working people of this country," he said. Combet said that he and other union officials would "not be intimidated" by the prospect of the fines and imprisonment threatened in the legislation if officials break the new laws. "Unions must continue to stand up for people," he said. "As a union leader let me make this clear. I will not pay a $33,000 fine for asking for people to be treated fairly." This line drew an enormous cheer from the crowd. "We must be disciplined and responsible," Combet said. "There is no place for foolhardy or reckless behaviour. But we must also be firm in our resolve to stand up for people. It is true that it will take time for some people to be affected by the laws. But the rights of every person will be diminished. And for many the change will come quickly – particularly the most vulnerable." Organisers estimated the Melbourne crowd at 245,000 protesters. Police estimated the crowd at 150,000. Organisers claimed that 45,000 people marched in Sydney, while the Sydney Morning Herald put the number at 30,000. Although Sydney is bigger than Melbourne, protest crowds are usually bigger in the southern city. Up to 120,000 people across New South Wales took part in 227 separate stopwork meetings, linked by a statewide video hook-up. Organisers claimed 40,000 marchers in Adelaide, 30,000 in Perth, 25,000 in Brisbane, 6,000 in Hobart, 5,000 in Canberra and 3,000 in Darwin. Rallies were held in about 300 cities and towns. The day of protest was largely peaceful, but in Sydney more than 3,000 transport workers voted to block the M4, a major arterial route into the city, disrupting traffic. More than 15 freight trucks blocked traffic in both directions on the M4, while seven trucks stopped traffic at the entrance to the M4 from the Homebush Bay overpass. Thousands of protesters sat on the road, chanting and waving placards. The blockage lasted about half an hour. In most places there was effective co-operation between the organisers and police. Unions warned that the day of protest was only the start of a campaign which would continue until the next election. Bill Shorten, national secretary of the Australian Workers' Union, said: "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." Comparisons Organisers and some