Devoted to those doing it tough – Michael Raper interview

"What's the point of all this wealth . . . " - Michael Raper

Michael Raper, Director of the Welfare Rights Centre, has spent three decades organising workers and upholding the rights of the low paid.

His inspiring contribution has forced policy and attitude change, and will be felt long into the future.

French lessons translate to Aussie unionism

Michael's passion for industrial advocacy was born in a French vineyard, as a young teacher who had temporarily left the profession to work overseas.

"It was my first strike. I had to sort of lead it because the French way is not to negotiate - you just go on strike and don't tell the boss why. So I negotiated and won us wet weather gear and an increase in pay," he said.

Michael returned to teaching in Australia at a Catholic high school, and found the conditions there just as appalling. Searching for a union, he found an embryonic Independent Teachers Association.

Michael recruited ninety percent of the school's workers, which stunned the ITA staff who had never seen such an influx of members. Recognising Michael as a valuable asset, they offered him a full-time Organiser position.

"I spent the next two years traveling across the State in a little Toyota. I organised teachers in preschools, Catholic schools, special schools, and even the rich private schools," he said.

In over a decade as ITA General Secretary, Michael registered the Independent Teachers' Federation as a Federal union, eventually became President and helped strengthen the union to an impressive 25 staff and 15,000 members.

Thinking he'd had "a fair go", Michael moved on to Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA in 1988 and found the work "interesting, very valuable, but a bit slow." After a year, he was eager for more rapid change.

Giant leap into welfare

Although claiming he knew nothing about social security, Michael's policy and activist background secured him the position of Director at the Welfare Rights Centre (WRC) in 1989. The Centre has since doubled in size and influence and become part of a national Welfare Rights network over which he presides.

The Centre which is funded by Legal Aid and the State and Federal Governments provides a crucial community service for those on various forms of social security. Similar to trade union staff, Michael and his colleagues give free legal advice and court representation and powerfully advocate for improved service delivery and legislation.

One of Michael's proudest achievements was the recent campaign to curb the whopping 385,000 fines being issued annually for social security breaches. An independent review body was formed and found complexity and unfairness inherent in the system, along with a failure by Centrelink and the Government to properly implement the law.

"The Senate blocked the welfare reform legislation for five months until the Government addressed these issues. Eventually they changed the law and reduced the penalties. It was a great campaign," he said.

The WRC's involvement in tax and economics lends itself to a close association with ACOSS, the Australian Council of Social Services. Michael served as President between 1997 and 2001 (when his term ended), but continues to advise the Council on economics, tax, and social security policy.

Michael also represents ACOSS on the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW), lobbying the UN and other organisations to improve laws and practices, and to better challenge the unjust attitudes of various Governments in relation to the less privileged.

This passion for social justice and equality flowed into another of Michael's vital roles as National President for the Mandela Foundation during the 1990s. The Foundation was part of the anti-apartheid movement in Australia, and raised money for the African National Congress.

"While the ANC was still banned we were slipping money into South Africa, to support the families of the ANC prisoners and exiles. Eventually when the ban was lifted we raised money to support the election campaign, which resulted in a glorious victory," he said.

Assault on poverty the way ahead

Michael is modest about the changes his work has brought about.

"I'm not taking credit and neither is ACOSS, but I'd like to suggest we may have had some influence. In the last Budget the tax cuts weren't as high as we expected, although they were still badly structured and they went to the rich. We'd certainly been arguing for a better spread, and less in the way of giveaway tax cuts. But there was also more in the family tax benefit expenditure than was expected," he said.

"Most of the influence, if at all, is long term. I have no doubt that we would be a less generous and caring society without the advocacy and expertise of organisations like the ACTU and ACOSS and the Welfare Rights Network."

Despite his remarkable achievements in social justice over the past three decades, Michael still longs to see the Federal Government introduce and fully implement an anti-poverty strategy.

"Even one million people living in poverty in Australia today is too many - and we can argue about whether there's actually two or three million. We have no national strategy, whereas most of the European countries do, and they're making progress. We desperately need to address this through education, health, and community services," he said.

"The second thing I would do, and it's part of the poverty thing, is address the hideous state of indigenous health. This Government just doesn't want to acknowledge these issues."

"What's the point of all of this wealth, and all this prosperity, if we don't bring these people along with it."