Page 1477 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 1 May 1990
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to improve their position in the market. Things are different in this country from Korea and other places, but that has not always been so.
The shearers strike of 1891 was of significance for the union movement of Australia. It was also of importance to the Labor Party, as has been said before, because it was the formation of this great party. The focus in those days was on survival and the improvement of wages and conditions of workers. We are all aware of the great eight-hour day strikes in the 1860s, and some of us would be aware of some of the benchmark decisions of the courts which were later established to consider industrial issues. One of those was the harvester case.
I raise that principally to focus on something that Mr Collaery had said earlier in relation to the provision of prisons in the ACT. He is going to have our young taken off the streets and put away for their wild years and they can restore old farm machinery. As I said earlier, there is not much of a market for that sort of farm machinery, but the sort of farm machinery that he would be talking about, I guess, would be the farm machinery that was made at the Sunshine Harvester Company in those days when the decision was made for a seven bob a day wage for workers. It was made by Judge Higgins. Judge Higgins was a part-time judge from the High Court. He was serving part-time on industrial issues in the Industrial Court.
Mr Speaker, these things are remembered on May Day by workers and I think it is important that it is so. It is also true that in some places there are marches to celebrate the achievements of workers and the continuance of the fight to improve their lot in society. In other places there are displays of military might. I think it is well recognised that the display of military might no longer has a place in this world and one would hope that this would fade on May Day.
It is a great day. I have had the pleasure of participating in May Day celebrations in this city by way of a march some years ago. It consisted of only a few people but it did represent a core of working-class people in the ACT. I was able to participate in a march involving several hundred thousand people in the Philippines when "people power" took over that country and the new President was brought to power. There were great expectations amongst the union movement over there that things would improve. Those workers have since been disappointed because the division between labour and capital still exists very clearly in that country and the struggle goes on. Workers are sacked and killed.
MR SPEAKER: Order! It being 10.00 pm, under the standing orders I declare that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr Collaery: I require, pursuant to standing order 34(f), that this debate be extended for 10 minutes.
Mr Berry: Does that mean that I have to speak for another 10 minutes?
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