Coburg rally supports Cleary
By Sean Lennon and Garry Walters
MELBOURNE — Some 800 people rallied at the Coburg football ground on November 27 to offer their support to Phil Cleary, the High Court-deposed independent MP for Wills. Cleary was elected in an April 11 by-election for the seat vacated by former Prime Minister Bob Hawke.
An unsuccessful candidate, Ian Sykes, had challenged the result under section 44 of the Constitution, which states no one who holds "an office of profit under the Crown" may hold a seat in parliament. Cleary, a teacher, argued he had been on unpaid leave from the education department, but on November 25 the High Court ruled against him.
The High Court also ruled that other Wills candidates, including the Labor candidate Bill Kardamitis, were ineligible because they had not expressly disavowed their previous foreign citizenship.
New Zealand MP Jim Anderton, the leader of the NewLabor Party and the broader Alliance, told the rally that parliament "needed more Phil Clearys" and called on the major parties to recognise the decision of the people of Wills and not stand candidates in Wills in the next election. People can, he said, throw out the decision of the court and enforce their will.
Andy Ingham, the Mayor of Brunswick, read out a motion of support for Cleary which he said would be put to the Brunswick council meeting on the following Monday.
Len Cooper from the Australian Telecommunication Employees Association (ATEA) told the crowd that successive attacks on working people by ALP governments at both the state and federal levels had opened the door for the current attacks by the Kennett Liberal government and plans by Hewson and Howard to do the same.
Phil Cleary said the "social movement begun in April" had been cut down by a legal technicality. "I didn't win the Wills by-election, the people of Wills won it", he said. "We believe we can build a better world based around social justice and equality with better policies to care for people."
The meeting demanded that the federal government immediately issue a writ for a by-election in Wills and that the electorate office in Wills remains open. However, Prime Minister Paul Keating has said that a by-election may not be held because federal elections are due early next year. n