Editorial:

The right-wing push

The policy direction that the ALP is taking in the post-
election period is already becoming apparent. The appointment of 
right-wingers, Stephen Smith as the shadow Minister for 
Industrial Affairs and Wayne Swan as the shadow Treasurer are 
definite straws in the wind.

Wayne Swan declared that he intends to snuggle up to the 
executives of company boardrooms for a "chicken salad offensive". 
There is no suggestion from him or any other ALP leader that they 
will seriously set out to win back the many workers who voted for 
Howard or promote the interests of those millions of workers who 
continue look to the ALP.

Mark Latham would have us believe that the working class has been 
subsumed by "contractors, consultants, franchises and small 
businesses" who are clearly regarded as a more important 
electorate than the army of blue and white collar workers who 
remain the driving force of production and the economy.

Ominously, Mark Latham also spoke of "welfare reform" when 
addressing the ALP Tasmanian conference recently and by that he 
does not mean that the ALP will maintain or extend the welfare 
rights of needy recipients.

Another right-winger, Kevin Rudd, remains as shadow Minister for 
Foreign Affairs. He is signalling a weaker policy line on the 
Iraq war. Instead of opposing this dirty war and firmly calling 
for an end to Australia's involvement he has attacked the Howard 
Government for its alleged failure to take action against 
"terrorism" in Asia. This is simply a diversion to cover up the 
ALP's lack of principle regarding the Iraq war.

The ALP leadership seems set to abandon its pre-election policy 
to protect Tasmania's old growth forests from the chainsaws of 
the loggers. The Sydney Morning Herald anticipates that it will 
be "jobs over conservation" following acrimony in ALP leadership 
ranks after last month's election defeat. The SMH reports that 
Tasmania's Premier is to demand that Federal Labor "revise" its 
election policy and allow the logging of old-growth forests.

None of these ALP leadership back-slides will come as a surprise 
to those who recognise Mark Latham as a committed right-winger. 
Nor should it come as a surprise that he would throw election 
promises and policies overboard to replace them with compromises 
and accommodation to the interests of the corporations. ALP 
spokespersons are out to assure company boardrooms that they have 
nothing to fear from an ALP Government.

On another front, the Federal Coalition Government and State ALP 
Governments are preparing to do deals on government 
responsibilities following the appeal by NSW Premier Bob Carr for 
a Commonwealth-State carve-up of health and education. If this 
goes ahead, it is certain that the outcomes will be on terms 
unfavourable to the community — more privatisation, further 
dismantling of the welfare system, more corporate subsidies and 
favours to the business sector.

For its part, the Howard Government has signalled that it will 
give priority to the introduction of even more severe anti-trade 
union legislation. Legislation will be rushed into parliament to 
give small businesses the absolute right to sack workers at will 
without workers having any legal redress.

If the response of the ALP leadership to these events continues 
on its current course it will turn the ALP into an even more 
obvious Liberal look-alike.

While many in the labour movement like to think that the class 
struggle is over, Australia's ruling class has never believed 
that part of its own propaganda. The intensified attacks that are 
about to be felt by more and more workers will confirm that. 
However, it could lead to wider recognition that the class 
struggle remains a reality for every worker — including those 
who voted for the Coalition parties.

It is to be hoped that illusions will be shed and replaced by a 
more militant attitude. But that realisation will not come easily 
and the reality that the objective of capital is always to 
increase their profits out of the labour of workers will have to 
be explained again and again by those who recognise this truth.