Queensland protest for civil liberties
Around 400 unionists, motorcycle club members and supporters gathered in Brisbane’s King George Square on 11 February to protest Queensland’s draconian anti-association laws. Called to coincide with the first sitting day of state parliament the rally called for the so-called “bikie” laws to be repealed.
Under the laws, members of any group declared a “criminal organisation” face imprisonment for lengthy mandatory minimum periods for the crime of associating with each other. A recent amendment extends the tentacles of state repression to workers with a license issued by the government. If any such worker is deemed to be a member of a “criminal organisation” they can lose their license and therefore their job.
One of the first to address the crowd was Sam Watson, a veteran aboriginal activist and community leader. He spoke about the parallels between the current period and the fight against the notoriously repressive Joh-Bjelke Peterson state government in decades gone by. “We mobilised then and that’s what needs to happen here, we’re a bit greyer and a bit broader in the bellies, but we’ve still got the fire”, he said.
Electrical Trades Union (ETU) state secretary Peter “Simmo” Simpson spoke about the persecution of ETU members labelled “bikies” as well as charges the union is facing under the Newman government’s anti-union political donation laws. “The ETU and MUA have spoken out against these laws and we’re paying the price”, he said. “But people are starting to move.”
In the crowd Red Flag spoke to Maritime Union of Australia members Sarah and Mark Maguire about why they’re protesting. “The laws are removing our rights and taking us back to the Joh days. We used freedom of association and community support to win the fight in ‘98 and they’re trying to take that away. It’s not just Queensland”, Sarah said. “In Victoria they’ve taken away the right to protest and have pickets.”
Mark said, “Its touch one, touch all and the ETU is just the first cab off the rank. Workers are under attack from the wealthy and when you’re pushed up against the wall you have to fight.” Making the argument that such a fight has to include an industrial response Mark said, “Your only power as a worker is to withdraw your labour”.
While street protests are an important way for the community to express opposition to the Newman government’s agenda they are not enough to land a real blow against the LNP. Only the impact of large scale industrial disruption has the power to stop the government’s assault and put workers on the front foot.
