Red Report Back - Week Ending 27/02/2022

A Non-Strike Strike – Workers Locked Out

In Sydney on Monday the 21st of February, the New South Wales Government undermined negotiations with the Rail Tram and Bus Union to shut down the entire rail network for 24 hours, citing safety concerns. However, as the union stated at the time, this was nothing but a blatant lie so that the government could intimidate and scapegoat the union in the midst of negotiations that have been wrought with bad-faith on the part of the NSW Government over the last 9 months. 

Workers who arrived at their site on Monday morning found themselves locked out by the government, unable to perform their duties. This revelation comes after much finger pointing by members of the Liberal Government, with Transport Minister David Elliot earlier sledging the RTBU for ‘terrorist-like activity’. 

Newly released documents have also shown that the Department of Transport had planned to implement a two-week shutdown of Sydney’s rail network in a bid to attack and defame the R.T.B.U. in the midst of negotiations. On Tuesday, the government finally withdrew its claims in the Fair Work Commission against the RTBU, as they failed to provide any evidence for their claims. 

The staunch members of the RTBU and their leadership have stuck to their guns, and in doing so have shown the true face of the government – a fear-mongering, anti-worker entity that will jeopardise the wellbeing of the public to make a political point. 

A Teen's Death and Unanswered Questions

Late last week, Jai Wright, a sixteen-year-old Indigenous boy, died as a result of serious head injuries after being rammed by an unmarked police car while riding his motorbike. With several days of conflicting accounts by law enforcement and witnesses, there is still a lack of clarity regarding the death of a minor at the hands of the police. 

The family of Mr. Wright have called for truth regarding the matter, with the father of the victim criticising inconsistencies in the police account of events. They have called for an independent investigation to assist in ensuring police accountability for the death of their son. Regardless of the crime, the fact remains that for an alleged theft, the police have brought on the death of an underage Aboriginal person whose family will never get to see him again. May his family get both the justice and truth they deserve.

Ruling on Kumanjayi Walker

In the Northern Territory, there have been some interesting developments in the Kumanjayi Walker trial. The Territory’s Chief Forensic Pathologist appeared at Constable Zachary Rolfe’s trial for the murder of 19-year-old Walker, and stated that the scissors wielded by Walker were unable to cause serious injury, undermining the case of the defence. 

As the community and family already knew, this new information revealed that the whole incident was under control when Constable Rolfe decided to fire multiple lethal shots into an already restrained Walker. It remains to be seen whether those who decided to murder a teenager in the middle of a night-raid will be held. Our thoughts are with the family and the Yuendumu community. 

COVID Protections for Workers?

Unions NSW called an action on Tuesday the 23rd to save COVID protections for essential workers. The snap rally centred around the attempt by the NSW Government to abolish protections for workers who contract COVID at their workplace, instead implementing a difficult, bureaucratic process to access assistance. The action was supported by the Australian Services Union, Transport Workers’ Union and Public Service Association, who all called on the government to maintain the already limited protections that frontline workers have access to. As of Friday the 25th, the motion failed as the government didn’t secure enough votes in parliament to pass the bill. 

The callous attempt of the NSW Government and its Liberal ministers to pass this anti-worker legislation is just the latest in a series of events that highlight their disregard for the wellbeing of workers. In prioritising the profit of businesses at the expense of workers’ safety, a clear line has been drawn in the sand between the Liberal Party and the working people of Australia. This is a lesson that the working class should not be so quick to forget. 

Pigs on the Punt

In the never-ending shit-storm of corruption and thuggery that is the New South Wales Police Force, new revelations have brought to light just how high up the complacency of the pigs goes in doing dodgy deals. An investigative report by the ABC has revealed how both former and current leaders of the NSW Police are part of a horse-racing syndicate consisting of tycoons, convicted drug dealers and addicts, horse dopers and the highest echelon of law enforcement in the state. In addition to their punters club, the report also revealed the favouritism and dodgy deals amongst members of the group, with one member receiving a $3 million police catering contract on the taxpayers dollar. Nothing says New South Wales like the police giving millions in taxpayer money to their gambling addict mates. 

 The complicit officers have shown their integrity and commitment to the public interest by feigning ignorance regarding the conflict of interest that rests in law enforcement leaders gambling and owning racehorses with members of the state’s wealthy elite and underworld. Unsurprisingly, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission has now stated it knew of the relationship for several years, yet decided not to investigate the multiple complaints. The public can rest easy knowing that these police who decided not to investigate their mates, are now investigating their mates, and will ensure that there will be no cover-up of corrupt practices. Because the police would never do that.  

Corruption Called Out

The continuation of corruption in the upper echelons of the Australian government has been called out by the international Open Government Partnership. Australia was criticised for failing to live up to its obligations in fighting corruption, empowering citizen participation in politics and promoting an open government. Points of contention were the failure of both major parties to act on improving the transparency of political donations, as well as strengthening our anti-corruption framework. 

This is just another reminder of how serially unwilling the major parties of Australia are to act against the systems that keep them in their privileged positions. Donations, from fossil fuel magnates through to religious lobbyists, continue to be the primary influence upon the conduct of Australia’s supposed representatives in Parliament. It shows the working people of Australia that genuine change targeting these corrupt systems will not come from those above who benefit from maintaining them, but from the disgruntled workers at the bottom who have had enough of corruption. 

Frackwits - Legal Complacency in Environmental Destruction

In the Northern Territory, we got another look this week at Australia’s wonderful democratic processes in action in relation to gas exploration in the Beetaloo Basin. Despite earlier legal challenges that saw $21 million worth of grants for gas exploration invalidated, a federal judge has overturned the ruling. In turn, Resources Minister Keith Pitt has reissued millions of dollars to a fracking company to search for gas in the Beetaloo Basin. 

The original ruling against exploration of the site was overruled by a different Federal Court judge on the grounds that environmental issues were not a concern, as the company was merely exploring to frack, rather than actually engaging in fracking itself. Local chair of the Nurrdalinji Native Title Aboriginal Corporation, Johnny Wilson, criticised the move as a slap in the face, when resources could have been better spent on “essential services our communities need, like housing, education, health and roads”. It has also been criticised by a range of other groups, representing the Australian government’s commitment to profiting off of non-renewable energies at the expense of the people’s health and wellbeing.