With the ABC continuing the mainstream media attack on new Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching last night on Lateline, Peter Wicks reports on Crikey troll Bernard Keane's dull slander of her — and of unions and unionists in general.
THERE IS an unfortunate lie being insinuated and pedalled by some in the media that being part of a union somehow makes you dodgy, criminal and untrustworthy.
These pathetic members of the media are too incompetent or too lazy – or perhaps both – to actually do what they are paid to do and research their subjects. Perhaps it may be the case that when there is just no dirt of any significance to shovel on their targets, it is far easier to belittle them with name calling — and the popular choice these days for sloppy reporters is “union hack”.
However it is a title that those using the term are selective about whom they bestow it upon. You won’t see the childish name calling used to describe someone like Bill Shorten – or even Bob Hawke – they save their lazy displays for people they just don’t like.
Why does the media keep mentioning "union hacks"? The biggest union hack ever was also one of Australia's best Prime Ministers. #auspol pic.twitter.com/GucV2h6vRc
— Eddy Jokovich (@EddyJokovich) October 27, 2016
So what is a hack?
Well conventional dictionaries describe it in terms of what happens to a computer when the Liberal Party take over responsibility for the census.
The Urban Dictionary however describes the most commonly used definition as being:
'... a person who is a professional at doing some sort of service, but does crappy work.'
That’s pretty much the description I’d use for all those who are in fact using the term. Certainly the one pictured above fits the mould, as he rarely does anything that doesn’t involve the opportunity to publicly stroke his own over-inflated ego.
One of the great ironies is that many of those making these comments are, indeed, members of a union — that being the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.
The MEAA is an excellent union that represents several industries and was formed when several unions merged in 1992.
It is also a Labor Party affiliated union in NSW and SA.
The MEAA also runs the Walkley Awards, which include awards for journalism that those who are seeking to belittle unions diligently self-nominate for.
I wonder if these reporters won an award, as some have done, that would also make them a “union hack”?
So what does it take to become a "union hack"?
Being a union hack is hard work; at its most basic level, it means dedicating most of your time and energy to improve the lives of others around you. Now I know that sounds positively evil, but wait! It gets even more sinister...
We need to look at industrial manslaughter laws all over the country. @DaveNoonanCFMEU speaking after 5 construction workers die in 3 weeks. pic.twitter.com/Bj9kF7LTaH
— CFMEU (@CFMEU_CG) October 26, 2016
Being a union hack means that you have to work long hours for a low salary to try and gain better pay for others. Whilst doing that, you will have counsel, console and represent people who have been driven to despair by some of the cruellest bosses on earth. In some cases, with some unions, you will have to attend workplaces accidents that may involve young men or women that have been killed at their place of work in some of the most grisly circumstances imaginable.
A union hack means you have to take all the criticism and abuse from people for being that union hack and then be expected to be their critics best friend when they are suddenly threatened with redundancy or caught up in a pay dispute.
As a union hack you may be called on the negotiate with bean counters from multi-million dollar companies to try and get a 2% pay rise for workers struggling to pay the mortgage or feed the family. Other union hacks have the pleasure of dealing with politicians to secure award rate increases which is a thankless task when dealing with a Coalition government who would rather see profits go to their fat cat mates and party donors.
Being a union hack means you don’t have time to be a part of the “latte society”, where some of these critics sit haunting inner city cafes and passing judgement on others who are trying to make workplaces safer and give workers a much-needed voice.
Being a union hack means working tirelessly on improving the lives of the many rather than the few. For a union hack, working for the community is not a line to seek to be elected, it is a life commitment. It is a commitment that has been made by an enormous number of union employees who will never run for parliament and will never seek glory or congratulations for the commitment they have made to serving the community.
People like Bernard Keane may think he’s the bigger man for putting these people down, but the reality is he is only showing us all the tiny man he actually is.
The union hack is the very thing our parliament and society needs more of.
It’s the self-obsessed tossers we can do without.
Albo correctly refuses to endorse the appalling Kimberley Kitching. Far more good sense than his leader. https://t.co/u8Aj1vDlzB
— Bernard Keane (@BernardKeane) October 18, 2016
FUN FACT: I've spent much more time working in private sector than for govt or cleaning out corruption at the HSU #auspol #lateline https://t.co/LLWE6jF9ir
— Kimberley Kitching (@kimbakit) October 27, 2016
Read on our dedicated Jacksonville page about how – while pompous, conceited former bureaucrats now uselessly ensconced in the Canberra Press Gallery mocked and derided Independent Australia as a "conspiracy website", and the rest of the mainstream media joined the Liberal Party in lauding the HSU crook as a "brave whistleblower" – Independent Australia exposed the criminality of Kathy Jackson several years ago.
Help support Peter Wicks' Jacksonville book project by clicking on the image above. Peter is a former NSW ALP candidate. You can follow him on Twitter @madwixxy.
.@davidlipson @MichaelDanbyMP She did, I published a photo of one of the bags of shredded docs in an article a couple of years ago #auspol
— Peter Wicks (@madwixxy) October 27, 2016
.@davidlipson @MichaelDanbyMP here's the pic mate, and a pic of the signed blank cheques also left behind by Jackson #auspol #lateline pic.twitter.com/8f4V6Us6td
— Peter Wicks (@madwixxy) October 27, 2016
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License
@davidlipson @Lateline Yes, it was a true story - you should try telling them sometime.
— Dave Donovan (@davrosz) October 27, 2016
Abbott "Liar Bird" Cotton Calico Tote Bag: $13 https://t.co/GUsseIpdnV pic.twitter.com/i9PwXbj2Im
— Dave Donovan (@davrosz) October 27, 2016
Cancel Crikey! Subscribe to Independent Australia instead HERE.
(It's much cheaper and you'll get the news years earlier.)
Why pay $$$s to watch Liberal ads on @SkyNewsAust when you can get them for 13c a day on the ABC?! https://t.co/tWN3d11e4Y #Lateline #auspol pic.twitter.com/o0PhCxhO67
— FairGo‼️ (@johndory49) October 27, 2016
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Crikey’s Bernie Keane too keen on conspiracy theories, says Michael Danby (from 2014) https://t.co/mtz1hRi5Sm
— Dave Donovan (@davrosz) October 28, 2016
