Ged Kearney with Bill Shorten
From Barry Camfield in Australia : An example of a progressive woman trade unionist winning a parliamentary seat, in a seat called “Batman”, with a commitment to fight for unions and workers interests.
A by-election for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Batman took place on 17th March 2018.
To loud cheers and renditions of the union anthem ‘Solidarity Forever’, grinning Opposition Leader Bill Shorten welcomed his victorious by-election candidate Ged Kearney as “the hero of Batman”.
This was a big win for Labor. A morale boosting victory heading into a federal election in the next 12 months in a seat the Greens have been threatening, and promising, to win for years.
As big a win for the ALP this was a savage loss for the Greens. This was Alex Bhathal’s sixth attempt at Batman. Over her career she had successfully whittled away Labor’s lead in Batman in previous elections from a safe seat to falling agonisingly close in 2016 when the party fell less than 2,000 votes short.
Now the margin is out to 4 per cent and Labor is winning the primary race.
Statement by ACTU Secretary Sally McManus:
“On behalf of working people across the country and the Australian trade union movement I congratulate Ged Kearney on her win in Batman.
 “Ged has been a tireless advocate for working people for decades – in our hospitals, as the national leader of nurses and midwives, as ACTU president and now as the member for Batman.
 “As working people fight to change the rules so Australia is a fairer and better country, they will have an ally in Canberra in Ged Kearney.
 “Our democracy is richer for Ged’s election.”Â
