Calling all Kiwis: Your Rights at Work NZ Campaign
Thursday, 7 August 2008
In October or November 2008 New Zealand will have a General Election.
A Your Rights At Work NZ Campaign has been established in Australia to get eligible New Zealand voters based in Australia enrolled to vote.
What’s at stake?
This election is an important one for all Kiwi workers living in both New Zealand and Australia. The polls currently show a significant lead for the conservative opposition NZ National Party (like Australia’s Liberal Party). Similar to John Howard’s Work Choices laws, the National opposition are on record as wanting to do away with many rights and protections Kiwi workers currently have, including removing work rights in the first 90 days of employment, putting workers’ fourth week of annual leave up for sale and giving employers the right to force workers on to individual agreements (just like AWAs). Just as it was important to get rid of John Howard’s Work Choices laws, Kiwi workers and their families will be exposed to cuts in their working conditions under the Nationals. Kiwis living in Australia need to play their part in stopping this from happening!
So how can you be involved?
Kiwis in Australia can make a real difference. Every vote is going to be vital. The 2006 Census identifies 389,465 people living in Australia who listed NZ as their place of birth. There were 16,879 overseas votes cast in 2002 and 27,482 in 2005, so there is clearly more potential for getting Kiwis living in Australia enrolled and voting. Every 16,000 to 18,000 more votes means one extra MP.
As you can see, it is vital to get a higher turn out of Kiwis living in Australia this election.
How Kiwis can get on the roll and vote
It’s easy. Eligible voters are those 18 and over who are NZ citizens who have visited NZ in the past 3 years. This means getting off the plane and visiting family and friends in the past 3 years. Or NZ permanent residents who have visited NZ in the past 12 months are also eligible voters. Eligible voters can check their details and enrol at www.elections.org.nz . Or you can visit a NZ diplomatic office (like the NZ High Commission in Sydney) and ask NZ based family or friends to complete the enrolment form.
Once you are enrolled, when it comes to voting, you can download voting papers off the internet, apply to have the voting papers posted (normally send approximately 3 weeks before election day) or you can also vote in overseas booths, including the New Zealand Consulate, Level 10, 55 Hunter Street, Sydney, phone 8256 2000. The list of locations of booths in Australia will be available from www.elections.org.nz about four weeks before election day. Also, if you happen to be in NZ two and a half weeks before election day, you can vote in person at advance polling stations.
If you don’t want laws like Work Choices coming into New Zealand workplaces, it’s vital that we get every possible Kiwi out voting.
Vote for Your Rights At Work in the New Zealand Elections