Women\'s Issues - Social Issues

Women's Issues - Social Issues

Australia Socialist Democracy versus "One Nation"

Reaction and Resistance

The purpose of this work is the explore the forms of resistance in the politics of the extreme right, particularly those in Australia and how globalization is threatening those less fortunate and the necessity to protect themselves is propelling a new dimension of reality for the elite if the needs, concerns and fears of the poor right are not addressed.

Australia is in the process of establishing a nation based on multiculturalism. Currently a nation with multiracial citizens it is not yet established itself as "multicultural." Pauline Hason, an opponent of multiculturalism claims that multiculturalism will cause the destruction of Australia. However, the subversion of the dominant white male race is what is threatened by multiculturalism. Sadly, it was determined through analysis of the poverty issues in Australia that there are those:

who believe that helping the poor involves reducing the incomes of those who are better off." (Saunders, P. 2002)

The Communist Party of Australia (CPA) encouraged the alternative nation of multiculturalism starting in the decade of forties. Since the middle of the decade of the seventies the Labor, Liberal and national, the traditional ruling parties in Australia have been losing support from the public on a steady basis.

I. Hansonism and One Nation:

Pauline Hanson's "One Nation" took only 9.3% of the October 3 primary vote that was interestingly that was the third largest primary vote which won over the Nationals and the Democrat and Green vote combined. "One Nation's" Heather Hill is the one senator, which is one very good example of the lack of representation of electoral votes.

The "electoral resurgence" is directly connected to the resentment of the public that is growing in relation to cutbacks, privatization and job destruction which has been applied by Coalition and Labor Governments dating back to the middle of the 1970's. The seduction of the people by the far right will grow further as the next recession descends and unemployment rates grown.

One Nation was reported as winning the support of the working class by making economic insecurity and unemployment their key issues. The unions are failing to oppose racism and unemployment rates, according to Peter Boyle, National executive member of the Democratic Socialist Party. (2002 article based on a report to the October 17-18 DSP national committee meeting.

During the 1988 election campaign, One Nation was declared finished. The forces that have been loosened by Hansonism are not yet understood. It is clear that the concerns of Hansonism, have forced minority rights to the forefront. In fact, reporter, Margo Kinston stated that:

However, once we'd acted out our instincts on Hanson, we realized that our input only intensified her support, that the very fact that she was under attack by the media became an essential element in her appeal. The chock waves of the Hanson phenomenon had lessons not only for the political establishment but also the media. The media's roller-coaster ride with Pauline Hanson was a perfect starting point for our industry to engage in a most unusual exercise - self-reflection.

II. Views of the Ruling Upper Class:

There are two cultures in Australia that have two opposite views of the world, very little in common and have no appreciation of each other's view, life, or perception of each the other. Although it is true that within every society there is those referred to as "elite," without a good relationship of the working class then the privileges of the elite are threatened.

The lower working class has no desire to shun education or learning but the treatment suffered at the hands of the elite can prejudice the poor lower classes against what in normal situations of being treated well they would find acceptable.

III. Political Envy:

In a recent survey, it was discovered that, 83% of Australians are of the belief that "the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer" the Australians polled were given the option of either reducing the income gap between the rich and poor or making everybody better off, the results were 70% choosing to reduce the income gap and 28% choosing to make everyone better off.

According to the Financial Times:

The acid test of whether or not those who protest about inequality are moved by jealousy or envy is whether their concern is with the plight of the poor or the wealth of the rich. (the Financial Times, 13 February 2002)

Political envy is based on the following assumptions:

It assumes that increasing inequality necessarily undermines "social cohesion."

The letter similarly assumes that increasing inequality prevents those with less from "participating in society."

Perhaps the way that the right and left view each other, is best expressed by Michael Woodridge, in his essay on Hansonism:

The policy culture sees the community culture as uneducated, ignorant, backward and occasionally comic in its primitive beliefs. The community culture sees the policy culture as arrogant and divorced from reality. The policy culture often see the community culture as a barrier to a better future it is trying to build, and view with suspicion and contempt political leaders who pander to the concerns of the backward mass. The community culture sees the policy culture as responsible for the mess we (Australia) are in and sees political leaders as captives of the narrow elites, governing for the noisy few and ignoring the real people. To the community culture, the quality media seems part of the elite, and is treated accordingly. Some elements of the tabloid media simply exploit fears and distrust and feed off them. The idealistic motive is to help restore a coherence and common purpose among Australians, so the media deserves it place as an institution central to democracy." (Woodridge, Michael)

IV. The Poor Laws of Australia

The debate in Australia is ongoing as to whether a high minimum wage is truly beneficial to the alleviation of poverty. First the argument is for a higher minimum wage but then the second argument is that by enforcing larger minimum wages that unemployment rises making poverty worse.

Because the low paid are usually the low skilled also, an upward adjustment to minimum wage in effects raises the hourly wage for the least desirable employee with the fewest skills and in return drives the rate of unemployment upward.

V. Wage and Wage Reforms

Presently Australia wages are based on an awards system and employers do not feel that this is working and have suggested four different reforms. First they want to reintroduce differential pay rates for businesses that are regional. Secondly, to make it easier for employer in times of extreme hardship to access exemption form certain provisions of awards.

Third the banning of pattern bargaining and finally, fourth, they believe provision for employers of an option to opt out of the award system would be ideal. They are of the belief that not only productivity but also creations of new jobs would be the effect of these suggested reforms.

The awards system is believed to be a negative for business among business-owner employers. Suggestions for reform include:

Reintroduction of regional differentials.

Easier access to exemption from certain provisions of awards.

Pattern bargaining being outlawed.

Provision of an option to "opt out" of the award system

There exists, a valid argument that businesses should be able to be free from:

undue restraint, as long as they are not breaching other laws. This would give rise to a dual system, which would involved, on the one hand, employment relations operating within the boundaries of the award system, and, on the other, employment relations enforced solely through the common law."(Kayoko Tsumori, 2003 Nov 10)

VI. Women's Rights in Australia

The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), ratified in 1983 by Australia is the human rights treaty for women. There are over 169 States that are party to the CEDAW treaty. This treaty is an extension of the previous UN Treat addressing discrimination of the basis of sex. Australia is second following New Zealand to allow women the right to vote.

The International Labor Organization has released the following statistical facts:

Gender equalities persist and it is overwhelming women who suffer the most.

54% of working women in the labor force with 80% accounted for males participating.

Poverty is feminized with women constituting 70% of the worlds 1.3 billion absolute poor.

At least half of the world's labor in is sex-stereotyped occupations with women dominating those occupations, which are lowest paying and least, protected.

More and more women are entering paid work but more jobs have often not meant better jobs. Globally women early 20 to 30% less than men.

Women are constantly migrating and are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. The international trafficking of women and children is one of the most serious and fastest growing problems of today.

Women continue to have less access than men to investments in skills, knowledge and lifelong learning. This is a new form of social exclusion in today world dominated by information and communication technology.

Women face a higher risk than men of a drastic drop in standards of living at retirement age, women account for the majority of the over 60 population in almost all countries.

This could very well be because women generally are not involved in decisions made in terms of economic, financial and related agendas. The following information supports the preceding statements:

Women still comprise only 13% of national legislators and 14% of government ministers worldwide. Among policymaking areas, economics and finance have the lowest levels of women's representation across all countries, only 29 female ministers hold economics related portfolios (including finance, economics, trade, development, industry and agriculture). Women are more likely to be concentrated in the so-called soft domains such as education, health, social affairs and human resources. Internationally, the number of women in the decision-making structure of the major finance and trade institutions is also dismally low."("Women Challenging Globalization" 2002)

If gender equality is to be truly addressed and overcome women must become involved in the following:

Economic discourse

Development strategies in local, national and international arenas

The establishment of policy, institutions and all decision making.

Gender equality is a goal that must be included in all development and integrated into all frameworks. According to a report in the Institute for Women's Policy Research Newsletter:

The wage gap has even bigger effects than we thought. Women's economic progress over the past decades has been substantial, yet gender inequities in pay persist and carry enormous costs for women and their families." (Dr. Heidi Hartman 2004)

Over a fifteen-year period in the study performed by Dr. Heidi Hartman and Dr. Stephen Rose of Macro International, utilizing data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, it was found that a woman earns only 38 cents per dollar earned by a man.

Women, hold control for somewhat less than 10% of global resources and earn less than men for comparable work and also own only a mere one percent of the property of the world.

The liberal trade of the World Trade Organization has been a contributory factor to what has in effect weakened national governments in their regulation ability concerning economics and government. The WTO has been utilized by those transnational corporation out of the industrial nations for opening foreign markets and for the imposition of new regulations for maximization of profits that have incurred costs in the area of security of food and protection, healthcare, access to all manners of public services as well as other challenges that are put upon women because of their profiteering.

There has been progress in some countries. In January 2002 Turkish women were established as equals of Turkish men through revisions to code by Parliament. Equal in all family matters as well as equal in ownership of marital property, the position of a woman in Turkey has been greatly raised considering the lowly position they previously occupied.

VII. The Players

Socialist Democracy: Based in Australia. The green in this group's flag stands in representation of:

Red: Socialism

Green: Environment

Black: Indigenous of the world and their righteous struggle.

Focus is internationalism and presently operates within the Soviet Alliance. Support of left wing in the regrouping of the social working class. The hook on their web site is: