassisted in some way. We’re allhere for each other.”CHRIS BROWNAWU member ChrisBrown was workingdispatch at Lindeman’swinery on a particularly dampFebruary afternoon when hiswife Kim sent him aphotograph of rainwater ontheir lawn outsidetheir Mildura house.An hour later, Chrisarrived home towitness the big wetfirst-hand.“It wasn’t toobad, so I didn’tthink much more of it,” Chrissays. “But that night it juststeadily rained and rained,and the next morning wewoke up just about floating!”As Chris walked towards hisfront door, he could hear watersplashing underneath thefloorboards. His verandah wassubmerged, and his NissanGazelle in the driveway lookedmore like a Nissan Walrus.“We put everything insideup on bricks, ladders, buckets,containers, anything we couldgrab at the time,” he says. “Ourother car is a four-wheel drive,WE PUTEVERYTHINGINSIDE UPON BRICKS,LADDERS,BUCKETS,CONTAINERSso we got out with that.”All the while, it continuedto rain. Mildura, in Victoria’snorth-west, received 250mmor thereabouts in a 24-hourperiod, close to its averageannual rainfall.“Thankfully thewater didn’t seepthrough thefloorboards, but itsat under the housefor days. The stenchwas terrible,” hesays, adding thatthe house has extensivestructural damage as a result.“We’ll have to re-stump thehouse, probably rip up theboards and replace the carpet.”Now living at Kim’sbrother’s house, Chris expectsto return to his home in thenext six months. Hisworkplace is struggling withrejected grapes and damagedroads, but his major concernhas been for his pregnant wifeKim. “We’re having a baby inseven weeks and all thenewborn gear was wrecked.She cried for two days.”42 THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au

ALL ABOUT AUSTRALIAdesertFLOWERSGill Canning talks to some fabulously talentedIndigenous women with voices singing loud and clear.PHOTOS: Supplied; Getty Images; NewspixAs little girl growingup in AliceSprings, RhubeeNeale dreamed ofbeing American country singerPatsy Cline.“In the 1960s, the onlymodern music we heard wasrock or country. I used to listento Patsy and imagine myselfup on that stage in a big,flowing gown.”Today, Rhubee, 46, is oneof a growing number ofindigenous female singersongwriters gaining acclaim.These feisty females aremaking their voices heard upand down the country to largeand growing audiences.Rhubee, a mother of four,put music aside in hertwenties after a friend told hershe “sounded terrible”, andI try to inspirepeople to bethe best theycan be– Mechelle Wilsonconcentrated instead onmotherhood, social work andworking as a TAFE teacher. Butseveral years ago, after goingthrough a divorce and gaininga diploma in music, she satdown and asked herself,“What do I really like doing?”The answer was obvious,as she’d been writing songsever since she was little.Living in Sydney at the time,she recorded eight singlesand performed wherever shecould, including at twoDreaming festivals.Probably her best knownsong, Crystal Velvet Night isabout her homeland. She alsosings on subjects such asracism, feminism and theStolen Generation, but,“subtly, as it’s not good to bein people’s faces”.Growing up with others,many of whom learned Englishby listening to country music,Rhubee was thrilled when afan recently told her she waslike a “female Slim Dusty”.“The songs I write are verypictorial. I see music as a formRock ChickMechelleWilson44 THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au

I see musicas a form oforal history,of capturinga momentin time– Rhubee NealeRhubeeNealewrites“pictorial”songs”of oral history, of capturing aRhubee Neale writes“pictorial” moment songs”. in time,” she says.“I am Aboriginal-Irish andI wrote a song calledKangaroo Irish Stew. It’sMagicalharmoniesThe StiffGinsabout the Coniston Massacreof the 1920s, which occurredin the Northern Territory andended with more than 100Aborigines killed, includingmy great-grandfather.”Rhubee, who grew uplistening to her mother singin her native language, isfiercely proud of her heritageand is currently working onher first album.“My music is Australian,grassroots, from the heart.There is no pretending. I don’twant to sound American; Iwant to capture us.”Like Rhubee, singerMechelle Wilson came late tomusic, forming her band TheOld Flames after meeting upwith her own “old flame”,Sam Turvey, at music collegefour years ago. The tworeunited, both romanticallyand musically, producing bothson Cassius and their band,which Mechelle describes as“old-school rock and roll,blues and boogie woogie”.Their first album, BlackfellaBoogie, was released last yearand their second is scheduledfor release in later this year.Mechelle, who grew up inPerth and still works there asan indigenous caterer andradio announcer/producer,always heard about visits inthe 1950s and 60s by BlackAmerican acts such as SmokeyRobinson and Nat King Cole.“There was a dance clubhere in Perth called theCoolabaroo Club. My pop’scousin was the jazz singerthere. I remember watchingher practise in the backyard,singing with her accordion.I was enthralled by her.”She says, “Sam is thecomposer and I write thelyrics. I take everything inall the time – I try to writeabout small things peoplemight not notice. My songsare quite optimistic – they’reabout being grateful, smiling,talking yourself up. I try toinspire people to be the bestthey can be.”The Old Flames have astrong following in WA andenjoy playing “country townsin the middle of nowhere”.Says Mechelle, “I likepeople to appreciate the musicand connect with my emotionsand my stories. And have agood laugh – a lot of oursongs have comedy in them.“Our audience tends to bepeople who like a laugh andthe upbeat – a lot of Elders likeit because it’s ‘old school’. Ilove a dance – there is nothingmore enjoyable than seeingwww.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER 45

ALL ABOUT AUSTRALIATheSapphiresBack in the 1960s, this Indigenous girlgroup modelled themselves on DianaRoss & the Supremes. The group ofsisters and cousins from countryVictoria dreamt of Hollywood fame butthe height of their international careerwas playing to Australian troops inVietnam in 1969.Some of the women went on to workfor indigenous rights, education,Aboriginal Legal Service and AboriginalMedical Service. A musical about thegroup, The Sapphires, was produced in2005 and 2010 and has at various timesstarred Christine Anu, Casey Donovanand Deborah Mailman.Born in Cairns of Torres Strait Islanderdescent, Christine has five ARIA awardsand five albums under her belt and isarguably Australia’s most successfulIndigenous female singer. Her biggesthit, My Island Home, was performed atthe 2000 Sydney Olympics. In 2005,Christine performed a musicalautobiographical show, Intimate andDeadly. Her most recent album wasChrissy’s Island Family, a children’sCD released in 2007. Christine alsoappeared in the musical, The Sapphires.ChristineAnuCaseyDonovanThe winner of Australian Idol, Casey, 22,grew up in Sydney as a musicalyoungster, gaining overnight fame whenshe was crowned as Australian Idol in2004. Her first album, For You, releasedlater that year, went triple platinum. Shewas awarded Single of the Year and Artistof the Year at the 2005 Deadly Awards. In2010, Casey performed in the musical TheSapphires and released a single, Big,Beautiful and Sexy. She is thought to beworking on her second album.people get up and dance inDonovan and started creatingpolitical or observational onthey have encountered outsidefront of me.”their own style of acousticwhat’s happening in Australia.Australia was “reverse racism”.On stage, Mechelle is aharmony-based music.We talk about the emotion; for“We try to educate peoplenatural performer, describing“Another lady at TAFE usedexample, Nardi wrote a songon two things: beingherself as “joking andto say she needed ‘three stiffabout the Redfern riots and aIndigenous and being women.”naughty”. But, she says, “Putgins’ just to get through theyoung boy who passed away.”Their first two albumsme in a crowd and I can’t copemorning and we latched on toNardi, who plays Frenchwere well received with– I start sweating and shaking!”that,” grins Kaleena. “‘Gin’ ishorn, cello and guitar, cameKaleena and Nardi receiving aTwo well-knownusually used as a derogatoryfrom a musical family, as did2000 Deadly Award for Mostindigenous singer-songwritersword for an indigenousKaleena. “My Nan was aPromising New Talent the yearare Kaleena Briggs and Nardiwoman but originally it didn’tclassical and opera singer, andafter they formed. The StiffSimpson – collectively knownhave that connotation and somy dad was also in a band. I playGins’ third album, Wind andas the Stiff Gins.we’ve tried to take the nameguitar, but only enough to writeWater will be released laterKaleena and Nardi met atback, instil it with power.”a song – Nardi is the musician!”this year.TAFE in 1997, where they wereNardi and Kaleena (EmmaIn the past decade, theSays Kaleena, “Our secondboth studying music.left the band in 2001) write allband has toured extensively,album was recorded in Nardi’sRecognising each other asthe songs.to Europe, America, Africa andbedroom. For this one, wekindred souls, they joined up“In our songs, we want tothe Middle East. Perhapshave a studio andwith fellow student Emmatell you something. It could besurprisingly, the only racismprofessional musicians! W46 THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au

Throughouthistory, there havebeen good jobs andthere have beentough jobs. ChrisRyan looks at a mixof the dirty,demeaning, anddownrightdangerous ways toearn a livingthrough the ages...You do WHATfor a living?Back in the 18th Century“castrati” were thecrowd-pulling singingsensations of their time.Back then, around4000 Italian boys, upwards from ageeight, would be castrated each yearin the hope of pursuing fame andfortune as opera singers and soloistsperforming for the aristocracy andin churches.Makingmatcheswas adangeroustask.Poverty-stricken families wouldsometimes be forced into consideringhaving their child castrated in thehope that he would achieve successfulsinging career.Music composers were enamouredby the castrati pitch and tone becausethe castrated singer could reachimpossibly high notes, but deliver themwith strength.When it came to castrati, the bestof the best were given celebrity statusand were adored by legions offemale fans. The castrati stars wouldperform in the palaces of Europe,drawing devoted crowds whereverthey performed.And while they often livedoutrageously hedonistic lifestylesand were highly temperamental,demanding and prone to tantrums,is it any wonder? They were, after all,mutilated at a young age by a hideouslycruel and crude surgical implementknown as a “castratori”.Sadly, out of all the boys put throughthis ordeal, relatively few ever grew toachieve fame and fortune.Match makersThe woman most people associatewith matches is the redheademblazoned on boxes of that brandname. The women making matchesPhotos: Getty48 THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au

WORKING LIFEin Victorian England weren’t nearlyso glamorous. Working 14-hour days,they had the dangerous job of dippingmatchsticks in white phosphorus.The toxic chemical could causephosphorus necrosis of the jaw,or “phossy jaw”. What started asa toothache and swollen gumsdeveloped into a rotting, puss-riddledjawbone that had to be removed toprevent death by organ failure.In 1888, some 1400 matchmakersfrom the Bryant and May factory inLondon went on strike after threeco-workers where sacked forspeaking out about conditions.They fought successfully for a wageincrease, the end of fines for so-calledoffences such as going to the toiletwithout permission, and the rightto eat meals in a room thatwasn’t contaminated with whitephosphorous.By 1901, bad publicity about theshocking effects of white phosphorussaw Bryant and May switch to the moreexpensive but safer red phosphorus.Sewer huntersIn Victorian England, sewer hunterswould brave the maze of tunnelsbeneath London looking for scrapsof metal, lost coins, bones andrope. Besides the health problemsassociated with wading throughhuman waste, sewer hunters faceda number of risks described byjournalist Henry Mayhew in LondonLabour and the London Poor (PenguinClassics; first published 1861). Inolder sections of the sewer system,brickwork could collapse and crushsewer hunters, and in confined spacesthere was foul air that could seea man die for want of oxygen.“Other stories,” Mayhew wrote,“are told of sewer hunters beset bymyriads of enormous rats, and slayingthousands of them in their struggle forlife, till at length the savage thingsoverpowered them, and in a few daysafterwards their skeletons werediscovered picked to the bones.”Chimney sweepsDespite what you saw in Mary Poppins,poor little chimney-sweeps didn’t havemuch to sing and dance about.In Britain, an 1817 parliamentaryinquiry detailed horrific reports ofchildren as young as four being forcedto climb and clean chimneys. If a boywasn’t a good climber, the kindly bossmight offer encouragement by burningstraw beneath him, or having an olderapprentice follow him up the chimneyto stick pins in his feet. Sometimes hewas stripped naked at the time.Occupational hazards for chimneysweeps included stunted growth,asthma, burns, and chimney-sweep’scancer, also known as scrotum cancer.And there are some people whostill believe that workers have neverneeded ed unions!US PRESIDENTFROM LEFT: Abraham Lincoln,Ronald Reagan’s security guardsreact after the attempt onhis life, and the tragic JFK.An unfortunate fact aboutrunning a country is that a lotof people are going to hateyou. And in a country likeAmerica, it won’t be hardfor those people to get theirhands on a gun.Four out of 43 presidentshave had their terms cutshort by a bullet: AbrahamLincoln (1865), JamesGarfield (1881), WilliamMcKinley (1901), and JFK(1963). Two other presidentshave been shot in over 20assassination attempts.President Gerald Fordsurvived two assassinationattempts, both by women.President Ronald Reagan waslucky to escape with a bulletin the lung when John HinkleyJr fired six rounds at him toimpress Jodie Foster.In 1912, Teddy Rooseveltwas three years out of officewhen he was shot outsidea Milwaukee hotel whilecampaigning. Bleedingbut unbowed, he went toan auditorium and told thecrowd, “I don’t know whetheryou fully understand thatI have just been shot; but ittakes more than that to kill aBull Moose.”Roosevelt presented adamaged manuscript of hisspeech, saying, “There iswhere the bullet went through– and it probably saved mefrom it going into my heart.”The crowd was in for along speech.www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER 49

BINDI & RINGERBindi and Ringer have discovered crosswords and they can’tget enough of them! Here’s onethey’d like you to try. They’ve added pictures that might help you with some of the clues. If yourun into difficulty, perhaps your Mum or Dad can help out. But if not, Bindi & Ringer have putthe answers at the bottom of the page. But no peaking unless you’re really stuck!1 28 9101319 202122233142541251117 1815624716Across1. Auckland and Christchurchare there (3, 7)8. Sage is one, so is basil (4)9. Tight hair curls (8)10. Curved yellow fruit amonkey loves! (6)11. Photos, pictures (6)12. Chemical used to colourhair (3)13. Grown-up (5)15. Composition, schoolassignment (5)17. Cry (3)19. Bugs Bunny’s favouritevegetable! (6)21. If you’re lucky you mightfind a pearl in one (6)23. Ten plus nine (8)24. Lion’s noise ( 4)25. Schedules (10)Down2. Green gemstone (7)3. Striped horse-like animalfound in Africa (5)4. Overseas (6)5. Your Dad’s or Mum’ssister is your ------ (7)6. ------- and cents, Australia’scurrency (7)7. Name of a book (5)14. Biggest (7)16. Not the best or the worst (7)17. Small river or creek (6)18. Type of hat for a baby (6)20. Creature from outerspace! (5)22. Dry bushland (5)10 across 21 across 24 across 2 down 20 downANSWERS Across: 1. New Zealand, 8. Herb, 9. Ringlets, 10. Banana, 11. Images, 12. Dye, 13. Adult, 15. Essay, 17. Sob, 19. Carrot, 21. Oyster, 23. Nineteen, 24. Roar,25. Timetables. Down: 2. Emerald, 3. Zebra, 4. Abroad, 5. Auntie, 6. Dollars, 7. Title, 14. Largest, 16. Average, 17. Stream, 18. Bonnet, 20. Alien, 22. Scrub.50 THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au