Socialist candidate wins 9%
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — In the best vote for an openly socialist campaign here in many years, Susan Price gained 9.2% for the Democratic Socialists in the seat of Brisbane Central on September 19.
"I'm delighted with the result", Price told Green Left Weekly. "The excellent vote for my campaign in this seat, and the good support for Greens and the Australian Independent People's Party around Queensland, shows a deep disillusionment with the major parties among people here.
"In particular, the Democratic Socialist vote is significant because we were the only campaign to take up all the issues affecting oppressed groups — abortion law repeal, gay and lesbian law reform, land rights, jobs for youth, democratic rights and environment protection — and bring them all together in one campaign.
"We were able to show what democratic socialism is all about, despite the heavy media attempts at discrediting the whole socialist idea over the past few years.
"Democratic socialism is precisely about uniting all the social and environmental issues and showing that only the replacement of big business rule by the power of working people and the oppressed can solve society's critical problems", Price concluded.
At her election night party at the Resistance Centre, Price warmly thanked the many workers who had assisted making in the Brisbane Democratic Socialist campaign so successful and urged them to consider joining the Democratic Socialist Party to continue the work in future.