Rightness

It was far too warm yesterday to sit, at 12 noon, and watch a broadcast of what people Over East did for their 9am rallies. I stupidly didn’t think of borrowing M’s Akubra, and so I got awfully hot and sweaty. But apart from getting all hot and sweaty, I think it was definitely worth being a part of it, just to show my (our) opposition. (My opposition: I think it’s appalling that under these proposed laws, the Federal Minister for Employment has so much power. And if it’s only about ‘reform’, why are the unions being kneecapped by these laws? Shouldn’t we have a choice whether we want collective bargaining or individual workplace agreements? I for one want to go to work and enjoy my wages and conditions, without having to worry about whether I forgot to negotiate something, and without worrying whether my employer will decide to change things on me when things aren’t going as well as they could.)

There were SO MANY people there – the biggest rally I have been to, I think (and I have been to a few). I saw parents with children, retirees, all sorts of workers, people from all nationalities. Amusing chant of the afternoon, from the AMWU, was “Hoooooward’s a waaaaaaaaaaaanker…” (It was the sound of hundreds of gruff male voices almost singing in unison.) I felt sorry for the female office workers who marched in their high heels.

I actually don’t think rallies and public protests will make much difference, seeing as the government has control of both houses of parliament at the moment – they can ram whatever they like down our throats. Also I think our esteemed PM has had this sort of reform on his agenda for so many years it’s become a personal crusade for him. He’s not going to take note of the feelings of a mere 250,000 to 500,000 people – he just dismisses shows of dissent as the rantings of a mob or a rabble. I just hope it makes the ordinary backbenchers think a bit about what is important to the people.

Ok, CW, no use getting all hot and bothered when it’s only 6am and you have a day full of meetings ahead of you. I think I have proved to myself that I should stick to non-political comment as it just makes me angrier to write about these sorts of issues. And other folks do a much better job than me – take a look at the commentary by the Road to Surfdom and Red Rag, for example. (And Mooiness, me meek? Made me laugh…)

We went to my parents’ for dinner yesterday. My Koo Ma (aunt who is Dad’s elder sister¹) from Adelaide is here in Perth to visit her daughter (my cousin AM) who had her first baby seven weeks ago. AM is married to a wheat farmer and they live and work in Three Springs (about 6 hours’ drive away from Perth). AM came down to Perth with her mother-in-law, P. We had beef rendang, chicken curry and peri-peri chicken, with vegetables and rice, and the traditional Chinese dessert, fresh fruit after the meal. The highlight of the evening for me was all of us sitting around chatting, and P trying durian for the first time. She ate a whole seed – with a spoon! A perfect Australian-Malaysian-Irish-Dutch family evening.

¹Chinese family relationships are complicated by the titles each person has. (Take a look at this site for an idea.) You are known to each other by your relationship to them. Nothing simple like “Auntie Nellie” or “Uncle Harry”- depending on who is talking to you you are “mother’s younger brother’s wife”, or “father’s fourth sister’s husband”, or whatever. You know you have absorbed enough cultural knowledge when you know who’s called what, and why without prompting from your mother. In my family we are getting a bit slack about this now though…

Categories: politics, protest, dissent, family, culture, Australia