Socialist Alliance Tasmania

Socialist Alliance Media Release

2011-08-22T22:52:00.000+10:00

Socialist Alliance outrage over the state government budget, including dangerous cuts to mental health services

5 August 2011

Socialist Alliance members were outraged by the harsh neo-liberal budget handed down by the Tasmanian Labor-Greens government on June 16. The government has pushed for and then backed down on a plan to close 20 schools. Now the government wants to slash over $110 million from the health budget in the next financial year alone. Mental health services in the south of the state have been one of the first targets.

Inpatient and community teams have been told that they will lose clinical case management, nursing, allied health, admin, emergency crisis worker and diversional therapy positions. Staff at the 12-bed mental health residential facility in Campbell St have been told that the service will be closed down or transferred to an NGO and the Department is even considering outsourcing the Mental Health Helpline - the critical gateway into the service which is responsible for responding to crisis calls! Staff have expressed anger and alarm to Socialist Alliance about the impact that these proposed cuts will have on people with serious mental illnesses who need treatment and support.

All the community mental health teams already have big waitlists for people needing case management. Existing staffing resources are not enough to meet even the current needs of the seriously mentally ill. Professor Patrick McGorry has convincingly explained that mental health services in this country remain drastically under-funded in comparison to other health services. Burnout, stress and work overload is already an issue amongst Tasmanian mental health staff.

“If the Health Minister goes ahead with plans to cut all these frontline clinical positions, we will see more people with serious mental health conditions going untreated and unsupported and the stress on existing clinicians will be extreme. This is likely to lead to more hospital admissions, more social disruption, greater physical harm and more risk of suicides,” warned Linda Seaborn, spokesperson for the Socialist Alliance.

Seaborn asked “How can these cuts make economic sense when you consider the long-term costs to our community of not treating illnesses early? This is true even if you just consider the economic costs of increased hospital admissions and potential loss of working capacity.” The Socialist Alliance says “Hands off mental health services’ frontline positions!”

Socialist Alliance members are disappointed that Greens MPs are supporting and actively implementing this budget. Greens leader and MP Nick McKim said in a media release: “The Greens welcome the move to a new fiscal strategy.” He said that they have “rolled up their sleeves” to take “tough remedial budget action” and they won’t “shirk from this responsibility”.

“This Labor-Green government has got its priorities all wrong”, said Rose Matthews, spokesperson for the Socialist Alliance. “The government is punishing ordinary people by slashing into the services we really need. Nobody believes that you can axe millions of dollars and over a thousand jobs from health, education, and police without leading to poorer services. They may even slash the Royal Hobart Hospital’s budget by 20% ($70 million), the Launceston General Hospital by $39 million according to reports today. Grassroots workers will be the ones to face the sack, not the top-levels of the bureaucracy.”

The Socialist Alliance pledges to stand side-by-side with the mental health and other public sector workers that are currently campaigning against cuts to their services.

“In fact, we need to defend health, education, housing and child protection services across the board. Cuts will lead to the most vulnerable people in our community suffering. They will also result in a loss of skilled staff to the mainland and more flow-on unemployment in the private sector,” Matthews said.

“Governments need to stimulate the economy by maintaining a strong public sector and investing in jobs, especially in times of economic crisis.”

Yet Premier Lara Giddings is too eager to listen to its ex-TCCI (Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry) economist who she recruited to be her senior advisor. Roz Madsen from Unions Tasmania pointed out that last year, the state government cut land tax, payroll tax and tax on betting exchanges which led to a reduction of $185 million in government income. The government has also spent taxpayers’ money on propping up Gunns and other favored businesses, with no public benefit.

The Socialist Alliance advocates an alternative approach that protects services and boosts the economy. We call on the government to:

- Boost grassroots professional jobs in essential services like health, mental health, education, child protection, ambulance services etc to meet the needs of all Tasmanians

- Take up the offer of the Federal Government to fund 50% of an evidence-based EPPIC (Early Psychosis) treatment service for young people, which we badly need in this state.

- Invest in rail, renewable energy, national parks and public housing, going into debt in the short-term if necessary, in order to stimulate jobs and the economy

Instead of slashing essential services, they could balance the budget by doing things like:

- End subsidies and pay-outs to Gunns and other private companies (especially when there are no guarantees of long-term jobs)

- Increase corporate payroll tax

- Increase mining royalties significantly from the meager rate of 5.5%

- Reduce the frivolous budget spent on maintaining a full-time governor and Government House

- Charge market rates to the three big corporate electricity users instead of selling our electricity to them at below-cost

- Tax the excess gaming profits made by Federal Hotels (which according to Greg James on Tasmanian Times, amounts to $225 million per annum)

- Take action to recoup the $721,000 owed to the government by the Walker Corporation for planning costs associated with their failed Ralph’s Bay marina application

- Return water and sewerage to council control

- Reduce parliamentary and top-bureaucrat perks, privileges, superannuation and wages

2011-06-25T11:17:00.000+10:00

225 Murray St, Hobart, TAS 7000 Phone: (03) 6234 6397

hobart@socialist-alliance.org

Socialist Alliance expresses outrage over the state government budget, calls for a socially just alternative.

24 June 2011

Socialist Alliance members were outraged by the harsh neo-liberal budget handed down by the Tasmanian Labor-Greens government on June 16.

The budget slashes a total of $1.4 billion from the public sector over the next four years, including a $100 million cut to health within the next financial year and the closing of 20 schools. Up to 1700 full-time equivalent jobs will be scrapped, including 100 police jobs. The 5 per cent cap on water price rises was increased to 10 per cent, meaning price rises of up to $100 per quarter for households.

Public sector workers will have their pay rises capped at 2 per cent a year, with the possibility of an extra 0.5 per cent through productivity improvements, still well below rising inflation and cost of living increases.

The government has also passed laws to make it easier to sack public servants by limiting the redeployment period from twelve to six months. Both Labor and the Greens gave a public commitment before the last state elections that they would not sack public sector workers.

We are shocked and disappointed that Greens MPs are supporting and actively implementing this agenda. Greens leader and MP Nick McKim said in a media release: “The Greens welcome the move to a new fiscal strategy… [it’s] a welcome change of position from Labor.” He said that they have “rolled up their sleeves” to take “tough remedial budget action” and they won’t “shirk from this responsibility”. As Education Minister, McKim is now leading the charge to close down 20 public sector schools.

“This Labor-Green government has got its priorities all wrong”, said Shaine Stephen, spokesperson for the Socialist Alliance. “The government is punishing ordinary people by slashing into the services we really need. Nobody believes that you can axe millions of dollars and over a thousand jobs from health, education, police and other services without leading to poorer services.”

The Socialist Alliance pledges to stand side-by-side with the communities that are fighting for the survival of their schools.

“The fact that savings from 20 school closures have already been included in the budget suggests that McKim’s pledge to visit those schools and consult with them doesn’t mean much”, Mr Stephen said. “We understand that in some rural areas and tight-knit communities, schools can be the lifeblood and the centre of those communities. Closing them down, against the wishes of teachers, parents and students, could devastate those communities and seriously impair those children’s education. It’s also bad for the health of families and the environment because instead of parents being able to walk their children to school, children will need to travel long distances by road.”

Socialist Alliance also pledges to assist public sector workers and their unions in their fight to protect jobs and services. Rose Matthews, Co-Convener of Hobart Socialist Alliance, said: “We have members working in mental health, acute health, education and child protection and they are saying loud and clear that these services are already struggling. They also worry that the workers left behind won’t be able to deal with the stress of increasing workloads when jobs are cut.”

Ms Matthews continued: “Some people think of the public sector as being full of over-paid department heads and paper-pushing bureaucrats but actually research by Anglicare shows that the increase in public sector job numbers in recent years has been mainly through more dentists, doctors, teachers, ambulance officers, allied health professionals and nurses. We know that grassroots workers will be the ones to face the sack, not the top-levels of the bureaucracy.”

Socialist Alliance also believes that these actions will be bad for the economy. Many economists, including authors of the report by the University of Newcastle’s Centre of Full Employment and Equity commissioned by the unions, say that these cuts will have a negative flow-on effect into the private sector and raise unemployment. Governments need to stimulate the economy by maintaining a strong public sector and investing in jobs, especially in times of economic crisis.

Yet Premier Lara Giddings is too eager to listen to its ex-TCII (Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry) economist who she recruited to be her senior advisor. Roz Madsen from Unions Tasmania pointed out that last year, the state government cut land tax, payroll tax and tax on betting exchanges which led to a reduction of $185 million in government income. The government has also spent taxpayers’ money on propping up Gunns and other favored businesses, with no public benefit.

The Socialist Alliance advocates an alternative approach that protects services and boosts the economy. We call on the government to:

- End subsidies to Gunns and other private companies (especially when there are no guarantees of long-term jobs)

- Increase corporate payroll tax

- Reverse land tax cuts

- Increase mining royalties significantly from the meager rate of 5.5%

- Reduce the frivolous budget spent on maintaining a full-time governor and Governor House

- Reform forestry – cancel native forest logging permits to big companies like Gunns without compensation and instead seek to maximize the carbon storage and tourism value of our forests while supporting a transition for workers into a small-scale value-adding timber industry.

- Charge market rates to the three big corporate electricity users instead of selling our electricity to them at below-cost

- Tax the excess gaming profits made by Federal Hotels (which according to Greg James on Tasmanian Times, amounts to $225 million per annum)

- Take action to recoup the $721,000 owed to the government by the Walker Corporation for planning costs associated with their failed Ralph’s Bay marina application

- Return water and sewerage to council control

- Reduce parliamentary and top-bureaucrat perks, privileges, superannuation and wages

- Invest in rail, renewable energy, national parks and public housing, going into debt in the short-term if necessary, in order to stimulate jobs and the economy

- Boost grassroots professional jobs in essential services like health, mental health, education, child protection, ambulance services etc to meet the needs of all Tasmanians

For more info: Shaine Stephen: 0422 849 641

Rose Matthews: 0407 550 805

LATIN AMERICAN DINNER AND SLIDE NIGHT

2011-06-11T17:49:00.000+10:00

Climate Change-Social Change conference

2011-05-15T20:52:00.000+10:00

http://climatechangesocialchange2011.wordpress.com/

Humanity is in a race against time to avoid environmental catastrophe and social collapse.
We sometimes seem to be losing that race. Climate change, no longer just a prediction, is already extinguishing species, destroying essential food production and forcing thousands of people to flee their island homes. More people are directly affected by more wars than ever before in history. And while the structural causes of last year’s global financial crisis continue unabated, governments are imposing vicious austerity policies on the majority in both the Global North and South to pay for the capitalists’ bail-out.
Sponsored by the Office of Environmental Programs, Melbourne UniversityOrganised by Green Left Weekly and the Socialist Alliance

Press Release: Socialist Alliance opposes refugee detention centre at Pontville

2011-04-18T12:38:00.001+10:00

Socialist Alliance opposes refugee detention centre at Pontville, calls for community-based processing and housing of refugees.

15 April 2011

The Hobart branch of the Socialist Alliance was angered to hear of the plans to build a refugee detention camp in Pontville , Tasmania because we oppose mandatory detention of refugees. We call on the federal government to use community-based processing and settlement alternatives that respect human rights. “We want to welcome refugees into the state and into our communities, not see them locked up behind barbed wire”, said Jenny Forward, Socialist Alliance’s refugee spokesperson.

“Mandatory detention is inhumane and breaches fundamental human rights. The treatment of asylum seekers in this country has been shameful and we do not want our state to continue this legacy. The detention process has resulted in the intensification of trauma and irreparable mental health issues. Furthermore the entrustment of the detention centres to a privatised company, Serco, shamelessly prioritises corporate profit over human lives”, Forward said.

The suicide of Mohammed Asif Atay in Curtin detention centre on March 28 was the sixth known refugee to die in detention in the past seven months. Victoria Martin-Iverson from the Refugee Rights Action Network (RRAN) in Perth said she was told there was a suicide attempt every day at the Christmas Island detention centre.

Socialist Alliance is pleased to hear that there are plans to house women and children in the community, but we call on the government to also treat the 400 men who will be imprisoned at Pontville in the same way. “They do not need to be kept under 24 hour guard while their applications are assessed. The Kosovo refugees were not locked up in this way – they were free to come and go at will - so neither should these current refugees be locked up,” Forward said.

Refugees are not criminals. Mandatory detention was only brought into effect in Australia in 1994. Australia is the only developed country in the world that detains asylum seekers who arrive without a valid visa. "Understandably some in the Tasmanian community resent that $15 million will be spent on preparing the detention centre at Pontville when many public services are facing cut backs. The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre states that it is widely recognised by the UNHCR, an Australian parliamentary enquiry into the cost of detention centres and DIAC that community arrangements are far more cost effective than a detention centre," Forward said.

“We support the protests that will be held by refugee advocates at the Curtin, Villawood and Maribyrnong detention centres over the Easter weekend to call for an end to mandatory detention. In summary, we would welcome a project for housing new migrants and refugees in Tasmania but we oppose the building of yet another refugee detention camp”, Forward said.

For more info: Jenny Forward 0400 701 902

Announcing the Premiere Screenings in Tasmania of John Pilger's controversial new film

2011-03-27T18:11:00.000+11:00

'The War You Don't See' is a powerful and timely investigation into the media's role in war, tracing the history of 'embedded' and independent reporting from the carnage of World War One to the destruction of Hiroshima, and from the invasion of Vietnam to the current war in Afghanistan and disaster in Iraq. As weapons and propaganda become even more sophisticated, the nature of war is developing into an 'electronic battlefield' in which journalists play a key role, and civilians are the victims.

Includes an interview with WikiLeaks founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange.

View trailer at: http://www.johnpilger.com/videos/the-war-you-dont-see-trailer

Organised by Green Left Weekly - People Powered Media

www.greenleft.org.au

Ph 6234 6397, 0418 643 133

hobart@socialist-alliance.org

2011-03-27T18:01:00.000+11:00

Resource public services, not Gunns!

For a healthy, socially just, sustainable and democratic state

225 Murray St, Hobart, TAS 7000 / Phone: (03) 6234 6397 / hobart@socialist-alliance.org

Socialist Alliance opposes Gunns’ pulp mill, calls for referendum

24 March 2011

Socialist Alliance condemns the recent decision by Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke to give final approval to Gunn’s Tamar Valley pulp mill. Socialist Alliance also opposes the decision by the State government to continue propping up the mill by promising to build mill-related infrastructure for Gunns.

“We could never support the Gunns pulp mill in the Tamar Valley, due to the corrupt nature with which it was approved,” said Susan Austin, Socialist Alliance spokesperson. “In addition we oppose it because of its likely toxic effects on the environment and the community.”

Socialist Alliance joins with other community and environment groups in expressing grave concern about water usage, toxic effluent, odours, air pollution, greenhouse emissions, wood-fired power processes and the intensification of an already-harmful plantation industry in the state.

“The permits for the mill must be revoked by the state and federal governments. Approval for any pulp mill needs to pass a rigorous, independent scientific assessment, such as the RPDC,” Austin said.

“Further, we acknowledge that there have been serious social and environmental issues concerned with pulp mills in general, wherever they have been built and therefore we believe that this and all other pulp mill proposals should in addition be subjected to a Tasmania wide referendum. This is a much more accurate way to determine the social license for any pulp mill and will allow everyone to have a say about whether we want a pulp mill or not,” said Austin.

Socialist Alliance also supports campaigns around the world by other communities who are also battling similar pulp mills.

“There will be no jobs on a dead planet. There are many ways that the government can support jobs and the environment, but supporting this toxic, job-poor project is definitely not one of them!” Austin concluded.

For more info: Susan Austin 0418 643 133

Socialist Alliance Hobart Branch Conference – ‘System Change, Not Climate Change’ and ‘the Role of the Revolutionary Press’.

2011-02-22T15:19:00.000+11:00

Aboriginal rights forum - Socialist and Aborigines working together - how do we do it and what are the current and upcoming campaigns?

2011-02-22T15:15:00.001+11:00

With speakers from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre including Nala Mansell-Mckenna, Aaron Everett, Adam Thompson & Sara Maynard.

On Thursday Feb 24, 6pm - 7pm

Followed by a cheap dinner at 7pm (informal discussion could continue).

Followed by a screening of: "Our Generation" at 7.30pm. - $8/5 conc (50% of profits to TAC). Come to the forum, dinner or film or if you can, come to all three!

For more info or to watch the trailer go to: http://www.ourgeneration.org.au/

To read an excellent interview with the filmakers and Jeff McMullen go to: http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45227

RSVP to hobart@socialist-alliance.

Ph Susan Austin on 6234 6397 or 0418 643 133

Film Screening of South of the Border by Oliver Stone

2010-11-02T22:55:00.001+11:00

Socialist Teach In

2010-10-15T14:52:00.002+11:00

`Shining the spotlight on capitalism and theories of how to challenge it'

Thursday 21^st October

11am-4pm

11am-12pm: The Shock Doctrine – seeing our system in a new light. Exposing the thinking, the money trail and the puppet strings behind the world-changing crises and wars of the last four decades, Naomi Klein's "The Shock Doctrine" is the gripping story of how America's "free market" policies have come to dominate the world-- through the exploitation of disaster-shocked people and countries. Have you read the book and want to talk about it? Or have you not yet read the book but would like to learn the gist of what it's all about by exploring an example case study in the book with us?

12pm: Lunch break (bring your own)

12:30 – 1:30pm: The Global Financial Crisis – the failure or resilience of capitalism?

1:30pm: Break

1:45 - 2:45pm: The Marxist view of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex oppression … and how to fight it!

2:45pm: Break

3 -4 pm: How to challenge capitalism: Effective activism, popular power and unity in struggle - Learning from leading Latin American Marxist activist and intellectual Marta Harnecker's 12-part `Ideas for the Struggle' published this year.

Please email hobart@socialist-alliance.org or call 0418 643 133 to register for one class or the full program.

Classes are free and will be held at the Hobart Activist Centre, 225 Murray St, Hobart. All welcome!

Poster for October Environment Film Festival

2010-09-05T22:55:00.000+10:00

Come along and bring your friends to see these must-see award winning environmental films

Download this poster to help spread the word or RSVP on Facebook and share event there with others...

The Yes Men Fix the World - Last Film of Environment Film Festival

2010-09-05T22:46:00.001+10:00

	09 October · 19:00 - 21:00

	225 Murray St Hobart, Australia

Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno are two guys who just can't take "no" for an answer.

They have an unusual hobby: posing as top executives of corporations they hate. Armed with nothing but thrift-store suits, the Yes Men lie their way into business conferences and parody their corporate targets in ever more extreme ways - basically doing everything that they can to wake up their audiences to the danger of letting greed run our world.

One day Andy, purporting to be a Dow Chemical spokesperson, gets on the biggest TV news program in the world and announces that Dow will finally clean up the site of the largest industrial accident in history, the Bhopal catastrophe. The result: as people worldwide celebrate, Dow's stock value loses two billion dollars. People want Dow to do the right thing, but the market decides that it can't.

In this film they visit the twisted (and accidentally hilarious) underworld of the free-market think tanks, where they figure out a way to defeat the logic that's destroying our planet. And as they appear on the BBC before 300 million viewers, or before 1000 New Orleans contractors alongside Mayor Ray Nagin, the layers of lies are peeled back to reveal the raw heart of truth - a truth that brings with it hope.

Showing on the big screen at the Hobart Activist Centre as part of Green Left Weekly's Environment Film Festival. Money raised goes towards producing the alternative newspaper Green Left Weekly.

Entry $12/$8 concession per film or $25/$15 conc for a festival pass.

Delicious cheap meals available at 6:30pm.

Call 03 62346397 for more details.

End of the Line - Second Day of Environment Film Festival

2010-09-05T22:30:00.001+10:00

	09 October · 16:00 - 18:00

	225 Murray St Hobart, Australia

The End of the Line is the first major feature documentary film revealing the impact of overfishing on our oceans.

In the film we see firsthand the effects of our global love affair with fish as food.

It examines the imminent extinction of bluefin tuna, brought on by increasing western demand for sushi; the impact on marine life resulting in huge overpopulation of jellyfish; and the profound implications of a future world with no ...fish that would bring certain mass starvation.

Filmed over two years, The End of the Line follows the investigative reporter Charles Clover as he confronts politicians and celebrity restaurateurs, who exhibit little regard for the damage they are doing to the oceans.

Filmed across the world – from the Straits of Gibraltar to the coasts of Senegal and Alaska to the Tokyo fish market – featuring top scientists, indigenous fishermen and fisheries enforcement officials, The End of the Line is a wake-up call to the world.

Showing on the big screen at the Hobart Activist Centre as part of Green Left Weekly's Environment Film Festival. Money raised goes towards producing the alternative newspaper Green Left Weekly.

Entry $12/$8 concession per film or $25/$15 conc for a festival pass.

Phone 03 6234 6397

FOOD, INC. - First Film of Environment Film Festival

2010-09-05T22:17:00.002+10:00

Time	08 October · 19:00 - 21:00

Location	225 Murray St Hobart, Australia

The way we eat has changed more in the past 50 years than it did in the previous 10,000 years; that's the opening claim of this powerfully didactic documentary FOOD, INC. which looks beyond the supermarket shelves to see how the food Americans eat is prepared.

It's a shocking indictment of an industry which has been taken over by greedy, litigious, multi-national corporations who not only want to put small farmers and food suppliers out of business, they want to keep quiet about the dangerous practices they use in the slaughtering of animals for food and other farming practices.

It looks at the stories of a woman whose two year old son died of E-Coli poisoning after eating a hamburger; a Latino couple who simply can't afford to buy healthy food because it's dearer than junk food; and a small farmer sued by a giant company for wanting to use his own seed for planting; the company owns the rights to genetically modified soybeans.

You'll never look at dinner the same way again.

Showing on the big screen at the Hobart Activist Centre as part of Green Left Weekly's Environment Film Festival. Money raised goes towards producing the alternative newspaper Green Left Weekly.

Entry $12/$8 concession per film or $25/$15 conc for a festival pass.

Delicious cheap meals available at 6:30pm.

Phone 03 62346397 for more details.

Mel Barnes for Denison tv ad

2010-08-17T18:36:00.001+10:00

Mel's speech at the Walk Against Warming

2010-08-17T16:27:00.000+10:00

Walk Against Warming speech

2010-08-16T19:04:00.001+10:00

Speech from Mel Barnes at the Walk Against Warming

I’m a candidate in Denison and I’m also a climate activist.

The starting point for action on climate change has to be the science. The vast majority of climate scientists around the world say that unless we reduce the amount of carbon already in the atmosphere, we are headed for a climate catastrophe. We need to cut our emissions by 5% a year and move as rapidly as possible to a zero carbon economy.

Delay is denial. 12 new coal fired power stations are in the pipeline to be built over the next few years.

- The NSW state government is planning to construct two new coal-fired power stations, which will increase the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by up to 15%.
- There are plans to open a new coal mine next to the town of Margaret River in Western Australia. Margaret River is famous for its wineries, and relies on the aquifers that will be threatened by the mine. This is part of a bigger plan by the Liberal state government to build 3 new coal-fired power stations in Western Australia, all which have been approved this year.
- Four of the proposed coal-fired plants are in Queensland.
- In South Australia, two new coal-fired stations have been proposed

This is denial.

While the Labor government says that climate change is the greatest moral issue of our time, at the same time they are delaying any real action and hope that we will be fooled. If we complain that their policies aren’t good enough, they say ‘well, the Liberals will be worse’. Which is true, but since both parties are heading us down the path of climate catastrophe, it doesn’t matter that Labor are slightly better. The point is, their policies are not good enough. The starting point has to be the science, and we can’t negotiate with science.

Good climate policy would start with a massive investment in renewable energy. A report just released by Melbourne group Beyond Zero Emissions shows that it is possible to move Australia to 100% renewable energy by 2020. This is a detailed report that shows exactly how we could do this, with technology that is proven and commercially available now, and how much it would cost.

This switch to a clean economy would create hundreds of thousands of jobs. But we would need to ensure a just transition for workers in the old industries to make the switch. Socialist Alliance has a policy of establishing new sustainable industries in the same areas as the old industries and retraining workers on full pay.

The Socialist Alliance would welcome a carbon price because it could raise some money that will be well spent on building renewable energy infrastructure. But a carbon price alone is not enough, it will not get the job done in the timeframe we need it to. So we’re calling for public investment in renewables and for other things like a massive expansion of public transport. In times gone by it was the government that built the railways, the hydro dams, the electricity grid. If we want a new hospital or school we don’t implement a pricing mechanism to make business more interested in investing in these things, so why are we leaving this important transition up to the market? The government has to take on this task. This would cost about 3% of annual GDP for the next ten years, which could be funded by restoring the corporate tax rate to the 1980s level, and by diverting military spending and the $9 billion dollars a year handed out to the fossil fuel industries, for example.

With all the climate-linked disasters happening in the world right now, the floods in Pakistan, the fires in Russia; it is easy to slip into despair.

Mass action is the antidote to despair!

We have the beginnings of a strong climate movement in Australia, and we have to build and strengthen this so that we can force the government to act.

Climate campaigners in Victoria have already won a government commitment to close down part of Hazelwood, the dirtiest coal power station in Australia, and they won’t give up until it is fully shut down and replaced with renewables. Grassroots climate groups like Climate Action Hobart are waging similar campaigns across the country.

In what may amount to a historic moment in the quest to save the world's rainforests and mitigate climate change, Ecuador and the United Nations Development Fund (UNDF) have created a trust fund to protect one of the world's most biodiverse rainforests from oil exploration and development. The fund will allow the international community to pay Ecuador to leave an estimated 850 million barrels of oil in Yasuni National Park in the ground instead of extracting it. This will allow the rainforest protected area to remain pristine: preserving one of the most species-rich places on Earth, safeguarding the lives of indigenous people, and keeping an estimated 410 million tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere.
This would not have been possible if not for the leadership of socialist President Rafael Correa and the Ecuadorian government and shows what is possible when you have a government committed towards putting the environment before private profit.

What would it take to save our forests here? We’re a rich country, we don’t need the UN to step in, we could stop logging tomorrow if the government halted the chainsaws and put in place a transition package for workers.

I’d encourage you to grab a copy of our Climate Charter, our policy which was rated the best on the voteclimate.org website, and read more about what we stand for, and consider joining us. I am also standing as a Socialist Alliance candidate in Denison to call for a fundamentally different system, where instead of corporations having control, ordinary people can have collective decision-making power so that people’s needs and the environment can be put before profits.

Come Along and Support Mel Barnes at Election Campaign Benefit Gig

2010-08-11T23:13:00.001+10:00

Mel Barnes, Socialist Alliance Candidate for Denison Election Campaign benefit gig

Thursday 19th August 8pm Alley Cat Bar, North Hobart

Featuring 'Peter Hicks' and 'Rory and the Riot Act'

$15 / $10 concession and extra donations welcome

Note there's also a $10 burger and beer deal available inside

Call 0418 643 133 end_of_the_skype_highlighting for more info or email hobart@socialist-alliance.org

SLIDESHOW: Mel Barnes: Socialist Alliance Candidate for Denison in action

2010-08-07T16:06:00.005+10:00

Melanie Barnes is a 26 year old climate change activist who works for an environmental NGO. She has a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Indonesian and political science from the University of Queensland. She has been a leader of Students Against the Pulp Mill protests, Walk Against Warming actions, as well as anti-war, refugee, education and women’s rights campaigns. She is the Hobart organizer of the socialist youth group Resistance. She has also studied in Indonesia and represented Tasmania in an educational solidarity tour of Venezuela.

Election Forum Tonight

2010-08-05T16:20:00.000+10:00

Election Forum

on Tasmanian Women's Health and Wellbeing - a women only event

Come along to find out what our federal political parties' policies are on women's health and wellbeing.

Thursday August 5th at 6pm

Hobart Women's Health Centre

25 Lefroy Street North Hobart

A light supper and refreshments will be provided.

Candidates

Lisa Singh Labor Party

Jane Howlett Liberal Party

Penelope Ann The Greens

Mel Barnes Socialist Alliance

Deborah Howard Democrats

The Hobart Women's Health Centre surveyed the parties on women's health and wellbeing policies and copies of their responses will be available at the forum.

Child-minding available on the evening, please book on 62313212

Please note this is a women only event

Hobart Town Hall Debate

2010-08-05T16:14:00.000+10:00

Hobart Town Hall Debate

Forget about twitter and facebook.

It's time for a good old fashioned

Town Hall political debate.

Come along and hear what your

Denison Federal Election Candidates

have to say as they via for your vote.

Plenty of opportunity to test their mettle on the issue of your choice.

Wednesday 18^th August

6.30 – 8.30 pm

Mel Barnes, Socialist Alliance

Geoff Couser, Greens

Jonathan Jackson, ALP

Cameron Simpkins, Liberal

Andrew Wilkie, Independent

You are also invited to ask a question on behalf of your organisation.

Please let me know in advance so I can add you to the list.

There will also be plenty of opportunity for a general Q & A session.

Could you also please distribute this invitation amongst your networks?

Organised by Hobart Alderman Bill Harvey

For further information - 0428 243 964

billharvey@iinet.net.au

Written and authorised by Bill Harvey

C/- Town Hall Hobart

Election Campaigning Update

2010-08-05T16:10:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

There are only 2 weeks and 2 days to go before Australians head to the polls to elect a new national government. We are doing all that we can to try and make sure that people vote for alternative parties that will stand up for the environment and the needs of ordinary people. The campaign for Mel Barnes, our Socialist Alliance candidate in Denison, continues to go well. Lots of people are out letterboxing for us, and many have pitched in to help fund some TV ads. Mel spoke at a GLBTI rights forum on Tuesday night and has a long list of public speaking engagements between now and the elections.

Mel attended a demonstration today against the proposed plan to burn native forests for power. As a dedicated climate change activist, Mel is also proud to see that the Vote Climate website www.voteclimate.org.au has recommended a vote for the Socialist Alliance, rating it as the only party with policies that might stop runaway climate change and that adopt a climate emergency response. Read the short Green Left article about it here: http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/44996 or you can read our climate charter here: http://www.socialist-alliance.org/page.php?page=674.

Have you signed up to her `Mel Barnes for Denison' facebook page? Can you spare a few hours to help with some letterboxing? Can you spare $50 or $100 to help get her TV ad on the air in more timeslots? Thanks to all those who already have. We are also looking for more polling day volunteers. Can you spare a few hours to hand out our material at your local booth on polling day? Please email me at hobart@socialist-alliance.org or phone Mel on 0423 978 518 if you can help. You can also donate online at http://www.socialist-alliance.org/page.php?page=268. Also we will be putting on a fundraising gig at the Alley Cat in North Hobart on Thursday August 19^th, so please note it in your diary and we'll send out more details when they are confirmed.

In solidarity,

Susan Austin

Hobart Socialist Alliance

BRIGHTON BYPASS CAMPAIGN LAUNCH

2010-08-04T21:56:00.002+10:00

BRIGHTON BYPASS
CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
Saturday 7th August 2010, 12pm
Parliament House Lawns – Hobart

All Aborigines and non-Aboriginal supporters are invited to join in the fight for the protection of Aboriginal heritage in the Lower Jordan Valley.
The launch will include speeches, cultural dance performances and the unveiling of our campaign billboards as well as a sausage sizzle.
If the Tasmanian Government is willing to destroy Aboriginal heritage dating back 40,000 years, what hope do we have of protecting other ancient heritage in Tasmania?
We must all fight for the protection of Aboriginal Heritage before it’s too late.

Contact the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre on 1800 132 260 or visit www.tacinc.com.au

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

THE TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO DESTROY SIGNIFICANT ABORIGINAL SITE

We have set up a website dedicated to this campaign of protecting the indispensable Aboriginal Site at Brighton (Tasmania/ Australia).

The Lower Jordan River levee at Brighton holds the most extensive and best preserved evidence of human existence going back through 40,000 years ever found in Tasmania, and one of the oldest such places found in Australia.

The Tasmanian government intend to destroy the site with a highway and bridge. Works are already well advanced.

We are not opposing the road we just want the Government to find an alternative route.

Applications to have the Brighton Aboriginal site protected under both Federal and State laws were lodged on Tuesday 8th June, 2010 with Ministers Peter Garrett and David O’Byrne.

All the relevant information is on our website www.tacinc.com.au. We ask that you read and find the time to write to the State and Federal Ministers (or email david.obyrne@parliament.tas.gov.au, peter.garrett.mp@aph.gov.au) to support our application to protect this site.

Please help the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community to save our culture, heritage and support this extremely important campaign! Can you please forward on.

Defending Tassie forests

2010-07-27T11:19:00.000+10:00

Defending Tassie forests
Saturday, July 17, 2010
By Melanie Barnes

The crisis in the forest industry has provided an opening to end the decades-long fight about how forests are used in Tasmania.

I’m a climate change activist and have lived in Hobart for five years. During that time, I’ve been involved in the campaign against the Gunns’ pulp mill, through the group Students Against the Pulp mill. More recently I’ve been a member of Climate Action Hobart.

I’m running as a candidate for the Socialist Alliance for the seat of Denison in the August 21 federal election.

The “forest issue” is often what people think of when Tasmanian politics is mentioned, and for good reason. Who can forget the images of then Coalition prime minister John Howard being cheered by 2000 logging workers in the 2004 election after he announced old-growth logging would continue indefinitely?

The then Labor leader Mark Latham said: “No policy issue or set of relationships better demonstrates the ethical decline and political corruption of the Australian Labor movement than Tasmanian forestry.”

He was referring to the Labor Party in Tasmania and the forestry sector of the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union, which had completely aligned themselves with the unsustainable forestry industry — and in particular with the main destroyer of Tasmanian forests, Gunns Limited.

What is often not told is what happened to those workers cheering Howard. With the onset of the global economic crisis and the demand for woodchips plummeting, many lost their jobs. Gunns was more than happy to use workers to defend profits, but ruthlessly shed those same workers when it suited.

The forestry industry is now in deep financial trouble. There is talk from the government about “reforming” or “restructuring” the industry. In May, the state Labor government gave a $3.6 million “assistance package” to forest contractors to continue business as usual.

These corporate bailouts do nothing to restructure the industry for the long term, or to help workers to leave the industry and retrain to find sustainable jobs.

The crisis in the forest industry has provided an opening to end the decades-long fight about how forests are used in Tasmania.

Community pressure led to the government calling talks between environmentalists and the industry, but these talks have been going on between closed doors, without community input.

There is a fear that negotiations could include trading government support for a plantation-based pulp mill in return for an end to logging in high conservation value forests.

The conservation groups chosen to take part in these talks cannot make decisions for the rest of Tasmanians; negotiation should be public, so that everyone can be part of decisions about the future of the forest industry.

Protection of forests in Tasmania is a national issue because forests are needed to reverse the damage of climate change. A study by the Australian National University into the carbon storage of Australian forests found that eucalypt forests of Victoria and Tasmania could contain more than 1200 tonnes of carbon per hectare.

A sustainable forestry industry would have to include:

• an end to logging in high conservation value forests, which destroys ecosystems and carbon banks needed to deal with climate change;

• a ban on wood-fired power stations that use wood from native forests;

• no pulp mill, not even one using plantation trees; and

• a sustainable plantation industry that doesn’t use chemical spraying or monoculture.

Forests are natural resources that should be used in the public interest. Tasmania’s forests should be put under the democratic control of all Tasmanians. When it comes to our environment, the interests of people and the planet should be put ahead of profit.

Mel Barnes for DENISON in FEDERAL ELECTION 2010

2010-07-11T21:48:00.001+10:00

Mel Barnes: Vote for real change

Mel Barnes, a well-known Tasmanian political activist, will contest the seat of Denison in the upcoming federal elections, for the Socialist Alliance. Barnes is a leading climate and renewable energy campaigner involved in Climate Action Hobart.

She has also campaigned for women’s rights, Palestine solidarity, refugee rights and Latin American solidarity. In 2006, Barnes went on a solidarity tour of Venezuela to learn about the revolutionary changes occurring there. Barnes stood for the Socialist Alliance in the recent state elections.

Barnes is running on a platform of 100% renewable energy by 2020, ending native forest logging, ending the racist Northern Territory intervention and bringing all troops back from Afghanistan.

“Climate change is the greatest threat to ever face humanity”, Barnes told Green Left Weekly. “Yet both major parties have abandoned any action to reduce carbon emissions. They are totally tied to the interests of big polluters and refuse to put people and the planet before profits.”

Barnes called for a vote for actual political change, not a mere rebranding exercise.

"In the face of Kevin Rudd's epic nosedive in the polls since April, the prime ministerial change from Rudd to Julia Gillard is a desperate attempt by Labor to rebrand itself. But Gillard will only mean more of the same.

“Gillard has been responsible for some of this government's most anti-social acts. As federal workplace relations minister, she maintained the Australian Building and Construction Commission, which denies construction workers basic human rights. As education minister, she allowed damaging school league tables to be used by the media, stigmatising those from disadvantaged schools.”

Barnes said the federal Labor government was motivated by short-term political interest, not society’s best interest.

“We must reject this style of politics and vote for parties committed towards genuine change”, she said.

GREEN LEFT WEEKLY ARTICLE (see http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/44659)
Saturday, July 3, 2010 By Susan Austin, Hobart

Authorised by D Nichols. 23 Abercrombie St Chippendale 2008.

Film Screening - Quien Dijo Meido - Inside the Honduran coup

2010-07-11T21:17:00.001+10:00

Date:	Saturday, 24 July 2010
Time:	16:00 - 18:00
Location:	225 Murray St, Hobart

Fathoming the Coup in Honduras. The documentary. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp_1tdE8pIM
Directed by Katia Lara, Produced by Carlos Del Valle

Synopsis:
René is a Honduran amateur actor who appeared on television spots promoting the referendum on convening the National Constituent Assembly in Honduras. On June 28th, 2009, instead of a referendum, there was a brutal coup d'état: the army abducted President Manuel Zelaya and had him flown abroad. Along with thousands of other Hondurans, René joined the National Resistance Front against the Coup d' État. An unprecedented Honduras arises: a people who resist despite media bias, violence and death, and take to the streets to stand up for their rights. This is their story.

108 minutes

http://quiendijomiedofilm.blogspot.com/

Help letterbox for Mel Barnes in the seat of Denison

2010-07-11T21:15:00.000+10:00

Help letterbox for Mel Barnes in the seat of Denison. Meet 1pm at the Hobart Activist Centre, 225 Murray St, Saturday 17^th July and join us for drinks afterwards at 4:30pm at the Republic Bar, North Hobart. Ph Linda 6234 6397

“DON’T LOCK UP REFUGEES IN TASMANIA!”

2010-07-10T16:57:00.000+10:00

“DON’T LOCK UP REFUGEES IN TASMANIA!” Denison Candidate argues against Kevin Harkins' proposal

Socialist Alliance candidate for Denison, Mel Barnes, agrees with Kevin Harkins suggestion to bring refugees to Tasmania. However under one of his proposals Harkins suggests building a detention centre in the North-West in order to create jobs.

“This is an opportunistic and inadequate response to refugees”, Barnes said. “We should allow refugees to settle in the community. Being locked up in detention causes acute mental health problems in people who are already traumatised from war. Detention centres are also the most expensive option for the government to pursue. Why can’t the ALP show some leadership and compassion and close down all detention centres? We should process people’s claims quickly, in the community.”

98 % of people who arrive by boat have been found to be genuine refugees.

Most Australians are sympathetic towards the plight of refugees with eight out of 10 people saying they would help a refugee to settle into their community, according to the results of an Australian Red Cross survey.

The survey of 1,000 people across Australia, released on 21st June, also found the majority of people (67%) agreed or strongly agreed that refugees have made a positive contribution to society. It also revealed 83% of Australians agree that those fleeing persecution should be able to take refuge in another country and 86% said they too would flee to a safe country if they lived in a conflict zone and were under threat.

Barnes said “These results show that the federal ALP government is out of touch with ordinary Australians. Instead of continuing Howard’s agenda of trying to bully other poor countries in the region to do Australia’s dirty work, Gillard should be taking a principled stand by:

- allowing the boats to land on Australian soil and processing claims quickly

- calling for Tamil’s human rights to be respected in Sri Lanka and pulling troops out of Aghanistan

- settling refugees into the community with full services and support.”

Mel Barnes for Denison!

2010-07-02T11:45:00.003+10:00

Mel Barnes, a well known political activist, will contest the seat of Denison in the upcoming federal elections for the Socialist Alliance. Barnes is a leading climate and renewable energy campaigner in Hobart through her involvement in local group Climate Action Hobart. She also has been involved in various political campaigns, including women’s rights, Palestine solidarity, refugee rights and Latin American solidarity campaigns. In 2006 Barnes took part in a solidarity tour of Venezuela to learn about the profoundly democratic and revolutionary changes occurring in that country. Barnes was also a candidate for the Socialist Alliance in the 2010 Tasmanian State elections.

Barnes will be running on a platform of 100% renewable energy by 2020, ending native forest logging, ending the racist Northern Territory intervention and bringing all troops back from Afghanistan.

“Climate change is the greatest threat to ever face humanity. Yet both major parties have abandoned any action to reduce carbon emissions. They are totally tied to the interests of big polluters and refuse to put people and the planet before profits.
The technology exists to move Australia to 100% renewable energy within ten years. We must make the changes that the planet needs. We can't let current government inaction destroy our future." Barnes said.

In light of recent federal political developments Barnes has called people to vote for actual political change, not a mere re-branding exercise.

"In the face of Rudd's epic nosedive in the polls since April the change from Rudd to Gillard is a desperate attempt by Labor to re-brand itself. But the swearing in of Julia Gillard as Prime Minister will only mean more of the same for the people of Australia. Gillard has been responsible for some of this government's most anti-social acts. As federal workplace relations minister, she maintained the Australian Building and Construction Commission which denies construction workers basic human rights. As education minister she allowed damaging school league tables to be used by the media, stigmatising those from disadvantaged schools.”

"People shouldn’t be hoodwinked into believing we are in the dawn of a new era. Julia Gillard’s reign as prime minister will continue along the same path trodden by Rudd. The federal ALP government is not motivated by what is in society’s interest but rather by what is in their short-term political interest. We must reject this style of politics and vote for parties committed towards genuine change.”

Mel Barnes for Denison!

Socialist Alliance presents... The Great Mid-Winter Quiz-A-Rama! a federal election campaign fundraiser

2010-05-08T23:51:00.001+10:00

Saturday 26th June

Fabulous prizes! Lots of quiz categories!

Line up your friends and book a table of 4-8 or come along and we'll put you with a great team.
Hobart Activist Centre
225 Murray St, Hobart
6:30pm
$15 or $8 conc
Delicious winter soup and crusty bread available for $5
RSVP: call 6234 6397 or email hobart@socialist-alliance.org

Tasmanian Premiere Film Screening: `Inside The Revolution - A Journey Into The Heart Of Venezuela' A Documentary From Alborada Films

2010-05-08T23:49:00.002+10:00

Saturday 22^nd May at 4 pm

$10 or $7 concession

Proceeds split between Alborada Films and Green Left Weekly

Hobart Activist Centre

225 Murray Street Hobart

Ph 6234 6397

February 2009 marked 10 years since Hugo Chavez took office, following a landslide election victory, and launched his revolution to bring radical change to Venezuela. While wildly popular with many in the country, Chavez's policies and his outspoken criticisms of the U.S. government have made him powerful enemies, both at home and abroad, especially in the media. Filmed in Caracas in November 2008, on the eve of the 10th anniversary of Chavez's controversial

presidency, this feature-length documentary takes a journey into the heart of Venezuela's revolution to listen to the voices of the people driving the process forward.

"This is a rare film about Venezuela, a country in extraordinary transition. Watch this film because it is honest and fair and respectful of those who want to be told the truth about an epic attempt, flaws and all, to claim back the humanity of ordinary people." John Pilger, journalist and documentary filmmaker

Proudly sponsored by Socialist Alliance and Resistance

www.socialist-alliance.org/hobart

www.resistance.org.au

Launch - `Defend Trades Unions in Colombia campaign' "If you love life, don't drink Coca-Cola products!"

2010-05-08T23:45:00.002+10:00

Key note speaker:
Edgar Paez, National Director of Colombia Food Union

Thursday 13^thMay 2010

6:30pm

Hobart Activist Centre, 225 Murray St, Hobart

Edgar will be in Australia in a speaking tour organised by Latin American Solidarity Network (LASNET) from April 26th to May 18th, he will visiting Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Tasmania, Interested for interviews, meetings in these cities with Edgar send an e-mail to: lasnet@latinlasnet.org or call 0400 914 944 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0400 914 944 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

In recent years, hundreds of workers at Coca-Cola bottling plants have been tortured, kidnapped, illegally detained, and even assassinated by violent right-wing paramilitary groups who work closely with plant management.

Edgar Paez has dedicated his entire life to organizing workers and has worked actively in connecting social struggles both in Colombia and the world over. He has been closely involved in the campaign to expose the role of Coca-Cola in murdering Colombian trade unionists.He is a member of the Operating Committee for the Social Observatory of transnational businesses, megaprojects, human rights and the Permanent Tribunal of the Pueblos Sesión, Colombia.

Socialist Educational: Tamil Self Determination and the National Question

2010-05-08T23:43:00.001+10:00

Socialist Educational: Tamil Self Determination and the National Question

Wednesday 12th of May 5:30pm, Hobart Activist Centre, 225 Murray St

Recently in a referendum held in Australia 99.4%of Australian Tamils gave their support for an independent Tamil Homeland. With most Tamils in the Island fearful and disenchanted by Sri Lanka's political system, the diaspora in Australia have spoken. Under attack by the Sri Lankan government, as well as the Australian government, who have suspend processing asylum requests from Tamils. Come discuss why Tamils want their own homeland and why understanding the national question is so important to understanding many of the political struggles happening in the world.

Suggested Readings:

The Tamil Freedom Struggle in Sri Lanka
The Socialist Revolution and the Rights of Nations to Self-Determinationhttp://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/jan/x01.htm
Both are available from the Resistance Bookshop on Murray Street

Socialist Alliance Supports Kartika Franks in Elwick

2010-04-22T22:01:00.000+10:00

The Socialist Alliance will be supporting and campaigning for the election of Kartika Franks in the upcoming Legislative Council elections in Elwick on May the 1^st.

“The Socialist Alliance supports Franks’ commitment towards improving public transport in the Northern Suburbs, as well as disability support services. The Northern Suburbs has woeful public transport access and we agree with her support for the Northern Suburbs railway. We also acknowledge Franks’ strong and consistent support for the public sector, which we believe needs to be massively expanded to deal with the environmental and social problems we face in this state”, said Susan Austin, convenor of Socialist Alliance in Hobart

The Socialist Alliance ran in the 2004 Elwick election and received 5.2% of the vote.

“Elwick is made up of mostly working class suburbs, which may be why the Liberals aren’t standing. The Labor Party, however, has constantly betrayed its working class base of supporters by failing to properly fund the public sector and by its slavish support of big business (such as Gunns Ltd) at the expense of working people. We believe that working class voters have more in common with the Greens than the pro-business ALP and we will be campaigning with Green members to try to achieve the highest vote possible for Kartika”, continued Austin.

Comment:
Susan Austin: 0418 643 133
Tim Dobson: 0430 109 865

Federal Election Meeting

2010-04-20T23:05:00.000+10:00

Hobart Socialist Alliance meeting to plan for the Federal election campaign and pre-select candidates – all members and interested people encouraged to attend.

Thursday 22^nd April, 6:30pm

(Cheap meal available at 6pm).

Hobart Activist Centre, 225 Murray St.

For more info phone 6234 6397 or Susan on 0418 643 133 or email hobart@socialist-alliance.org.

Intro to the Socialist Alliance discussion

2010-04-20T23:03:00.003+10:00

Come along and meet Susan and Rose to find out all you ever wanted to know about the Socialist Alliance, including info on our history, our members, our strategies and our aims. Decide for yourself if this sounds like the right organization for you!

Saturday 24^th April

3-4pm

Hobart Activist Centre, 225 Murray St, Hobart

All welcome!

Capitalism: A Love Story

2010-04-20T15:24:00.003+10:00

This speech was given by Tim Dobson to introduce a screening of Michael Moore's new film, Capitalism: A Love Story.

I have been wondering what make Michael Moore so popular. How can he reach so many millions with a progressive, left wing voice? Certainly, documentaries has a mass appeal that a lot of books cannot reach but I think also it’s the way his films are presented. In some ways its an inverse of A Current Affair or Today Tonight, where it’s the easiest thing in the world for large corporations like Channel Nine or Seven to target whatever oppressed or minority group they feel worthy. The most recent example being a Channel Nine cameraman calling an Islamic man who was at court supporting his son a “fucking terrorist”. In Michael Moore's case it takes real courage for an individual to target and make uncomfortable some of the most powerful individuals in the world and therein lies the appeal. Regardless of what atrocities the likes of George Bush, John Howard or Kevin Rudd or corporate CEOs perpetrate, they are almost certain to live a mostly comfortable life, without having their consciousness pricked. But Michael Moore speaks truth to power, directly and it makes them very uncomfortable and it is in those moments, the world feels right. It is not refugees fleeing war that are under attack, it’s war mongers who are, it’s not trade unions but rather greedy corporate CEOs who have to justify themselves. It certainly points to the way a actual democratic and free media should be run but isn’t. Journalists, who don’t want to lose their access to politicians or upset their paymasters, rarely ask questions that need to be asked.

But there is something else which I think is appealing about Moore’s work; his films have more or less shown to be politically correct. Roger and Me look at the impact a multinational company like General Motors had when it uprooted and left to pursue a cheaper workforce in Mexico. This was in 1989, the next decade or so brought about a massive anti corporate globalization which organized precisely what Moore spoke about his film; the corporate race to the bottom for workers. Bowling for Columbine spoke out against the gun culture in the United States, but spoke about how it wasn't just the ownership of guns that was the problem. In that film he interviewed Marilyn Manson, who was blamed for causing the killings, and who pointed out that the day of the Columbine massacre was the same day that NATO forces bombed Kosovo the heaviest. In Farenheight 9/11 he decried the imperial wars and brought a simple truth to many. The war on terror was about profits, not about stopping terrorism, which has certainly being brought home in the way that corporations have made billions out of the human suffering in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Sicko he showed the world how sick the American health care system really is, and argued for universal health care, which to most Australians seems a no brainer. In the same film he had the guts to point out an inconvenient truth for the United States government, that is Cuba, which suffers under a devastating economic blockade by the United States, has a superior health care system than the U.S, which ensures that Cubans have a life expectancy that is almost equal that the U.S despite being a poor country.

All his films have hinted in their own way at the destructiveness of the economic and social system we find ourselves under, but this film names this source directly, capitalism. While he uses examples from the U.S, the same conclusions are applicable to Australia. Australians have the highest personal debt in the world, household debt is the equivalent of 155% of Gross Domestic Product, while the average house price is $485, 000, which is seven times the national income.

But while it is one step to identify capitalism as the problem, the next step is to identify the solution. Socialist Alliance believes the alternative is democratic socialism based on the following principles; solidarity and collaboration, environmental sustainability, participatory democracy, social economy and true equality between peoples, nations, religions and sexes. If we can convince enough people that society can and should be run along such lines, then the sequel to this film will have to be Capitalism: A Divorce Story.

The Coalition Question in Tasmania: Why Class Matters

2010-03-28T01:30:00.001+11:00

The Coalition Question in Tasmania: Why Class Matters

Tim Dobson

The election results in Tasmania have certainly been a wake-up call to many in the Australian Labor Party, who either thought they could ignore the Greens or that they could deal with them by running a smear campaign against them at election time.

The Greens are a force that both major parties have to deal with, whether they like it or not. After the Tasmanian Greens achieved their highest ever vote in any election last Saturday, Federal Labor MP Lindsay Tanner tried to explain their appeal in a Sydney Morning Herald article. He said that, “essentially the rising Green vote is a product of increasing tertiary education. Green voters are typically either tertiary educated or undergoing tertiary education. Their support is heavily concentrated amongst tertiary disciplines that are focused on much more than just making money.”

There is a kernel of truth to this statement, as can be borne out in some of the figures in the Tasmanian election. For instance, at the relatively more affluent booths of West and South Hobart (which contains a high percentage of public servants, students, small business owners etc) the Greens easily outpoll the ALP. Compare this to the poorer, almost exclusively working class suburbs of Glenorchy and Chigwell where the ALP has 4 to 5 times more votes than the Greens.

Undoubtedly, as Richard Flanagan has pointed out (Article below, and HERE), the Greens have been able to win over more Labor voters, particularly by focusing strongly on cost-of-living issues such as electricity prices and water and sewerage charges. But the ALP remains the dominant force in poorer suburbs throughout Tasmania, which can only be explained by a class instinct.

It was fairly common to see in the Hobart Mercury voters from the Northern suburbs say they would vote Labor, because they always have voted Labor. This, of course, is not a considered choice of weighing up the pros and cons of each party. They vote for the Labor Party because they believe it will best represent their interests as workers. This is supplemented by the fact that the ALP has such a stranglehold over trade union organisations throughout the state that have an influence beyond their own membership.

But is the Labor Party actually a workers party?

While quoting Vladamir Lenin on Australian politics may raise a few eyebrows, his description of the contradiction at the heart of Australian politics is bettered by no Australian commentators when he wrote that the ALP “is a liberal bourgeois party, while the so-called Liberals in Australia are really conservatives.” In other words, the Labor party is a party that represents the interests of the bosses, and always has.

This was written in 1913 and subsequent ALP governments both federal and state have only proven this assertion. Currently, the NSW and Queensland Labor governments are on a push to privatize all that they can, federally Labor continues with a policy of outlawing strikes outside of bargaining periods and continue the draconian Australian Building and Construction Commission set up under Howard. Big Business is more than willing to support this “workers party” because it knows whose interest it is ultimately looking out for, even if it is willing to make concessions to some working class demands.

Verity Bergmann, in her book In Our Time: Socialism and the Rise of Labor, 1885-1905 describes how the ALP has always played this role of selling-out its supporters, when she wrote, “long before Labor Parties were given the opportunities, in government, to “sell out” the workers, the Labor MPs, as a body, had already grown away from the workers.”

The Greens, however, represent a force which is independent of big business. This is what allows it to stand up to companies like Gunns; in contrast the ALP does everything in its power to please Gunns and ensure they get the greatest possible deal. It is why the Greens could stand up against the Ralph Bay’s project proposed by Walker Corporation, as well as take many other socially progressive stands they have. By going into coalition with either the Labor or Liberal Parties, who represent business interests, there will be one of two outcomes. Either the Greens continue their in-principle opposition to the type of politics which puts corporate interests before people, which will mean such a coalition will collapse or the Greens will have to compromise on that type of principle politics, which will ensure that the Greens will become appendages to the major parties anti-social and anti-environment agenda.

This will have the consequence of devastating the thousands and thousands of Greens supporters, who have faith that the Greens represent a new type of political system, based on the principles of peace and non-violence, grassroots democracy, social and economic justice and ecological sustainability.

The next step for the Greens should not be to enter into a coalition government with either capitalist party but continue its opposition in parliament to the major parties pro-corporate agendas. This however needs to be supplemented by trying to reach out to voters such as those in the Northern suburbs of Hobart and convince them that the Greens represent their interests much more than the pro-corporate Labor Party.

`Capitalism: A love story' Film Screening

2010-03-28T01:04:00.003+11:00

Join us for a screening of Michael Moore's new film, `Capitalism: A love story'.

With both humour and outrage, Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story explores a taboo question: What is the price that America pays for its love of capitalism? Moore takes us into the homes of ordinary people whose lives have been turned upside down by the global financial crisis; and he goes looking for explanations in Washington , DC and examines what a more hopeful future could look like.

Saturday, April 17th, 7pm

225 Murray St, Hobart.

$12/$8 conc

Cheap delicious meal at 6.30pm.

VOTE 1 Socialist Alliance Tomorrow

2010-03-19T10:24:00.000+11:00

The Socialist Alliance is not your typical political party. When it comes to elections we are outspent and outnumbered by the other contenders. But we run because we want to use the space created by an election to raise the issues that we are passionate about.

Throughout this election campaign Jenny and I have spoken at public forums on LGBTI rights, climate change, women's rights, Ralph's Bay, and college education. We attended the Teachers rally, we welcomed home the Sea Shepherd crew, ate a sausage at a union picnic, participated in the AEU stop work meeting, and lots more things.

The Socialist Alliance does all of these things even when elections aren't on. Because we believe that to change the world people need to get themselves organised and active. We believe that working people themselves, by acting in the workplace, the community, and the street, can develop the power to create a just and environmentally sustainable alternative to profit-driven capitalism.

We ask that you vote for the Socialist Alliance on Saturday. Why should you vote for us when we have little chance of getting in? It sends a clear signal to the major parties that you support strong action on the issues that we stand for - community democracy and a healthy environment. If you put us number 1 then, when we don't get in, you're whole vote will be transferred to your next preference. In this election parties cannot direct preferences, so you need to number at least 5 candidates and we're recommending that you put the Greens second.

More than just voting for the Socialist Alliance we want you to become an active member. No matter who gets elected on Saturday we're still going to need a powerful people's movement to keep challenging the government when it puts the needs of big business before the environment, working people and our communities.
So please come to our next meeting on Thursday, March 25 at 6.30pm. (225 Murray St, Hobart)

Don't forget to help us celebrate at our election night party on Saturday night. Everyone's invited. It's at 81 Channel Highway, Kingston. Give me a call if you want a lift out there or directions. Starts about 6pm, goes until late.

We've had alot of support throughout this election campaign, so to everybody who helped us out, thank you!

Yours in struggle,

--
Melanie Barnes

0423 978 518

Please Vote 1 for Socialist Alliance candidates on Saturday - Melanie Barnes in Denison or Jenny Forward in Franklin.

Want more info to help you make up your mind?

Our slogan has been "Resource public services, not Gunns! For a healthy, socially just, sustainable and democratic state" and we have been campaigning for:

· A big funding boost for public health, education, and housing

· Tasmania to lead the way on climate change by protecting old growth forests, achieving 100% renewable energy by 2020 and stopping subsidies to big polluters

· Scrapping water and sewerage charges, returning it to local control with state government back-up

· Public transport – free and frequent local buses or light rail, fast-speed trains not more Midland highway lanes.

Both activists are passionate about transforming Tasmania into a more democratic and sustainable state that can ensure jobs a good quality of life for ordinary people and lead the way on preventing climate change.

Melanie Barnes is a 26 year old climate change activist who works for an environmental NGO. She has a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Indonesian and political science from the University of Queensland. She has been a leader of Students Against the Pulp Mill protests, Walk Against Warming actions, as well as anti-war, refugee, education and women's rights campaigns. She is the Hobart organizer of the socialist youth group Resistance. She has also studied in Indonesiaand represented Tasmania in an educational solidarity tour of Venezuela.

Jenny Forward has been an activist over the past 25 years both here in Tasmania and in Chile, for issues including women's and children's and worker's rights, international solidarity, and the environment. She has also been a member of the National Council of Single Mothers and Their Children as she is also a single parent of a 17-year-old. Jenny became a social worker as a mature age student in 2001 whilst working part-time as a Spanish interpreter with refugees. As a social worker she has worked as a tenants advocate, child protection worker and for the past 2 years with migrants and refugees at a public hospital. Jenny is also an active union delegate. "I am standing as a candidate for Socialist Alliance as I believe that we need to build an independent and grass-roots resistance to the dominant groups in society who believe that making a profit at any cost to people or the environment is best."

A different Tasmania is possible … Vote 1 for Socialist Alliance candidates on Saturday - Melanie Barnes in Denison or Jenny Forward in Franklin.

Legalising Euthanasia

2010-03-18T14:41:00.004+11:00

Socialist Alliance supports legalising euthanasia and we've advised Dying with Dignity Tasmania (Inc) of this so they've included us on their election website at

http://www.dwdtas.org.au/political/candidates_2010.php

Here is part of our response:

"I am the Socialist Alliance candidate for Franklin. I was given your letter to respond to regarding our position on the proposals outlined...

... I chose to respond to your letter because I currently work as a social worker in a public hospital. I therefore have seen first hand and heard from others the dreadful things that happen because people are not allowed to die with dignity.

I have also just finished the Respecting Patients Choices training about advance care planning. Some of the readings recommended as part of this training highlighted how often patients choices are not respected which is unacceptable and for more needs to be done to ensure that people's choices are honoured...

Socialist Alliance believes that people should have access to legalised
euthanasia with the rigorous protection measures that you outlined in your
letter. We supported the Dying with Dignity private members bill which
was brought forward by the Greens last year. Of course Socialist Alliance
was extremely disappointed that this bill was voted down.

Socialist Alliance will continue to look for opportunities to support any
campaigns to legalise euthanasia in Tasmania and Australia. This is
supported by the majority of the community as highlighted by a recent poll
commissioned poll by Enterprise Marketing and Research Services found 78%
of Tasmanians support euthanasia becoming legal.

We commend your organisation for the wonderful work you do in campaigning
for euthanasia and we will continue to support you and the campaign to
legalise euthanasia in any way that we can.

Kind regards

Jenny Forward
Socialist Alliance for Franklin and

(on behalf of)
Mel Barnes
Socialist Alliance candidate for Denison

Save Ralphs Bay Election Forum

2010-03-18T14:36:00.002+11:00

It was a great privilege to speak at the Save Ralphs Bay forum last night in front of such a passionate audience who’ve been fighting heroically now for 6 years against the disgusting canal development proposal which would privatise a publicly owned conservation area. I told them amongst other things that Socialist Alliance supports a ban on canal estates in Tasmania.

Our response includes:

The Socialist Alliance fully supports the Save Ralphs Bay campaign and the dedicated work that you have put into submissions and community protest to explain the inappropriateness of this development. It is obvious that the majority of the local community is opposed but furthermore that many others who appreciate the beauty of this area are also opposed.

We believe that the social and environmental impacts far outweigh the benefits of the development and let’s face it what would be the so called benefits if not just profits for a few already-wealthy corporate bosses and shareholders. Why should a greedy minority dictate what we do as ordinary people with the land? "

Socialist Alliance supports additional funding for the Tasmanian Planning Commission, to provide assistance for the Tasmanian community to engage large
corporations in the Commission process fairly and on an even playing field. We supprot this as I am sure that the Save Ralphs Bay group would have discovered through experience that this is necessary.

Socialist Alliance believes that additional funding for the Tasmanian Planning Commission needs to be provided to produce transcripts of TPC hearings, freely available for scrutiny by media and the public on the Commission's website. We believe that this would improve transparency and public accountability.

The SA supports a strong State Coastal Policy, able to protect Tasmania’s beautiful coastlines, coastal wildlife and peaceful communities from multiple threats.
The state government started a review of the State Coastal Policy in 2004 and why hasn’t the final policy been released.

See their website for our submission http://www.saveralphsbay.org/

We oppose the ALP's Post Yr 10 Education Reforms

2010-03-18T14:24:00.005+11:00

Here is a speech I drafted for a talk I gave at Hobart College which was attended by over 50 students and staff. I ad-libbed a lot so this isn't exactly what I said...

Hi my name is Jenny Forward and I am the Socialist Alliance candidate for Franklin. I’ll start by letting you know that the Socialist Alliance opposes the Tas Tomorrow reforms . Today though I’d firstly I’d like to give you some background information to the SA, and then I’ll talk to you about the SA’s position on the Tasmania Tomorrow reforms before finishing off with a brief summary regarding the SA Youth Policy recently adopted at out Seventh National Conference in January of this year.

Background re the SA
The Socialist Alliance is an anti-capitalist party, which formed in 2001 Since then members of the Socialist Alliance have been active in campaigns on a wide range of issues, from student’s and workers' rights, global warming to civil liberties, from refugee and gay and lesbian rights to justice for Aboriginal Australia and international solidarity.
We believe that ordinary people themselves, by acting in the workplace, the community, and the street, can develop the power to create a just and environmentally sustainable alternative to profit-driven capitalism.
The Socialist Alliance stands candidates in elections at every level of government, but unlike other parties we don't see parliament as the main vehicle for social change. If elected, our candidates will take only an average worker's wage, donating the balance to struggles for a better society.

What is education for?
Education is about personal growth and development and about creating new and different futures as TS Eliot so concisely out it : “It is in fact a part of the function of education to help us escape, not from our own time -- for we are bound by that -- but from the intellectual and emotional limitations of our time.” The SA does not believe that Tas Tomorrow is anyway assisting the young people of Tasmania to escape these limitations but in fact Tas Tomorrow is limited young people.

The SA Position re Tas Tomorrow
The SA opposes the Tas Tomorrow reforms for many reasons. Whilst these reasons are significant what also is of importance is how we’ve reached our position! We have concluded that Tas Tomorrow is having a negative impact on improving the educational outcomes for post Gr 10 students by consulting those who best understand and know about the current and potential impact of the reforms: namely teachers, the teachers unions and students. Personal note: one of students I’ve consulted is my 17 yr old daughter Gr 12.

Why do we oppose Tas Tomorrow:

1. Inequalities in the community are further reinforced by imposing a choice over academic or vocational pathways at the end of grade 10. (this is way to early – nowadays people change careers on av. 7 times in their lifetime – I didn’t decide on my degree until I was 40!)
2. The autonomy of colleges has been threatened by the state-wide management structure. This means that many teachers, support and admin staff now feel that they don’t have the power to influence changes that will improve how the colleges respond to student’s needs. (systems respond better when those closest to have a say and power over what affects them)
3. The work of managers is being duplicated on shared Polytechnic/Academy campuses which results in less resources being available where they are most need which is on the ground – with the teachers and students
4. Students have had their options for study reduced because of the difficulties of organizing the time tables on a shared campus. (We need system that increases options not
5. On one campus, in the second year of implementation, the reforms caused the situation where students had no timetables and teachers had no classrooms on the first day of term. (my daughter has experienced this – many enrolled in Rosny to escape the problems – as she did)
Of course the SA agrees that much more must be done to improve the retention rates from Year 10 into years 11 and 12 which were some of the lowest in the country, we also have the poorest participation rate for 16- to 24-year-olds, and the large percentage of people in the workforce who are deemed to be illiterate. In practice however, the reforms appear to have been developed and introduced with insufficient consultation and are now being mismanaged.
It appears that Cost-cutting measures and privatization are the main goals of the new organizations:
• Why haven’t they employed qualified adult literacy coordinators as recommended by a recent study by Queensland University?
• Why is the Skills Institute tendering for external providers at the lowest price?
It appears that Tasmania Together is more interested in reducing education provision simply to the pressures of the market!

If anyone doubts that here - it is very interesting to note that on the news the only group that I saw speaking out publicly in favor of the Tas Tomorrow changes was the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry whose only interests are those of big business owners!!

So it’s quite obvious to many of us that the majority of teachers, the majority of teachers who are members of the AEU, the majority of students, the Greens, some independents including Andrew Wilkie and the Liberal Party are not happy with Tas Tomorrow – and the only ones who support this obvious failure are the ALP and business. I’m sorry but since when has business had the real interests of ordinary people at heart – let alone young people who are keen to develop their full potential through quality education! (we only have to look at how many overseas students have had their education ruined by dishonest business owners who are solely interested in making large amounts of profit regardless of the consequences for students who are already disadvantaged)

Since Bartlett has decided to make this an election issue instead of reviewing the mistakes that have been made throughout the Tas Tomorrow process then it’s important that we spread the word and speak to your friends, workmates and family and tell them not to vote Labor as this will mean a vote for the continuation of Tas Tomorrow.

We need to ensure that:
• the college system returns to be managed by the Ed Dept
• TAFE needs to be restored
• That adequate numbers of support staff are provided such as social workers and psychologists
• Adequate consultations then must be held to ensure that any reforms are truly democratic and not in interests of big business
How do we ensure these? Vote against them – sure that’s important but it’s not the only way. We need not just to vote to bring back TAFE but more importantly than this we need to continue to agitate, educate and organize (to quote old slogan from the 60’s) because this is the only way that we can achieve positive changes in society whether in the area of education or others! (one of my favorotie examples of the power of students was May 1968 in France)
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. Wiliam Butler Yeats

SO it’s not about in this case filling young peoples minds – which are labeled either Academic or Polytechnic it’s about giving them the opportunity to dabble in both as they so choose – about lighting the fire of passion in education in all areas until they have developed enough to discover what they are most interested in

OTHER RELATED POLICY INFO:

The SA Education Policy
We belive in a universal, free, quality secular education system – this is highlighted by opening paragraph of Ed policy of Seventh National Conference January 2-5, 2010:
“Education is a fundamental right for all people, yet the policies of successive governments has
been to turn education into a privilege; with wealth as the main entry qualification. At all levels, the public education system has been systematically dismantled, while private schools enjoy billions in taxpayer subsidies.”

The SA wants to make sure “that all young people have the same opportunities no matter what there families socio-economic background.” Therefore “the Socialist Alliance supports the reintroduction of free university education, This is because the Socialist Alliance believes that education is a right for all people. We oppose the fact that the private school sector now gets more federal funding than the entire public university sector. We believe that federal funding should go into providing free and quality public education from primary through to tertiary and vocational. We would also drop the current HECS debts.” AUSTRALIA CAN AFFORD FREE EDUCATION.

Lower the voting age to 16
“Many studies have shown that the youth actually have a stronger sense of social justice. There are also many decisions which are made based around youth issues without the input and views of the youth being represented or expressed. To make sure that youth views are expressed and addressed properly by parliamentarians the Socialist Alliance supports the lowering of the voting age to 16.”

Socialist Alliance Hobart: 2010 Election Fundraising Dinner

2010-03-09T23:45:00.009+11:00

Please come along TONIGHT and support Socialist Alliance at our election fund-raising dinner. There will be gorgeously delicious Latin American food, drinks and music. Invite your friends!

Date:	Saturday, 13 March 2010
Time:	18:30 - 23:30
Location:	Hobart Activist Centre, 225 Murray St, Hobart

Cost: $15 concession $20 waged $40 solidarity

Socialist Alliance Announces Forest Policy for 2010 State Election

2010-03-09T23:16:00.003+11:00

The Socialist Alliance has given its full support to call to immediately to protect Tasmania's native forests, by adopting in full Climate Action Hobart’s Step 2 in its ten steps for a safe climate as its official Forest Policy for the 2010 election, which is as follows:

“The Tasmanian Government must act immediately to protect Tasmania's native forests as permanent and resilient carbon stores. This would include immediately ensuring that no new logging operations take place in intact natural forests in Tasmania, and commissioning a fully independent accounting methodology for carbon emissions and storage associated with current forestry operations in the State. Recognising that protecting forests in this way will require changes in employment patterns and new skills, a core element of this initiative is for the Tasmanian Government to work with the whole community to devise a genuine and community-owned transition strategy for the forestry industry, to preserve employment during and after a switch from large-scale logging native forests to existing plantations and other activities.”

Socialist Alliance Candidate for Denison, Mel Barnes stated “We think the step as outlined is best way to deal with what is described as the “forestry conflict”. If we are to achieve a safe climate, we need to ensure that no new logging of natural forest occurs, which will immediately reduce Tasmania’s carbon emissions. We know from previous studies that Tasmania’s forests are amongst the most carbon dense in the world, a fully independent study, however would give us the full picture of how much carbon is stored in our forests.”

Barnes continued, “We are proud to be a working class party, which supports working class Tasmanians, so recognizing that a just transition is necessary for timber workers and communities sustained by native forest logging, is incredibly important. We believe it is possible and necessary for workers to support a “genuine and community-owned transition strategy for the forestry industry” and we will seek to convince workers of this.”

The Socialist Alliance also calls on all other parties to adopt this step as their forest policy for the coming elections

Melanie Barnes 0423 978 518

Authorised by Susan Austin, 225 Murray St, Hobart, 7000.
9th of March 2010

PUBLICSERVICES@WORK Response

2010-02-27T19:46:00.006+11:00

Here is the Socialist Alliance response to the Community & Public Sector Union's (CPSU SPSF Tas) campaign called PublicServices@Work which asked ALL candidates for their response regarding how they will support the Tasmanian Public Service. This was signed by Jenny Forward Socialist Alliance Candidate for Franklin and current delegate for the CPSU (SPSF TAS)and Melanie Barnes Socialist Alliance Candidate for Denison. For more info see it online at http://www.abettertasmania.com/

Dear Tom

Firstly we would like to congratulate the CPSU on organising the Better Tasmania campaign that highlights the important role of the public service as well as asking candidates to outline their commitment to your document Public Services @ Work: Tasmanian Public Sector Policy. Furthermore we would like to congratulate the CPSU on providing ALL candidates with an opportunity to respond to your proposed policy and not just the major parties.
I am happy to inform you that Socialist Alliance fully supports the principals outlined in the Public Services @ Work: Tasmanian Public Sector Policy. We believe in ensuring fairness, security, innovation and governance in Tasmania public services.
We have always supported the salary nexus that would provide workers with pay parity with workers in the rest of Australia. We therefore have supported unions including the CPSU and their members in the Tasmanian Public Service who have been courageously fighting for pay parity despite the State Labor Governments opposition to it over the years. We will continue to support unions and workers who oppose wage agreements that renege on keeping the salary nexus. We were also opposed to the Labor Governments' proposal to try to slash about 800 public service jobs due to the global financial crisis and we were opposed to their axing of the entire Department of Environment, Parks, Heritage and the Arts.
Community mental health services are also struggling as they are staffed well below the benchmark when it comes to both allied health and nursing mental health professionals. The Bartlett Government has released glossy papers on Mental Health Promotion and Early Intervention yet people with acute mental illness and complex co-morbidities sit on waitlists. Grassroots mental health clinical staff would like to extend their services to do early intervention and health promotion activities but because of the chronic understaffing, they end up having to spend all their time responding to those in crisis. Also the hospital psychiatric ward in the Royal Hobart Hospital absolutely needs at least one more social worker, psychologist and occupational therapist to be able to provide real multi-disciplinary treatment to the large numbers of patients.
Health workers play a crucial part in providing public services to Tasmanians yet a Mercury article dated January 29, 2010 stated that a national Report on Government Services reveals that "Tasmania had a lower rate of public hospital doctors and nurses than the Australian average". Socialist Alliance therefore supports an increase in the number of hospital doctors and nurses and this would have a positive impact on services and on the elective surgery waiting lists.

Socialist Alliance therefore believes that the Bartlett Labor Government is not committed to fairness and guaranteed services as they state in their comments regarding your public sector policy. We are also concerned with their apparent push to de-professionalise many areas of the public service which we consider to be a threat to the quality of services to meet the needs of the Tasmanian public.
Socialist Alliance would properly fund all health services to ensure that Tasmanians receive the quality care they deserve. However Socialist Alliance also believes that the public sector should be extended to cover all those economic sectors where public provision would be cheaper, more efficient or provide equality of access. Our belief is that energy and water utilities, postal and telecommunications services, financial institutions, airports and airlines, shipping, railways, the extraction and sale of natural resources, public housing, transport, prison facilities, aged care, child care and health care services should be publicly owned. We also believe that drug development and production should be entrusted to a state pharmaceutical firm; and there should a state superannuation fund, eliminating the risk of workers losing their savings.
For the past two decades both the Labor and the Liberal party have lied to us claiming privatisation would provide cheaper and better health and education along with more affordable and efficient transport, housing and communication and care for our children and elderly. This period has shown us that this is not the way privatisation works and instead and it has forced bills up, jobs down and created a larger division between the rich and poor.
Instead Socialist Alliance supports the rebuilding of our public sector, one that is very well funded and encompassing latest technologies with boards comprising workers, consumers and administrators to ensure accountable, transparent and democratic management. This would provide a system where the government would be directly accountable to the people and would deliver a system of quality, efficiency and duty of care.
Furthermore we propose an alternative to the privatisation of public assets and resources and call for the nationalisation of Gunns Ltd to put these resources in public hands and make the government accountable for their practices.
Another public asset that demonstrates the dangers of privatisation is the Tasmanian rail system. We want to avoid another disaster after it was sold off and then bought back in worse condition. We need to massively expand the rail workforce so that we can provide quality and publicly owned rail services in Tasmania. Unlike the Liberals, Socialist Alliance does not want to expand the Midlands Highway but instead we support the introduction of fast speed trains between Hobart and Launceston as these are a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative.

While we agree with the policy on consultation when any major changes are put on the table, we would argue that unions, as workers’ representatives, need to be involved from the start and major changes to the public sector would need union approval.
To conclude Socialist Alliance has a proud and long history of supporting worker’s rights and struggles both in Tasmania and at a National level and we will continue to do so. The Tasmanian Public Service needs more support to enable it to better meet the sometimes complex needs of the people of Tasmania.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you require any further clarification.

Kind regards

Jenny Forward
Socialist Alliance Candidate for Franklin
Current CPSU Delegate

Mel Barnes
Socialist Alliance Candidate for Denison

Emailed 26/2/10

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Policy

2010-02-27T19:20:00.006+11:00

Socialist Alliance candidate for Franklin Jenny Forward was asked to meet the sexual & gender diverse community at the Kingborough/Huon Valley Coming Out Proud (COP) Community Liaison Committee election forum and to outline our GLBTI policy.

Here is the speech given by Jenny Forward who grew up in the Huon Valley in response to the questions provided by COP. The responses were mainly drawn from the recent national policy adopted at the 2010 Socialist Alliance Conference after extensive consultations with members of the GLBTI communities and Scarlet Alliance:

How will your Government provide access to the GLBTI Community to discuss its issues and develop appropriate policy and practice responses?

We believe in supporting independent social movements to pressure governments. Socialist Alliance believes that the best way for the GLBTI community to influence policy and practice is by being organised and active themselves. The Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group TGLRG led the successful 1988-1997 campaign for gay law reform in Tasmania and it is a wonderful example of what you can achieve and how you can influence political parties through your own activism. Tonight’s forum and ongoing activism and organising by representative groups such as the Tasmanian Council for Sexual & Gender Diverse People are a crucial means of influencing policy and practice.

It is worth noting here that the ALP has recently set up a Social Inclusion Unit within the Dept of Premier and Cabinet but it doesn’t go far enough regarding the GLBTI community as Rodney Croome from the (TGLRG) stated: “We are pleased the Strategy is the first in Australia to acknowledge the exclusion GLBTI people face, but frustrated there’s no pointers for how to tackle this exclusion.” The Tasmanian Council for Sexual and Gender Diverse People also lobbied for greater inclusion to the communities they represent in the Social Inclusion Unit too.

What does your Party see as the major issues faced by the LGBTI community in Tasmania.

We live in a society which attempts to dictate sexual preference and gender identity through promoting the gender stereotypes and homophobic attitudes which underpin the heterosexual nuclear family, and by promoting marriage and the nuclear family as the only legitimate model for relationships. Lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, trans people and intersex people suffer oppression because their lives are a challenge to the nuclear family which is an economic cornerstone of capitalism.

The Socialist Alliance opposes all attempts to shoehorn people into sexual and gender conformity. We believe it is a basic democratic right that a persons’ self-definition of sexual preference and gender identity should be recognised. Heterosexism exists at almost every level in this society, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is entrenched in all of the key institutions of society - education, health, the law, the media, family, church and state.

The Socialist Alliance supports politically independent and self-organizing social movements that fight the oppression of women, lesbians and gay men, trans and intersex people, people with HIV and sex workers through mass action, public demonstrations, lobbying, voting and by building alliances with the broader working class, feminist, and anti-capitalist movements.

We oppose sexism, racism, ageism, and discrimination against people with disabilities within the lesbian and gay communities, as we do in the broader community.

Therefore we see that the major issues in Tasmania are:
• Discrimination- schools, workforce, public places and services such as aged care
• Safe Public Housing for LGBTI
• Recognition of same sex relationships
• Funding boost for organisations especially those focussed on youth (as many leave and some suicide)
• There needs to be more acknowledgment of the diversity within GLBTI communities
• Self-determination for the Tasmanian GLBTI community

How would your Government respond to these issues?

• Enact enforceable anti-discrimination legislation to protect lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, people living with HIV and trans and intersex people. We will remove existing exemptions from anti-discrimination legislation in relation to employment for private schools, religious organisations, the insurance industry, the tax system, superannuation etc. The Socialist Alliance will legislate for the right of trans and intersex people to be issued with passports, drivers licenses and other documents specifying the gender (or non-gender) of their choice.

• Legislate full social, legal, trade union and industrial recognition of same sex and gender variant relationships. This would include extending to same sex relationships equal status with heterosexual de factos in superannuation, immigration, taxation, family law, industrial relations and any other laws and regulations; ensure the right of gays, lesbians and gender variants to choose to marry if they so wish; provide independent incomes [Newstart, Pensions, etc] for all regardless of relationship status - this will end state-enforced economic dependency.

• Guarantee the right of gay men and lesbians to adopt or foster children and to access free, safe reproductive technology like IVF. End discrimination against gay men, lesbians, trans and intersex people in child custody cases.

• Legislate against use of non-violent homosexual “advance” as a defense of “provocation” in violent crime.

• Provide full state funding for gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans people and intersex youth programs including refuges and housing services, health services, coming out, self-esteem and suicide prevention programs;

• All public funding for education, youth, aged, health, employment and welfare to be directed though non-discriminatory government and/or secular non-profit community organisations. Education in schools to incorporate positive material on homosexuality, trans and intersex peoples.

• Support Pride Marches, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, film and video festivals and other queer community events; defend and extend gay, lesbian trans and intersex programming on the ABC, SBS and community broadcasters; work vigorously for an end to the vicious and destructive portrayal of gay men, lesbians and trans people people in some sections of the media.

• Mandatory sensitivity training and refresher courses for the police force in how to deal with LGBTI issues. This education and training must be developed with and by the LGBTI community. The selection of LGBTI liaison officers should be under the control of the LGBTI community and recallable.

• Support gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans and intersex workers; promote strong policies within unions to defend gay, lesbian, trans and intersex workers; support the establishment of gay and lesbian caucuses within trade unions.

Do you believe that GLBTI people are entitled to register and celebrate their relationships as for the Marriage Act?

Socialist Alliance has been active across Australia at a grassroots level on LGBTI issues. We have strong representatives and spokespersons on these issues such as NSW activist Rachel Evans who was the National Union of Students Queer Officer in 2006, she has also been active in Community Action Against Homophobia (CAAH), she also stood in Parramatta NSW Lower House in the federal election in 2007 and was the spokesperson for the NoToPope Coalition in 2008. And I would like to point out that Socialist Alliance has worked closely with the CAAH and has given regular spots to it to discuss issues in our paper the Green Left Weekly. WE have brought up not only these issues but have also highlighted issues facing queer refuges. And through our work in the CAAH we also initiated a petition calling for a repeal of the ban on same-sex marriage.

Socialist Alliance was a key force in Sydney to building mass pressure against discrimination through the passing of the same-sex marriage ban in 2004. When the ALP voted with the bill in the house of Reps, Socialist Alliance organised a snap occupation of the Marriage Registry including a “marriage ceremony” in which two of our members committed themselves to protesting for their right to marry.

Under the growing pressure specifically from the CAAH and the Alliance, the ALP backed away from passing the government’s legislation in the Senate, stating that “not enough community debate” had been had and bringing forward a senate enquiry; of course a week later the National Marriage Forum took place in Canberra, where the ALP announced their changed position to the Christian Right of stating their intention to end the Senate inquiry. I think that this really highlights the need for a mass left movement such as Socialist Alliance which is working on the ground with other organisations to create grass roots pressure on the major parties.

Socialist Alliance members in Hobart have also always played an active role in public campaigns promoting the rights of the LGBTI community and in favour of equal marriage rights.

We believe that marriage rights for GLBTI people are a key demand that must be met. There seems to be wide-spread support for de-facto rights which is also supported by the Labor party, but Socialist Alliance says that this is not enough. De-facto rights do not give comparable rights to those of married couples and to only promote de-facto and shy away from full marriage rights still continues ongoing discrimination.

Change the system, not the climate — the case for rebellion and revolution--- and more from the latest GLW...

2010-02-22T18:13:00.001+11:00

In This Issue...

Change the system, not the climate — the case for rebellion and revolution
Feeling powerless is common in today's world.

Abolish anti-gay laws: marriage rights for all
Queer rights activists across Australia are gearing up for an important year of action on equal marriage rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.

Pro-Palestinian activist: arrested for standing up for justice
Bridget Chappell, an Australian solidarity activist, was arrested along with Spanish activist Ariadna Jove Marti in a pre-dawn raid on February 7 in Ramallah, Palestine.

Roofs are burning: Garrett's green loans fiasco
The ALP government's environmental credentials have suffered a second meltdown in as many weeks.

'It's about racism and human rights'
Alyawarr elder Richard Downs spoke at the Prescribed Area People's Alliance (PAPA) meeting in Alice Springs on February 12. Downs is a leader of the walkoff protest against the NT intervention at Ampilatwatja.

Gov't reps evicted from protest camp
The article below is by Richard Downs, who is the spokesperson the Ampilatwatja walk-off against the Northern Territory intervention.

Venezuela's revolution faces crucial battles
Decisive battles between the forces of revolution and counter-revolution loom on the horizon in Venezuela.

Climate science and the IPCC: Time to change the model?
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an organisation whose time has passed. It needs to be dismantled.

Report urges expanded public transport
The Sydney Morning Herald-sponsored "Independent Public Inquiry" into Sydney's public transport released its preliminary report on February 13. The report outlined a 30-year strategy to massively improve Sydney's public transport infrastructure.

Socialist Alliance: Put real change on the agenda
Green Left Weekly spoke to Socialist Alliance national convener Peter Boyle about the political dynamics of the coming federal election and asked him what sort of campaign the Alliance was intending to run.

Green Left Weekly fighting fund: Confronting the right wing
You may have seen the photo in last week's Green Left Weekly of the right-wing "Tea Party" movement supporter in Washington DC. The placard he was holding said, in reference to President Barack Obama, "Impeach the Muslim Marxist". The article discussed the rise of right-wing politics in the US.

Afghanistan: Bloody war drags on
On February 13, 15,000 occupying troops from the US, Canada, Britain, Denmark, Estonia and the Afghan puppet state launched the Operation Moshtarak military offensive on Helmand province.

The corporatisation of Mardi Gras
The modern queer rights movement was born on June 28, 1969 in New York City.

Noam Chomsky: The US corporate takeover
January 21, 2010, will go down as a dark day in the history of US democracy, and its decline.

Venezuela: Mass student protest for Chavez
Tens of thousands of students rallied on February 12 in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in a show of support for President Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian revolution.

Canada: Thousands protest Olympics opening
Five thousand people took to the streets of Vancouver on February 12 to protest the opening of the corporate spectacle known as the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Greece: Crisis, resistance and challenges for the left
"Got any thoughts on the bomb?" I asked breathlessly down the phone to a veteran Athens politics-watcher.

Should unions leave Labor?
Congratulations to Victorian Electrical Trades Union secretary Dean Mighell for his frank comment in the February 11 Age ("Unions must leave Labor").

'Be proud and don't let anyone take that away'
Elaine Peckham is a Central Arrernte woman who lives on homelands in the West MacDonnell Ranges. She spoke at the Prescribed Area People's Alliance meeting in Alice Springs on February 12. The speech below is abridged from text prepared by the Intervention Rollback Action Group rollbacktheintervention.wordpress.com.

Haiti: Thousands protest Sarkozy, for Aristide
Thousands of supporters of ousted Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide took to the streets on February 17 as French President Nicolas Sarkozy toured the earthquake-ravaged capital of Port au Prince.

Bolivia: 'People's Summit' to challenge rich nations on climate
Bolivia's foreign minister David Choquehuanca said on February 8 that Bolivia is very concerned about the inadequacy of the greenhouse gas reduction commitments made by developed countries in the Copenhagen Accord at the United Nations climate summit in December, PWCCC.wordpress.com said.

Colombia solidarity activists harassed
The following is abridged from an article by Peace and Justice for Colombia.

Appeal: help get GLW out bush
Green Left Weekly has a long and proud tradition of covering the many struggles for justice waged by Aboriginal people and their supporters.

Buyer beware?
A report issued by the Clean Energy Council (CEC) said up to 2000 households who took advantage of the government's solar rebate scheme may be at risk of electrical fires due to poorly installed rooftop panels.

Climate action summit to meet in Canberra
Hundreds of grassroots climate activists will meet in Canberra from March 13-15 to attend the second Climate Action Summit. It will build on the success of the first summit, which occurred in January 2009 and attracted more than 500 people, representing about 150 climate action groups.

Five jailed for thought-crimes
On February 15, five men — Mohamed Ali Elomar, Khaled Cheikho, Moustafa Cheikho, Abdul Rakib Hasan and Mohammed Omar Jamal — who were convicted in October under "anti-terror" laws, were each sentenced in Parramatta court to between 23 and 28 years in jail. The shortest non-parole period was set at 17 years and three months.

Germany: Protesters stop neo-Nazi march
On February 13, a neo-Nazi march through the German city of Dresden was prevented when more than 15,000 locals braved freezing temperatures to oppose them.

Hundreds celebrate Alistair Hulett's life
A memorial for left-wing musician Alistair Hulett was held on February 14 at Sydney's Gaelic Club.

Letter to minister against interrogation of Colombian solidarity activist
The following letter was sent to federal home affairs minister Brendan O'Connor.

Palestine: Anti-wall protesters score win
On February 12, residents of the Palestinian village of Bilin attracted global attention by protesting dressed as blue, pointy-eared and tailed Na'vi from the blockbuster movie Avatar. Like the fictional Na'vi, the Bilin villagers are resisting occupation by a brutal military machine in the pay of corporate interests.

Pauline Hanson to become a migrant
When the anti-immigration politician Pauline Hanson was asked if she was a xenophobe in a 1996 interview on Sixty Minutes, she famously responded: "please explain". Now, with the news that she intends to become an immigrant herself, it seems she doesn't understand the word "hypocrite" either.

Refugees blamed for navy errors
Three Afghan refugees in Australia face possible charges over the explosion onboard a fishing boat off Ashmore Reef last April. Five were killed in the explosion and many more injured.

Royal Commission needed into TJ's death
"The law is an ass", said Mr Bumble, in Charles Dickens' classic, Oliver Twist. And over 300 people agreed as they rallied yesterday on the same site, six years to the day, where 17-year old Aboriginal boy, TJ Hickey, was impaled on fence in Waterloo.

Ruby Hunter 1955-2010
Aboriginal singer-song writer Ruby Hunter passed away on February 17. Her music dealt with her personal history, Indigenous struggles, and social and women's issues.

Star City workers struggle continues
The struggle for wage justice by workers at the Star City Casino in Sydney continued with strikes on February 11 and Chinese New Year (February 14).

Tahmoor picket over safety and job security continues
The picket line outside Xstrata Coal's Tahmoor colliery is continuing. It marks a continuation of the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union's (CFMEU) 17-month struggle to negotiate an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) with Xstrata.

Teacher activists elected to union council
On February 13, NSW Teachers Federation (NSWTF) councillors elected two new left candidates to the executive of the union at the first NSWTF Council of the year.

Transition Decade launched
More than 1200 people attended a mass public meeting at Melbourne Town Hall on February 14 to launch the Transition Decade (T10)
US soldier charged over protest song

US soldier charged over protest song
Marc Hall — a US soldier at Fort Stewart and hip hop artist — is to be whisked off to Iraq for a military court martial, out of reach of the public eye and his own civilian defence lawyers.

US student strike planned against cuts
The following call for a national strike and day of action in defence of public education was released by the California Coordinating Committee.

Venezuela: Nationalised supermarkets guarantee fair prices
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has inaugurated new government-run hypermarkets (large supermarkets), which replace of the recently nationalised Exito hypermarket chain.

We kid you not

Activists protest Afghanistan occupation
MELBOURNE — On February 16 a group of peace activists held a vigil outside the Melbourne office of federal finance minister Lindsay Tanner. The protest was the first in a series of monthly vigils aimed at drawing attention to the worsening situation in Afghanistan and to call for the Australian government to bring the troops home.

Gaza Freedom March activists speak
SYDNEY — Six Gaza Freedom March activists presented a moving account of their experiences of trying to get into Gaza late last year at a Stop the War Coalition public meeting on February 15.

Haiti solidarity in Newcastle
NEWCASTLE – Forty-five people attended a fundraiser for the Haitian Emergency Fund on February 10. The Haitian Emergency Fund is a grassroots organisation in Haiti made up of unions, women's groups, and human rights activists. The lively crowd heard Caribbean music and a presentation by Stuart Munckton, an editor of Green Left Weekly.

Rally marks Redfern death
MELBOURNE — Eighty people rallied on the morning of February 14 to commemorate the 2004 death of Redfern teenager TJ Hickey and demand an end to Aboriginal deaths in custody. The crowd observed a minute's silence in memory of TJ, who was killed while being chased by police. It also expressed its support for TJ's mother, Gail Hickey, who has lodged a complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

Resistance in 'sign war' with MP
Newcastle Resistance branch has entered a "sign war" against federal Labor MP Sharon Grierson.

Why I joined Resistance

Why internet censorship is wrong
The internet protest group Anonymous launched a cyber-attack to protest the Australian government's proposed "clean-feed" internet filter on February 10. A number of government websites temporarily became host to pornographic images.

Young people can stop the climate crisis
Resistance activist Melanie Barnes is standing as a candidate in the upcoming Tasmanian state elections for the Socialist Alliance. She isn't running to improve her career prospects or income, but because she wants to get an important message out.

Lillian Roxon: The mother — and more — of rock
Mother of Rock: The Lillian Roxon StoryBy Robert MillikenBlack Inc., 2010360 pp., $27.95 pb.

Power, anger, humour — Fiona Foley confronts racism
Fiona Foley: Forbidden University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane. Showing February 19-May 2

Scream against the Armenian genocide
ScreamersDirected by Carla Garapedian, featuring music by System of a DownVia Vision Entertainment, DVD95 minutes, $24.95

Second assassination of Trotsky
Trotsky: A Biography By Robert Service, Pan Macmillan, 2009 624 pages, $59.95 hb

Abbott's 'green' fraud: a gift to polluters--- and more from the latest GLW...

2010-02-19T22:49:00.001+11:00

Green Left Weekly is Australia's largest circulating progressive newspaper and is the best place to get all the latest news and views on important issues and struggles here and around the world. Make sure you don't miss out - take out an esubscription now and get the index delivered straight to your inbox each week, or you can have the hard copy sent to your home. For details visit GLW on line or phone 1800 634 206. Support the independent media - subscribe or donate today! www.greenleft.org.au

In This Issue...

Abbott's 'green' fraud: a gift to polluters
How to sum up the Liberal Party's "direct action" scheme to tackle global warming? Well, how about: a fraud wrapped in demagogy inside a delusion?

NT protest house: union solidarity with Aboriginal struggle
From February 1-14, in a remote part of the Northern Territory, a group of trade unionists and Aboriginal rights activists from Victoria, New South Wales and the NT joined forces with the Alyawarr people from Ampilatwatja community to help make history.

Afghanistan's secret jails
It was November 19, 2009, at 3:15am.

Haiti's misery: good news for big business
There has been much ink spilled in the corporate press about the number of dollars and soldiers being committed to Haiti by "the international community", but as a January 20 US ABC News headline bluntly put it: "In rebuilding Haiti, opportunity knocks and companies profit."

A brilliant showcase of solidarity
In October, when Ampilatwatja walk-off spokesperson Richard Downs toured the eastern states with Yuendumu elder Uncle Harry Nelson, they explained how their protest camp would demonstrate that Aboriginal people running their own affairs could build the type of sustainable community that the Northern Territory intervention, like past assimilationist and paternalistic policies, had failed to deliver.

Major parties' empty climate rhetoric
A Nielsen poll published in the February 8 Sydney Morning Herald showed a sharp drop of support for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's key climate change policy, the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).

US report targets Venezuela
US National Director of Intelligence Admiral Dennis Blair presented the "annual threat assessment" before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on February 2

Green Left Weekly fighting fund: Spend money on people's needs not war
United States President — and Nobel Peace Laureate — Barack Obama will spend nearly US$1 trillion on war this year.

United States: Obama forgets Black community
What I found most striking about President Barack Obama's first "State of the Union" address before Congress on January 27 was what he didn't say.

Change needed in Tasmania
The spectre of the locally powerful woodchipping corporation Gunns and its relationship with the government hangs over the impending state election like a murky cloud. This is despite construction of Gunns' proposed pulp mill remaining stalled, due to public pressure and its inability to raise finance.

Refugees under stress at Christmas Island, Merak boat
The stress on Afghan and Tamil refugees waiting for their asylum claims to be processed in the Christmas Island Detention Centre is taking its toll.

New migration policy for bosses, not people
The federal government has announced a major overhaul of the permanent residency skilled migration program and scrapped the current eligibility list of more than 100 occupations.

The Venezuelan people: masters of revolution
Inside the Revolution: A Journey into the Heart of Venezuela Directed by Pablo Navarrete

Socialist councillor: stop attacks on public sector
Socialist councillor Sam Wainwright has called on Fremantle residents to support a March 11 rally against the state government's attacks on the public sector.

Firefighters warn of climate risk
February 7, 2009, Black Saturday: you're glued to your TV watching an inferno devour Victoria's bushland, terrified that in a country like Australia, such a fire could have happened anywhere.

Obama visit sparks protest organising
Anti-war and democratic rights activists are organising protests for US President Barack Obama's upcoming visit

United States: Super Bowl ad hypocrisy
In our 5000-channel, Tweeting, shouting culture of constant distraction, there are precious few annual events that unite the US national gaze. In fact, there is really only one: the Super Bowl.

Shock expose: socialists oppose climate change
Andrew Bolt of Melbourne's Herald Sun published a mind-blowing scoop on his blog on February 6: there are socialists in the movement against climate change.

Australia breaches Burma arms embargo
The statement published below was released by Burma Campaign Australia on February 9.

Burma: Regional left support for workers' struggles
The statement published below has been signed by the Working People's Association (Indonesia); Confederation Congress of Indonesia Union Alliance; the Singapore Democratic Party; the Socialist Party of Malaysia; Socialist Alternative (Australia); Socialist Alliance (Australia); and Socialist Worker New Zealand. If your organisation wants to sign this joint statement, email international@prp-indonesia.org.

Chile: Voters disillusioned as right takes power
After holding power in Chile since the end of Pinochet's military dictatorship in 1988, the social democratic coalition Concertacion lost power to the right wing Alianza coalition in the December and January elections.

Gaza one year on: look into my eyes
On the January 18, 2009, Israel pulled its troops out of the Gaza Strip leaving many Palestinians with tremendous losses. Israel's war on Gaza, known as Operation Cast Lead had begun on December 27. The vicious attack killed 1417 people, wounding 5303 and leaving many thousands homeless, widowed and orphaned. To add pain to misery, many women who were pregnant at the time gave birth to defected children due to inhaling white phosphorous. One year after the attack, after its was confirmed by the United Nations Goldstone report, the Israeli government finally admitted that white phosphorous was used during its war on Gaza.

Iran: More US nuclear scaremongering
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton engaged in some fearmongering on Iran on the February 7 edition of CNN's State of the Union.

Pakistani students organise for democracy
During the 1960s, radical student movements broke out in countries across the world. Unlike in Europe, North America or Australia, Pakistan's student movement proved strong enough to overthrow a government.

Unemployment falls, underemployment grows
New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics said unemployment had fallen in January by 22,300 to 612,000 — a drop of 0.2% to 5.3%. The ABS, which released its unemployment figures on February 11, estimated that 52,700 jobs were created in January.

Belgium: Brewery workers take on bosses
For two weeks in January, Belgian brewery workers blocked roads, set fire to beer crates, kidnapped managers and handed out free beer in protest against job cuts proposed by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer.

Copenhagen: was China the problem?
The December 7-18 United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen was supposed to "seal a global deal" to tackle climate change. It failed miserably.

Forum defends abortion rights
Forty-five people attended a Womens Action Abortion Coalition (WAAC) forum on February 6. They discussed the need to reanimate the campaign for women's right to control their own fertility, in the wake of the charging of a Cairns couple in April 2009 for using the abortifacient, RU486.

Macklin's cynical Aboriginal policy
Minister for Aboriginal affairs Jenny Macklin will move in March to restore the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) in the Northern Territory. But the move has been described by Aboriginal advocates as a cynical ploy.

Oppose Barnett's stop and search powers
Western Australia Liberal premier Colin Barnett wants to introduce draconian legislation which will give police more power. A wide spectrum of critics agree the proposed new powers are unprecedented in most of the Western world, would be grossly intrusive and would disproportionately penalise the most marginalised groups.

Sri Lankan regime targets opponents
Further evidence of the authoritarianism of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's regime came with the February 8 arrest of former general Sarath Fonseka, who had stood against Rajapaksa in the January 26 presidential elections.

TAFE teachers fight for quality education
More than 2500 TAFE teachers filled Sydney Town Hall on February 11 during a 24-hour strike. The action was in response to New South Wales government attacks on TAFE teachers and the delivery of quality education.

The art of injustice
In a hot, leaky, corrugated tin shed behind Redfern's disused railway yards lie the embers of a smouldering story of injustice. As an Aboriginal artist, 69 year-old Gordon Syron knows about injustice. He's seen systemic apartheid, legal bias and abuse of Aboriginal people all his life.

Unions want wage rise for low-paid
When minimum wage negotiations begin in March, the Australian Council of Trade Unions will push for a rise of $30-$40 a week. The current minimum wage is $543.78 a week, or $14.31 an hour.

United States: Band protests military use of song
US rock group the White Stripes has protested at what it says is the unauthorised use of an instrumental version of its song "Fell in Love With a Girl" in a recruiting ad for the US military, the New York Times said on February 9.

United States: Is the right on the rise?
In a rambling 40-minute speech crafted to appeal to every Fox News devotee in the room, former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin told the February 6 National Tea Party convention held in Nashville, Tennessee that the US was "ready for another revolution".

Venezuela: Mass march celebrates revolution
Dwarfing recent opposition protests, more than 100,000 supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez marched in Caracas on February 4 in defence of the government and to celebrate 18 years since Chavez led a failed civilian-military uprising against a corrupt government in 1992.

Winners and losers in transport pork barrel
On February 1, NSW premier Kristina Keneally announced changes to public transport fares and ticketing at a Parramatta railway station press conference.
Xstrata locks out coalminers
More than 200 coal miners in Tahmoor, southwest of Sydney, were locked out with no pay, on February

Anti-intervention book launched
On February 9, around 70 people attended the book launch of Will They be Heard.

'Stop the intervention' protests

Union demands workers' safety
The Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union has criticised the federal government's cavalier disregard for workplace safety in the operation of its home insulation scheme, calling for it to be tightly regulated. It also hit out at the Coalition for "posturing", saying it did nothing for workers' safety when it was in power.

WA government undermines eco-festival
PERTH — The Sun Fair, an annual sustainability festival and information exchange, has been hit with a huge budget blow from the WA state government. The fair, which attracted 15,000 people last year and expects 17,000 on March 28, has been denied funding by the WA Office of Energy (OOE).

Write on: Letter to the editor

Young people under attack
"Governments making new laws all of the time Try to tell 'em that being young's not a crime" — Area 7

A polemic against lipstick feminism
One Dimensional Woman By Nina Power, Zero Books, 2009, 81 pp., $22.95

Howard and Hanson gone but Bartlett continues their legacy in Tasmania

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Stop the dog whistle politics in Tasmania!

It was revealed on Monday that Pauline Hanson will be leaving Australia for Britain but there has been a recent reminder that while the woman herself is gone, her legacy lives on in the practices of the major parties. The Hobart Mercury reported on February 16 that “northern suburbs focus groups showed that David Bartlett’s proverbial popularity gauge or “worm”, seriously turned when the Premier stood up to Aboriginal protest groups in January”, which “resonated wonderfully according to the Premier’s advisers, with Labor voters in Brighton, Bridgewater, Granton, Glenorchy and Claremont”.

Socialist Alliance candidate for Denison, Melanie Barnes said,” This is the worst type of dog whistle politics. It appears as if it was a deliberate election strategy of the government to attack Aboriginal campaigners and try to ram through the Brighton Bypass in order to curry favour with voters in the Northern Suburbs. This is a classic tactic of trying to divert real anger within the Northern suburbs around issues such as increased electricity and water prices and lack of decent public transport and focus that anger on another disadvantaged group, the Aboriginal community. This is exactly the type of tactics that Pauline Hanson and John Howard used, anger over various issues was diverted to a vile campaign against immigrants. It is disgusting that the Labor Party is willing to resort to these tactics in order to get re-elected.”

The Socialist Alliance rejects this approach to politics and instead argues that the working class and Aboriginal communities are stronger together.

“What working class voters and the Aboriginal community across the state have in common is that they are both under attack by the Labor Government. Just as trying to ram through Brighton Bypass reflects the arrogance of the government, so does ramming through the “water and sewerage reforms” or Tasmanian tomorrow education reforms, both of which have had a negative impact on the living and education standards of those in the northern suburbs. Attacks on the Aboriginal community do nothing at all to alleviate these problems, which stem from the Labor Government. The Union and Working Class movements have a proud history of supporting the Aboriginal struggle, an example of this is right now trade unionists in the Northern Territory are helping to construct houses for the Ampilatwatja community, who have set up a protest camp in response to the racist Northern Territory intervention. All those who oppose racism must take a firm stand against the type of tactics being employed by the Labor Party” Jenny Forward, Socialist Alliance candidate for Franklin

The Socialist Alliance supports the Tasmanian Aboriginal communities fight for justice and will use its campaign to try to increase this support throughout the state.

Climate Change

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Tasmanian Climate Change policy.

A response to Climate Action Hobart’s “Ten Steps for a Safe Climate Future”

Jan 2010

Two of the four key campaign priorities are:

· Tasmania to lead the way on climate change by protecting old growth forests, achieving 100% renewable energy by 2020 and stopping subsidies to big polluters

· Public transport – free and frequent local buses or light rail, fast-speed trains not more Midland highway lanes.

Socialist Alliance activists who participate in Climate Action Hobart were involved in the development of Climate Action Hobart’s 10 Steps for a Safe Climate Future. The Socialist Alliance broadly endorses the Ten Steps and regards it as a fantastic development for the state and for the movement against climate change. The Socialist Alliance makes campaigning against climate change a priority and launched our own national “Ten Point Climate Action Plan” as part of our first Climate Charter in 2007, which was updated in 2008 and is again under revision, in line with developments in science and the movement.

In regard to Tasmanian policy, the following document will clarify which Steps the Socialist Alliance has adopted in full, as well as those with which we have some minor disagreements. There are also some policies within the ten points that we agree with but have adopted more ambitious targets for. These have been adopted after extensive discussion and collaboration with environment groups (like Beyond Zero Emissions) and after being debated at national decision making conferences of the Socialist Alliance. In some cases we have adopted additional policies which address the objectives of the Steps, so we have also referenced them for your information.

Step 1:

Carbon neutral by 2050

We agree. Our latest national conference resolution includes:

The threat of runaway climate change caused by rising carbon emissions emanating from human industrial and agricultural activity is the greatest threat to the continued existence of human civilisation of our era. Increasingly alarming scientific predictions only further dramatise the urgent need for governments internationally to take immediate action to move to a zero-emissions economy and reduce greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.

The Socialist Alliance calls for a just transition to a carbon-neutral economy.

60% by 2020 over 1990 levels

The following policy was adopted in 2007: Aim for 60% overall emissions reduction, including 95% power station emissions reduction by 2020 and 90% overall emissions reduction by 2030.

In the updated 2008 version of the Climate Charter these targets were strengthened by replacing that sentence with: Implement immediate emission reduction targets with the aim of reducing net emissions to zero as soon as practicable, with a goal of achieving 100% of power from renewable sources by 2020.

At our branch meeting 28/1/10 we clarified our position on targets – we agree with 60% by 2020 over 1990 levels and push for net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or as soon as possible.

Detailed, transparent plan with annual targets from 2010 on

We agree. Our climate charter says:

Introduce annual reduction targets of at least 5% to ensure that these targets are met.

We propose immediate economy-wide and sector-by-sector planning for all greenhouse gases, to meet these targets on time or before. We must establish mechanisms to review and change these targets as scientific forecasts are updated.

Businesses, local councils and government departments should all be required to commit to reducing their overall GHG emissions to zero as part of a national plan.

Step 2: No new logging of natural forests, independent carbon forest accounting, community-owned (government funded) transition strategy

We agree. Our climate charter says: Stop logging old-growth forests and begin an urgent program of re-forestation and protecting biodiversity to ensure a robust biosystem that can survive the stress of climate change and provide an increased carbon sink.

Our 2006 Tasmanian State election policy included:

- We call for the protection of the Weld, Blue Tier, Styx and Weilangta (Socialist Alliance supports the Greens “Forest Transition Strategy”)

- End logging in old-growth forests. End clear felling in all other native forests.

- Ban the export of woodchips from native forests.

- Replant forests in dry-land and other salt-affected regions

- Strict controls on land clearing

- No mining or mineral exploration in national parks and other areas of high conservation value

In addition Socialist Alliance Tasmania endorsed (at a meeting 28/1/2010) the wording of the CAH Step 2 (including specifying no logging of “intact natural forests” not just old growth forests and the policy on carbon accounting.)

Step 3: Reduce energy use – economy-wide energy savings plan, target of reducing total energy use by at least 20% by 2020 over 1990 levels.

Socialist Alliance Tasmania agreed on this policy point at a meeting on 28/1/2010 but would want a sentence included to ensure some of these initiatives do not disproportionately affect already disadvantaged people eg. when creating incentives through car registration charges, ensure health care card holder rebates continue. Ensure “cash for clunkers” programs are not linked to people having to purchase a replacement car.

In addition we adopted the following policy on energy reduction in our Climate Charter

One of the easiest ways to reduce GHGs is by increasing efficiency and reducing waste. More efficient appliances, insulating homes, better recycling, improved and more efficient public transport, producing locally-produced goods—these are some of the simple but effective changes that are possible right now.

But these changes will not happen fast enough if they’re left to the individual consumer's response to appeals to save energy, and to the “sticks and carrots” approach of energy price hikes and tax rebates.

To begin the transition to sustainability, we must set energy efficiency as a national goal, and then develop targets, standards, regulations and national and local campaigns to achieve it.

In Venezuela and Cuba the goal of eliminating incandescent light bulbs was achieved by having teams of volunteers installing free government-supplied, low-energy replacement bulbs. This is the sort of initiative that’s needed to make Australia’s 5.5 million homes energy efficient.

Governments committed to energy efficiency should have sustainable energy household conversion plans, with annual targets for solar power and heating installation compulsory for energy utilities These plans would build on and promote the various community initiatives dedicated to goals like creating “zero emission” housing, schools and other facilities.

They would require the same approach from business, with systematic energy audits and set compliance deadlines. Firms that don't upgrade to low emissions technology and processes would have to close or be taken over.

They would also monitor and establish strict standards for the energy use of business products. Businesses that operate in a market-based capitalist economy concentrate on selling products, and are unlikely to implement climate-friendly techniques unless strong regulations are introduced.

Integral to the plan would be the phasing out of the $9 billion in fossil fuel subsidies to energy-hungry industries like aluminium refining. Industries that are heavy users of energy would be required to obtain their energy needs from sustainable sources.

(Action Point 4). Require the fitting of all feasible energy efficiency measures to existing houses and subsidise owner-occupiers for the costs. Allow renters to use the same system. Install photovoltaic solar panels and solar hot water heaters on home roofs, subsidised or owned by the electricity authority. Give commercial buildings a deadline to meet six-star energy standards within two years, and 10-star standards within 10 years.

The Socialist Alliance national conference also adopted a detailed policy on coal and steel which explains the steps that need to be taken to reduce the energy used to make steel for industrial production.

Step 4: 100% renewable electricity by 2020, massive investment in wind and solar, no biomass from native forests, no new dam-storage hydro, net feed-in-tariff.

We endorse all of the parts of Step 4 as long as there is no increase in energy costs for low income households.

Our policy passed at the 2010 national conference, is as follows:

We support the campaign for an industrial scale renewable energy feed-in tariff (FIT) to encourage medium and large-scale renewable energy projects. We are against increasing energy bills for low-income households to pay for the FIT.

At the climate summit, a conscious decision was made to expand the demand to encompass all forms of power (including transport fuel) not just stationary electricity. Beyond Zero Emissions have put the case that this is achievable. SA supports this policy:

Our climate charter explains that: “Socialist Alliance has a goal of achieving 100% of power from renewable sources by 2020” and this was reaffirmed at the 2010 national conference: “The Socialist Alliance supports the campaign launched at the 2009 Climate Summit for the transformation of the economy to 100% renewable energy by 2020, as one essential component of the effort needed to prevent run-away climate change.”

Climate Charter 2008: 100% renewable energy by 2020

Australia could meet its basic energy needs from a combination of non-fossil fuel sources like solar, wind, biomass derived from agricultural wastes, tidal and geothermal (hot rocks beneath the Earth's surface).

Countries like Spain and Denmark already produce more than 20% of their energy from solar and wind power. Australia should set a target of having all of its electricity generated by renewable energy by 2020.

While massive government subsidies continue to be given to dirty fuels like brown coal, research into renewable energy technologies is not given adequate funds.

This lack of serious research and development funding for renewable energy means that the fossil fuel and nuclear industries can delay any change towards sustainability. It hampers the rapid development of renewable technologies with reduced unit costs that would enable them to compete with their cheaper polluting products.

The quickest way to guarantee that renewables are taken up at the speed needed to limit GHG increases is not to leave this job to the market and private industry - even “green” industry - but to create an adequately funded, publicly-owned renewable energy network.

The Socialist Alliance calls for the creation of a Sustainable Energy Authority to drive this effort, and the overall conversion to energy sustainability.

Climate charter 2008 action point 5. Bring all power industries under public ownership and democratic control. Begin phasing out coalmining and coal-fired power immediately. …Run the maximum possible base-load power from existing natural gas and/or hydro power stations instead of coal only as an interim measure until renewable energy is available. Coal to be used only for predicted energy peaks in the short term.

Climate charter 2008 action point 7. Accelerate the construction of wind farms in suitable areas. Boost research into all renewable energy sources. Build pilot solar-thermal and geothermal plants now. Create localised power grids.

Additional SA policy:

The Socialist Alliance acknowledges that a massive rollout of renewable energy, as proposed in our campaign work, will all occur on Aboriginal land. The Socialist Alliance will seek to build consciousness of Indigenous struggle within the climate movement, and highlight the fact that any major rollout of wind farms, solar thermal plants, etc, must occur under the direction of the traditional owners of the land upon which such plants are proposed to be built. (SA national conf 2010)

Step 5: Sustainable cities and regions: overhaul of planning schemes

Socialist Alliance Tasmania adopted this policy in full at a meeting 27/1/2010

Step 6: Investing in Public and Low Carbon Transport

We support all the aspects of the Step 6 except for some significant differences:

à We disagree that “bus fares must be set at a nominal level (not exceeding $1 for an adult fare)”. We have a policy for Free Public transport.

From Climate Charter 2008:

… We have to put public transport at the centre of our urban development plans.

Although trains are 40 times more energy efficient than cars, we won’t reduce or stop using cars and trucks unless there’s huge investment in public and rail freight transport to make it a real option for commuters and industry.

A successful public transport system will have reliable, frequent services available to everyone within 10 minutes walk of a service, especially in outer metropolitan regions. It will have to be a publicly owned, integrated system of heavy rail, light rail, ferry and bus services.

But we need to make it more attractive to users. To accelerate the switch to public transport it has to be free. That’s what transport authorities have always done when they really need to move large numbers of people quickly, as in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It’s what has happened in the Belgian city of Hasselt: within a year of introducing free bus fares, patronage increased by 870%.

Most people think that this proposal would cost a vast amount of money. However, this reaction fails to measure the total (economic, social and environmental) cost and benefit of public transport against the total cost and benefit of continuing to shift people and goods by private car and truck.

On that scale, public transport wins hands down. For every 10% switch from car and truck and into public transport, the costs of air pollution, greenhouse gas emission, car accidents, traffic congestion, motor vehicle waste disposal, noise pollution and road maintenance would drop by at least $1.4 billion.

Free and frequent public transport combined with policies that stimulate cycling and walking is the only serious approach to curbing greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector.

Climate Charter 2008 Action Point 10. Make all urban and regional public transport free and upgrade services to enable all urban residents to use it for regular commuting. Nationalise and upgrade interstate train and ferry services to provide real alternatives to air travel. Prioritise rail freight. All rail, light rail and interstate freight to be electrified or to run on biofuels from waste where possible. Encourage bicycle use through more cycleways, and better facilities for cyclists. Implement free or very cheap bicycle rental networks.

We do not call for higher parking fees or financial incentives for workers or employers or preferential parking fees for electric vehicles, as these policies are not in line with our commitment to equitable solutions, they do not represent the structural solutions that will be the fundamental driver of behaviour change and they will have negative / unequal ramifications for poor or disadvantaged sectors of the community, including those who, for whatever reasons, cannot rely on public transport.

We also believe public transport needs to be more accessible for parents with dependent children and people with disabilities (Decision made by Socialist Alliance Tasmania at a meeting 28/1/2010)

A detailed interim policy on public transport was adopted at the SA National Conf 2010 and can be viewed at http://socialist-alliance.wikispaces.com/National+Conference+Decisions+on+Screen Page 46.

A state election media release on public transport “For the sake of people’s lives and the environment, invest in public transport” can be read at: http://socialistalliancehobart.blogspot.com/2010/01/for-sake-of-peoples-lives-and.html

Step 7: Just transitions: Sector-by-sector, company-by-company just transitions program to reduce emissions while preserving or enhancing employment

We support this policy point 100%. However we feel for a just transition to be implemented, different models of ownership and control other than the free-market model need to be utilised.

Additional policy under this point:

Public ownership:

That in its campaigning work, the Socialist Alliance continues to advocate fundamental social change as a necessary answer to the threat of climate change. This includes campaigning for our current policy positions, including the need for public ownership of key sectors of the economy. (SA national conference 2010 decision)

Co-operatives and social enterprises:

The Socialist Alliance supports community efforts such as the Hepburn Wind Co-operative in Victoria which aim to acquire/ build renewable energy generation capacity for the community.
The Socialist Alliance notes the “Eureka’s Future” project of the Earthworker Social Enterprise Association, currently an initiative of the Victorian District of the Mining Division of the CFMEU. This will see a social enterprise manufacturing solar hot water units for exchange, providing a range of options for workers to purchase, including through their EBA.

The Socialist Alliance supports the establishment of such enterprises as a social sector of the Australian economy, owned and controlled by working people. The Socialist Alliance will pro-actively support the existing project and future such projects by direct participation of Socialist Alliance members, and by promoting and defending this initiative in other areas of our work. We will particularly seek to integrate this example as an important part of our “green jobs” campaigning and literature in the union and environment movements. (SA national conference 2010 decision)

From the 2008 Climate Charter: No solution without public ownership and democratic control

The principle of “polluter pays” means that the polluting companies should be directed to clean up the mess they have made. Individual consumers do use polluting products but they are rarely responsible for the decisions that result in the pollution occurring: it is the big industries that must bear the costs.

The first measure to ensure a just solution is to take over industries that will not stop polluting, and place them under public ownership and scrutiny. In this way, those operations that are essential can be identified and kept (and cleaned up) while non-essential aspects can be scaled back or shut down. The profits that these public enterprises will still make can be re-invested in further programs.

Private power companies have a vested interest in making us all use more energy, whereas what is really needed is less use of energy and clean power targets that can be met with renewable sources.

But Australian governments have continually privatised public utilities, handing vital infrastructure over to the private sector. Public ownership and control over the vital area of energy generation and distribution is essential to bring this sector under an overall plan for greenhouse gas reduction and environmental sustainability.

Guarantee jobs, involve workers in the fight for a liveable environment

As old industries die, their workers are normally thrown on the scrap heap of unemployment. For example, as oil prices rise and cars become too expensive, the fossil-fuel based auto industry may well shrink to a boutique luxury service and masses of workers lose their jobs.

The same can be said for unsustainable agriculture, coal mining and similar industries. A plan for a transition to a sustainable and just economy is therefore essential. These workers would become the driving force and moral guarantor of the new sustainable society, and not left behind with the de-commissioned machinery.

Workers are critical to identifying and eliminating waste and pollution in the workplace, closing down old industries and opening new ones. The transition also needs government-funded “climate action brigades” - teams of people who can provide practical assistance and resources to assist households and communities improve their energy efficiency.

Also from 2008 Climate Charter: Provide guaranteed jobs and retraining on full pay for coal mining and power-station communities, with new sustainable industries being built in their areas and paid redundancies offered.

Step 8: Local and sustainable production and consumption

Socialist Alliance Tasmania adopted all the points in this step at its meeting on 28/1/2010 except for the broad statement: “Financial support for local small businesses engaged in local production”. Instead we would emphasise the need to support local co-operatives and publicly / community / worker owned sustainable enterprises.

Read our interim policy on agriculture adopted at the 2010 National conference at http://socialist-alliance.wikispaces.com/National+Conference+Decisions+on+Screen Page 56 and our climate charter policy on agriculture at

http://socialist-alliance.wikispaces.com/National+Conference+Decisions+on+Screen

Step 9: Closing resource loops and eliminating waste:

We fully agree with this policy and included similar wording in our 2008 Climate Charter:

All products require energy to be manufactured. Waste of energy and resources are built into the entire economy. More profits are made from designing products not to last, and pollution produced along the way goes on to become someone else’s problem. Even traditional recycling largely ignores manufacturing waste and assumes relatively few products can be re-used or recycled at the end of their lives. Most consumer products—with all the energy and raw materials that have gone into their production—one way or another become landfill.

In a zero waste economy, products are designed so that they can be repaired, re-used and disassembled for recycling. We must start to require manufacturers to take back their used products (cars, TVs, computers, etc.) and re-use the components.

(Action point 3): Start the transition to a zero-waste economy. End industrial energy waste by legislation. Improve or ban wasteful consumer products. Engage workers in industry, with the appropriate technical experts, to redesign products and jobs sustainably.

From the SA national conference 2010 policy on steel and coal:

Steel producers should be compelled to increase the recycling of steel which is much cleaner than blast-furnace steel (only 65% of available scrap metal is recycled in Australia each year). Steel producers should have to maximise the end of life recyclability of products, and governments should encourage scrap availability programs, especially in the electrical and domestic industries where recycling is minimal.

Obsolescence policy adopted SA national conf 2010:

In a world where resources are being rapidly devoured, inbuilt obsolescence is a crime and a useless waste not only of resources, but of time, energy and human life. Why should people waste their lives slaving away at dreary jobs to produce these goods for wages, which go on replacing obsolescent goods? If goods are made to last as long as possible, there can be massive gains in saving resources and reducing pollution. Redirected human employment, effort and saved time could be used in the massive battles to save the environment, produce more renewable fuel and food and improve health treatment and prevention.

Companies should be compelled to design products so that they can be repaired, recycled, re-used and disassembled for recycling. Manufacturers should be compelled to take back their used products (cars, TVs, computers, etc) and re-use the components.

Products should be designed in such a way as to minimize inefficiencies and waste both in their production and manufacture, and during and after their service life.

Step 10: Climate Justice and education

Socialist Alliance Tasmania endorsed all parts of Step 10 at a meeting 28/1/2010. We also stand for the expansion of free public education to train up workers to deal with climate change.

Similar climate justice wording in existing policy (Climate Charter 2008) is as follows:

The rich industrial countries are mostly responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, and they must lead the campaign for strong and rapid international climate action. Per head, Australia is one of the highest GHG emitters in the world.

It is impoverished developing countries like Bangladesh and Kiribati that will be most affected by climate change. Many poor nations will struggle to deal with the symptoms of climate change without massive technical assistance. The rich nations must assist poor nations to develop economic plans that avoid high-pollution industries and encourage the use of renewable energy.

This assistance is just part of repaying our ecological debt.

Additional policy that fits under this point includes:

Socialist Alliance proposes a massive program of converting energy infrastructure that will demand a large number of workers, requiring extensive redeployment and training. We will also need an expansion of free public education to provide sufficient numbers of skilled professionals to achieve the necessary research and development goals. (Climate Charter 2008)

Institute a program for accepting climate refugees, especially from countries in the Asia Pacific region, and that this program not result in any reduction in the number of humanitarian refugees. (Refugee policy adopted SA national conference 2010)

That the Socialist Alliance recognises the disproportional negative impact of climate change on Third World countries, which has already led to mass displacement and the deaths of thousands of people. The Socialist Alliance will promote practical solidarity between the Australian climate change movement and climate activists from other countries, especially from the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, The Socialist Alliance will advocate that the climate movement publicly oppose the Australian government’s threat to withdraw aid from Pacific nations such as Tuvalu, which is campaigning internationally for stronger targets. (Building the climate action movement policy SA national conference 2010)

Authorised by Susan Austin, 225 Murray St, Hobart, 7000.

SLIDESHOW Ampilatwatja Aboriginal Walkoff brigade

2010-02-12T21:58:00.002+11:00

Made with Slideshow Embed Tool

Unionists and Aboriginal rights activists have done what the government wouldn't in building a house for the remote Aboriginal community of Ampilatwatja.

Over a dozen people have participated in the building of the "protest house"

in a community that, under government legislation, was to receive no new housing despite massive overcrowding.

People will see some Socialist Alliance members there, as well as Paddy Gibson from Solidarity, but there were also members from Unions NT, the CFMEU, the AMWU and many others.

Here's media release on it:

Richard Downs and Alyawarr elders would like to invite Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to the opening of our protest house at lunchtime, February 14 at Honeymoon bore near Ampilatwatja community.

This is a stand against the federal government Intervention.

The protest house has been build with support of Northern Territory and national trade unions and the general public to show the governments it does

not take over 2 years to build one house.

This is also an opportunity for people of all races to come together in unity against racism and discrimination,

to unite for:

Human rights
Mother Earth
Land rights and not native title
Compensation for the Stolen Generation and return of stolen wages

And against:

Incarceration of our people
Deaths in custody
Climate change.

We want support to stay on our homelands, we do not want to move to the town hubs being created. We say no to lease agreement- our lands are not for sale, lease or to be given away.

We are now joining together as one to stand against the racism and discrimination.

Our people will be having a special opening ceremony to show the governments and public we are still here.

http://www.stoptheintervention.org/ for events in their city.

Upcoming events February - March 2010

2010-02-05T09:47:00.005+11:00

Come and meet the Socialist Alliance candidates at a BBQ on Sunday, February 28th. 1pm at John Dogget Park in Browne St, West Hobart.

Also you are welcome to the Socialist Alliance election fundraising dinner, with gorgeously delicious Latin American food, drinks and music. Saturday, March 13th. 6.30pm at 225 Murray St, Hobart.

Free the Brighton arrestees, put Bartlett on trail for cultural vandalism!

2010-02-04T16:29:00.001+11:00

In response to the first of many cases around those arrested defending Aboriginal cultural heritage, the Socialist Alliance has called on the government to drop all charges against the protestors and immediately halt its construction of the Brighton Bypass.

”It’s ridiculous that members of Aboriginal community and their supporters have been charged for “trespass”, when all they were doing was trying to protect their heritage from being destroyed by an arrogant and out-of touch government who has a history of trying to push through projects regardless of how unpopular it is. It is reasonable and responsible in the wake of cultural vandalism to try and prevent that destruction. Bartlett should be facing a judge about why he is willing to destroy an Aboriginal heritage site, not those who defend it. If the law cannot recognize the difference between those who destroy heritage and culture and those who protect it, then it confirms Charles Dickens saying that “the law is an ass”, said Melanie Barnes, Socialist Alliance candidate for Denison in the state election.

Bartlett’s attempt at talking tough and setting two-week deadlines is an obvious attempt to intimidate campaigners to back down.

“When you have archeologists comparing the site to Pompeii, it shows how utterly important it is that this site is protected. If Bartlett goes ahead with the project, it will show that this Labor Government doesn’t care about Aboriginal heritage, Aboriginal people nor about history itself. If the bypass can be diverted to ensure that a European heritage house isn’t disturbed, then why can’t the same be applied to Aboriginal heritage? Or better still, why not put the $250 million towards the construction of a fast speed train network between Hobart and Launceston, as a way to both reduce pollution and road fatalities” said Jenny Forward, Socialist Alliance candidate for Franklin.

Both candidates have vowed to continue campaigning against the destruction of Aboriginal heritage and for Aboriginal land rights, both during the election campaign and afterwards.

Senator Abetz calls for the right to promote violent overthrow of government on TV

2010-01-30T16:46:00.001+11:00

Senator Abetz’s claim in the Mercury today that (Venezuelan President) “Chavez closed down TV stations for failing to broadcast his Presidential speeches” is ridiculous.

Socialist Alliance state election candidate Melanie Barnes, who visited Venezuela in 2006, said “In fact the TV stations were closed by the National Telecommunications Commission for failing to comply with the Law on Social Responsibility in Radio and Television.”

“The most notorious of these is RCTV who actively supported a coup d’etat against democratically elected President Chavez in April 2002. This kind of behaviour would not be tolerated in Australia and it is not in Venezuela either. RCTV have continually violated broadcasting laws in Venezuela, before and after the election of Chavez.” http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/2493

“Senator Abetz’s disparaging comments about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez are an insult to the Venezuelan people who democratically elected him” said Barnes.

Barnes visited Venezuela as an observer for the 2006 Presidential elections. “The Carter Institute declared these elections free and fair, as did other international bodies. Chavez is hugely popular. Senator Abetz is clearly misrepresenting the real situation when he calls Chavez a despot.”

The Venezuelan government, led by Chavez, have just nationalised supermarket chain Exito in response to price speculation offenses, breaking unfair dismissal laws, failing to pay minimum wages and failing to meet occupational health and safety standards. (Trade Minister Eduardo Samán http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/5081)

“If we had this kind of leadership in Tasmania then our dairy farmers would not be being ripped off” said Barnes.

Comment: Melanie Barnes 0423 978 518

Socialist Alliance Tasmania

Socialist Alliance Media Release

LATIN AMERICAN DINNER AND SLIDE NIGHT

Climate Change-Social Change conference

Press Release: Socialist Alliance opposes refugee detention centre at Pontville

Announcing the Premiere Screenings in Tasmania of John Pilger's controversial new film

Socialist Alliance Hobart Branch Conference – ‘System Change, Not Climate Change’ and ‘the Role of the Revolutionary Press’.

Aboriginal rights forum - Socialist and Aborigines working together - how do we do it and what are the current and upcoming campaigns?

Film Screening of South of the Border by Oliver Stone

Socialist Teach In

Poster for October Environment Film Festival

The Yes Men Fix the World - Last Film of Environment Film Festival

End of the Line - Second Day of Environment Film Festival

FOOD, INC. - First Film of Environment Film Festival

Delicious cheap meals available at 6:30pm. Phone 03 62346397 for more details.

Mel Barnes for Denison tv ad

Mel's speech at the Walk Against Warming

Walk Against Warming speech

Come Along and Support Mel Barnes at Election Campaign Benefit Gig

SLIDESHOW: Mel Barnes: Socialist Alliance Candidate for Denison in action

Election Forum Tonight

Hobart Town Hall Debate

Election Campaigning Update

BRIGHTON BYPASS CAMPAIGN LAUNCH

Defending Tassie forests

Mel Barnes for DENISON in FEDERAL ELECTION 2010

Film Screening - Quien Dijo Meido - Inside the Honduran coup

Help letterbox for Mel Barnes in the seat of Denison

“DON’T LOCK UP REFUGEES IN TASMANIA!”

Mel Barnes for Denison!

Socialist Alliance presents... The Great Mid-Winter Quiz-A-Rama! a federal election campaign fundraiser

Tasmanian Premiere Film Screening: `Inside The Revolution - A Journey Into The Heart Of Venezuela' A Documentary From Alborada Films

Launch - `Defend Trades Unions in Colombia campaign' "If you love life, don't drink Coca-Cola products!"

Socialist Educational: Tamil Self Determination and the National Question

Socialist Educational: Tamil Self Determination and the National Question

Socialist Alliance Supports Kartika Franks in Elwick

Federal Election Meeting

Intro to the Socialist Alliance discussion

Capitalism: A Love Story

The Coalition Question in Tasmania: Why Class Matters

`Capitalism: A love story' Film Screening

VOTE 1 Socialist Alliance Tomorrow

Legalising Euthanasia

Save Ralphs Bay Election Forum

We oppose the ALP's Post Yr 10 Education Reforms

Socialist Alliance Hobart: 2010 Election Fundraising Dinner

Socialist Alliance Announces Forest Policy for 2010 State Election

PUBLICSERVICES@WORK Response

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Policy

Change the system, not the climate — the case for rebellion and revolution--- and more from the latest GLW...

Abbott's 'green' fraud: a gift to polluters--- and more from the latest GLW...

Howard and Hanson gone but Bartlett continues their legacy in Tasmania

Climate Change

Climate Charter 2008: 100% renewable energy by 2020

From the 2008 Climate Charter: No solution without public ownership and democratic control

Guarantee jobs, involve workers in the fight for a liveable environment

SLIDESHOW Ampilatwatja Aboriginal Walkoff brigade

Upcoming events February - March 2010

Free the Brighton arrestees, put Bartlett on trail for cultural vandalism!

Senator Abetz calls for the right to promote violent overthrow of government on TV

Delicious cheap meals available at 6:30pm.

Phone 03 62346397 for more details.