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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-05-04 Daily Xml
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May Day Celebrations

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (14:50): This chamber may be aware that on the weekend tens of thousands of people marched around the country—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Industrial Relations.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: As this chamber would be aware, many tens of thousands of people marched throughout the streets of Australia in celebration of May Day—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: And around the world.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: And around the world—there were millions around the world—but in Australia many tens of thousands. Will the minister inform the council of the importance of May Day to working people in South Australia?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Attorney-General, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:51): I thank the honourable member for his question and his long, deep passion in this area as a former union official in particular and I think a former minister for industrial relations. It shows his very strong interest in this area.

The Hon. R.P. Wortley: I would have made it a public holiday.

The PRESIDENT: Order! I don't know that the Attorney-General needs your help, to be honest.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I thank the Hon. Russell Wortley for his help—

The PRESIDENT: Well then, 'Poor you,' that's what I say. Move on.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: —and I am sure he will continue to be very helpful over the next four years. International Workers' Day, or May Day, is celebrated right throughout the world on 1 May to commemorate the achievements and the sacrifices of working people and their representatives in the struggle for a more just and equal society. May Day celebrations provide a chance to reflect on how far we have come. Many of the rights working people enjoy today were bitterly fought for and hard won by generations in the past.

In just over a hundred years, workers and the union movement have achieved things like the eight-hour day, the 38-hour working week, the minimum wage, redundancy entitlements, workers compensation, equal pay for women and in Australia have been instrumental in some of the really significant reforms, such as Medicare and superannuation. Together, these rights have made Australia one of the strongest democracies and countries to live and work in in the world.

As parliamentarians, and particularly Labor parliamentarians whose political party was proudly born out of the trade union movement at the Tree of Knowledge in Queensland in 1892, we have a part to play in that story. I would also, in particular, like to acknowledge other members of this chamber who I ran into during May Day celebrations over the weekend, in particular the Hon. Tammy Franks and the Hon. Robert Simms.

But the real heroes of May Day are the workers and the union officials and leaders who risk their livelihoods to campaign in their workplaces and their communities for a better future. All of those involved in different parts of the Labor of movement stand on the shoulders of giants of the past. This government is committed to doing its part to support working people by introducing new reforms, areas like fighting against wage theft and criminalising industrial manslaughter as a standalone offence. These reforms will join, in a very small way, those of the past, the legacy of which is celebrated on May Day.

As part of May Day celebrations over the weekend, I was honoured to attend, along with the Deputy Premier, the Hon. Dr Susan Close, the member for Port Adelaide, the Port Adelaide Workers Memorial. The memorial, with its towering marble statue of Justice, has been in place at the corner of St Vincent Street and Commercial Road in Port Adelaide for over a century now. Each May Day the name of a significant figure in the labour movement who has recently passed away is inscribed on the granite base. The memorial features many great and colourful individuals and activists and community leaders in the Port Adelaide area, and this year Ben Carslake was added to their number.

Ben was the secretary of the Building Workers Industrial Union and oversaw many of the amalgamations which eventually led to the CFMEU we know today. He was a committed and lifelong member of the progressive movement and a passionate campaigner for workers' rights who was responsible for many campaigns behind industry superannuation and the construction industry redundancy scheme which building workers continue to enjoy today.

As the member for Port Adelaide, the Hon. Dr Susan Close, reflected upon, he was also instrumental in the movement to stop Marineland expanding and continuing dolphins in captivity many years ago. He sadly passed away in April 2021 at the age of 74. We pay tribute to Ben and all those who have been part of the labour movement in the past.

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