Demanding the rights to which Australians are entitled

This speech was delivered by Bill Shorten to 100,000 workers protesting the Government's IR changes outside Victorian Trades Hall, Melbourne on June 30 2005. (1)

One piece of advice to the Prime Minister - let the Liberals attack! Bring it on! We are ready.

Today, we present our case, not in the tones of a feeble beggar seeking help but in the thundering voices of a powerful movement;

· community
· congregation
· assembly
· family

Today we are demanding the rights to which Australian citizens are entitled.

The groups representing industry and financial interests are rendering a disservice to the Australian people;

· in their attempts to frustrate the organisation of workers;

· in their refusal to accept collective bargaining as one of our economic institutions.

No job-destroying, fair-go trampling, service smashing, Senate controlling, nation splitting, bunch of twisters under a one-person government will prevent the onward march of Australian unions.

Nor will they divert our purpose to play our natural and rational part in the development of the economic, political and social life of Australia.

Unionism assumes the employment relationship.

Unionism is based upon the wages system.

Unionism accepts unconditionally the institution of private property and the right to investment profits.

Yet it is only upon:

· the fuller development of collective bargaining

· the increased influence of unions in national decisions

that the perpetuity of our democratic institutions must depend.

We, the unionised workers of Australia,

· free in our workplace life;
· conscious partners in production;
· secure in our jobs;
· owning our homes; and
· enjoying a decent standard of living

create the wealth of Australia and provide the greatest defence against the intrusion of alien doctrines of Canberra dictatorship.

Why does the Prime Minister and his ambitious, frustrated understudy Peter Costello (who hatched the rotten cry of hating unionism)

fear the influence of workers in our democracy?

Why do they fear that our influence will be cast on the side of:
· shorter hours?
· a better system of secure employment?
· safer workplaces?
· a fairer distribution of our national income?

It is only right and proper that union members want a voice in the determination of social justice.

We, union members, want a fairer share of the national income.

The employees of Australia are entitled to participate in the fruits of their genius, their hard work, their physical, mental and emotional exertions at work.

Australian workers suffer in the unequal distribution of the national income.

The unfair treatment of workers is the source of depression and unhappiness.

Unions improve the economic welfare of employees, upon which rests the best promise of a sound and permanent prosperity for Australia.

Under the banner of unions, Australian workers are on the march today everywhere.

Today our objectives are the same as we had in the beginning 104 years ago:

· to organise the unorganised millions of Australian workers; and
· for the acceptance of collective bargaining as a recognised Australian institution

We seek peace with the industrial world.

We seek co-operation and mutuality of effort.

We would avoid strikes.

We would have our rights determined under fair laws by the peaceful negotiation and bargaining relationships that are supposed to characterise Australian commercial life.

But until an aroused public opinion demands these bad laws are thrown out, workers have no choice but to fight for our rights.

And to struggle for the acceptance of the economic power of workers by any and all means necessary.

Unionists will experience pain ahead.

We fear for the disappearance of well-paid secure jobs.

We worry about the future jobs of our children.

We remind Federal Labor - who have relied upon workers and sheltered in the house of the union movement - to remember its real friends and real enemies in our fight to the bitter end with the Howard Government.

We congratulate Kim Beazley for his 100% support for the unions.

Today we remind the Prime Minister that the voice of two million unionists

insistent upon our rights

is not annoying to the ears of justice nor offensive to the great Australian dream of the fair go all round.

Let the Liberals attack us. Bring it on! We are ready!

(1) Many ideas in this speech are borrowed from the great and inspiring leader of the US Mine Workers Union John L. Lewis, who spoke of similar problems in the 1930s in the USA, as subsequently recorded by William Safire