Sydney: Stop the Sell-Off - Public meeting Oct 31

Speakers:

Sylvia Hale (NSW Greens MP)

Natalie Falvey (United Services Union)

Bob and Betty Con Walker

(Authors of Privatisation—sell off or sell out?)

3pm Saturday 31 October

Tom Mann Theatre, Chalmers St, City

(walking distance from central station)

Contact Colin Drane 0419 698 396 or colin.drane@tpg.com.au

Last year, public pressure helped to stop the sell-off of the power industry in NSW. However, now the NSW government has recommenced privatising state services and infrastructure.

Recently, it gave the contract to manage Parklea prison to the GEO corporation, which formerly operated John Howard’s notorious refugee detention centres.

Now, the electricity industry and Sydney Ferries are facing privatisation.

This meeting will establish the benefits of public ownership and discuss what communities can do to oppose privatisation.

Organised by Power to the People Sydney

Spring offensive to be launched against Rees’ government privatisation plans

Spring offensive to be launched against Rees’ government privatisation plans

Power to the People Media Statement

October 13, 2009

“The fight against the privatisation of New South Wales’ public assets and services is entering a new phase”, Colin Drane, the convener of the Sydney-based anti-privatisation coalition Power to the People, said today.

Drane was announcing a four-pronged spring offensive against the New South Wales government’s “fire-sale of community assets and services”:

1. An awareness campaign about the anti-union private prisons operation GEO (recently awarded the management of Parklea Prison). Drane called GEO “the James Hardie of prison corporations”;

2. An October 31 public meeting to mobilise community opinion against privatisation. “The meeting will boost support for struggles against privatisation, like the Maritime Union of Australia’s battle to keep Sydney Ferries in public hands.”

3. A November 14 rally outside the NSW Labor conference, in support of the rank-and-file ALP delegate and union opposition to privatisation.

4. An open letter to all members of parliament demanding that they clearly and openly state their position on the privatisation of public assets. The results will be made known in every NSW electorate.

Drane said: “The NSW government may think that it is finally winning the battle for the sell-off of the State’s assets because they got a deal with the Coalition over NSW Lotteries and have handed Parklea management over to GEO.

“They are sadly mistaken. The vast majority of the community still opposes handing over its services to private profiteers; the ALP rank-and-file membership oppose it as much as when they voted down the Iemma-Costa electricity sell-off; and significant sections of the NSW union movement and many Labor MPs remain opposed.”

“Drane, a community activist and assistant secretary of his local ALP branch, concluded: “Some in Sussex Street may have decided the ALP cannot afford another internal struggle over privatisation only 16 months from the next state election, but ALP members and unionists are in tune with community feeling. For them, stopping the vandalisation of public assets is the most important issue.

“The NSW Government should not forget they must face the electorate in March 2011. Power to the People – Sydney will do all it can to build community support against privatisation and raise public awareness about the need for better public services”

For further information: Colin Drane 0419 698 396

Action alert - NSW Govt sells Parklea prison

In a sign that it has stopped listening to the community, the NSW Government announced it will hand over the Parklea prison keys to US-based company GEO Group.

Read the Public Service Association's media release below.

The misguided decision will be bad for prison inmates, bad for prison officers and bad for the entire community.

Despite Cessnock prison and transport services being saved from the sell-off, the Government is hell-bent on selling off an integral part of the NSW justice system.

As a result of this announcement, prison officers around the state have walked off the job in protest to the Government's preference for big business over community values.

But the fight isn't over yet. You can tell the Premier Nathan Rees and Minister for Corrective Services John Robertson what you think of their decision by emailing them:

Premier Nathan Rees: thepremier@www.nsw.gov.au

Minister for Corrective Services John Robertson: office@robertson.minister.nsw.gov.au

Thanks for your ongoing support for the Stop The Cell Off campaign, and stay tuned for more news.

Regards,
Matt Bindley and the Stop the Cell Off team

PSA PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday 30 September, 2009

Rees’ Parklea Shame

The NSW Government today sold out the people of Western Sydney by announcing that a multi-national corporation, GEO Group, will take over the operation of Parklea Correctional Complex, according to the Public Service Association (PSA).

PSA General Secretary John Cahill said the Premier’s announcement was a shameful betrayal of the local community and flew in the face of ALP policy.

“The community does not want its prisons to be run by corporations. That’s why the Government was forced into backing down on the privatisation of Cessnock Prison earlier this year.

“Private prisons make money by cutting corners. That means prisoners are less likely to get rehabilitated, and more likely to reoffend.

“Ultimately, the people of NSW will pay the price of company profits when inmates are released back into the community.”

Mr Cahill said handing over the keys to Parklea to a private company would not deliver cost savings to the taxpayer.

“The Public Service Association put forward an offer that would achieve $5 million in annual recurrent savings without compromising the quality of prison operations at Parklea.

“No matter how you look at this deal, the people of NSW will lose out.”

Mr Cahill said the NSW Government’s announcement coincided with the release of the Western Australian Government’s response to the gruesome death of an inmate in a privately-operated prison transport van.

“The Western Australian Government yesterday flagged that it would consider taking prison transport operations back under public control – but its hands are currently tied by contractual agreements.

“It beggars belief that the NSW Government is wilfully going down the same path of contracting out vital correctional services to a private company.”

Prison officers have voted to walk off the job for 24 hours in response to today’s announcement.

For more information, please contact:
John Cahill, 0419 413 577
Stewart Little, 0418 610 792

SOS - No privatisation of Sydney ferries!

Privatisation spoils a nice day on Sydney harbour

By Peter Boyle

Sydney, August 21 - It was a nice day to be out on Sydney harbour. But we were at Circular Quay not to go on a relaxing ferry ride but to protest against the planned privatisation of Sydney ferries by the NSW Labor government. The Maritime Union of Australia had organised the rally but it drew support from a range of other unions, including the Nurses Federation, whose members are in the frontline of a hospital system in severe crisis after years of cutbacks by neo-liberal Labor governments.

O'Bray Smith, a midwife representing the Nurses Federation, told the protestors that she had been taught at school that in the late nineteenth century the trade unions had formed a party to represent the interest of the working class. But today, she and other trade unionists are fighting a privatisation- mad NSW Labor government.

"I've spoken to many rank-and-file members of the Labor party and they can't believe what is going on. And many are not going to vote Labor in the next elections as a result."

This echoed the angry sentiment at another anti-privatisation rally in Sydney organised by trade unions less than a month ago, that one being against the Rees Labor government's attempts to privatise jails. And before that it was the privatisation of the power industry that workers had to mobilise against...

Pictures here

VIDEO: No Sell OFF of Public Assets Rally -- Brisbane July 3, 2009

BRISBANE: Fifteen hundred trade unionists and their supporters marched through the streets of Brisbane on July 3 to oppose the sell off of Queensland public assets. The protest had been called by the Electrical Trades Union and later was supported by the Queensland Council of Unions.Addressing the rally were speakers from the QCU, AFULE, ASU and the Rail Tram and Bus Union.

Mick Carr from the Maritime Union of Australia told the rally that there was no upside for a one off fixing of the debt by selling off public assets. Peter Simpson , state secretary of the Electrical Trades Union, said that his union wont be putting one cent into the ALP coffers at the next election if this legislation is still on the books.

He said it was time to put a line in the sand.

David Matters from the Rail Tram and Bus Union told everyone that his union, with community support, had won their fight against the prisatisation of the Brisbane City Council bus service in the 1990s.To applause he said, that it was time to put Anna Bligh under the control of working people.

But the surprize from among the speakers came from ALP state president and Australian Manufacturing Workers Union Secretary, Andrew Dettmar, who said that his union will not be supporting any politician at the next state election unless they make a no privatisation pledge.

The rally was followed by a march to state parliament .

• Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)
• Watch Video on YouTube

New Party Projects and Greens and Qld Privatisation

By Dave Riley, over at Left Click Blog

If you check out the video of the Socialist Alliance organised public forum here on the Qld privatisation , Drew Hutton's argument for the Green's -- and he was in fact the only Greens member I know was there in a gathering of 70 -- engagement with the campaign was very much to the point.That the crime is that there are no Greens in the Qld Parliament.

While the Greens here aren't so sparky anyway what concerns me is that Drew may not be able to deliver labour to enrich the community campaign.

This was different in NSW I gather but here that's a problem for the rest of us.

And that's important I think when we pick through the various examples of alternative partying -- that at least in Qld -- without a Greens member on the parly benches there's not much substance to what the Greens can do as a party (although individual Greens do stuff of course)

And as we negotiate our way through the terrors of climate change I think there's a real challenge for the greens project internationally to deliver more than what they have so far.

In that sense I miss the ideological engagement that existed in their milieu in the nineties and this in stead has defaulted to a sort of argument which runs: "Look at the polls. We're the only real alternative to Labor because that's what the polls say."

And many on the left have played up to that in a sort of depressed state of resignation.

The complication is, as we saw, that in the lead up to the last federal elections, the ACTU et al allowed their ranks to vote Greens (and SA etc for that matter)but this hasn't been followed up by a stronger class allegiance by the Greens. 18 months on The Greens are way away from any campaign orientation to key working class and trade union issues,.. They voted for Gillard ABCC Lite of course...but I didn't see the Greens actually challenging the ABCC in real street or on the grass time.

What is at stake however, I guess, is the possibility of some trade union forays into trade union election campaign mode with Trade Union candidates but with perhaps sharp preference flows. In a sense this was the template offered by No2EU and Arthur Scargill.

When you look at it there's precious little room left for the trade unions to manoevre and for example , here the ETU has left the ALP Left but not the ALP and they are getting abused up hill and down dale while the left that rolled over for Bligh tries to cover its dirty deeds.

In contrast, the meeting last Tuesday was a showcase of unity. Amazing it was. Everyone was saying in effect the same thing: ETU, SA, David Matters, the Greens...and when the audience started up the only argument the far left groupuscules offered were complaints about no strike being a spontaneous response.

But you see, that's all they were: complaints. Where's the DIY?

Its' in situations like this you realize how friggin marginal the socialist left(and Greens too) is because while some 84% of Qlders are on side our resources have to be more than a few selected complaints or abstract options.

You also realize that even the ETU is isolated -- cynically and brutally isolated by the Laborist gang -- and that despite that, we're all in this fight together. And the ETU has stood its ground! Amazingly it has not relented on its commitment to fight these sells offs.

As for the ALP ranks -- "not happy Anna!". So there are wild cards perhaps. As for any everyday passer by -- I've heard it, and the state government is abused and maligned in terms that to my sweet ears are shocking.

Qld campaign against privatisation takes off

Qld ETU Press Release:
ETU’s “Light on the Hill” campaign against privatisation of State Government assets starts this week

Putting labour values back into Labor

The Electrical Trades Union’s (ETU) Statewide campaign against the privatisation of State Government assets will commence this week.

The Light on the Hill campaign will include workplace meetings, rallies, public meetings in regional cities, radio and newspaper advertising and literature drops.

The advertising starts in north Queensland this Thursday, with the first public events being held in Cairns next Monday, 22 June. The campaign will then work its way down the coast over the next two weeks with a major rally scheduled for Brisbane on Friday July 3.

Today’s ETU announcement coincides with the unveiling of the State Government’s 2009-10 budget, which is expected to include proceeds from the sale of a number of State Government corporations including most of Queensland Rail.

ETU secretary, Peter Simpson, said the campaign is about stopping this fire sale of State Government assets and putting labour values back into the Labor Party.

“ETU members strongly oppose the sale of public assets such as Queensland Rail and the port authorities. We are far from convinced that selling off important public assets is a sensible long-term response to these short-term economic difficulties.

“We also believe that if the State Government gets away with this then things such as electricity and water will be next. That would be an even bigger disaster for the people of Queensland,” Mr Simpson said.

Ongoing Light on the Hill campaign details will be released ahead of each event.

Media inquiries: Peter Simpson 0419 721 041
John Moran 07-3366 9010, 0410 603 278

---

See also:
Brisbane Socialist Alliance public meeting: Stop Bligh's Sell-off!
For anyone angered by the Bligh government's plans to privatise Qld public assets.

Speakers:
Peter Simpson --State Secretary Electrical Trades Union
Paul Benedek -- Socialist Alliance
Worklife -- Speaker to be confirmed.
(plus further speakers to be confirmed)

6.30pm Tuesday June 30 @ CEPU Hall, 541 Peel St, QCU Bldg, 16 Peel St, Sth Brisbane South Brisbane

Ph: Paul 0410 629 088 email : brisbane@socialist-alliance.org

ETU Campaign Resources

• Media releases
• Economic Management & Infrastructure Draft Platform
• Flyers and posters
• Workplace Petition

Stop the SELL-OFF! - Qld Socialist Alliance

How we can defeat Bligh´s privatisation plan

• Download this leaflet for printing/distribution.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh’s announcement that her government plans to sell off public assets including rail, ports, forests & roads is an outrage that has rightly angered workers, unions, pensioners and the Queensland public in general.

Your browser may not support display of this image.We all know that privatisation means workers being sacked, higher prices, and worse services – all in the name of profits for a few. This is exactly our experience with Queensland energy privatisation, Telstra & the Commonwealth Bank. Far from solving ¨budget challenges¨, revenues that previously went to public uses such as hospitals and schools instead flow to corporate bottom lines. And once privatisation is used as a means of ¨balancing the budget¨, it is a slippery slope for more sell-offs in future years.

The Economic Crisis: an argument for more public, not private, ownership

Bligh´s argument that the global financial crisis means she has no choice but privatisation is rubbish. While stating that she´s not “a Wall Street banker” that caused the crisis, but has to deal with it, her sell-off would hand over more assets to the very ¨Wall Street banker¨ forces that have caused the crisis!

And what is the crucial motive that justifies serious harm to workers and communities? Getting back Queensland´s ¨AAA¨ rating from Moody´s - the same Moody´s which has been complicit in the financial crisis! There is nothing sacred about ´AAA´ - even sections of NSW business criticize that State´s obsession with a AAA rating.

Rather than sacrificing communities to privatisations, we need to fight for the expansion of the public sector, in order to create a sustainable Queensland, moving to renewable energy as quickly as possible and radically expanded public transport.

Democracy? We never voted for privatisation!

Queenslanders are clearly opposed to the Bligh Government plan. Even Bligh´s own ALP branch in South Brisbane has voted for her expulsion from the party! Such moves are to be congratulated and should be repeated across the state and at the ALP Conference.

Yet it is clear that Bligh will ignore both her own party and the Queensland people - if she can get away with it.

How can we stop the sell-off?

Even if the ALP State Conference rejects the plan – which it should – the Government will try to ignore the conference decision. What is needed is a massive campaign that mobilizes the enormous opposition to the sell-off, and makes it impossible for the Government to implement their plan.

Such a campaign would include public protests to demonstrate the level of opposition, plus serious industrial action against any privatisation attempts. To build such a campaign we need a union-community alliance that involves all those opposed to privatisation.

The campaign in NSW against electricity privatisation, which brought down Premier Morris Iemma and has forced a partial backdown, shows what is possible.

The Queensland Council of Unions rally outside the ALP conference to show our opposition is a great start - but it´s only the start. A further step would be a mass rally and industrial action on June 16, the day of the state budget. This would send a strong message to the Government of what is coming if it persists with the privatisations. If they don´t back down, Bligh should meet the same fate as Iemma.

Our campaign must continue until the Bligh Government plan is shelved completely - we need to kill off all privatisation.

Get involved - Join the Socialist Alliance
($60 high wage, $30 waged, $15 conc, $5 school student, $100 solidarity)
Ph 07 3831 2644, 0410 629 088.
www.socialist-alliance.org

Stop Bligh's sell off! -- Community Rally

UNION & COMMUNITY RALLY
STOP BLIGH'S SELL-OFF!

Rail - Not for sale * Ports - Not for sale * Roads - Not for sale * Forests - not for sale
Sunday June 7, 11am

Brisbane Convention Centre, cnr Merivale & Glenelg Sts, Sth Brisbane

Outside the ALP State Conference where Anna Bligh will be pushing her privatisation agenda.

The Bligh Government wants to sell off our public assets to fill in their budget black hole. Help stop this shameful fire sale of Queensland's rail, ports, roads & forests. Bligh's privatisations would mean worse conditions for Queensland workers & communities. Multi-national mining giants would gain control over entire regional economies, jobs would be axed, services cut for profits, and prices would rise. If the Bligh Government can get away with this mass privatisation.....what will be next?

Queenslanders did NOT vote for privatisation - don't let Bligh sell Queensland

Rally called by Queensland Council of Unions.
To help with the community campaign contact Dom 0431 638 772 or Paul 0410 629 08

May 30 ‘Stop the Sell-Offs’ day of protest to relaunch campaign against privatisation

May 28, 2009

“Unless he abandons his plans to privatise NSW public services and assets Nathan Rees is headed for electoral oblivion”, Colin Drane, convener of the Sydney Power to the People coalition1 said today.

Drane was announcing the first in a series of “Stop the Sell-Offs Saturdays” on the privatisation issue. They will feature campaigning stalls in shopping centres and protests outside MPs’ offices.

The protests are part of the campaign to force the Rees government to drop its plans to sell off management of prisons, wholesale and retail electricity distribution, NSW lotteries , NSW Waste Services, Sydney Ferries and Pillar, the NSW superannuation fund administrator.

The campaign has the support of Unions NSW, the South Coast Labour Council, Newcastle Trades Hall Council and individual unions.

Drane said: “80% of people in NSW oppose privatisation. They know it means worse services, higher prices and job losses. But, with a few honourable exceptions, the pollies still don’t get the message.

“The ‘Stop the Sell-Offs’ Saturdays will give the people a chance to remind our forgetful MPs that ‘No means No’ when it comes to selling off NSW public services.

“Power to the People has already sent a letter to all NSW MPs demanding that they clarify their stance on Rees’ sell-offs. We shall be publishing the results on our web site (at http://powertothepeoplesydney.blogspot.com/) and letting all communities know the position of their MP. Any MP who doesn’t respond will be regarded as a supporter of privatisation.”

Drane said that the campaign would build on the protests of NSW prison officers, which have already blocked the privatisation of Cessnock Gaol . The prisoner officers, members of the Prison Officers Vocational Branch of the Public Sector Association, are presently maintaining 24-hour protest pickets outside the electoral offices of the premier in Toongabbie and of minister Jody McKay in Newcastle.

“This campaign won’t stop until the Rees government gets over its privatisation addiction”, Drane concluded. “One day the premier may thank us for it, because the government won’t survive the next election unless it drops a policy the vast majority of New South Wales rejects.”

Media contact: Colin Drane 0419 698 396

1. The Power to the People coalition consists of organisations and individuals committed to maintaining public services and assets in government hands.

South Sydney meeting against privatisation

A public meeting is being held on Wednesday 27th May at 7.30pm at South Sydney Uniting Church (56a Raglan St, Waterloo).

The meeting will be discussing many of the questions surrounding the state government’s plans to privatise prisons.

It should be an interesting look into prison privatisation and will have a number of guest speakers including: Greg Smith (Shadow Attorney General & Shadow Minister for Justice), Lee Rhiannon (Greens member Legislative Council), Penny Sharpe (labor MP), Prof Eileen Baldry (associate Dean School of Social Science UNSW) and a prison activist.

This event is being presented by The South Sydney Herald, South Sydney Uniting Church and the Social Justice Committee of the Sydney Presbytery of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Contact: Trevor Davies 0400 008338
trevrssh@bigpond.net.au

May 1 - Rally Against Prison Privatisation!

Tell Robbo "No means No" on prison privatisation!

A rally will be held next Friday, May 1, outside ALP HQ, 377 Sussex Street, 10am to show support for those opposing privatisation of our Prisons and other Public Services and Utilities (see flyer below).

The rally will coincide with the meeting of the ALP Administrative Committee. At this meeting, corrective services minister John Robertson will ask the Administrative Committee to accept that privatisation of Prisons is consistent with the ALP Policy of opposing Privatisation of Prisons!

Download the Flier HERE (PDF)

Rally against prison privatisation!

Stop the Cell-Off Rally, April 2, Parliament House

Assemble St James ( Hyde Park ) 10.00 to 10.30am,

March down College St to Macquarie St, arrive at Parliament House for 11.00 am kick off.

All members who can make time are urged to be there and support the prison officers and the principle of public ownership and operation of prisons and prison services.

Please distribute these details far and wide, and repeatedly.

For further information

Contact:	Les Carr
Union:	PSA of NSW
Phone:	02 9290 1555
Email:	lcarr@psa.asn.au
WWW:	http://workers.labor.net.au/

Take a stand against prison privatisation!

While the date to make submissions to the NSW Legislative Council inquiry into the proposed sell-off of state prisons has passed, the Stop the Cell-off campaign against the privatisation (administered by none other than John Robertson, once famous for his role in the campaign to stop the privatisation of state electricity, now a sell-out to all and sundry.) continues.

There is a good background article in the current Green Left Weekly, reproduced here.

The actual campaign - run by the Public Service Association and the prisoners' rights group Justice Action - replete with petition (which we have published here earlier) and plenty of background information, can be accessed here.

Evidently NSW Labor is, in fact, as corrupt as we thought they were. It is of almost no surprise to discover that today's Sydney Morning Herald carries this lovely news: Labor MP Paul McLeay - head of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee - has been receiving donations from none other than the company - GEO Group - running the only currently private prison in NSW - Junee prison.

In fact, he received donations at the same time that the company's contract was under review by the committee McLeay chaired! Hardly surprising, then, that the committee's report found - with some satisfaction - that it was cheaper (sorry, "good value for money") to house prisoners in private jails.

The profit motive is clearly a winner here. After all, who really wants to be treated like a human being when they're in prison, and be given all those crazy, whacky, perks like "edible food", "hope of rehabilitation", and "not being beaten half-to-death by the screws"?

If Queensland prisons are anything to go by, NSW prisons (and prisoners) are in for one hell of a ride, especially if - as is likely - GEO Groups (the second biggest operator of private prisons in the USA, with all the confidence that instils: think prison factories and squalor) gets Parklea and Cessnock jails in the privatisation process.

In the meantime, however, who could do more than trust the lovely NSW government. After all, it's not like their on the take from slimy developers, denying our right to due process in court, invading our homes, or run by an incompetent fool or anything.

No Private Prisons! Stop the Cell-off!

Sign our "not-for-sale" petition

http://www.stopthecelloff.org.au/subscribe/index.php?customlist=petition

The State Government wants to privatise two prisons - Cessnock and Parklea. The Government also wants to privatise vital prison functions across the state, including prisoner transport and court security.

Giving our prisons to corporations will guarantee:

• Increases in costs
• Lack of scrutiny and transparency
• Increased risks for the prisoners and the surrounding communities

Essential parts of our justice system should not be sold to corporations to run at a profit.

Help us tell the State Government not to privatise our prisons by signing the petition below.

http://www.stopthecelloff.org.au/subscribe/index.php?customlist=petition

In two weeks, we will be personally delivering the petition to the Minister.

**************

About stop the cell-off

The NSW Government has announced it plans to privatise two of the State’s prisons – Cessnock and Parklea. The Government also wants to privatise vital prison functions across the state, including prisoner transport and court security.

NSW prison officers oppose these plans because we do not believe corporations should be trusted with a fundamental part of the justice system.
Join us in our campaign to keep prisons in public hands.

What Are Private Prisons?

Large multinational corporations run private prisons for profit.

These companies typically enter into agreements with local, state or federal governments that commit prisoners to their facilities and then have to pay a per diem or monthly rate for each prisoner in that facility.

This means the more people in prison and the longer they are there for, the more money these private companies make. The result: over-crowded prisons that are poorly managed for profit.

Who will buy our prisons?

• GEO – previously known as Wackenhut this is the second largest prison company in the US, and currently runs Junee Correctional Centre – the only privately run prison in NSW.
• Group 4 Securicor (G4S) – previously known as Group 4 Falck, G4S now owns US company Wackenhut and has the contract to run Australia’s immigration detention centres.
• Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) – the largest private corrections company in the world. CCA ran the Metropolitan Women’s Correctional Centre in Victoria until the State Government was forced to reclaim control.
• Australasian Correctional Management (ACM) – is a private company owned by Wackenhut, which ran Australia’s immigration detention centres until 2003.
• Australian Integrated Management Services (AIMS) – recently lost the Acacia Prison contract in WA due to serious under performance and budget blow-outs.
• Serco – a British company that has been criticised in the UK for running prisons with appalling disciplinary and safety records.

The Risks

• Frequent escapes are commonplace.

In the case of the Victorian Metropolitan Woman’s Correctional Centre, the Government was forced to take control of the prison after repeated escapes, severe contract breaches including inadequate staffing, a lack of proper security services, rampant illicit drugs and excessive lockdowns.

• Assaults increase.

A 2001 US Department of Justice study showed that in comparable prisons, private facilities had a 49 per cent higher assault rate on staff and a 65 per cent higher assault rate on other prisoners.

• Higher likelihood of prisoner recidivism.

Recent research demonstrates that private prison inmates have a significantly greater risk of committing more crimes after release than those in public prisons.

• More complaints.

Junee Prison in NSW, which is run by GEO Group, has consistently been the subject of significantly more complaints to the Ombudsman than any other correctional facility in the state.

• Private prisons perform poorly.

A leaked report from the UK Prisons Service in 2008, ranking performance of all prisons in six categories, showed that 10 out of 11 privately run prisons in England and Wales were in the bottom quarter of all prisons.

Manly Fast Ferry Protests

Dear Comrades and Friends,

Thanks to all who turned out this week to participate in the Manly Fast Ferry Protest. A number of different groups attended including many unions, politicians and community groups. Our turnout has been successful with commuters on Friday choosing not to travel with Manly Fast Ferry and indeed the company has seen had less than 100 passengers per trip. When the JetCats ran, they could expect nearly 260 passengers per trip!

The protest has been a success and we must continue until a result is achieved.

As you would be aware, the MUA has been involved in an ongoing dispute with Bass & Flinders (Manly Fast Ferry) and has established a community assembly protesting the move by that company to cut workers wages by 25% and lower safety standards. The company, after initially negotiating with the Union, pull out of those discussions and put in place a non-union greensfields agreement and gave the workers the ultimatum, “this is the agreement – take it or leave it”!

Until there is a proper result, we are going to soldier on with the protest and will be looking forward to having our biggest turnout on this Monday. Your support is appreciated and we ask that you spare the time to come down on Monday and participate.

WHAT: Manly Fast Ferry Protest

WHEN: TOMORROW – MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16
(and every weekday until there is a result)
3:30pm – 6:30pm

WHERE: Wharf 2 – Circular Quay

(MUA MEMBERS WORKING AT PORT BOTANY: A coach has been organised and for members working at Port Botany and will pick up from Patrick Port Botany at 2pm and 2.30pm at DP World on Monday and return to Port Botany from Circular Quay between 6pm – 6.30pm.)

Thanks for your support and the MUA appreciates your assistance and participation in this struggle.

We hope to see you this week.

Regards,
Paul Garrett

Update on the Electricity Sell-off

With the recent turmoil in NSW Government, there was some uncertainty as to whether the new Rees/ Tebbutt ALP government would continue with the policy of selling off the electricity it inherited from the Iemma/ Costa circus. On September 5, Nathan Rees indicated that he intended to follow through with the sale of the retail arm of the power industry.

Since then, Unions NSW asked the Power to the People group to call off a rally it had planned on September 20, which has now been replaced with a large campaigning stall and a speak out/ media stunt outside of Parliament on September 23, the first sitting day of the Parliamentary session.

On September 9, the Employment & Industrial Relations, Industry & Infrastructure and Finance & Economic committees of the ALP (comprising representatives of around twenty ALP-affiliated unions) met to consider the issue, and have reaffirmed their opposition to the sell-off.

The next meeting which will have a bearing on the direction of the campaign against the sell-off is this Friday, September 12, when the NSW ALP Administrative Committee meets, and which, according to assistant-secretary Luke Foley (August 29 edition of Stateline) will decide on “whether that plan complies with the ALP platform”.

The Wombats will keep everyone informed of developments as they unfold (see below for upcoming actions).

NEW MODEL MOTION
(Note: This motion has already been carried unanimously by the Concord Hospital Banch of the NSW Nurses Association)

Stop the Sell-Off

This meeting of ______________________ (union/workplace/organisation) calls on the NSW State Government, the Premier and cabinet to respect the opinions of 86% of people in NSW, and to abandon, once and for all, any plans to privatise NSW electricity (including retail, generation and distribution).

We express our concern with recent media reports that the sell-off of electricity retail may still be on the government's agenda, and we commit to active solidarity and support with the continuing union and community campaign against the sell-off.

While affirming our opposition to the sell-off of electricity retail, we also acknowledge the threats against other public services such as transport, including Sydney Ferries, rail maintenance, roads, and water, and commit to support an ongoing campaign to save our public services and to keep them in public hands.

Moved by: _____________________________

Seconded by: ___________________________

FURTHER INFORMATION

Upcoming activities:
Saturday September 20 - Power to the People stall, collection of petitions, banner-signing from 11am at Town Hall Square
Monday, September 22 - Next Meeting of Power to the People. 6pm, level 1, AMWU Council Room, Tom Mann Building, Devonshire St, City.
Tuesday, September 23 - Power to the People lunchtime action outside NSW Parliament on the first day of sitting.

Telephone Colin Drane on 0419 698 396 for further information

Climate Emergency Protest, Oct 2

Climate emergency - renewables now!

Protest outside offices of Xstrata Coal!

1 Macquarie Place Sydney CBD (off Loftus St, near Circular Quay) , 5pm Thursday October 2^nd

It's a climate emergency! Melting of the Arctic sea ice may be complete by the northern summer of 2010. We must urgently decarbonise our economy to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and existing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Xtrata, NSW's biggest coal exporter, is about to start work on the Mangoola mine in the Hunter Valley. The call for renewables is more urgent than ever!

The protest is organised by People for a Safe Climate (PSC), which brings together people from climate action groups and other environmental, peace, social justice and political organisations. We meet Thursdays, 6pm in the UTS Students Association back room, level 3, UTS Broadway. All welcome. For further info, contact Kamala, 0417 319662; Holly 0417 682 541; Alison 9818 6718

How you can help out before October 2^nd:

• Come along to the smaller stunts we're holding in the lead-up. The first such action is on Thursday Sept 25th 8-9am at Martin Place, with another on Tuesday Sept 30th.

• Help us to make props and banners for these events at a Greenpeace warehouse in Botany on Sunday September 14th. Time to be advised.

• Help out at stalls or with leafleting. Please contact us or come along to our next meeting (Thursday, 11th September). Posters and leaflets for the rally can be picked up at the Resistance Centre (23 Abercrombie St, Chippendale) or outside the UTS Students' Association (level 3, UTS Tower). Or they can be downloaded at:

http://safeclimate. wikispaces. com/poster and

http://safeclimate. wikispaces. com/leaflet+ to+print.

The rally is calling for:

100% electricity from renewables within 10 years
Former US vice-president Al Gore has called for US power generation to be 100% carbon-free within 10 years. With abundant solar, wind and geothermal resources, there's no reason why Australia couldn't be powered entirely by renewables. We must go beyond the government's inadequate targets.

Keeping power in public hands
We need maximum public accountability for the power industry. Full electricity privatisation has been knocked on the head, but there is still a danger that our new Premier will sell-off the electricity retailers, move that would continue to sacrifice our environmental needs.

The phasing out of coal
Burning coal for electricity accounts for over a third of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions each year. In addition, when Australia's coal exports are burnt, it causes more pollution than the total of Australia's domestic economy.

The expansion of public transport
Transport is responsible for 14% of Australia's carbon emissions, with the largest contribution coming from passenger cars. We need to reverse the priorities of Governments which fund for freeways while starving public transport systems.

No carbon trading loopholes!
The government is taking a business-as- usual approach to the climate emergency. Carbon trading alone will be too slow; with free permits for the big polluters it won't work at all. It must not be linked to international "carbon offset" schemes; these do nothing to reduce domestic emissions and often support environmentally damaging projects. Under its plan, the government admits, emissions will rise for some years to come.

NSW power sell-off: Iemma & Costa dumped, but what about the policy?

Dick Nichols

Following the August 28 decision of the NSW Labor government to implement its "Plan B" privatisation of the state’s three electricity retailers, tensions within the Labor Party reached breaking point.

Faction leaders, MPs and party administrators, already scrambling for a circuit breaker in the long-running power sell-off dispute, went into overdrive as electricity workers from the retail sector struck for three days. Ben Kruse, secretary of the United Services Union (the main union covering the sector) commented: "There are so many problems with this arrangement that it should not go ahead".

On August 29, NSW ALP assistant-secretary Luke Foley told the ABC's Stateline that a “special committee” to investigate the Premier's new plan would report to a September 12 meeting of the party's Administrative Committee on "whether that plan complies with the ALP platform".

Of course, it doesn't. The May ALP state conference resolution that voted down electricity privatisation by 702 to 107 opposes the sell-off of any part of the power industry. As Bernie Riordan, the NSW ALP president and state secretary of the NSW branch of the Electrical Trades Union said at the time: "The policy of the party has been set by the conference and that's what must be adhered to."

In the end the only circuit breaker with a chance of working had to be treasurer Michael Costa’s dumping from cabinet. Premier Morris Iemma was made to realise that there would no chance of his remaining premier or of Labor winning the 2011 state poll if his provocative and arrogant treasurer remained. But shortly after Costa announced his resignation, Iemma himself resigned as premier! He is to be replaced by former water minister Nathan Rees.

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September 20: Power to the People rally

Power to the People (which is a coalition of ALP members, unions, the Greens, Uniting Church groups, Socialist Alliance, Solidarity and environmental and community groups against the sell-off of the power industry in New South Wales) has confirmed that the September 20 rally against privatisation of electricity will go ahead. It will also be a rally against privatisation of ferries, water, rail, prisons...

Rally details:
11am, Saturday September 20
Sydney Town Hall Square

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The pressure began building before the government’s August 28 defeat over the power sell-off in parliament. Backbench MPs from the Centre Unity (right) faction, many of whom face political extinction in their outer-metropolitan Sydney marginal seats, had had enough.

One of them told the August 25 Australian: "We're sending a team to let Morris know what backbenchers think, as opposed to what so-called powerbrokers [like Joe Tripodi and Eddie Obied] think. The delegation will be expressing support for him, but putting other points of view regarding Michael Costa's role in the scheme of things...If there was a quarter of an inch of give, and Costa was seen getting wacked over the head, the unions would readily acquiesce."

On September 4, Deputy Speaker Tony Stewart said that Costa had "made comments publicly on numerous occasions that he would resign if he doesn't get his way and I'm saying he should put his actions where his mouth is."

Stewart was backed by many cabinet ministers. Even Labor grandees like former prime minister Paul Keating—who backs electricity privatisation and ridiculed the ALP state conference vote—told Iemma that he could no longer afford loyalty to Costa if Labor was to have any chance of saving the privatisation policy.

But will the end of Iemma and Costa also bring the sell-off of the electricity retailers to an end (and mean a complete victory for the opponents of electricity privatisation)? Powerful pressure is now being brought within the ALP apparatus for a “compromise” solution. Luke Foley himself said on August 29 that “I am confident that we can resolve the issue of electricity policy and once we resolve that there will be complete unity again. The issue of generation is always the one that has attracted the most heat within the Labor Party.”

Similar pressure is coming from senior federal minister Anthony Albanese (a supporter of large-scale private involvement in infrastructure): “I want to see the parliamentary party, as well as the organizational wing of the party, unite in a constructive fashion to move away from any recriminations that have occurred.”

It is not at all clear what the basis of a unity compromise solution might be. Costa's counterattack after losing the battle to sell off the state’s electricity generators was a mini-budget that would push a Jeff Kennett-style wave of privatisation into nearly all other areas of the public sector--ferries, water, Lotto, rail maintenance and lots more. Its message to the NSW union movement was: “You bastards have stopped me privatising electricity generation, so now I´ll privatise the rest.”

On the very day of Iemma and Costa's defeat the ratings agency Standard and Poors (which, unlike its rival Moody's, usually just reflects the NSW treasury line) also announced that it was placing NSW's credit rating "under review". This provoked a sell-off of NSW government debt, increasing the interest repayment burden.

Will new Premier Rees and his new treasurer now try to implement “Costaism without Costa”? Iemma has been at one with his treasurer on the content of electricity privatisation. Indeed, his attack on opposition leader Barry O'Farrell as an "economic vandal" (written in the Sydney Morning Herald when Fairfax journalists were on strike) underlined the message to NSW's appalled corporate elite that Labor in Macquarie Street remains "open for business" despite everything.

Iemma and Costa’s message for the big end of town has been clear: if the union movement and the ALP party machine persists in defending public ownership, the NSW economy will be made to suffer. If the NSW ALP and unions think that they can buck the trend of the last 40 years--where ALP governments state and federal have been able to implement the corporate agenda irrespective of ALP policy — they have another thing coming.

The stakes in this fight are beginning to look like those in the two other major crises in NSW ALP history--the conscription battles of the First World War (which led to the desertion to the conservatives of NSW ALP premier and conscription supporter William Holman), and the splits produced by the Great Depression and the Lang government's 1932 rejection of the federal Labor Scullin Plan (which involved cuts in salaries, pensions and government spending).

In both cases ALP policy came into conflict with the needs of majority sections of the ruling class (and the Labor politicians supporting them). In the first Holman presided over a Nationalist government until 1920, when the ALP was returned to power (and Holman lost his seat). In the second, eight years of factional warfare was needed before "Industrial Labor" (later known as "Heffron Labor") finally defeated "Lang Labor".

The battle lines of the next stage in the electricity privatisation war will be decided very soon. If the ALP Administrative Committee cracks on September 12 and "finds" that the privatisation of the retailers is in line with Labor policy, the ball will pass to Unions NSW. In such a case it must continue to defend retail electricity workers jobs (and ALP policy) against its recent allies in the fight against Macquarie Street.

The answer to this latest conundrum in the ongoing power privatisation saga will--once again--be most influenced by the one factor that the mainstream media never wants to acknowledge — the persistence of the ongoing community and union campaign against the sell-off.

The next step in that campaign is the September 20 Sydney “Power to the People” protest rally. The bigger that mobilisation, the greater the chance of burying electricity privatisation in NSW once and for all. The overwhelming public opposition to electricity privatisation has toppled the former premier and his hated treasurer. Let's press on for a total defeat of the privatisers!

Dick Nichols is the National Coordinator of the Socialist Alliance.

Stop the Sell off emergency rally!

This Wednesday at 3.30pm

Outside NSW parliament on Macquarie street

Morris Iemma has recalled NSW parliament to vote on privatisation on Thursday and Friday this week, using the release of the auditor-general's report as an excuse to try to force through his sell-off plans. According to the Sydney Morning Herald 14 Labor MPs are committed to or considering crossing the floor to vote against privatisation. This, or the Liberals voting against the bills, could scuttle the sell-off. This emergency rally is being held to remind MPs of the overwhelming 80 per cent public opposition to privatisation and to call on all MPs to vote against the sale.

Invited speakers include: Cate Faehrmann (Nature Conservation Council), Catholic priest Father Peter Maher, John Kaye (Greens upper house MP), George Souris (National Party upper house MP) and Colin Drane (Power to the People).

Called by the Sydney "Power to the People" committee

Contact Trevor Davies on 0400 008 338

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Last minute lobbying of MPs

Unions NSW is encouraging people to email or phone MPs who are still wavering on voting for privatisation before Thursday. In particular they want people to ring upper house Liberal MPs, where there is the most change of the privatisation bills being defeated. A list of upper house MPs and of lower house MPs who are still being targeted is attached for anyone who can do this.

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Another emergency meeting of the Power to the People committee will be held Monday next week (September 1) at 6pm on 1st floor, AMWU offices on Chalmers st, Surry Hills (near Central station) to discuss what to do if parliament votes to go ahead with privatisation. All welcome.

The "Power to the People" group is a coalition of ALP members, unions, the Greens, Uniting Church groups, Socialist Alliance, Solidarity and environmental and community groups against the sell-off of the power industry in New South Wales.