Labour protests in Australia

CANBERRA – More than 200 000 people blocked Australia’s main cities to protest planned new labour laws yesterday, defying warnings of hefty fines in a show of anger over the centrepiece of the conservative government’s fourth term.

The protests, Australia’s biggest in seven years, were loudest in the southern city of Melbourne, where police said more than 150 000 people walked off the job to support union-organised rallies to oppose the labour reforms currently before parliament. In the main city of Sydney, up to 30 000 people marched behind a fire truck and Korean drummers, blocking traffic and bringing parts of the city centre to a standstill.Similar crowds were reported in Adelaide and Brisbane.The rallies were the biggest in Australia since 1998, when the government broke the power of waterfront unions by sacking 1 400 workers, replacing them with strike-breakers protected by guard dogs and balaclava-wearing security guards.- Nampa-ReutersIn the main city of Sydney, up to 30 000 people marched behind a fire truck and Korean drummers, blocking traffic and bringing parts of the city centre to a standstill.Similar crowds were reported in Adelaide and Brisbane.The rallies were the biggest in Australia since 1998, when the government broke the power of waterfront unions by sacking 1 400 workers, replacing them with strike-breakers protected by guard dogs and balaclava-wearing security guards.- Nampa-Reuters