All around the Western world, far-right groups (some with neo-Nazi links), are gaining political ground through an orchestrated campaign against Muslim communities. These groups are spreading fear and hatred against recent immigrant communities from Muslim countries, and tap into well-resourced post-9/11 war propaganda initiated by rulers of the world鈥檚 richest and most powerful states.
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鈥淲inning Our Rights鈥 is the theme of the December 10-11 Union and Community Summer School, which will be held at Melbourne Trades Hall. The conference will discuss the 30-year-long retreat of the Australian union movement and also victories over that period.
鈥淲inning Our Rights鈥 will feature unionists leading important struggles. They will share their experiences and discuss how to turn the tide.
Attending will be Tom Buckley from New Zealand鈥檚 Unite union. Unite has won the rights of restaurant and other retail workers by organising in a heavily casualised industry.
A community sit-in defending Melbourne鈥檚 only Indigenous school, Ballerrt Mooroop College in Glenroy, began on November 24.
The state Labor government planned to shift the Glenroy Specialist School (GSS) onto the site, which would push the Koori school into portable classrooms in a tiny area. The government provided $18 million to GSS to relocate, but the Koori school received just $750,000.
Prominent queer rights and climate activist, Paola Harvey, will stand for the Socialist Alliance in the seat of Keira in the March 2011 NSW elections. Harvey, a resident of Mount Keira and part-time student, is a founding member of Equal Love Wollongong, the organisation leading the struggle for marriage equality, and is a member of the Wollongong Climate Action Network (WCAN). Also a member of Resistance, socialist youth organisation, she is involved in campaigns for youth rights, education and employment.
The success of Greens MP Adam Bandt's marriage equality motion in federal parliament, which called on MPs to take the issue back to their electorates, shows how successful our grassroots movement has been.
We've forced the Gillard Labor government to back away from its ridiculous discriminatory policy of denying equal marriage rights.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard now says the official ALP policy, which says marriage can only be between a man and a woman, should be looked at again at Labor鈥檚 next national conference. She wants to bring the conference forward to December 2011.
The Socialist Alliance鈥檚 Socialist Ideas Conference on November 20 featured informative presentations and spirited discussion. It reviewed the political situation in Australia and globally.
One of the speakers was Greens MLC Mark Parnell. The most animated discussion was about the Greens' political perspectives and relation to community campaigns and grassroots activism.
This followed an online debate before the event, about whether a Greens parliamentarian 鈥 particularly from the right of the party 鈥 should have been invited to speak at a conference promoting socialist ideas.
Ark Tribe walked out of Adelaide Magistrates Court a free man on November 24, after he was finally found 鈥渘ot guilty鈥 of failing to attend an Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) interview in 2008.
As Tribe, a rigger and Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) member left the court house, he was greeted by cheers from more than 1000 workers and officials from different unions. The victory was celebrated as a win for all workers.
Morning Star clarification
We were pleased to see 91自拍论坛 Weekly鈥檚 reprint from the Morning Star of Jeff Sawtell's review of the Made in Dagenham film (GLW #860).
Just one quibble. You have expanded Jeff's reference to the Morning Star to the 鈥淐ommunist Party of Britain鈥檚 newspaper, Morning Star鈥, which is inaccurate.
For the record, since 1945, the Morning Star and its forerunner, the Daily Worker, have been owned by a readers' co-operative, the People's Press Printing Society Ltd (PPPS).
The latest appeal against Stockland's Sandon Point development was dismissed on November 25, clearing the way for development.
The case has been in the Land and Environment Court since August.
The appeal was launched by the Sandon Point Aboriginal Tent Embassy (SPATE), which has been campaigning against the development for 10 years.
The community campaign has opposed the Sandon Point development because of impacts on the environment and Indigenous cultural heritage, as well as a lack of transparency and democracy in the approval process.
Tamil asylum seeker Mugeeb Rahuman Mohaideen is detained in Maribynong Detention Centre.
He came to Australia on November 7.
He told 91自拍论坛 Weekly that he ran a clothes-making store in the war-torn Tamil Eelam province of Sri Lanka.
Mohaideen's customers included the Sri Lankan Army. He said the SLA took a large order in August 2009 and didn't pay. When Mohaideen asked for payment, they came for him.
In early November, I attended the Wesfarmers AGM at the Perth Convention Centre. Yes, that Wesfarmers, the one that owns Coles, Bunnings, Officeworks, coal mines and plenty more. Not my usual sort of haunt, but I was there holding proxy votes for members of the Australia Western Sahara Association. Western Sahara was a Spanish colony until 1975, when Morocco invaded the country before a vote of self-determination could be held.
The Aboriginal Rights Coalition (ARC) held the "Deadly Dance 4 Justice" on November 19, which drew 100 people to the Globe Theatre for a night of live music, poetry and spoken-word performance, and raised more than $1500 for campaigns.
Headlining was Byron Bay act Fyah Walk, accompanied by "Didgtronica" artist Tjupurru, and local acts Kindling, Homeless Yellow and Joss.
4zzz-fm hosted the night and punters enjoyed an incredible vegan feast courtesy of Food Not Bombs.
To get involved in the ARC, email Ewan at ewanbris@gmail.com or phone 0401 234 610.
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