The use of taxpayer resources to increase union membership is a fundamental attack on freedom of association, but it shouldn't come as a surprise to the public.
According to news reports, the Queensland Labor government has granted unions extensive access to state government resources — including phones, computers, emails and office space — to "encourage" union membership in the state's public service.
This decision was part of a secret deal between the union movement and Annastacia Palaszczuk's newly elected government.
The agreement states that government agencies must take a "positive, supportive role" in recruitment by unions.
This is an outrageous breach of trust.
Rather than acting in the public's interest, Palaszczuk has chosen to use people's hard-earned money to empower a special interest group.
In doing so, the government arguably has violated international treaty obligations by pressuring employees to join a union, a clear violation of the human right of freedom of association.
Palaszczuk is deeply indebted to the unions, which provided most of the funding for her election campaign. The unions are collecting on their investment. No doubt they will be grateful for this taxpayer-funded patronage and will repay it at the next Queensland election.
The sense of ownership that the unions have over Palaszczuk's government was highlighted last month by TheCourier-Mail.
The newspaper reported the Queensland secretary of the left-wing union United Voice, Gary Bullock, was bragging about the union's role in the election of seven state MPs, two of whom are now in cabinet. Bullock was quoted as having referred to politicians as "United Voice MPs" — which will surprise constituents who thought they were voting for Labor candidates.
This is a level of influence unimaginable for any other interest group. The special treatment is the symptom of a much deeper, interconnected relationship between the unions and the ALP. This relationship is enshrined in the structure of the Labor Party, and exists throughout the organisational and parliamentary wings.
The ALP's structure is set out in its national platform, which outlines the party's principles, organisational structure and constitutional framework. The national platform contains a staggering 169 references to unions.
These references range from mere statements of support to measures granting the unions constitutional power — such as the requirement that 50 per cent of all delegates to state conferences have to come from affiliated unions.
This level of influence is replicated throughout the party structure.
In the national executive — the party's chief administrative organisation — 73 per cent of the 26 members are current or former trade union officials.
At a parliamentary level, this influence can be seen in the fact 42 per cent of lower house MPs and a staggering 71 per cent of ALP senators previously have held a paid position in a trade union.
This means that, despite the fact only 12 per cent of Australia's voting-age population consists of trade union members, 51 per cent of federal ALP parliamentarians are former union officials.
The Queensland government's actions are merely the result of this union influence.
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