THE Victorian Socialists will have trade unionists nominated in all 11 lower house seats in western Victoria for this month\u2019s state election.<\/p>\n
Tim Gooden, who will be the lead Victorian Socialist candidate for the Western Victoria Region, made the announcement last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really proud to announce that every one of our candidates is a fighter and a campaigner for workers\u2019 rights and a better deal for all workingclass Victorians,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Gooden, a former Secretary of Geelong Trades Hall Council (GTHC), is a shop steward for the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.<\/p>\n
He is joined on the Upper House ticket by Nada Iskra, an administrative assistant at GTHC and a member of the Australian Services Union.<\/p>\n
Gooden said that, if elected, he would call for a full wage audit across the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want bosses to formally report and account for what they are actually paying their workers in Victoria. We suspect that potentially tens of thousands of workers are being underpaid.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also want to see an expansion of government services to create jobs. Currently in parts of Geelong and other regional centres as many as 20 per cent of people are unemployed or underemployed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s also time for investment in and the development of renewable energies throughout the state.<\/p>\n
There can be thousands of jobs in these industries. For example, we could easily make windmills in Victoria,or retool closed down factories.\u201d<\/p>\n
The candidates in the area include:
\n\u2022 Geelong – Sarah Hathway, Victorian Allied Health Professionals Association member and organiser<\/p>\n
\u2022 Lara – Dean Cardigan, meat-worker and Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union member for the seat of Lara<\/p>\n
\u2022 Bellarine – Jackie Kriz, a nurse and Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation member and state executive member for the seat of Bellarine<\/p>\n
\u2022 South Barwon – David Ball, a wharfie and Geelong Port Secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia<\/p>\n
\u2022 Polwarth – Brendan Murphy, a former CFMEU organiser for the seat of Polwarth, and<\/p>\n
\u2022 South West Coast – Terry Riggs, a CFMEU member.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Victorian Socialists will have trade unionists nominated in all 11 lower house seats in western Victoria for this month\u2019s state election. Tim Gooden, who will be the lead Victorian Socialist candidate for the Western Victoria Region, made the announcement last week. \u201cWe\u2019re really proud to announce that every one of our candidates is a […]<\/p>\n