Forum Post: It will be long and hard but if you are committed you will win in the end.

Hi there, You are receiving this expression of support from Perth, Western Australia. Most of us enjoy a good standard of living and working conditions that my American friends here tell me you would only dream a about over there. We have:

• universal health cover or private cover if you wish
• universal superannuation - when I retire in January I will have $AUD40K p.a. for the next twenty years (tax free) As I am over 65 and still working I have a pensioner concession card which entitles me to reductions on water rates,council rates, gas, electricity, vehicle registration, free public transport and some government pension to supplement my superannuation.Because I am over 65 medical prescriptions cost me only $5 a time instead of $30. *We have a pharmaceutical benefits scheme which means that most medications are subsidized by the government.
• We have 4 weeks annual leave which has a 17.5% loading on top of our normal salary Every seven years we are entitled to 13 weeks long service leave on full pay.We get 15 days sick leave each year which accumulates if you don't use it. *As a union delegate I am entitled to 5 days each year trade union training leave.

Those are just a few of the benefits the union movement in Australia has won for working men and women over the last hundred years or so. There are 22 million of us and we have not won these conditions by making the rich poorer. Anyone who has the initiative and drive can succeed. We have our fair share of billionaires. We were not affected by the GFC, we have low unemployment and low inflation.

Our political system covers the full spectrum left to right of center. Our current Federal Labor government is what you in the US would call liberal. However the opposition party the Liberal Party is actually more aligned with your Republican Party. The last Conservative government in Australia introduced American still IR system stripping away most of our hard won worker's pay and conditions. This resulted in a campaign which lasted for two and a half years and culminated with a national day of action which saw 546,000 take the streets (out of 22 million), you can figure out what that would be given the US population. It also resulted in the downfall of the government and our Prime Minister losing his seat. We are all watching with interest to see how you go. You will need to organize and maintain the momentum. Maintain a high profile and start organizing activist groups across the country but do it in a way that does not bring your movement into disrepute. You are getting coverage around the world, I have a link to your organization on my Facebook page. It may be a long hard slog but if you work hard and spread the message by any means you can you can turn the tide in your favor. Capitalism without a social conscience is just as bad as Soviet style communism.