Geelong branch of Socialist Alliance has pre-selected its candidate for the federal seat of Corio. Tim Gooden, who contested the seat for SA in 2001, was a member of the ALP for several years, but left after a bitter factional fight in which the "left" abandoned rank-and-file pre-selection in favour of the bureaucratic model of collegiate voting.
Having joined the public service, Tim became the ACT section secretary for the CPSU and led a successful enterprise bargaining campaign against the Carnell Liberal government which cemented in the rule of no forced redundancies, and increased wages and conditions. After moving to Geelong, Tim went back to his trade as a carpenter on construction sites and quickly became a shop steward for the CFMEU. He became a delegate to Geelong Trades Hall, and in July was elected Assistant Secretary of Trades Hall.
Tim says, "Job security, welfare and education are the big issues for people in Corio. I know what it does to workers who have been casualised or sacked. Or who have to pay $5 in bus fares to find a bulk-billing doctor because there is none in their area. Or who have to wait for two years to get a dentist appointment. Or whose children’s tuck shop is closed because the school has no money to upgrade it to health standards."
"We have people at work who’ve been injured but cannot sue for damages and after two years get there wages stopped with no more insurance. There are others who took out government home loans only to find out that their repayments could not keep up with compounding interest rates and now, after 10 years, they owe three times more than they borrowed and twice as much as they have already paid back."
But, adds Tim, they also see and disapprove of the government sending us head long down a path of wars and military oppression of our neighbours. "People know that while the government is ploughing huge amounts of money into the military, they are cutting back on the basics. They know that big business is paying less tax while we are paying more through the GST."
The problem is, says Tim, that "this knowledge is no help when people can’t see any genuine alternative. That’s where Socialist Alliance is so important. I acknowledge that we still have a long way to go to increase our profile and convince people, but if our organisation is seen to be carrying out real struggles on the ground that benefit working people in between elections, we will win people to the idea that we can be an effective opposition."
Geelong is traditionally a left Labor town, but these days the ALP member spends more time fending off the right faction’s branch stacking than he does on workers’ issues. "He is also bound by party policy that is anti-worker and anti-union, a contradiction that more and more workers are coming to realise", Tim points out.
Socialist Alliance in Geelong has gained in profile over the last few years. We led the anti-war movement here, have actively supported every union movement campaign, and played a key role in campaigns to save both the environment and jobs. The 2004 election campaign is an important opportunity to ensure that many more people know about us and what we stand for.
"Wherever there has been some political opposition, people have joined the fight. They are not afraid to struggle, but there must be more organisation and people must have real ownership of the movements. Socialist Alliance can and will play this role", said Tim.