AUSTRALIA: Over 200,000 people have protested at the anti-hoWARd government rally in Melbourne, with at least 150,000 or more in other capital cities and in regional centres throughout Australia.

Huge crowds packed into Federation Square in Melbourne this morning.

Protesters marched across the city to the Carlton Gardens, where Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) secretary Martin Kingham said the rally was a huge success.

"Looks like 200,000 to me - the biggest industrial rally that I've ever seen in Melbourne," he said.

Thousands of building workers attended the rally despite the threat of a $22,000 fine each for taking part.

Australian Workers Union (AWU) secretary Bill Shorten says today's rallies are just the beginning of a campaign against the Howard Government.

"You asked what is the strategy for the next 700 days - the strategy is to fight - to fight in the workplace, to fight in the community, to fight in the media and to get rid of the Howard Government," he said.

Brisbane

In Brisbane, over 10,000 workers marched through the inner-city to the Queensland National party headquarters to protest against the industrial relations laws.

The protesters had earlier gathered at Southbank to hear the Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and union leaders speak.

Sydney

In Sydney, trucks and demonstrators blocked a major motorway as part of the protest.

New South Wales Transport Workers Union secretary Tony Sheldon says protesters on the M4 motorway wanted to draw attention to the impact they say the laws will have on the trucking industry.

"They're determined to protect motorists, their loved ones, their next door neighbours from the excesses of the Howard legislation that's going to cause more and more deregulation of the trucking industry and more unsafe rates and unsafe practices while there's a drive to the bottom," he said.

As expected the Labour Party bureaucrats were out in force to capitalise on the discontent for their careerist ambitions but interestingly the video of Bob Brown got a much bigger cheer than that of Kim Beazley, a nice contrast to the previous demo where workers were seen chanting "beazley, beazley".

Huge crowds certainly put a smile on most people's faces.

Massive IR Rally Brings Melbourne to a Standstill

Crowds in excessive of 175,000 clogged Melbourne's CBD this morning in a show of solidarity against the government's Industrial Relations laws that are currently before the parliament. A mixture of unionists, workers, and community groups joined the rally to hear about the implications of the new laws for working people, before marching to the Carlton Gardens in a crowd that stretched over several kilometres. Rallies also took place across regional Australia, and in other major cities, where people attended in unprecedented numbers. The rallies are part of a broader campaign to oppose the employer led efforts to reduce wages and working conditions by undermining collective bargaining, and deregulating the labour market.

More:  http://melbourne.indymedia.org/