Melbourne-Sydney, IR rallies, bad weather and more

I enjoyed Sydney, and most of the conference I attended there, but I have to say that I am thoroughly glad to be back in Melbourne. For one, the coffee is better here.

Sydneysiders have a cheek to complain about Melbourne's weather, but I have to say, despite enjoying Sydney's balmy evenings and warm afternoons, I seriously didn't take too kindly to the storm on Tuesday afternoon that brought all fligths at Sydney airport to a halt. Especially because my 8pm flight back to Melbourne didn't end up taking off till 9.45 pm!!! Not impressed. I've since heard that flights in and out of Sydney are regularly delayed by such things. Hmph.

Also, I heard great things about Melbourne's massive industrial relations rally that filled the city centre and Federation Square. Still, Sydney's was pretty big. I attended the rally starting point at Belmont Park, near George St. Initially, I thought it was small, but after walking around a bit, a realised it was a pretty big rally. Though not as big as Melbourne's, judging from the footage we saw of the Melbourne rally – a mass of colour and people filling Federation Square and overflowing into the streets around it.



Still, this is not supposed to be about whether Melbourne or Sydney can generate the largest rallies. It is about trying to stop the most damaging attack on the rights and lives of working people in Australia!