'Vote for a steelworker, not a politician!'
NEWCASTLE — Green Left Weekly's STEVE O'BRIEN interviewed GEOFF PAYNE, Democratic Socialist candidate for the federal seat of Newcastle, between his shifts at the BHP steelworks. The vote in the seat was postponed until November 21 because of the death of a candidate.
Payne said that his aim was to "relaunch the fight to save the steelworks and to save the 2500 jobs which are due to be lost when steel-making ends next September.
"Despite the fact that right-wing union officials and ALP politicians long ago gave up what little fight they had in them, I believe that the massive public sympathy for steelworkers can still be rekindled."
Payne pointed to past militant actions as an example of what can be done to save jobs.
"During the steel crisis of 1982, steelworkers organised a big march on Canberra which culminated in a very militant demonstration outside Parliament House. This action helped to bring down Malcolm Fraser's Liberal government a few months later.
"I would support doing something similar to kick off a community and workers' campaign in support of the nationalisation of BHP to save jobs."
"To prove that I was in parliament to represent workers, not to build up a big fat superannuation package", Payne told Green Left Weekly, "I would immediately arrange for half my parliamentary salary, and a big chunk of those resources and allowances which politicians give themselves, to be directed towards campaigns helping workers, farmers, social movements and the community to organise to defend themselves from the attacks of the Howard government.
"This could help kick-start campaigns for the 35-hour week, to block the implementation of the GST, to stop all uranium mining and to restore Telstra and the Commonwealth Bank to 100% public ownership.
"I challenge all politicians who purport to represent workers to do the same with their salaries and entitlements. A working-class town like Newcastle needs a working-class alternative, so the Democratic Socialists are saying: vote for a steelworker, not a politician."