Victorian Trades Hall Council. The voice of Victorian workers since 1856.Victorian Trades Hall Council. The voice of Victorian workers since 1856.

Rally Fills Melbourne

The centre of Melbourne was a sea of colour as thousands of people protested new IR laws. An estimated 150,000 people filled the CBD, spilling out from the corner of Bourke and Swanston Sts. The city was brought to a standstill by the rally which was addressed by senior union figures and ALP leaders.
The rally began at four separate locations; Trades Hall, Spring St, Federations Square and Southern Cross Station, before converging on the corner of Bourke and Swanston Sts where union and ALP leaders addressed the crowd.
Images from the 28 June Day of ActionAcross the nation over 300,000 people attended rallies in support of the national campaign to overturn these laws.
In Melbourne, Federal Opposition Leader, Kim Beazley, promised to overturn the laws.
”When we get into office in 18 months time, we will rip up these laws,” he said.
“Then we are going to put in place laws based on true Australian values.”
”This is a battle for the ordinary Australian way of life. This is a battle for Australian families. It's also a battle for basic dignity in the workplace."
Victorian Trades Hall Council Secretary, Brian Boyd, praised workers for attending the rally despite pressure from some employers and the threat of sanctions under the new laws.
”John Howard knows the public are against these laws. He knows the Australian people don’t support these attacks on the fairness and decency this country is known for.”
ACTU President, Sharan Burrow, said the turnout showed the level of support for the union movement’s fight against the laws.
”Widespread concern about cuts to workers' take-home pay and the loss of entitlements such as penalty rates, overtime payments and other basic entitlements has underpinned the large turnouts at the rallies today.”
Victorian Premier, Steve Bracks, also praised the rally for supporting the rights of vulnerable workers at a time when interest rates are rising and people are struggling financially.
"This is a time when the family budget is under pressure," he said.
"This is a time when we need support. This is a time when we don't need job insecurity."

Up to 300,000 workers protested around the country, with thousands turning out to support the campaign for their working rights.

40,000 people attended the main NSW rally in the outer-Sydney suburb of Blacktown - almost double the number organisers expected.

Around 25,000 turned out in Brisbane to hear major addresses from QLD IR Minister Tom Barton, ACTU Secretary Greg Combet and ALP Treasury Spokesperson Wayne Swan.

An estimated 10,000 attended rallies in Adelaide throughout the morning, targeting the electorate offices of a number of Coalition MPs. South Australian workers also attended a rally in Whyalla today.

In Launceston Tasmania, around 2,000 people rallied including rescued Beaconsfield miner Brant Webb. A further protest is planned for Hobart on Saturday 1 July on Parliament House lawns.

There was a strong turnout in Perth with around 20,000 people marching and around 500 attending a protest in Darwin.

Unions estimate a further fifty to sixty thousand people also attended rallies in regional centres across Australia today:

In Queensland 7,000 attended a rally on the Gold Coast and protests were also held in Gladstone, Rockhampton, and Townsville.
In NSW, 6000 attended a rally in Newcastle and 7000 in Wollongong. There were also protests in Albury, Armidale, Bathurst, Coffs Harbour, Goulburn, Lismore, Nowra, Tweed Heads, Tamworth, Queanbeyan and Wagga Wagga.
Workers also rallied in regional Victoria today with protests in Ballarat, Geelong, Hamilton, Portland, Warrnambool and Wodonga/Albury.

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