Privatisation has been a polarising issue for the Australian Labor Party throughout its history. From watching the SEQUEB dispute from opposition benches, Victoria rail, to Labor’s attempted electricity privatisation in NSW, to the unprecedented extensive privatisation policies of the Keating government – privatising more of the public sector than any other prime minister in Australia’s history.
Anna Bligh’s privatisation of has been one of the biggest privatisation surprises – particularly for a premier from the Left faction.
Pundits have said that the sell off will not raise the 15 billion expected and that the sale will be long and not particularly competitive.
Historically, privatisation has been the antithesis of Labor party platforms. The Qld Labor party have raised the contradiction of the privatisation policy to the rules of the party.
Unions, have raised the uncertainty of jobs when public sectors are privatised. Privatisation has been a source of ‘casualisation’ of the workforce, unstable contracted positions and hostility towards union members. This is particularly concerning for the profitable coal rail sector.
Further, there is no guarantee that the future deal will exclude the sale of tracks, and that the prospective owner of QR’s rail coal business and it’s maintenance, and would charge Queensland Rail for it’s use.
Internal Struggles: Queensland 2009 Left split
“We only learnt on (Monday) night the extent of which assets were on the table and we were quite frankly gobsmacked,”
-Mr Monaghan QCU
Privatisation anger echoed within the internal party, seeing the Electrical Trades Union splitting and leaving the Left faction and the ETU. ETU’s secretary said the core of the dispute was the Left’s change of heart on privatisation.
“This is a campaign against this out-of-control government, this dictatorial premier and it’s time to turn things around,” -ETU secretary Mr. Simpson
(*Left faction headed by Qld ALP president ALP president Andrew Dettmer, AMWU, CFMEUthe Qld , CPSU)
The motion to support the sale of government assets was approved 207 votes to 156, with 44 delegates absent and failing to vote.
“If the left caucus had voted together as a block then with the other unions that are involved in that area, like the rail unions – which are not part of the left faction but would have voted against the motion to keep their jobs – we would have defeated any motions about privatisation,” he said.”..Sunday the left had a change of heart in regards to that and wanted to give people a conscience vote on the floor of conference about the privatisation issue, which we couldn’t live with.”
Traditionally, block faction votes are not allowed in conscience votes.
The Courier Mail said delegates from the AMWU (headed by ALP state president Andrew Dettmer), the CFMEU, and the CPSU all had delegates missing for the crucial vote.
Labor vs. Labour
“Get off the fence Andrew! Get off the fence!” – protesters
(if above link does not work click
here to listen)
This term of government will be interesting to watch as it develops as the relationships between Queensland Unions and Anna Bligh’s government turns sour.
Andrew Dettmer being both the AMWU Queensland State Secretary and incumbent QLD ALP president. He stated that the privatisation came as a complete shock, and had no idea it was a policy being considered during the election.
“The announcement came as a complete shock. No one in the union was expecting it. All of us – members, delegates and officials – are opposed to the Premier’s plans to privatise key assets including roads, rail and ports, said.
Andrew Dettmer clearly is one person giving most polarity to the debate, while being a vocal critic of the privatisation policy as a unionist, but a supporter of the ALP and the Premier.
In a rally in Brisbane earlier this year Dettmer urged the protesters not to encourage their unions to leave the ALP - later telling them as AMWU president that the union was opposed to the sell-offs. Mr Dettmer said he wasn’t there to defend the party.
When the South Brisbane branch of the ALP in Anna Bligh’s electorate called for her expulsion, by breaching ALP rules shown below, Dettmer damned the proposal as divisive and obstructing debate,
“That’s stupid. I’m bloody annoyed..It’s more than extreme – it’s senseless,” – A. Dettmer
Yet commended Waterford’s Evan Moorhead for voting against the suite of asset sales during Monday’s caucus meeting.
Unions are now demanding details of what Labor MPs actually agreed to in caucus before the conference.
ASU Secretary David Smith said Labor MPs were “all a bit quiet” but would eventually be forced to state their own positions ahead of the next election.
“If we are still in the same position as we are now I would be asking them where each of them sat,” he said.
Union pressure inevitably comes with factional pressure, however Queensland Labor Party having been strongly influenced almost governed by their conference – we are seeing a departure and a new move to a more parliamentary caucus bound party. This will inevitably cause a demise in the Qld Branch base with union members.
Unions and Elections
“If this policy goes to the next state election we won’t be putting one cent into the campaign,” ETU Secretary
Queensland Labor’s factions are largely defined by union power bases and unions remain the party’s financial backbone. In the lead up to the election, unionists typically played a key role on the ground during the campaign in marginal seats . People on the ground at polling booths, campaign stalls at local supermarkets and town centres are manned by branch members, normally just as active in the labour movement as they are in the ALP.
The Queensland election had a shortage of people on the ground. However a historic victory would not have been without the immense union support on the ground and online with denecessary.com and other campaigns undertaken by union/ALP members.
In fact, even monetarily union donations published on the Qld Electoral commission reveal donations of at least
$488 516.56 out of the over one million dollars, or represented 45.4% of of total donations to the Qld branch, including the almost total bankroll of the
Mirani seat by the CFMEU, a Union from the left faction of the Australian Labor Party.
The ETU said “If this policy goes to the next state election we won’t be putting one cent into the campaign.” The ETU said it would withdraw from existing political affiliations within the ALP.
In 2002, the AMWU resigned their affiliation from the Victorian state branch of ALP over a row with Steve Brack’s industrial relations policy, which saved them $250 000 in affiliation fees alone but revoked their representation (12%) on conference floor. The secretary of the AMWU Victorian branch at the time even resigned himself as a member of the ALP, and joined the Victorian Greens.
His position was that the relationship between the ALP and the union movement was more beneficial to the ALP than the unions. An interesting perspective, echoed by
Paul Rodan:
What unions gain from affiliation is more contentious. It is not a novel view to suggest that the ALP/ACTU Accord did more for the Labor government than for unions and indeed, union officials acquiesced in a range of policies which disadvantaged their members- policies which if proposed by previous conservative governments, would have seen unions take to the barricades. Indeed, in that context, it is surprising that more union voices, as opposed to ALP ones, have not been heard questioning the value of the links.
Light on the Hill – future of Labour and Labor relations
The Queensland Labor State Platform Document 2008 reads: “Labor rejects a program of privatisation of public services, such as public hospitals and schools, public enterprises including subsidiary companies or utilities (in particular rail, ports, public hospitals, electricity and water) as an economic strategy.
This isn’t the first or the last time the Australian Labor Party will consider and institute policies of privatisation. However, after the Howard years rhetoric of Unions controlling the ALP, it is certainly illuminating that here in Queensland this is certainly no longer accurate.
Despite the support the unions gave in the 2009 campaign; affiliation fees, donations, bankrolling seats, pre-selection of candidates, other amounts recieved, the union campaigns that pushed for Labor re-election, – the unions were caught out with anti-Labor policy.
The type of future relations between Qld unions and the QALP is uncertain. The disaffiliation of the ETU, and it’s members from the Labor Party may encourage other delegates to question their position within the party as unionists.
I don’t think we will see the Unions changing their support during elections to minor parties like the Greens for the next few years – however it is a very politically volatile time for the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor party and it’s maker, the Labour movement.
My first post on this wonderful blog – forgive the html issues – it looks a little like a dog’s breakfast – that a discerning and judgemental dog would not consume.
A conscience vote on an issue of major economic and industrial importance? Ridiculous! What is the Labor Left even *for* if it can’t come to an agreed position on privatisation policy?
Not surprising, of course. It’s fairly obvious that part of the price of a Left-faction member becoming Premier was that she would comply with and promote the Right’s economic agenda. A majority of the Left, out of either factional loyalty or desire for Government would therefore support privatisation.
The trouble if you support a different agenda than the current dominant right-wing one is that no-one has been promoting one for at least three decades now. The current calls for regulation of “rampant capitalism” are really moral admonitions, not serious policy proposals to build more publicly-owned infrastructure.
This isn’t something that can be solved by one act of political courage or defiance here or there. Unless the unions, or the members of some other alliance, agitate among working people for some different political vision, not even the base to challenge a profit-first agenda will exist.
BTW an interesting blog that looks at the implications of the ALP not really representing anyone in particular anymore is The Piping Shrike.
How to make more money for Queensland and avoid further disastrous privatisation of precious public assets? what about investment in and promotion of existing growth industries, such as tourism and new technology. Let’s reward clever, sustainable enterprises and those of community benefit such as public housing rather than feathering the already very well padded nests of private developers who have no ethical commitment to an equitable future for Queenslanders.
Investment in service infrastructure is all very well, yet its impact is clear – better services attract more people to move here, which compounds the problem when our state can least afford it.
I have to agree with the comments already posted. David and Jinjirrie covered the best bits of what I wanted to say, and probably said a lot more eloquently too. Anyway, the significance of this would suggest that there are some issues at play within the caucus room and whether Anna has enough of the Right to keep her premiership. There would’ve been some deal done well before the ‘pre-selections’ to ensure ‘harmony’ between the factions and we might just be seeing the payment on that deal.
But I’d have to say that I personally see nothing wrong with selling off the hair salons, barbers and butcher shops still on the asset register from the early 20th century. This sale of major public infrastructure will bite Queensland just like it has other states after they sold off their public assets.