Wednesday 11 September 2013

Green Left Weekly Activist Calendar - 2013-09-11


Green Left Weekly Activist Calendar
September 11, 2013
Rally: Burgeroff! No Maccas in Tecoma
Saturday, September 14, 12 noon.  Come along, and learn more about our campaign to protect Tecoma and the Dandenong Ranges from this development and help spread the word! MC: Rod Quantock. Federation Square, cnr Swanston & Flinders Sts, City.
Rally: Let the refugees in! Asylum is a human right
Saturday, September 21, 1pm. Abbott has won the election but refugees will lose. We need to keep up the fight for refugee rights. State Library, cnr Swanston & La Trobe Sts, City. Organised by Refugee Action Collective.
Rally: March against Monsanto
Saturday, October 12, 2pm. Part of an international day of action. We are marching for: labelling on GM food; long-term health testing of GM food; a halt to GM food approvals; the right to save seeds; sustainable agriculture; transparency and accountability. State Library, 328 Swanston St, City.
This is the regular Melbourne activist calendar compiled by Green Left Weekly. Emailed to subscribers each Wednesday fortnight, it is a one-stop listing of the main left and progressive events in Melbourne and Geelong.
Since it began in early 1991, Green Left Weekly has offered an indispensable alternative to the lies of the big-business media and has helped build the various movements for social change. To subscribe to Green Left Weekly, visit our secure online website for rates and payment or call our national hotline on 1800 634 206.
You can also contact us at the Resistance Centre, 5th floor, 407 Swanston St, City; ph 9639 8622. In Geelong we are at the Activist Centre, Trades Hall, 127 Myers St (opening hours: Mon 2-4:30pm, Fri 10am-4:30pm); ph 5222 6900.
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Until Friday, September 13
Environmental Film Festival. The festival began in 2010 with a vision to inform and inspire people on environmental issues and has since grown into one of Melbourne's most notable environmental social events. Kino Cinema, Collins St, City. For more info visit Environmental Film Festival.
Wednesday, September 11
Rally: Remembering Chile September 1112 noon. US Consulate, 553 St. Kilda Rd, St Kilda. Organised by LASNET.
Rally: Save Moreland's bluestone lanes. Stop Moreland Council concreting our bluestone lanes! 90% of Moreland residents submissions to council's community consultation supported the saving of our bluestone lanes. 6:30pm. Council Chambers, Moreland Civic Centre, 90 Bell st, Coburg. For more info visit Save Bluestone.
Public meeting: Chile 40 years commemoration. It has been 40 years since the overthrow of the popular and democratically elected government of President Salvador Allende in Chile. The consequences of the US-back coup are still felt across the country. The Chilean people have continued the struggle and are still fighting for real democracy and better conditions of living, which have not improved even under successive 'democratic' governments. International and local speakers from Chile and Australia. 6:30pm. Trades Hall. Initiated by Chile Solidarity.
Thursday, September 12
Public meeting: Dennis  Altman: The end of the homosexual? Homosexuality has become a faultline for debates about western influence and human rights. In his new book The End of the Homosexual? — part memoir, part politics — Dennis Altman connects what has happened within the changing queer world over the past 40 years to larger social, political and cultural trends. Entry free (bookings not required). 12:45-1:15pm. The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale St, City.
Film screening: World premiere of 'The Chikukwa Project'. Fifty-minute doco tells the story of an amazing permaculture project which has been working in Zimbabwe for 22 years: Where once the 7000 people of the Chikukwa villages suffered hunger and malnutrition, this community has turned its fortunes around using permaculture farming techniques. 7pm (for 7:30pm start). $20/$15. 7pm. Ceres Environmental Park, cnr Roberts & Stewart Sts, Brunswick East. For more info emaill John Seed or ph 0410 370 632 or visit The Chikukwa Project.
Friday, September 13
Seminar: Failures of US self-scrutiny for war crimes under Obama. Speaker: Richard Falk (UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967). 5:30pm. Room 102, Level 1, Melbourne Law School, 185 Pelham St, Carlton. RSVP: email Anna Hood. Presented by the Iraq War Inquiry Group & the Asia Pacific Centre for Military Law.
Saturday, September 14
Conference: Chile 40 years. The Chile Solidarity Melbourne together with different unions, solidarity organisations, democratic and progressive groups are organising several activities to honour our fallen comrades and our president, on this very important date for the Chilean people. Also we will be paying tribute to all the workers, students, Mapuche indigenous people that stand up today to fight for their rights. 11am-5pm. La Trobe University City Campus, 215 Franklin St., City. Organised by LASNET.
Rally: Burgeroff! No Maccas in Tecoma. Come along, and learn more about our campaign to protect Tecoma and the Dandenong Ranges from this development- and help spread the word! MC Rod Quantock. 12pm. Federation Square, cnr Swanston & Flinders Sts, City.
Sunday, September 15
Rally: White Cane Chain to support blind workers. Peaceful protest against Vision Australia's attempts to put blind manual workers out of work. Many workers have multiple disabilities and will be unable to find another job if the factory is closed. 12 noon. 346 Macauley Rd, Kensington. For more info ph 0412 486 614 or 0425 725 171.Organised by the Blind Workers Union.
Monday, September 16
Seminar: Obama's journey from nuclear abolition to nuclear business as usual. Speaker: Richard Falk (UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967). 1pm. Room 108, Level 1, Melbourne Law School, 185 Pelham St, Carlton. RSVP: email Anna Hood. Presented by the Iraq War Inquiry Group & the Asia Pacific Centre for Military Law.
Wednesday, September 18-Sunday, September 21
Theatre: Plastic Pacific. Right now, there is a swirling gyre of plastic garbage churning up the Pacific Ocean. Scientists call it the Pacific Trash Vortex, and it's here that Plastic Pacific takes place. Three men are set adrift with a penguin. 8pm. The Substation, Performance Floor, 1 Market St, Newport. To book visit Fringe Festival.
Thursday, September 19
Public meeting with Jeff Halper: Imagining the future: towards a multi-cultural Middle East confederation. 7pm. Chisholm Theatrette, 3rd Floor, Babel Building, Melbourne University. For more info visitAPAN. Sponsored by the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network & the Australian Jewish Democratic Society.
Public meeting: Climate Emergency in Bangladesh: Solutions in Australia. Bangladesh is one of the world's nations most vulnerable to climate change, and the health of its people is already under threat. Yet in Australia, solutions to the global climate crisis are currently within our grasp. Speakers: Pathak Lal Golder (Bangladesh Krishok Federation, a Bangladeshi peasant movement organisation for food sovereignty and social change. Murali Nathan (Beyond Zero Emissions). 6pm. Sunderland Theatre, Medical Building, Melbourne University. Organised by Doctors for the Environment Australia & the Australian Medical Students' Association.
Friday, September 20
Concert:  Les Thomas 'Survivor's Tale' debut album launch. Already well known for his activism through music fundraisers like These Machines Cut Razor Wire, in support of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, and as the founder of Unpaved, a Melbourne music website dedicated to supporting great original music, Les is excited to release his first long player. The focus of the album is on strong lyrics that hold up as poetry, complemented by a world class lineup of supporting musicians. Tickets: $15 standing room only, $20 seated show and $55 dinner and show. 7:30pm. The Thornbury Theatre, 859 High St, Thornbury. To book, visit Oz Tix.
Saturday, September 21
Rally: Let the refugees in! Seeking asylum is a human right. Abbott has won the election but refugees will lose. We need to keep up the fight for refugee rights. 1pm. State Library, cnr Swanston & La Trobe Sts, City. Organised by Refugee Action Collective.
Red Spring book fair. Following on this year's very successful Big Red Book Fair in June we've decided to hold a mini book fair on the Spring equinox. Literary treasures will abound, all at our wonderfully cheap prices. There will also be a 15% discount on all new books in the shop. 11am-4pm. Trades Hall, 54 Victoria St, Carlton South. 
Fundraiser: Peak-a-boo & Catch CO2 with Rod Quantock. It's rare that climate change can elicit a chuckle from any environmentalist...well, unless it's sent you completely bonkers which let's face it, wouldn't be entirely unjustified. With our finite planet as the star of the evening, Rod takes his hatchet of humour to the unspoken threats of Peak Oil, Peak People, Peak Everything and Climate Change. Peak-a-Boo & Catch CO2 brings all of Rod’s work together to establish where we are, where we are going and what will be left when we get there! And after the election, we could all use a bit of laughing gas! 7:30pm. Anderson's Creek Primary School, Warrandyte. To book Peak-a-boo. Organised by Quit Coal.
Sunday, September 22- Thursday, September 26
Swan Island Peace Convergence 2013. For the fourth year in a row, peace activists are returning to the Swan Island Military Base in Queenscliff Victoria for a week of non-violently resisting the Afghan War and Australia’s role in it through peaceful direct action. Swan Island Military base is a key training facility for the SAS who continue to fight and kill in Afghanistan in Australia’s name. Many of us feel powerless in the face of an unjust war, but this is our chance to get alongside our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan, and learn how we can help and raise our voices. Queenscliff. For more info visit Swan Island.
Wednesday, September 25
Public meeting: Refugees, racism & Papua New Guinea. 12:30pm. Student Union meeting room, Bldg 8, Level 3, Rm 18 (opposite gym), RMIT City Campus.  For more info ph 9639 8622 or 0431 311 520. Organised by RMIT Resistance Club.
Thursday, September 26- Saturday, October 5
Comedy: Hunter Smith: Apprentice heterosexual. As a happy gay man, Hunter Smith has become increasingly frustrated by the offensive advice offered up by anti-gay groups to people hoping to 'convert' gay to straight.  What better way to highlight their outrageous advice than to put their tips into practice. Full-time. Join Hunter as he teams up with the church of intolerance and becomes the apprentice heterosexual.  9:30pm (Sun 8:30pm). To book visit Melbourne Fringe.
Saturday, September 28
Rally: Thirty years but still no justice! National day of action to stop Aboriginal deaths in custody.Remember John Pat and the hundreds who have died in custody since! 12pm. State Library of Victoria, 328 Swanston St, City. Organised by Indigenous Social Justice Association.
Sunday, September 29
Fundraiser: Left after breakfast legendary listeners lunch. Every listener counts at 3CR, every listener is a legend, and we’ll be having lunch with some well-known legendary listeners. Come and join us, then you get to have lunch with them too! 12:30pm. Ecocentre, Blessington St, St Kilda. A fundraiser for 3CR. $15 conc, $20 waged & $25 for families. (Special concessions available, just ask.) For more info visit Left After Breakfast.
Fundraiser: James Connolly Association. Fundraiser for Northern Ireland prisoners and their families. Come along for the craic, Derry Lad, Marty Kelly will be playing some fine rebel tunes. 12pm. The Celtic Club, cnr Queen & La Trobe Sts, City.
Monday, September 30
Book Launch: Singing Johnny Cash in the Cardiac Ward. A personal story of heart disease and music by John 'Togs' Tognolini. 'The trouble with heart disease is that the first symptom is often hard to deal with — sudden death.' (Dr Michael Phelps) This is a serious attempt to raise awareness about heart disease that kills one Australian every 23 minutes. This book is also a story about music and my relationship with it through 25 years of broadcasting radio. 6:30pm. The Post Office Hotel, 229-231 Sydney Rd, Coburg.
Monday, September 30-Tuesday, October 1
The Victorian Trade Union Choir: I'll be there: Songs and stories of solidarity. Created and produced by choir members with award-winning playwright Rebecca Lister and musical director Michael Roper, over an hour of songs and stories gathered from the rich history of the trade union and labour movements and the Victorian Trade Union Choir. 7:30pm. La Mama Courthouse, 349 Drummond St, Carlton. $25/$15. Bookings: La Mama or at the door or ph La Mama 9347 6142.
Tuesday, October 1
Comedy: Political Asylum. The satirical wordsmiths from the Political Asylum comedy room return to the Fringe Club for a fifth straight year! Featuring a hilarious lineup of topical comedians the likes of which hasn't seen since that crossbench photo op when Craig Thomson stole Bob Katter's Akubra and hid it in Peter Slipper's taxi, and Windsor and Oakeshott couldn't stop laughing, and Bandt got quite cross with them all. Wacky fun.Featuring: Mathew Kenneally (Fringe Best Comedy Winner alumni); Stella Young (as seen on ABC's Q&A); Nelly Thomas; Geraldine Hickey; Jon Brooks; Ben Pobjie; Grand Master Rod Quantock (rubber chicken aficionado) and Gypsy Wood (The Gypsy Wood Show). 9.30pm. North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensberry St  North Melbourne. Entry free.
Saturday, October 12
Rally: March against Monsanto. Part of an international day of action. We are marching for: labelling on GM food; long-term health testing of GM food; a halt to GM food approvals; the right to save seeds; sustainable agriculture; transparency and accountability. 2pm. State Library, 328 Swanston St, City.
Saturday, October 12- Sunday, October 13
Conference: Psychology for a Safe Climate. How can psychology and the social sciences help us face the reality of climate change? This conference will bring together researchers, practitioners and writers in psychology and the social sciences to examine these issues. The conference will include presentations and networking opportunities, including a dinner on Saturday evening. Community Room, Edinburgh Gardens, North Fitzroy.  Saturday October 12: 9:30am-5:30pm, and Sunday October 13: 10am-3pm. Dinner on Saturday evening at nearby restaurant. Haskins, The North Fitzroy Arms. To book visit Conference (please book by October 6).
Saturday, October 19
AAWL open day: A day in solidarity. Meeting and workshop to discuss strategies and future directions in AAWL. Come along and find out more about our campaigns, our organising strategies, and help us build and plan for the next year. 11am-4pm. Fitzroy Library, 128 Moor St, Fitzroy.
Rally: Reclaim the Night Melbourne 2013. We will march together calling for justice and full funding of support services for survivors. We call for an end to gender inequalities — the underlying cause of violence against women. We stand together to demand our basic human right to safety and the right to participate in society to the fullest extent, free from harassment, discrimination and violence. As with last year's rally, the march will be led by groups of women and any women wishing to participate are welcome at the front. Women are welcome to bring their children to this leading group. Women-identifying members of our community are very welcome in this first group. Following this first group, we invite men — along with women who’d like to march with them — to join us in solidarity. 7pm. Brunswick Town Hall, 233 Sydney Rd, Brunswick.
Wednesday, December 4-Saturday, December 13
Venezuela Solidarity Brigade: Participatory democracy, solidarity & socialism. Witness a people's revolution in the making. The Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network's 14th solidarity brigade to Venezuela this December is a very special opportunity to observe, learn about and be inspired by the Bolivarian revolution that is transforming Latin America and challenging the greed, exploitation and destructiveness of global capitalism by showing that a better world is possible. Bookings close October 1. For bookings or info visit AVSN.
Friday, September 20
Red Cinema: Requiem for Detroit. What capitalism does: the rise and fall of a great industrial city. 7pm (meal from 6:30pm). Entry by donation. Downstairs, Trades Hall, 127 Myers St, Geelong. For more info ph 5222 6900.
Saturday, October 12
Albury-Wodonga Rally: Equal love now. Speakers: Virginia Mansel Lees (president, National Tertiary Education Union, Victorian Division); Paige Phoenix (transgendered performer); Father Peter (St. Matthew's Church); Stephanie Meachen (Equal Love activist). 1pm. QEII Square, 538 Dean St, Albury.
MAPW fundraiser: Another dazzling evening with music from jazz to Gilbert & Sullivan. 7:30pm. Keith Humble Centre, Geelong College, cnr Aphrasia St & Claremont Ave, Geelong. For more info & tickets contact Medical Association for the Prevention of War.
Beyond Zero Emissions Melbourne branch. We meet on the third Monday of every month at Level 2, Kindness House, 288 Brunswick St, Fitzroy. For more info email Chitra Perez or ph 0401 087 085.
Friends of the Earth's Anti-Nuclear & Clean Energy (ACE) collective. Meets every second Tuesday. FoE office, 312 Smith St, Collingwood. For meeting times & more info email Zin.
Indigenous Social Justice Association. The Indigenous Social Justice Association was established in January 2005 campaigns to permanently stop Aboriginal deaths in custody. During 2013, ISJA will meet the first Thursday of every month. For more info visit ISJA.
Melbourne Feminist Action Group. It's time to put women's rights back on the public agenda. We've started an open organising group and everyone's invited, from already existing women's rights groups and activist organisations, to women and men who may never have been involved in feminist action in their lives but just want to do something. For more info ph 0438 869 790 or email us.
Quit Coal: No New Coal Power for Victoria. A 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. Quit Coal meets each Wednesday at 6pm, at FOE, 312 Smith St, Collingwood. For more info visit Quit Coal or email us.
Refugee Action Collective. Established in 2000, RAC is a democratic, grassroots activist collective, representing a broad cross section of the community. It aims to mobilise opposition to Australia's inhuman refugee policies. For more info ph 0413 377 978 or visit RAC.
Victorian Climate Action Calendar. For a comprehensive list of climate action events in our state. To subscribe to the calendar email Monique Decortis. Weekly updates are e-mailed out and online updates are available at VCAC. To add an event to the calendar, please download the Event Template from the website. Feel free to forward the VCAC to other interested people.
Workers Solidarity Network. WSN believes that we, as workers, have the power to improve our working conditions and bring about positive social change. WSN believes that the only way to bring about a fairer share of resources in our society in by forming active unions and community organisations to fight for it. For more info visit WSN.
Recent articles from Green Left Weekly
Check out Green Left TV: See Refugee bashing is a weapon of mass distraction.
To subscribe to Green Left Weekly visit our secure online website for rates and payment or call our national hotline on 1800 634 206. Join us on Facebook. You can also contact us at the Resistance Centre, 5th floor, 407 Swanston St, City; ph 9639 8622. In Geelong: Activist Centre, Trades Hall, 127 Myers St (opening hours: Mon 2-4.30pm, Fri 10am-4.30pm); ph 5222 6900.
Links: 'Socialism for the 21st century'
Links is an online journal which seeks to provide a forum for open and constructive dialogue between active socialists from different political traditions. It seeks to bring together those in the international left who are opposed to neoliberal economic and social policies, and reject the bureaucratic model of 'socialism' that arose in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Inspired by the unfolding socialist revolution in Venezuela, Links is a journal for 'Socialism of the 21st Century' and the discussions and debates flowing from that powerful example of socialist renewal.
Socialist Alliance: Broad, non-sectarian, activist
Socialist Alliance is a proud supporter of the Green Left Weekly project and contributes a regular column. Socialist Alliance is a broad, non-sectarian socialist party, dedicated to bringing together all those who want to resist the capitalist assault on our planet and its people and fight for a socialist society that puts people's needs before business profits. Anyone who agrees with the general approach of our policies is welcome to join and organisations are invited to affiliate. For more information visit Socialist Alliance or join us on Facebook.
See our recent statements:
Contact Socialist Alliance. Join with other socialists in the struggle.
  • Melbourne: Visit us at the Resistance Centre, 5th floor, 407 Swanston St, City; ph 9639 8622. In Melbourne, Socialist Alliance meets on the first Tuesday of each month, 6:30pm, at the Resistance Centre.
  • Geelong: Activist Centre, Trades Hall, 127 Myers St (opening hours: Mon 2-4:30pm, Fri 10am-4:30pm); ph 5222 6900.
Moreland Socialists
Moreland Socialists is open to anyone (even if you live outside the area) who wants to work constructively to support Socialist Alliance councillor Sue Bolton and use her position to build up a stronger activist left presence in Moreland. In general, we meet monthly and alternate between Coburg and Fawkner.

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