CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Local freelance photographer turned leading social media manager for one of Betoota’s most powerful trade unions, Milton Newfarm (27), says the movement is more important than ever.
With Australia’s blue collar workforce growing increasingly unsafe in terms of heath and safety, as well as job security, Milton says his union needs to be ready for a spike in memberships.
“COVID-19 has changed everything” he says.
“Back in the day, unions were just for wharfies and coal miners. But, I hate to say it… The movement is bigger than them”
These comments come after Milton notches up 18 months as the Twitter monitor and assistant organiser at the Australian Carpentry, Carpet-laying, Auto-Mechanics, Drywall Acoustics, Concreting Comrade Alliance (ACCADACCA).
Milton believes, the union movement is finally refocusing it’s energy on the ‘actual working class’ – and this means a lot of cultural changes need to be put in place amongst ‘the rusted on’ members.
“Yeah. The swearing. The alpha male stuff. That’s what really has to go”
“It’s not what the movement stands for anymore”
“We can go around calling every Liberal a grub, but that won’t achieve anything.”
“Some of the most effective architects of progressive policy in Australia are Liberal voters. We don’t want to ostracise them”
Milton says he believes that much more can be done to help the workers if his movement can limit the unnecessary micro-aggressions and toxic masculinity”
“For the last six months I’ve been working on a targeted recruitment campaign to attract creative freelancers and university students as members. Those people are so unrepresented. They are comrades too”
“You know, like, a real, like class solidarity. We’ve moved away from the industries that hurt the environment. “
“Now it’s about advocating for causes more relevant to the modern man, woman, they”
“Things like sustainability, cross-cultural online language portals, mandatory air-conditioning in office buildings”
“I kind of view it as something like GetUp meets the early nuclear disarmament movement.”
“It’s about organisation, communication, diversity”
“It’s about representing the modern worker”
