the F rant

It is the 10th Anniversary of the dispute between the Maritime Union of Australia and the Patrick Corporation, a dispute which led to the end of union corruption, thuggery and sloth on the docks, and the beginning of a new era of prosperity in Australia.

The docks used to be dreadfully inefficient, filled with lazy, protected workers who would unload ships every so often, if they felt like it. When the Patrick Corporation took the supreme effort to break the monopoly, they created workplaces which were more efficient and open. Most importantly, it meant that Australian imports and exports didn’t sit on the docks, wasting time and money for everyone, and instead meant Australians benefitted from cheaper goods and greater export opportunities and income.

It was truly one of the greatest milestones in the smashing of the century old industrial arbitration framework, established by that goose, Justice Higgins. Chris Corrigan, a true hero to all Australians, and a man we ALL owe a lot of our current prosperity to, rightly mocked the union movement’s moment of silence.

The MUA never got over it, their bully boy tactics failed. But never happy, they’re now hoping to dig up the bones of the dispute and attempt to prove that Corrigan and the Liberal Government conspired illegally. GET OVER IT.

There is a magnificent editorial in today’s The Australian, which rightly recognises Corrigan’s role as a leader and hero to all Australians.

FREEDOM: Economics, Politics and Business