Green Left Weekly Activist Calendar - 2015-07-01

Activist Calendar, July 1

Film screening: Freedom or Death Friday, July 3, 6:30pm (meal from 6pm). 2014 documentary that went undercover to record the terrible condiditions faced by asylum seekers in Indonesia, Australia and Nauru. Guest speaker: Mohammad Ali Baqiri, asylum seeker who was locked up on Nauru. $8/$5. Resistance Centre, Level 5, 407 Swanston St, City (opposite RMIT). Organised by Socialist Alliance. For more info ph 9639 8622. Facebook event

Green Left Weekly Comedy Debate:Abbott is the root of all evil Friday, July 24, 6:30 pm (for 8pm start). Master of ceremonies: Rod Quantock. With the comic talents of: Simon Keck, Kirsty Mac, Ali MC, Minister of UnAustralian Affairs, Morven Smith, Evan Thompson. Bar & meal available from 6:30pm.Brunswick Town Hall, cnr Sydney Rd & Dawson St, Brunswick. Tickets: $50 solidarity, $30 regular, $22 low-waged, $12 unwaged (doesn't include meal). Bookings essential. Book online at http://www.trybooking.com/HYDM or phone 9639 8622. A fundraiser for the progressive, non-profit newspaper Green Left Weekly.

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. New email address? Not already receiving this calendar regularly? Want to subscribe someone else? Let us know at Greenleft Melbourne.

Wednesday, July 1 Protest: Fight the fines on the jobless! From July 1 the unemployed can be fined for failing to attend a 'job search' appointment with their Employment Service Provider. It's time to fight back! 12 noon. 470 Collins St, City (outside Max Employment). Organised by Australian Unemployment Union. Venezuela Solidarity Campaign. Organising meeting. 7pm. LASNET office, Trades Hall, cnr Victoria & Lygon Sts, Carlton South. Thursday, July 2 Public meeting: Public images of WW1, Myth & reality. Former war correspondent Jill Jolliffe untangles the truths and misconceptions of WWI. Through material found in the State Library’s collection, she reveals how reporting influenced public perception. 6pm. Red Rotunda, Cowen Gallery, State Library. Free, but book online. Public meeting: Next steps against family violence. Speakers: Rosie Batty, Hugh de Kretser (Human Rights Law Centre), Elizabeth Broderick (Sex Discrimination Commissioner), Kirstie Parker (co-chair of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples & the National Justice Coalition). Presented by Human Rights Law Centre & Women's Legal Service. 6:15pm. Melbourne City Conference Centre, 333 Swanston St, City. $20/$12. Bookings here. Friday, July 3 - Friday, July 31 Concert: Ezekiel Ox. Ezekiel Ox's career in music, activism, theatre and spoken word has spanned 15 years and shows no signs of slowing down. Since Full Scale burst out of the Perth underground and onto the international seen in the early 2000's, he's continued to smash trends, ignore the inevitable haters and play by his own set of rules. Zeke has been booked for 5 shows at Melbourne's premier hip-hop venue, the famous and storied Laundry Bar. Every Friday from 9pm, Ox will be serving it up with his DJ, the newest player on the Melbourne circuit DJ Marze (Seeka, Birdz). Catch Ox every Friday this July, 9-10.30pm at the Laundry Bar, 48-50 Johnston St, Fitzroy. Entry free. Friday, July 3 Film screening: Freedom or Death. 2014 documentary that went undercover to record the terrible condiditions faced by asylum seekers in Indonesia, Australia and Nauru. Guest speaker: Mohammad Ali Baqiri, asylum seeker who was locked up on Nauru. 6:30pm (meal from 6pm). $8/$5. Resistance Centre, Level 5, 407 Swanston St, City (opposite RMIT). Organised by Socialist Alliance. For more info ph 9639 8622. Sunday, July 5 Film screening: Bolivar: Man of Difficulties. Keynote speaker: Nelson Dávila, Venezuelan ambassador to Australia & solidarity activists. 7pm. Cinema Studios Backlot, 65 Haig St, City. For more info ph 0425 539 149. Presented by Venezuela Solidarity Campaign  and LASNET. Tuesday, July 7 - Sunday, July 12 CANBERRA Conference: Queer Collaborations 2015. Student-led conference that fosters political action and self-discovery through facilitating discussions and workshops on different topics. The theme for this year is 'Queer at Heart'. The Australian National University, East Road, Acton, Canberra. Facebook Wednesday, July 8 – Sunday, July 12 ADELAIDE Students of Sustainability: Nourishing our roots. Annual environmental and social justice conference bringing together activists, entrepreneurs, speakers, educators and artists from around Australia for a week of celebration, education, culture, delicious food, networking and camping. SoS is based at a different university campus each year. Camping, workshops, skillshare, forums, community, networking.Flinders University on Kaurna country. For more info visit SoS. Wednesday, July 8 - Thursday, July 9 BRISBANE Independent and Peaceful Australia Network Conference. Come to hear Senator Scott Ludlam, Professor Richard Tanter and Professor Kozue Akibayashi address why our 'Dangerous Allies' are threatening our security and why we need an independent and peaceful national agenda. Then join with others from 50 peace groups around Australia in developing our national network focussed on contributing to this agenda. For details and registration visit IPAN. For further information contact Annette 0431 59 7256. Thursday, July 9 Anti-racism education and activism day. Come along for discussions on the origins of racism and Islamophobia and racism today, and afterwards help out with campaigning stalls to help build the July 18 anti-racist protest. 11am-3pm. Resistance Centre, Level 5, 407 Swanston St, City (opposite RMIT). Organised by Socialist Alliance. Book launch: RISE Presents ‘We Are Here’ by Cat Thao Nguyen. A memoir that begins in 1975 with her family's gripping exodus by foot out of post-war Vietnam: A dangerous journey through the jungles of Khmer Rouge Cambodia to Thailand. From the crowded refugee camps the Nguyens were allowed to board a Qantas plane to a freedom. But the stark, contrasting suburban landscapes of Western Sydney, Australia were not the unalloyed blessing they'd imagined. A short reading followed by Q and A. 6:30pm. Readings Bookstore, 701 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn. Profits from the sales of the book will be donated to RISE. For more info visit RISE. Friday, July 10 Rally: NAIDOC march. NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920′s which sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of Indigenous Australians. 10am. Aboriginal Health Service, 186 Nicholson St, Fitzroy. Saturday, July 18 Rally: Protest against Reclaim Australia. 10am. Parliament House, Spring St, City. [Note: New venue.] Comedy: Nazeem Hussain in Yarraville. I will performing my show 'Legally Brown' one last time. 8pm. Yarraville Live, 135 Stephen St, Yarraville.  Book at http://bit.ly/1IQ9pzU Friday, July 24 Green Left Weekly Comedy Debate: Abbott is the root of all evil. MC: Rod Quantock. With the comic talents of: Ali MC, Kirsty Mac, Minister of UnAustralian Affairs, Morven Smith, Evan Thompson; other TBA. 6:30 pm (for 8pm start). bar & meal available from 6:30pm. Brunswick Town Hall, cnr Sydney Rd & Dawson St, Brunswick. Tickets: $50 solidarity, $30 regular, $22 low-waged, $12 unwaged. Bookings essential. Book online at http://www.trybooking.com/HYDM or phone 9639 8622. A fundraiser for the progressive, non-profit newspaper Green Left Weekly. Saturday, July 25 Rally: Stop Labor's cruel refugee policy. No to offshore processing! No to mandatory detention! Organised by the Refugee Action Collective; endorsed by Labor 4 Refugees. Speakers include: Sue Lines (ALP Senator); Pamela Curr (Asylum Seeker Resource Centre); Aran Mylvaganam (Tamil Refugee Council); Mohammad Baqiri (Afghan refugee);' Michele O'Neil (State Secretary Clothing Textile and Footwear Union of Australia). 12pm. Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Convention Centre Place, Southbank. Rally at the ALP Conference: Demand a binding vote on marriage equality. 1pm.Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Convention Centre Place, Southbank. Wednesday, August 19 Rally: Student day of action against fee deregulation and funding cuts. 2pm. State Libray, cnr Swanston & La Trobe Sts, City. Organised by National Union of Students.

Saturday, July 4 BALLARAT Rally: Marriage equality now. 3pm. Bakery Hill, Ballarat. Organised by Equal Love Ballarat. Facebook Friday, July 17 GEELONG Red Cinema: Oliver Stone's 'South of the border'. Documentary examines the free-market economic policies of the US and the International Monetary Fund, and how they have failed to alleviate Latin America's chronic income inequality. The film suggests that financial calamities such as the Argentine peso collapse of 2001, combined with Latin suspicions of US drug-eradication efforts and resentment over the selling off of natural resources through multinational companies, have contributed to the rise of socialist and social-democratic leaders across the region. Meal 6:30pm; film 7pm. Entry by donation. Trades Hall, 127 Myers St, Geelong. For more info ph 5222 6900. Presented by Socialist Alliance.

Australia Kurdistan Solidarity. Meets regularly to build solidarity with the Kurdish freedom struggle in Rojava (liberated zone in northern Syria), Turkey and elsewhere. For campaign and open letter to have the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) removed from the Australian list of terrorist organisations see Lift the ban on the PKK. For information ph Gulay 0412 926 706 or Aran 0410 197 814. Australian Unemployment Union. The Australian Unemployment Union is an organisation by the unemployed, for the unemployed. Our mission is to protect the common interests of the 750,000+ Australians who are currently unemployed. For more information visit AUE or Facebook. Australian West Papua Association (AWPA). Struggles against the Indonesian occupation of West Papua and against environmental destruction and resource theft. For info 9510 2193 or email AWPA. Climate Action Moreland. Meets regularly to develop action on climate change in the Moreland area. For information ph Andrea on 0424 508 535 or email CAM. 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. 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. Timor Sea Justice Campaign. For info visit TSJC, email Tom Clarke or ph 0422 545 763. Victorian Climate Action Calendar. Online updates are available at http://vcac.org.au/calendar/.

Recent articles from Green Left Weekly Tony Abbott’s assault on democratic rights Why the Greens were wrong to support the pension cuts Australia trashes renewable energy target Rojava fights off new Islamic State attack Check out Green Left TV: See Greece Economic Situation by Professor John Quiggin 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 International Journal of Socialist Renewal is a journal for the post-Cold War left; a journal that rejects the Stalinist distortion of the socialist project; a journal that takes into account ecological questions; a journal that is taking steps to bring together the forces for socialism in the world today; a journal that aspires to unite Marxists from different political traditions because it discusses openly and constructively. Links seeks to promote the international exchange of information, experiences of struggle, theoretical analysis and views on strategies and tactics within the international left. Greece: 'To authoritarianism and austerity, we respond with democracy' -- SYRIZA calls referendum on EU austerity Venezuela: Millions vote in socialist party primaries Cuba 'will always be ready to help sister nations', says ICAP president Gramsci for communists 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: The case for a universal age pension Stand up against community closures How to fight the growth of the far-right 'Reclaim Australia' movement 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.

Resistance Bookshop Just out! An account of the pathbreaking 1980s struggle of women to gain jobs in BHP's Port Kembla steelworks. 76pp, $10. Available from Resistance Bookshop, Level 5, 407 Swanston St, City