BY PAUL ROBERTS
MELBOURNE The Socialist Alliance's Melbourne South-East branch has preselected Josephine Cox as a candidate for the seat of Dandenong in the Victorian state election, expected before December. Cox, a TAFE student, ran for the Socialist Alliance in the Aston by-election last year.
As a resident of Dandenong, Cox is well aware of the issues affecting people in the electorate. "One of the key issues, I believe, is unemployment", she said. "Many factories have closed, resulting in high unemployment and job insecurity in the Dandenong area. The economic rationalist agendas pursued by both Labor and Liberal governments have hit people hard. The Socialist Alliance is committed to defending the jobs of working people."
Cox also believes that "the lack of public transport in the Dandenong area is disgusting. At the moment you can't even get a bus on a Sunday! The privatisation of public transport in Victoria has been a disaster."
The Melbourne South-East branch of Socialist Alliance also plans to hold a public meeting in support of refugees. For more information about the campaign, phone 0438 743 407.
From Green Left Weekly, October 2, 2002.
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