30 November: rally roundup

The employers said it was a fizzer and then complained how much it had cost "the country" as they like to imagine themselves. Peter Hendy, head of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry calculated the cost at $31 million per 100,000 who protested, while the Master Builders Association of Victoria estimated a loss of $20 million just for the building industry where up to 15,000 building workers stopped work.




One thing was made clear at the rallies; This was the start of the push to topple Howard ... time for regime change!

The MCG was more than half full with over 50,000 present, followed by a march that filled the wide streets from the cricket ground to Federation Square and grew to 100,000. Sydney saw a rally and march of 40,000 and the protest was strong in other capital cities (Brisbane 20,000, Adelaide 7000, Perth 3000, Darwin 2000, Canberra 1000, Hobart 500) and some 300 locations across the country. (100,000 in NSW).

In the Blue Mountains close to 300 rallied at the Katoomba RSL and a similar number at Springwood's Royal Hotel, a rally that grew as it became a march through Springwood followed by an open air protest meeting.

Overseas saw support protests from unions outside the Australian High Commission including Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, outside Australia House in London and ouside the Australia Mission in Geneva.

The real fizzers of the year have been the electoral losses of the Libs and Nationals at the state level. In three elections Howard's IR laws have cost the coalition votes (over the 10 years of the Howard government the coalition of Liberals and Nationals have lost 20 State elections!). How can Howard keep his IR laws out of next years Federal election? Watch out for things going overboard!

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