Tens of thousands of Australians rallied against controversial industrial relations laws yesterday, temporarily bringing parts of the country's major cities to a halt.
Organizers estimated more than 100,000 people marched at 200 venues around the country in a national day of action against workplace laws enacted by Prime Minister John Howard's conservative government.
Critics say the laws passed 12 months ago strip power from unions and erode job security, wages and conditions.
PHOTO: AP
The largest rally was in the southern city of Melbourne, where an estimated 45,000 people crowded into the Melbourne Cricket Ground before marching on the city centre.
Australian Labor Party leader Kim Beazley promised to repeal the laws if he won national elections due late next year.
"Friends, I'm here to tell you that today we're going to rip up these laws," Beazley told the rally.
The Melbourne turnout was well below the 100,000 anticipated by unions, with Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Greg Combet saying many workers stayed away because they feared being sacked if they took part.
"We're very confident that we have the support of the people though and numbers around the country were very strong," he said.
In New South Wales, state political and union leaders led around 40,000 marchers through central Sydney, calling for the prime minister's removal from office and bringing traffic to a halt.
Some 20,000 people rallied in the west coast city of Perth, while more than 1,000 took to the streets in the national capital Canberra.
The day of action followed a High Court decision earlier this month to reject an attempt by the states and the union movement to have the "Work Choices" legislation declared unconstitutional.
"Because the High Court has said Work Choices is legal, John Howard thinks he has got away with it," the Labor premier of New South Wales, Morris Iemma, told crowds in Sydney. "The message for John Howard is that the fight begins today. The High Court might have said it's legal, but no way is it fair."
However, Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews was unmoved by the protests and disputed union estimates on crowd numbers, saying a lower than expected turnout showed voters were not concerned with his reforms.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS