melbourne indymedia

The first day of the 5th annual Australian anarchist conference took place in Melbourne at Ceres environment park over 26-27 February, with a range of workshops, and debates. Sessions included discussions on the unexamined 'whiteness' of Australian anarchism, in the context of the indigenous fight for justice, queer anarchism, plant propagation and the war in Iraq. On Saturday night a death disco for the conference was held. Sunday's timetable included discussions on unemployment, the Lake Cowal campaign, and anarchism and the sex industries .[Full Story] [Event Website]

An anarchist FAQ | Historical Overview of Anarchism in Melbourne | Anarchist Conferences and Gatherings since 1975| Anarcho-syndicalism 101

For ongoing coverage of the RNC go to New York Indymedia | Live Webstream

For the first time in history, from August 30 to September 2 2004, New York City will be the site of the annual Republican National Convention (RNC). The main purpose of the convention is to nominate current president George W Bush as the Republican presidential candidate for the forthcoming election, but the event will be met by mass protest by local and international activists.

The beginning of action in New York City was marked on Thursday with the arrival of the Democracy Uprising group’s ‘DNC 2 NRC’ caravan. The 258 mile march began in Boston at the Democratic Convention and has spent the last month making its way to New York for the commencement of the RNC. The group is marching for those who can not be present and seeking “dignity, justice, housing, autonomy, education, health care, work and food for all.”

The Gotham Gazette reported that 21 people involved in anti-RNC activities were arrested on Friday. Four of the arrested face a maximum of 25 years in prison for assault, after a police officer fell through a skylight at the Plaza Hotel. Despite calls for peaceful action it seems unlikely that the NYPD will allow activists to carry out events without intervention. Many groups will be on hand during the coming days to provide free legal advice to those in need. [Full Story...]

Even in the dying hours of the Republican National Convention (RNC), demonstrators refused to show complacency, with many gathering outside Madison Square Garden until well after midnight. The last few days in New York City have seen the streets filled with individuals and groups determined for their voices to be heard.

As predicted, George W Bush was named as the Republican candidate for the forthcoming election and as expected, a group of right-winged, neocons converged on New York City singing the praises of their leader and the party’s hardline political policies. [Full Feature]

[New York Civil Liberties Union | New York Indymedia | United for Peace | Counter Convention]

The Students of Sustainability Conference 2004, a cascade of issues, visions and ideas leading to an open space of strategies for social change, will be be held at La Trobe University, Bundoora (Melbourne) from Sunday July 11 until Saturday July 17. The Conference is structured as a series of plenaries, forums, panel discussions, practical workshops, and field trips that explore sustainability issues on individual, local, national and global levels.

The SoS Conference began in 1991 under the name ‘Students, Science and Sustainabilty’, and has attracted up to a thousand people into one conference in the past. The Conference is inclusive, attracting a diverse range of participants, including young people, activists, students, community group members, politicians, Indigenous people, academics, and many others. The conference will offer discussion and insight into premaculture, media activism, Indigenous land management, sustainable transport, as well as environment issues in the region.

Registration and fees apply for those attending any part of the week-long event. A program is available, which includes the times, descriptions, and official speakers for each event.

[Discuss | Students of Sustainability: Website, Registration, Program, Location]

Melbourne radio broadcaster and commentator Joseph Toscano has revealed that senior officers in the Australian military are telling their troops how to vote at the upcoming Federal election. Across the country and overseas, Australian military personnel are being told that if they want to keep their jobs, they, along with family and friends, must vote for the Liberal Party/National Party Coalition at the next Federal election, according to one source familiar with the military.

This news has come in the face of an allegation by General Peter Cosgrove to the Senate estimates committee hearing that Prime Minister John Howard is breaking a long-standing convention against the images of defence personnel being used for "unmistakably political purposes". Voters have been receiving images of John Howard posing with military personnel from Liberal Party MPs and candidates. Critics have been angry by the politicisation of the Australian military, which is supposed to be an arm of the state, rather than the Federal Government.

[Discuss | Anarchist Age Weekly Review | Department of Defence]