- The Guardian
- Issue #2002
CPA Victorian Branch comrades marched to and attended the Fight for Public Health and Workplace Safety rally on Saturday 19th March at Melbourne’s State Library. The COVID pandemic has accelerated the system’s inequalities, in Australia. In Victoria, the lockdown was the pretext for the disgraceful police cordon around public housing buildings where some of Victoria’s poorest and most diverse communities live. COVID fines have disproportionately affected people in working-class areas, and workers have had to do the heavy lifting on COVID safety measures.
Comrades had a solid presence at the rally, with party flags and banners reading “More Nurses Less AUKUS”, “Remove Vaccine Patents”, and “Workplace Safety Is Union Business.”
We heard from speakers on each of the rally’s demands: a living income, free healthcare and secure housing for everyone, the right to organise, COVID health and safety for all workers, a global solution to the pandemic, rolling back police powers and dropping the COVID police fines.
