Australian industrial relations legislation national day of protest, 2005

A national day of protest was held in Australia on 15 November 2005, to protest against the industrial relations legislation being introduced by the government of Prime Minister John Howard. The day was organised by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and its state, territory and local affiliates, with the support of the Australian Labor Party, the Australian Greens, the Australian Democrats, and various other political and community or... more

A national day of protest was held in Australia on 15 November 2005, to protest against the industrial relations legislation being introduced by the government of Prime Minister John Howard. The day was organised by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and its state, territory and local affiliates, with the support of the Australian Labor Party, the Australian Greens, the Australian Democrats, and various other political and community organisations. Estimates of the number of people taking part varied widely, with organisers claiming more than 500,000. Police and media estimates suggested that about 250,000 people took part in capital city rallies. Tens of Thousands of people also attended hundreds of meetings in rural and regional towns across Australia. Government ministers such as John Howard and Industrial Relations Minister Kevin Andrews said they would ignore the protests. Howard said that in a year's time the legislation would be accepted. Andrews described the ACTU... less