Omar Merhi, the ETU’s apprentices officer, lives in Coburg and votes in the seat of Wills, where there is a large Lebanese Muslim population. His family arrived in Australia in 1970. He keeps a close eye on developments in the Middle East.

ETU News: It’s been suggested in the media that Julia Gillard and most of the ALP are soft on what are deemed human rights violations by the Israeli government. Some went so far as to say that Kevin Rudd’s criticism of Israel after the attack on the peace flotilla severely undermined his position. What is your view of these claims?

Omar Merhi: Most Lebanese people know more about the history of the Middle East conflict than the average Australian. The Palestinians were driven out of what is now Israel in 1948 and what is happening to them now is a disgrace. How can Australian politicians say nothing about what those Israeli commandoes did to the peace boats? How can they not say a thing about the Israeli embargo on Palestine?

About the only decent thing Rudd did was condemn the Israeli attack on the peace flotilla. I’d love to see someone in the parliament who was prepared to speak out against the Israeli government.

I was in Lebanon three years in a row – 2006/07/08 – to visit family and my dad’s grave – he died on a visit there in 2004 – and to better understand my heritage. I got to see the damage done by the Israeli army, including the destruction of a bridge that turned a five-metre trip into nearly two hours of driving. There were helicopters over the village, which is an hour’s drive from the southern border, and people were really frightened.

I don’t mind when people say the Middle East conflict has no place here but it annoys me the way Muslims are portrayed by people like Andrew Bolt in the Herald Sun and how soft most commentators are on Israel. It was good to see some filmmakers and actors take a stand and boycott an Israeli film at the Melbourne Festival. I’m sure that if we fixed up the Palestinian issue there’d be far less unrest around the world.

ETU News: Do you have much time for politics or politicians?

Omar: The way union leaders leave their support for workers behind once they get preselected should annoy all workers. Whilst the Middle East is a personal issue for me, it’s the same with IR and the ABCC. It’s no wonder most members want to disaffiliate from the ALP. So-called union leaders promise so much when they enter parliament, only to leave their previous members high and dry. You’d be surprised how many apprentices actually know and are disheartened by the ABCC. For example, many Maxim apprentices contacted me recently when they were served with documentation from the ABCC regarding the ANZ project.

We need to continue to lobby the government for creation of jobs, protection of our trade and the current four year apprenticeship. The previous ETU magazine highlighted the inconsistencies of the newly formed ‘award modernisation’.

ETU News: What will you do in the election?

Omar: I voted for you when you were the federal member for Wills because I wanted someone who wasn’t controlled by the party bosses. I’ll see who turns up for the House of Reps and I’ll probably vote Green in the Senate.

I am over the major parties in a big way. They promise so much and deliver so little for workers, particularly the young. It’s time for REAL people to get into parliament and make a genuine difference. You only have to look at how the ALP is letting developers build skyscrapers in Moreland without thinking about the traffic problems and the need for open space. The ALP just takes voters for granted. They did it to unionists in 2007 and they’re still doing it where I live.