What’s wrong with Occupy Melbourne

Firstly let me state that there is a lot of things right about Occupy Melbourne. It is showing solidarity with an amazing global movement of ordinary people demanding political and economic justice. Secondly, it is bringing people together to talk about politics and it is also a great experiment in communal living and participatory democracy. Lastly, it is plugging into the crisis of legitimacy that exists within Representatives democracies such as Australia where people realize their Governments have been captured by corporate interests.

However, despite all this success it is failing in two ways in my opinion. Firstly, It is not identifying strongly enough with the daily economic concerns of ordinary Australians the rhetorical 99%. I am basing this on the placards on saw on Saturday and the speeches I heard, Facebook posting, media interviews and choice of protest targets made so far.

There is a big lie being perpetrated on the Australian people and that it is we have been spared the worse effects of the GFC and therefore we are all doing well. We might not be facing a massive program of austerity measures such as in the U.S., Greece, the U.K. or Spain however ordinary Australians are suffering. We are suffering in so many ways as a result of the thirty years of neo-liberal economic policies that have been perpetrated by both major parties. .

Unaffordable Housing
Whether you are a worker struggling to pay your mortgage, a renter who if you are lucking to get a property is paying through your nose, a young person who is still living at home with their parents as you can’t afford to move out or one of the thousands of homeless. Meanwhile developers and investors made millions and scam such a negative gearing continue.

Rising cost of Living
The price of groceries in Australia is very high compared to rest of the developed world. The cost of petrol in our car dependant cities is another financial stress. The rising costs of basic utilities such a water, electricity and gas is another factor. Ordinary people are paying ever higher prices for these services which are have been privatized around Australia. Through our bills we are subsidizing the shareholders of massive mulit-nationals. Consumers are also being forced to pay through regressive user pays charges on their bills for new infrastructure such a desalination plants. Telecommunication companies are also gouging consumers for internet and phone services – once again an area of the economy that used to be nationalized. When you combine mortages, food bills, power bills, telecommunication bills, insurance, petrol and car registration – many households are hurting. In addition many families are struggling with paying childcare payments as well.

Students suffering.
Many young people today might not realize but until the late-80’s higher education was FREE in Australia. Now young people leave uni and sometimes TAFE with high debt levels. In addition, it is much harder for young people to access welfare payments such as AUSTUDY and may are forced to work fulltime as well as studying. In addition many young people have to live at home with their parents due to financial reasons. Meanwhile private schools are subsidized billions of dollars out of the Federal Budget. In Chile currently, there are hundreds of thousands of students involved in a movement demanding Free Education – we need to see this in Australia.

Free Healthcare
Although not as dire as the U.S. the costs of healthcare keep rising for Australians. Whilst Private Health Insurance is subsidized to the tune of billions, the costs of visiting a GP keeps increasing. People have to pay for tests and scans and are often only very partialling reimbursed. Dental care is not even part of the Medicare system. We need to be calling for real free healthcare in Australia.

Poor Welfare
Every year the welfare system is made harsher and meaner. Whether it is changes designed to force the disabled “back to work”, “mutual obligation” on the unemployed or just the fact that benefits and pensions are not raised in line with the cost of living. All the time we are told that we cannot afford ballooning welfare payments – what a crock whilst corporate welfare continues unabated.

Stagnating wages and worsening conditions
The Union movement has let the workers of this country down. Wages are stagnating. When workers do get pay rises it is usually in exchange for “productivity” gains. This has resulted in both private and public sector workers having to work harder and harder. This is the experience of so many ordinary Australians. Also many Australians work in casualised insecure or part-time jobs.

The Occupy Melbourne Movement needs to embrace these causes as central. I brought a sign on Saturday calling for “Affordable Housing”, I did not see any other signs mentioning this or any other specific economic stress faced by the masses of Australians. In contrast a huge protest movement in Israel was sparked by one woman setting up a tent in upmarket Tel Aviv and calling for others to join her over the cost of housing. The protest targets, signs, media statements all need to connect with these basic and legitimate concerns of the “99%”. The phrase Corporate Greed is too broad in my opinion – lets talk about specific social inequalities and injustices. When we march to the ANZ – lets make a banner that links banks records profits to mortgage stresses. Lets NOT say “its not as bad as America here” which as a statement dismisses the level of pain and suffering that exists in this country. In Australia, like elsewhere whilst the 99% suffer, the rich get richer by the year and the gap between the rich and poor grows.

Secondly. when discussing Corporate Greed, lets be very specific in our targets. The march to the Melbourne Club, proposed on the first General Assembly was an error. What an archaic, almost meaningless target. Why not march to the headquarters of BHP. BHP recently declared a $22 billion dollar profit!!! The same company that roared the mining superprofits tax would put it out of business and moved to have Rudd kicked out as PM. The same company is also trashing the environment through coal exports and at mines such as Olympic Dam where it is also riding roughshot over the Aboriginal people of the area. If not BHP then Rio Tinto or another prominent mining company. It is the mining companies who run the politics of this country, it is the mining companies who are enriching themselves off our resources and mining figures make up a large percentage of the richest people in this country. They are also a great propaganda target that people will understand – they are the face of the 1%. I know there is a “corporate scumbags” tour on Friday, but again this seems a very diffuse target that people will not readily identify with. Make it specific – target mining companies and banks as they control our political system and are making record profits. People will understand and connect with this manifestation of the 1%. \

Lastly, although we are creating a new politics, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be talking in a real way about the current situation. We know we are not being represented in our democracy but we should be labeling those responsible. We need to discuss the historic sell out by the ALP and the union leadership of ordinary people over the last thirty years. This is why we feel unrepresented, as we know that both the ALP, the Trade Unions (and now the Greens) are all more worried about not upsetting big business than they are about looking after ordinary people. We should be discussing how the mining companies effectively had our Prime Minister sacked to avoid paying tax. Wasn’t this the biggest example of corporate influence and greed that you could ask for? We should be discussing that our foreign policy is dictated by Washington to the decree that we have cabinet ministers like Mark Arbib who are literally spies for Washington whilst we continue to serve and kill for the U.S. Empire.

I know what some will say. If you believe these things well come and speak at a General Assembly or run a workshop. I would love to but I work full-time and live 50km from the CBD. I will attend Occupy Melbourne when I can, however I am using this forum to encourage others who do attend to think about these issues when deciding on the targets of direct action, making your protest signs, passing motions at the General Assembly or doing media. This movement is not just about solidarity with people overseas, it is about identifying and discussing how the 99% in Australia are oppressed by our system of capitalism and by our failing system of representative democracy.

Lastly, I would like to offer my thanks to those comrades who are making the committemnt to spend everyday and night in the city on behalf of the rest of us. Keep it up, this movement is only beginning and I have faith that you are laying the foundations of a movement that will only continue to grow in strength.