CWU President calls for community action against Abbott budget
CWU National President Len Cooper says that grass roots community action is needed to push back against the Coalition’s budget cuts.
Speaking at a meeting of the North East Border Trades and Labour Council in Wodonga on 16 June, Cooper labelled the Abbott budget as “deceitful”, saying it was based on completely false claims that Australia’s economic affairs were in crisis.
“There is no budget crisis,” Cooper said.
“Australia’s budget deficit is small by international standards. Australia has the sixth lowest deficit and is much lower than those of the USA, Britain, Canada and most of Europe. The budget deficit is 1.9% of GDP; very modest on a world scale. “
“The only budget crisis that exists in Australia are the budgets of the working class who are trying to make ends meet. Abbott’s budget will make their situation much worse.”
Cooper warned that the budget represented a major step towards taking Australia down the US path – a path towards greater inequality and the creation of a large number of “working poor”.
“We must see this as a long term struggle,” he said, “and we need to establish organisation in order to facilitate that.”
Cooper said that people needed to organise at local level to build opposition to the government’s direction and to develop alternative policies.
For the full text of the speech, click on the icon below.
