Publisher’s Note: Democratic rights is under attack in Queensland once again, this time by ALP & LNP political parties. Under the #Votefor4 proposal a state election will be held on the last Saturday of October every four years, irrespective of the government of the day.
On the same day of the upcoming local elections, Saturday 19 March, a referendum will be held in which we will be asked whether Queensland should move to four year fixed terms of government.
Currently, Queensland is the only state with three year flexible terms.
Queensland local government does have fixed four year terms and this regime has given Mayors in shire, town and city councils a lot of power; so much that they bully their staff and their electorate into amalgamations that have proven disastrous. Mayors have sacked council workers who opposed them and taken away livelihoods from their own towns. This move to four-year-fixed terms is anti-democratic in a state where both major parties support economic rationalism, a cruel and inefficient form of capitalism.
Both ALP and LNP support the change to four year terms in the state parliament. There has been no democratic consultation by politicians wanting to be less accountable to the people of Queensland; they want us to vote less often. In recent times both ALP and LNP in government have sold assets like Queensland rail and electricity built up over a hundred years by workers sweat, blood and taxes. They say fewer elections = less cost to Qld workers. Bullshit. The sale of Queensland public assets and council amalgamations have cost workers dearly and now they want even more power to push their policies down our throats.
What an embarrassment the following plea must be to the Qld Council of Unions General Secretary to have to trot out the flimsy yes case for this referendum when union members who have not been consulted by either their own unions or the political parties behind it and yet have taken the proposal apart and exposed it for what it is, political opportunism.
This is particularly vexing given the strong campaign waged by unions to chuck out the LNP government as soon as possible after it tried to to sell our electricity system.
Fellow workers, I say vote early and vote often and chuck the bastards out if they make one move to sell public assets.
WBT says Vote No to #Votefor4!
in solidarity,
ian curr
editor wbt
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Remember a year ago when Campbell Newman tried to sneak back into power by declaring an election just after new year in the summer school holidays?
Join the campaign for four-year fixed terms and ensure that no Queensland Premier has the power to treat the election date like their plaything ever again.Join the campaign and sign the petition on our website here: votefor4.org.Like and share the #votefor4 Facebook page here. www.facebook.com/VoteFor4QLD
A referendum will be held at the same time as the Queensland Local Government elections on Saturday 19 March. That’s just a few weeks’ time. It will decide whether Queensland remains the only state with three-year, variable terms or gets more policy and fewer elections with four-year fixed terms.
Four-year fixed terms will offer Queensland the certainty that business, unions, both sides of politics, the tourist industry and many other groups are crying out for. It will save money. It will mean trudging out for elections less often.
Sign up. Talk to your friends and family. Let them know about the issues and on Saturday 19 March ensure Queenslanders get the long-term vision from government we deserve.
In unity
Ros McLennan
General Secretary
Queensland Council of Unions
© Queensland Council of Unions 2016 | Authorised by Ros McLennan, General Secretary Queensland Council of Unions
Queensland Council of Unions · Level 5 16 Peel Street, South Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia
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