Solidarity Park

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Solidarity Park
Solidarity Park.jpg
Australia Perth location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationPerth, Western Australia
Coordinates 31°57′06″S115°50′47″E / 31.9516°S 115.8463°E / -31.9516; 115.8463
Opened1997;28 years ago (1997)
Managed by UnionsWA
Website www.unionswa.com.au/about-us/solidarity-park-memorial-day .
TypeState Registered Place
Designated20 Apr 2004
Reference no. 15850

Solidarity Park is located opposite Parliament House in Perth, Western Australia. In 1997 a 'workers embassy' was set up on vacant land opposite Parliament House during union protests of the Court Government's 'third wave' legislation for industrial relations. What began with a caravan and portable barbecue soon transformed into a landscaped shelter with a monument to the trade union workers who have died during their work. The monument was particularly dedicated to Mark Allen, a young CFMEU organiser who was killed on a building site while attempting to get workers down from an unsafe roof. [1]

Contents

History

The workers embassy, in the form of a caravan, was first established on the grounds of Parliament House on 29 April 1997 as part of the campaign against the 'third wave' industrial relations legislation, when an estimated 30,000 people marched through the city to Parliament House. [2] Three unionists had parked the caravan to act as a distribution point for information and a collection point for donations during and after the rally. [3] When approached by security, they claimed it to be a first aid post and were able to leave it in place. [4]

Four union officials were subsequently arrested on the night of the 30 April for remaining on the premises, [4] with the workers embassy relocated to a site across the street from Parliament House. [3] On 1 May 1997, Mike Mitchell, an organiser from the Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing, and Allied Services Union (CEPU), marked out the 510-square-metre (5,500 sq ft) site under the Mining Act using a prospector's license. [3]

Unions occupied the site 24 hours a day for six months. [5] In July 1997, the workers embassy was renamed Solidarity Park. [3] In July and August, multiple structures were established on the site including the Mark Allen Memorial, which features a triple-8 symbol to represent the labour movement's historic struggle for the 8-hour day, the People's Wall to replace the original sandbag wall around the site, the Fountain for Youth, and the Commemorative Rock. [3] As a result, Solidarity Park is the location of the highest concentration of labour monuments in Western Australia. [6]

The 'third wave' industrial relations legislation was overturned following the election of the Gallop Government in 2001, [2] and Solidarity Park was permanently listed on the State Register of Heritage Places in 2004. [6]

An International Workers Memorial Day event is held at Solidarity Park every year. [7] UnionsWA is currently responsible for the management and maintenance of the site. [7]

See also

General references

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References

  1. ↑ "Mark Allen | Monument Australia". monumentaustralia.org.au. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Passions still high 20 years after WA's massive 'third wave' IR fight". ABC News. 29 April 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "REGISTER OF HERITAGE PLACES - ASSESSMENT DOCUMENTATION". Heritage Council of Western Australia.
  4. 1 2 Oliver, Bobbie (2003). Unity is Strength: A History of the Australian Labor Party and the Trades and Labor Council in Western Australia, 1899–1999. API Network. p. 356. ISBN   1 920845 00 3.
  5. ↑ "Solidarity Park | Monument Australia". monumentaustralia.org.au. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Heritage Council of WA - Places Database". inherit.dplh.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Solidarity Park/Memorial Day". UnionsWA.
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