11-28-06, 8:42 am

Here are ten reasons why the Howard Government should be thrown out in next year’s Federal elections: His government has:

Imposed the most horrendous IR legislation attacking trade union rights and the wages and conditions of all working people. It is forcing workers onto AWAs and already has seen real wages fall; Attacked social welfare rights and benefits for pensioners and those who need health care and child care centres; Legislated away fundamental democratic rights in the name of a phoney 'war on terror', treated those coming to our shores seeking asylum in the most barbaric manner and contrary to international law; Cut funding to the public education system while boosting its handouts to private schools and attempted to impose a school curriculum which would promote conservative values and individualism; Given big corporations (profits rising to record levels) and high income earners huge tax breaks while increasing the tax burden on low income earners, particularly through the GST; and has wasted over $55 million a day on military spending. Introduced a racist, genocidal policy of assimilation, dismantling ATSIC and taking many other measures to smash land rights and deny Indigenous Australians of the opportunities to manage their own affairs; Imposed its control on the programs of the ABC by its one-sided ABC Board appointments; Sold out Australia’s independence by its subservience to the US Government of George Bush, in the process taking Australia into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; Established a government of liars – children overboard, the war in Iraq, the AWB scandal, climate change, and many other issues; Neglected the urgent need to take radical steps to promote renewable energy sources.

To defeat the Howard Government voters need to ensure that they are on the electoral roll and on polling day put the Liberals last on their ballot paper.

At the present time the only alternative to a Liberal/National Party Coalition Government is an ALP Government.

But on many issues the ALP leadership does not clearly and forcefully differentiate the ALP from Liberal policies and there remains some scepticism because on a number of important issues, the ALP leadership seems weak and compromising.

Another option is to vote for Green candidates in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. The Greens have been unequivocal in their opposition to the IR legislation and have been in the forefront of the campaign on environmental issues and the call for a major program to develop renewable energy sources.

The Labor Party and the Greens should exchange preferences to ensure that no second-preference votes leak to the Liberal and National Parties. This is a principle that should be consistently applied.

The Coalition gained a Senate majority in the last Federal election only because in Victoria the ALP gave a higher preference to the very right-wing Families First Party rather than to The Greens and, thereby, gave Howard for the first time, a majority in the Senate.

For a long time Australia’s electoral scene has been dominated by the two-party system in which Liberal and Labor alternate in government with many similarities in economic and many other policies.

We advocate a government of left and progressive political forces – progressive members of the Labor Party, The Greens, socialists and communists – a government which gives priority to serving the interests of the working people, small business people, small farmers, teachers and intellectuals in all fields. It would not be a government giving priority to the needs of big business as the Howard Government does. It would limit their profits and oblige the corporations to meet the legitimate needs of workers in employment.

The needs of the working people will not be met merely by electing better representatives to parliament. It is also necessary that the people themselves take a hand and are directly involved and participate in government and in the running of the country. Instead of parliamentary candidates being selected in backroom party deals or by stacked branches, they would be put forward by community organisations, including trade unions. This is real democracy – not just democracy once every three or four years.

From The Guardian