Green Left Weekly Activist Calendar - 2014-02-05

Green Left Weekly Activist Calendar February 5, 2014 Rally: Defend our environment! No dredging in the Great Barrier Reef. Saturday, February 8, 12 noon. Our environment is under attack like never before with forests being logged, large mining companies profiteering off the destruction of bushland and wildlife being culled. Now the Coalition federal government has approved dumping nearly 3 million cubic metres of spoil in an area near the Great Barrier Reef marine park as part of the Abbot Point coal port expansion near Bowen. State Library, 328 Swanston St, City. Film screening: John Pilger's 'Utopia' Thursday, February 27, 6:30pm. Examines the worsening oppression of Aboriginal people in Australia.  An epic production by the Emmy and Bafta winning film-maker and journalist John Pilger. Utopia is a vast region in northern Australia and home to the oldest human presence on earth. 'This film is a journey into that secret country,' says Pilger. 'It will describe not only the uniqueness of the first Australians, but their trail of tears and betrayal and resistance —  from one utopia to another.' See trailer here. (WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following program may contain images and voices of deceased persons.) Speakers: Vivian Malo (First Nations Liberation); Mick Bull (AMWU organiser who was involved in the 2010 union solidarity brigade that built a protest house in the Ampilatwatja community, a community that features in the film). Maritime Union of Australia Hall, 46–54 Ireland St, West Melbourne (2 min from North Melbourne station). Organised by Green Left Weekly & First Nations Liberation. Entry free, bookings essential. To book: ph 9639 8622 or visit http://www.trybooking.com/EFRC. 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 toGreen 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. New email address? Not already receiving this calendar regularly? Want to subscribe someone else? Let us know at Greenleft Melbourne. Ongoing Pickets against the East-West Tunnel take place on most weekday mornings. Join the campaign to stop the East-West Link. For more info txt 'tunnel' to 0432 447 036 to get picket locations via text message. Wednesday, February 5 Rally: For reproductive rights on the second day of parliament for 2014. We plan to show the LNP and Labor that we oppose the repeal of Section 8, and that we won’t have the Vic Liberals selling women’s abortion rights simply so they can stay in power until November. This demo has a double purpose: the anti-choice Helpers of God’s Precious Infants congregate at this very spot every day (all day!) parliament sits throughout the year. They also string their banner, depicting a cross for every foetus aborted since the first day of the year, on the fence outside Parliament House. This year, we plan to arrive first, so it’s us — the pro-choice majority — parliamentarians see as they head in to vote on laws that affect us. 7.30am. MP's carpark entrance, Parliament House, Macarthur St, opposite Women's Suffrage sculpture. Forum: What is the TPPA? Our government is negotiating an international agreement that could have a huge effect on the lives of ordinary people. It’s called the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), and it involves 12 Asian and Pacific-rim countries, including the United States. If it goes ahead, we risk damage to our innovative economy, our pristine environment, our health, and the ability to shape our own future. Speakers: Richard Denniss (executive director, Australia Institute); Deborah Gleeson (convenor, Political Economy of Health Special Interest Group of the Public Health Association of Australia); Angela Daly (2013 auDA Australian Internet Ambassador); Bob Phelps (executive director of Gene Ethics). Places unfortunately are limited so please reserve your free ticket via the ticketing system here: What is the TPPA? 6pm. 251 Queensberry St, Carlton South. AAWL public meeting: Women workers in Asia. 6pm. Trades Hall, cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton South. Thursday, February 6 Moreland Campaign Against the East-West Tunnel (MCAT):  Special organising meeting.  To organise materials for our stalls this coming Saturday; to report back on plans for our community rally on March 30; and to plan how to build the rally. 6:30pm. Temple Park Senior Citizens Centre, Hodgson St, Brunswick. For more info call Sue Bolton on 0413 377 978. Friday, February 7 Rally: For LGBTIQ rights in Russia. Last year the Russian government introduced new laws banning ‘propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations’. These laws essentially outlaw any positive mention of homosexuality. Putin is using these laws to deflect criticism away from his government, scapegoat minorities and cement power. Activists in Russia have called for people around the world to hold protests in front of Russia’s embassies and consulates on the day of the opening of the Olympic Games in Sochi. These Olympics will shine a spotlight not just on Russia and Putin but on the whole question of homophobia and LGBTIQ equality. 12 noon. Russia House, 114 Greeves St, Fitzroy. Organised by the Socialist Party. Rally: Australian and New Zealand march against the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement. 6pm. City Square, 44-86 Swanston St, City. For information about the TPP please visit this website:www.tppaustralia.org. Saturday, February 8 Rally: Defend our environment! No dredging in the Great Barrier Reef. Our environment is under attack like never before with forests being logged, large mining companies profiteering off the destruction of bushland and wildlife being culled. Now the Coalition federal government has approved dumping nearly 3 million cubic metres of spoil in an area near the Great Barrier Reef marine park as part of the Abbot Point coal port expansion near Bowen. 12pm. State Library, 328 Swanston St, City. Public meeting: The origins of homophobia and the struggle for LGBTI liberation. What are the origins of homophobia in society? How is it maintained? How can we win real human liberation? 2pm. Resistance Centre, Level 5, 407 Swanston St, City (opposite RMIT). Organised by Socialist Alliance. For more info ph 9639 8622 or 0435 934 199. Sunday, February 9 Anatolian Peace & friendship festival. Live bands; traditional dances & foods; rides for children; art & craft stalls. 11am-6pm. Coburg Lake Reserve. Festival of the photocopier: Annual zine fair. Sticky Institute presents their annual zine fair, as part of the Festival of the Photocopier 2014. The event includes over 100 zine stalls, live music, the launch of this year's Feed the Animals fundraiser, and a guided tour of the fair by zine academic Dr Anna Polettil. 12-4pm. Melbourne Town Hall, cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, City. Full program atwww.stickyinstitute.com. Political Asylum: ABC Pty Ltd edition. Topical standup comedy. Now with commercial breaks! Featuring: Mathew Kenneally (MC), Toby Halligan, Stella Young, Dilruk Jayisuran, Tegan Marie Higginbotham & Nelly Thomas! 5:30pm. The Brunswick Green, 313 Sydney Rd, Brunswick. Sponsored by the Royal Australian Navy. $10/$5. Wednesday, February 12 Rally: Abortion speakout outside Geoff Shaw’s office. We don’t like Geoff Shaw’s right-wing bigotry or his corruption. And we don’t appreciate the support he gets from the Liberal Party generally, or the premier’s office specifically — such as the help he’s getting from Denis Napthine to draft his private member’s bill that will curb our right to access abortion. We say: Doctors and politicians can keep their morals to themselves. Our bodies, our right to decide! 12pm. Geoff Shaw’s office, 140 Young St, Frankston. Public meeting: Black and proud — racism in sport. On April 17, 1993, Indigenous AFL player Nicky Winmar raised his St Kilda jersey and pointed out the colour of his skin to the Collingwood fans that had taunted him throughout the match. That photograph, and his accompanying statement, 'I’m black and I’m proud to be black,' became an iconic moment in AFL history, forcing many in the sporting arena to analyse their attitude towards race. Author Gary Osmond assesses the legacy of this photograph in his book Black and Proud. Osmond examines what has changed, with a panel including Sean Gorman from the Centre for Aboriginal Studies, and host Angela Pippos. 6:15pm. The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale St, City. Thursday, February 13 Concert: Apology Day anniversary. Celebrate the anniversary of the apology to Australia’s Stolen Generations. Indigenous and non-Indigenous performers come together in a shared vision of unity for all Australians. Featuring: Blue King Brown; Archie Roach, Tim Rogers, Claire Bowditch, Christine Anu, Thelma Plumb, Horrorshow & Jimblah. 6-10pm. Sidney Myer Music Bowl, 21 Linlithgow Ave, City. Entry free. Friday, February 14 Rally: National Dingo Day. Rally to stop killing of dingoes and to ban the use of 1080 poison baits in Australia. 12 noon. State Parliament, Spring Street, City. Sustainable Living Festival’s great debate: Environmentalism is in denial. Are green groups are avoiding complete honesty about the extent to which climate change will affect human populations and other species? Do they lack the courage to tackle this giant challenge, fearing political isolation and the difficulty of the task of selling an unpalatable message to the public? Is the environment movement to blame for the inadequacy of the solutions currently being advocated? With video introduction by Bill McKibben. Speakers: Christine Milne, Clive Hamilton, Amanda McKenzie, Philip Sutton, Mark O'Connor and Drew Hutton. 7pm. Deakin Edge, Federation Square. $25/$20. Book tickets here. Saturday, February 15 Rally: Our wombs are not for sale, defend Section 8. We are opposed to the repeal of Section 8, or any rolling back of current Victorian abortion law (as touted by Geoff Shaw, and supported by the Liberal Party), and we want to make this loud and clear before a vote in parliament. We have heard that Geoff Shaw will try to introduce his Private Member’s Bill, repealing Section 8 of the Victorian abortion law (at the very least!), in one of the February sittings of parliament. This repeal means that if a doctor doesn’t 'believe in' abortion, they won’t have to refer women to doctors who will perform the procedure. They also won’t have to perform emergency abortions to save a woman’s life. 1pm. State Library, cnr Swanston & La Trobe Sts, City. Tuesday, February 18 Rally: Stop Napthine's silencing act. Speak up Victoria, while you still can! Oppose Napthine’s new draconian anti-right-to-protest laws! The government's new bill: (1) Removes protection for peaceful assembly; (2) Provides up to two years imprisonment for persons returning to a banned protest or picket; (3) Gives police and PSOs discretion to 'move on' protests. 10am. Trades Hall, cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton South. March to Parliament House. For more info visit weareunion.org.au Wednesday, February 19 Book launch: A country too far. One of the most hotly debated and pressing moral issues in contemporary Australia surrounds the fate of asylum seekers. A new anthology of work from 27 of the nation’s finest writers examines all aspects of this complex topic. A Country Too Far features fiction, memoir, poetry and essays that provide an indispensable contribution to the national debate. 6:15pm. The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale St, City. This is a free event. Bookings are recommended. Friday, February 21 Fundraiser: Concert for the Tarkine. In 2014, is Australia the sort of country that puts an open-cut mine in a rainforest? It’s time to ramp up the Melbourne campaign to stop mining in the Tarkine. Come along to the launch of Save the Tarkine (Victoria) for a wonderful evening of music, and let us introduce you to the majesty of this remarkable place. Despite its world heritage significance, less than 5% of the Tarkine is protected as a national park and it is currently under attack from open-cut mining activity. 7pm. Thornbury Theatre, 859 High St, Thornbury. Saturday, February 22 Film screening: Dirty Wars.  Pre-DVD release screening for this award-winning documentary. Dirty Wars follows investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill, author of the international bestseller Blackwater, into the heart of America’s covert wars, from Afghanistan to Yemen, Somalia and beyond. 8:45pm. 106 Nicholson St, Coburg. Entry by donation (suggested: $15/$10) to raise money for the 2014 Swan Island Peace Convergence. NB: outdoor screening (BYO rugs, chairs, cushions). Saturday 22 February Concert: Almanac trail tour. In the summer of 1941, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Lee Hays and Millard Lampell — The Almanac Singers — embarked on a tour, singing labour songs at union halls in many US cities and towns. Folksingers George Mann and Rik Palieri have just re-enacted that tour, singing the same songs in the same US cities and towns as the 1941 Almanac Singers and they have now released a CD entitled The Almanac Trail. George is now touring Australia, and this is a great opportunity to hear one of the great labour folksingers of our time. In Melbourne, the Victorian Trade Union Choir will perform with George and in Geelong, the Geelong Trades Hall Choir will perform. 7:30pm. Meeting Room 1, ground floor, Trades Hall, cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton South. $10/$5. For more info ph Roger Smith 0438 302 061 or Jeannette Johanson 0400 004 427. Thursday, February 27 Film screening: 'Utopia', John Pilger’s film on Aboriginal Australia. Examines the worsening oppression of Aboriginal people in Australia.  An epic production by the Emmy and Bafta winning film-maker and journalist John Pilger. Utopia is a vast region in northern Australia and home to the oldest human presence on earth. 'This film is a journey into that secret country,' says Pilger. 'It will describe not only the uniqueness of the first Australians, but their trail of tears and betrayal and resistance —  from one utopia to another.' Trailer at: http://johnpilger.com/videos/utopia-trailer. (WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following program may contain images and voices of deceased persons.) Speakers: Vivian Malo (First Nations Liberation); Mick Bull (AMWU organiser who was involved in the 2010 union solidarity brigade that built a protest house in the Ampilatwatja community, a community that features in the film). 6:30pm. Maritime Union of Australia Hall, 46–54 Ireland St, West Melbourne (2 min from North Melbourne station). Organised by Green Left Weekly & First Nations Liberation. Entry free, bookings essential. To book: ph 9639 8622 or visithttp://www.trybooking.com/EFRC. Monday, March 3 Forum: Launch of Writers for Refugees. Join us for the launch of Writers for Refugees, a Melbourne-based group of writers, journalists and academics who are committed to standing up for refugee rights under the Abbott government. Speakers and readers include: Arnold Zable, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Abe Ape, Jeff Sparrow and Ali Alizadeh. 6pm. Bella Union Level 1, Trades Hall, cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton South. Entry by gold coin donation. Saturday, March 8 Rally: Celebrate International Womens Day, protest for equal rights. Come out on International Women's Day and continue the fight for equality: demand equal pay; defend our right to abortion. 1pm. State Library, 328 Swanston St, City. Initiated by the National Union of Students. Tuesday, February 18 Forum: 'We are one, but we are many'. Working towards a humane refugee policy. Speakers: Kon Karapanagiotidis (CEO & founder, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre); Vincent Long (auxiliary bishop, Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne & Bishop for the Western Region; a former asylum seeker and refugee); Louise Newman (psychiatrist, Convenor of the Alliance of Health Professions for Asylum Seekers). 7:15pm. Geelong West Town Hall, 153 Pakington St, Geelong West. Organised by the Combined Refugee Action Group. For more info email CRAG. Supported by the City of Greater Geelong. Entry free. Supper provided. Friday, February 21 Red Cinema: Utopia — a film by John Pilger. (WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this program may contain images and voices of deceased persons.) One of the most extraordinary films about Australia. This is Utopia, an epic production by the Emmy and Bafta winning film-maker and journalist John Pilger. Utopia is a vast region in northern Australia and home to the oldest human presence on earth. 'This film is a journey into that secret country,' says Pilger. 'It will describe not only the uniqueness of the first Australians, but their trail of tears and betrayal and resistance —  from one utopia to another.' See trailer here. 6pm. Downstairs, Trades Hall, 127 Myers St, Geelong. Entry free. Presented by Socialist Alliance. For more info phone 5222 6900. Sunday, February 23 Concert: Almanac trail tour. In the summer of 1941, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Lee Hays and Millard Lampell — The Almanac Singers — embarked on a tour, singing labour songs at union halls in many US cities and towns. Folksingers George Mann and Rik Palieri have just re-enacted that tour, singing the same songs in the same US cities and towns as the 1941 Almanac Singers and they have now released a CD entitled The Almanac Trail. George is now touring Australia, and this is a great opportunity to hear one of the great labour folksingers of our time. In Geelong, the Geelong Trades Hall Choir will perform with George. 7pm. MUA Hall, 4 Gheringhap St, Geelong. $10/$5. For more info ph Jeannette Johanson 0400 004 427. Saturday, March 22 ALBURY Rally: Equal Love. 1pm. QEII Square, 538 Dean St, Albury 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. Stop the East-West Link: Moreland Campaign Against the East-West Tunnel (MCAT) meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at the Temple Park Senior Citizens Centre, Hodgson St, Brunswick. For information contact Sue Bolton 0413 377 978; Michael Petit 0417 354 169; Riki Lane 0400 877 819. Yarra Campaign for Action on Transport (YCAT). For information on the campaign against the East-West Tunnel (pickets, meetings, info) visit YCAT. Recent articles from Green Left Weekly Victorian 'move on' laws to criminalise protesters Organic farmer Steve Marsh fights the GM monster Graffiti marks genocide on Australia Day How Australia steals East Timor's oil Check out Green Left TV: See Sea Shepherd's Jeff Hansen: Save the sharks! 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. How we can use the Transitional Program today: a response to Socialist Alternative Forging a new movement: NUMSA and the shift in South Africa's politics France: Activist pressure forces truce within Front de Gauche Spain: Si, se puede! ‘White tide’ defeats Madrid health privatisation plan 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: Fight Abbott’s industrial secret police! Fight for land rights and justice for Aboriginal people Australia and other climate rogue states responsible for typhoon deaths 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. If you want to get involved in the group, email us at Socialist Alliance or phone Sue on 9639 8622 or 0413 377 978. For news and opinion visit Sue's Moreland Report or Facebook.