This union has been at the centre of more progressive movements than Malcolm Turnbull’s butler could poke a stick at. These were not just struggles in the workplace. They were struggles that made our society more equal and more fair.
You might want to tell us to stick to our “bread and butter” – to winning you better wages and conditions at work. But here’s the thing about that: a better, fairer Australia where more people are equal? That’s our bread and butter. That’s what we work towards every day.
Sure, most of the time we achieve that by helping construction workers stand together and be paid a fairer wage, or be safer at work … but that doesn’t mean we won’t also stand up for our LGBTI members. Or for our LGBTI friends, family and neighbours. We stand for a fair go. We stand steadfastly with all our members who’ve waited far too long to be equal before the law.
Now, this terrible expensive plebiscite is a horrible idea, and an awful waste of taxpayer money – but all of us who believe that our LGBTI brothers and sisters ARE equal and deserve equality before the law need to send that message loud and clear to Canberra. Not because the plebiscite is good, but because they need to know. They need to know that we won’t put up with this.
That we won’t let them deny our brothers and sisters equality – and that they certainly can’t do it in our names.
