Green Left Weekly Calendar 2012-02-01

Wednesday, February 1

Rally: Critical moment for HRL. On the eve of the federal government decision that could make or break HRL, the proposed new coal-fired power station for Victoria, it's up to us to convince the politicians that in 2012, new coal-fired power stations are a dud investment. Together we can convince the Gillard Government to withdraw their $100 million, and put it into renewable energy instead. Speakers include Kelvin Thomson (ALP MP for Wills) & Adam Bandt (Greens MP for Melbourne). 12:30pm. Parliament House steps, Spring St, City. For more info visit Quit Coal.

Thursday, February 2

Public meeting: After 'Homosexual'. The legacies of gay liberation. Speakers: Dennis Altman; Alice Echols; Jeffrey Weeks; hosted by Helen Razer. 6pm. ACMI, Federation Square, City. Presented by La Trobe University & the Australian Lesbian & Gay Archives. $17/$14. For more info visit Midsumma.

Friday, February 3

Rally: Occupy Melbourne: Occupy Fridays! 10am-10pm. City Square, cnr Collins & Swanston Sts, City. For more info visit Occupy Melbourne.

Booklaunch: Life Without Money. Building Fair and Sustainable Economies. This book engages with today's big economic, environmental, democratic and social challenges; edited by Anitra Nelson & Frans Timmerman. Speaker: Jeff Sparrow (editor Overland). Entry free. 6:30pm. Readings Bookshop, 309 Lygon St, Carlton.

Concert: Jazz for good. Fundraiser for East Africa food crisis. Come along for some good green food, local drinks, and to listen to the great Madmen Band. Free entry; donations welcome. All proceeds will go towards the Oxfam East Africa Food Crisis Appeal. 6pm till late, Grumpys Green, 125 Smith St, Fitzroy.

Friday, February 3-Saturday, February 4

Conference: After 'Homosexual': The legacies of gay liberation. Forty years ago, a young Australian expat living in the USA synthesised the politics of the emerging gay liberation movement in a provocative book called Homosexual: Oppression and Liberation. In recognition of the 40th anniversary of its publication and to mark Denis Altman's retirement, this international conference will bring together leading and emerging scholars to reflect on the impact of Homosexual and the legacy of gay liberation. Victoria University, 300 Flinders Street, City. For more info visit After Homosexual

Saturday, February 4

Festival: Yalukit Willam Ngargee. Yalukit Willam Ngargee will kick off the nine-day St Kilda Festival with an action packed program of free Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music, dance, arts, children's activities and more. Music includes: Jayden Lillyst; Benny Walker and Band; The Gracemakers; Tambo Company Band; Emma Donovan; The Last Kinection; Bart Willoughby Band. 12.45-8.50pm, O'Donnell Gardens, St Kilda. For more info ph 9209 6306 or visit Yalukit Festival.

Booklaunch: Life Without Money. Building Fair and Sustainable Economies. Speakers: Moss Cass, (former Whitlam government minister) & Julia Dehm (Occupy Melbourne activist) in conversation with Anitra Nelson and Frans Timmerman (co-editors of Life Without Money). 3pm. New International Book Shop, Trades Hall, Carlton South.

Film screening: The People Speak. Inspired by Howard Zinn's books. Celebrates the extraordinary possibilities for creating social change that ordinary people have realized throughout the course of the United States' rich but often ignored history of dissent and protest. 4pm. Loophole Community Centre, 670 High Street, Thornbury. $5 minimum donation: This will be a fundraiser to help Palestinian refugee Mahmoud, currently held pending an ASIO 'security check'. For more info visit Industrial Workers of the World.

Sunday, February 5

Rally: Demonstration for Syria. Allow foreign media into Syria; Syria wants a free democratic society; an immediate end to killing of civilians; respect people's right to peaceful protest; provide immediate humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees. 11am. State Library, cnr Swanston & La Trobe Sts, City. Organised by Australian Syrian Association.

Rally: 17th annual Pride march. Gather from 12 noon for march at 2pm Sharp. Cnr Lakeside Dr & Fitzroy St, St Kilda. For more info visit Pride march.

Monday, February 6

Rally: Tenants Union Victoria: Stop work and solidarity BBQ. SU members at the Tenants Union Victoria are fighting for better pay and conditions. We will be stopping work and invite all supporters and other community sector workers to join us. We will be out the front of the office on Johnston Street sending the message to TUV management from 10am-4pm. Tenants Union Victoria Office, 55 Johnston St (between Nicholson and Brunswick Sts), Fitzroy. There will be a solidarity BBQ from 12 noon-2pm.

Tuesday, February 7

Canberra Rally: Marriage equality cavalcade to Canberra. Action on first day of Parliament to remind them of the massive support for marriage equality. 12 noon. Parliament House, Canberra.

Vigil: Oppose the Afghan War. We have now been involved in the Afghanistan War longer than we were in Vietnam. A Roy Morgan poll late last year say 72% of Australians want the troops home, yet the war goes on. Join us in a vigil to oppose the war. 4-7pm. Flinders St Station, City.

Rally: Stop the deportation of Afghan Hazara asylum seeker Ismail Mirza Jan. Never before has an Afghan national been forcibly removed from Australia to Afghanistan. Recently Ismail received a temporary reprieve when the Federal Magistrates Court questioned whether he received 'procedural fairness' by the Australian government in their attempts to deport him. Ismail's deportation case will come back to the High Court on February 8. The refugee rights movement has a short window of opportunity to build a broad campaign against this forced deportation and the terrible precedent it would provide. 5:30-8:30pm. Bourke St Mall, City. Organised by Refugee Action Collective.

Film screening: The end of the line. Where have all the fish gone? The first major feature documentary film revealing the impact of overfishing on our oceans. Shows firsthand the effects of our global love affair with fish as food. Talk with Sea Shepherd after the film. 7pm. Level 4, Ross House, 247 Flinders Lane, City. Entry by donation. The Big Picture at Ross House is a monthly film series showing films for the environment and social justice. This month we're supporting Sea Shepherd.

Wednesday, February 8

Film screening: END: CIV. with director Franklin López. END: CIV illustrates the brutality of a civilization addicted to systematic violence and environmental destruction and the heroism of those who confront it head-on. As Australia is beginning to experience more frequent environmental crises resulting from climate change and a history of poor environmental management this film will be instrumental in bringing awareness of the need to confront the system which allows this destruction to continue. 7pm. Loophole Community Centre, 670 High St, Thornbury.

Fabian forum: Australian media: The question of integrity. David McKnight's recent book on Rupert Murdoch is a good curtain-raiser for this year's Fabian Forums. To coincide with the launch of thebook, David and Robert Manne will lead our first discussion for 2012 on the need for vigilance in pursuit of a healthy democracy. 6-7:30pm. Melbourne City Convention Centre, 333 Swanston St, City. $10 (non-members), $5 (members, concession and students). RSVP toFabian forum.

Thursday, February 9

Film screening: Melbourne benefit screening of 'Operation 8' with Gary Foley. On October 15 2007, activists around New Zealand woke to guns in their faces. Black-clad police smashed down doors, dragging families out onto roads and detaining some without food or water. Operation 8 involved 18 months of invasive surveillance of Maori sovereignty and peace activists accused of attending terrorist training camps in the Urewera ranges, homeland of the Tuhoe people. Four activists still face charges from the raids and their trial will start on February 13 in the Auckland High Court. Reflections on Operation 8 and Q & A hosted by Gary Foley after the screening. 7pm. Cinema 4, Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton. Tickets and payment at the door. $15. All profits go towards support for the Urewera 4 still on trial. Please reserve tickets via Hayley.

Friday, February 10

Rally: Israeli Apartheid Inc. Corporate criminals BDS tour. As part of the global Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions campaign, Students for Palestine is taking on corporations in Melbourne's CBD that support the theft of Palestinian land and the brutality of the Israeli military. 6pm. Bourke St, Mall. For more info visit Students for Palestine or ph 0410 513 302.

Rally: Occupy Melbourne: Occupy Fridays! 10am-10pm. City Square, cnr Collins & Swanston Sts, City. For more info visit Occupy Melbourne.

Concert: The Decline (WA) & Hightime (SA) Melbourne launch. The Decline launch their second album full of humourous socio-political punk tunes. 7:30pm. The Tote, 71 Johnston Street (cnr Wellington St), Collingwood For more info visit The Decline.

Saturday, February 11

Rally: Stop Aboriginal deaths in custody. Death in custody of Terrance Briscoe, Alice Springs (January 5, 2012); 4th anniversary of the death of Mr Ward (January 27); 5th anniversary of Queensland Police officer, Chris Hurley, being forced to front the Supreme Court charged with manslaughter and assault (February 5); 8th anniversary of the death of TJ Hickey (February 14). Stop Aboriginal deaths in custody: implement all 339 recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. End privatisation of custodial services: cancel all contracts with G4S, SERCO and other profiteers from incarceration. 11am. Old GPO, cnr Bourke & Elizabeth Sts, City. Organised by Indigenous Social Justice Association. For more info ph 9388 0062.

Public meeting: Victorian Climate Action Convergence. (Note change of date). You're invited to join with Victorian climate action, fossil fuel and energy campaigners for a day of ideas and planning for Victoria's climate campaigns of 2012. Exciting plenary speakers will kick off the day, then campaigners from across Victoria will talk about what they are doing this year. You can also propose your own work shop for an Open Space. Entry by donation (to cover venue hire). 9am-5pm. South Melbourne Commons, 217-239A Montague St, South Melbourne. For more info email Brett.

Think tank: Next steps for the refugee movement in 2012. Organised by Refugee Action Network (RAN). Agenda: 1. Short introduction of what RAN has done over the last 12 months. 2. The year in retrospect. Guest speakers to open a discussion about the current situation for refugees given the legal challenges and the government's announcements in 2011. 3. Campaign actions & priorities for 2012. 4. Role & focus of RAN. 11am-4pm. Multicultural Hub, 506 Elizabeth St, City (opposite Victoria Markets).

Indigenous rights film festival. Featuring: The Coolbaroo Club (about racial apartheid in Perth in the late 1940s and fifties); The Tall Man (deals with the killing of Cameron Doomadgee on Palm Island in 2004); Ningla A-Na [Hungry for our land] (documentary about the establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in 1972); BarbaKiueria (satirical film about race relations in Australia). Starts 3pm. See display advertisement above for full details. Resistance Centre, level 5, 407 Swanston St, City (opposite RMIT). Organised by Green Left Weekly & Socialist Alliance. For more info ph 9639 8622.

Sunday, February 12

Festival: Anatolian Peace & Friendship Festival. Celebrating the rich history of Anatolia and the diversity it brings to Australia. The festival will provide diverse music and performances on stage all day as well as home-made Turkish food stalls, rides and entertainment for the kids and an atmosphere of peace and friendship. 11am till 6pm. Coburg Lake Reserve, Coburg North.

Zine fair: Festival of The Photocopier. Sticky Institute will be moving their annual zine fair to the biggest room inMelbourne, having well and truly out-grown Degraves Subway (that bit outside the shop). 12 noon-5pm. Melbourne Town Hall, 90-120 Swanston Street, City. For more info visit Sticky Institute.

Tuesday February 14

Public meeting: MAPW dinner report-back from Yokohama & nuclear industry update. Guest speaker Dr Margaret Beavis, who has just returned from the massive global conference on nuclear power in will update us on both Japan and the global movement. La Notte, 140 Lygon Street Carlton. $30 fixed price menu, plus a voluntary donation to cover any student members who pay $15. Organised by Medical Association for the Prevention of War. All welcome. RSVP toCarole Wigg or ph 9439 7272.

Wednesday, February 15

Public meeting: LASNET 2012 annual get-together meeting. The main purpose of this meeting is to plan and delegate tasks for the projects we are committed to undertaking this year. Agenda: Introduction, LASNET background; Main commitments, Campaigns, our priorities; Solidarity delegation to Colombia; International multinational monitor; International visitors for 2012 from Chile (one of the president from CONFECH for April), a Colombian union leader from SINALTRAINAL for May; Possible gathering/conference for end of the year; Our publication, The Spectre. 6:30pm. LASNET Space, Trades Hall Basement, cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton South. For more info email LASNET.

Friday, February 17

Rally: Occupy Melbourne: Occupy Fridays! 10am-10pm. City Square, cnr Collins & Swanston Sts, City. For more info visit Occupy Melbourne.

Outdoor film screening: 'Our Generation' plus short films about the struggle for the Kimberley. An evening of film, live music featuring Richard Frankland and speakers with a focus on issues affecting indigenous communities in northern Australia. Our Generation is a powerful and upfront documentary on the Aboriginal struggle for their land, culture and freedom, a story that has been silenced by the mainstream media. Money raised by film ticket sales will go to community projects in Arnhem Land and Kimberley campaigners. Doors 6pm. Food & bar from 6:30pm. Speakers and live music from 7pm until dark.Feature starts at 9pm. CERES Community Environment Park on the Village Green, cnr Roberts & Stewart Sts, Brunswick East. $20/$16. Bookings Ceres or ph 9389 0100.

Friday, February 17-Sunday, February 19

Festival: Sustainable Living Festival 2012. Federation Square & Birrarung Marr Event Park, near cnr Swanston & Flinders Sts, City. For more info visit SLF.

Sunday, February 19

The 'Please resist me' poetry slam tour Melbourne launch. Hosted by esteemed poet and rapper Omar Musa (Moneykat). 6:30pm. Performance Revolt, 12 Elizabeth St, Kensington. $18/$15. Organised by the Centre for Poetics and Justice. For more info visit CPJ.

Wednesday, February 22

Public meeting: Come the Revolution: A Memoir. A talk with the author Alex Mitchell, veteran journalist and one-time editor of the UK Trotskyist daily newspaper The Workers Press. In this role he travelled to the Middle East and interviewed Yasser Arafat, Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi. 6:30-7:30 pm, New International Bookshop meeting room, Basement, Trades Hall, Carlton. Entry by gold coin donation. Drinks and snacks available.

Friday, February 24

Rally: Occupy Melbourne: Occupy Fridays! 10am-10pm. City Square, cnr Collins & Swanston Sts, City. For more info visit Occupy Melbourne.

Tuesday, February 28

Rally: India's general strike: Melbourne supports the world's largest ever strike. On February 28, over 100 million Indians will join together and walk off the job in what is likely to be the largest strike of workers the world has ever seen. The different labor unions have specific demands that they want to achieve with the strike. These include bringing contract workers up to the same level of employee protections as permanent workers, extending the minimum wage to cover the entire population, and countering the attacks on unions. Workers around the world will be standing in solidarity with those fighting for economic justice in India. 5:30pm. Federation Square, City. For more info visit Workers' Solidarity Network.

Saturday, March 3

Fest La Frog: Urban eco fest. Showcasing sustainable and organic, music and art, this event will be even bigger and better than last years. Fest La Frog is paving the way for the future of festivals by using solar-powered stages, local artists, solar boosted organic food and beverages. Fest La Frog has a zero waste policy and last year 650 people onsite created only a handful of landfill and half a recycling bin worth of packaging! 1:30-10pm. CERES Community Environment Park, cnr Roberts & Stewart Sts, Brunswick. For more info visit Fest La Frog.

Sunday, March 4

Festival: Join the Socialist Alliance stall at Sydney Rd Festival. 12 noon-7pm. For more info ph 9639 8622.

Thursday, March 8

Public meeting: The Occupy movement: An infantile disorder? Melbourne University Graduate House, 220 Leicester St, Carlton. For more info visit The Monthly Argument.

Sunday, March 11

Rally: Commemoration of Fukushima nuclear disaster. Part of international day of action. 1pm. State Library, cnr Swanston & Latrobe Sts, City. Organised by MAPW, ICAN, Japanese for Peace and others. For more info visit 11 March.

Friday, April 6

Canberra Rally: Easter convergence on Darwin 2012. Free the refugees, end mandatory detention. Marks 10 years since the refugee rights movement's first Easter convergence at Woomera 2002, when busloads of protesters from across the country met magnificent protests by detainees, many of whom leapt through the fence and literally into the arms of the movement. Darwin is rapidly becoming Australia's detention capital. Chronic levels of self-harm and protest have put the Northern Immigration Detention Centre (NIDC) in a state of perpetual crisis. 341 continue to languish at NIDC, with scores more at the Darwin Airport Lodge. For more info visit RAC.

Saturday, May 12

Rally: National rally for marriage equality. 1pm. State Library, cnr Swanston & Latrobe Sts, City. Organised by Equal Love.

Campaign committees

Melbourne Anti-Intervention Collective. (MAIC) meets meets on the first and third Monday of each month, 6.30pm on Level 4 of the rear building at Trades Hall, Lygon & Victoria Sts Carlton. For info, ph 0431 311 520 or visit MAI Collective.

Refugee Action Collective (RAC). For more info ph 0413 377 978 or visit RAC.

Quit Coal: No New Coal Power for Victoria. Aa Melbourne-based collective which campaigns against expansion of the coal industry in Victoria. We believe this is important because building new coal infrastructure locks in decades of dirty, old technology, when we should be moving towards clean, renewable energy. For more info visit Quit Coal or call 0402 337 077.