Dale Hess's Calendar - 16-01-25

Robbie Thorpe Documentary

Help support this long overdue portrait of an important Aboriginal political activist Robbie Thorpe. Aboriginal resistance to the invasion of Australia never ceased. It continues today. Aboriginal political activist Robbie Thorpe stands as part of a long line of Indigenous resistance to invasion. His story is an important one. This short documentary will trace Robbie’s life and politics and explore what is at stake for a First Nations person upon land that was stolen and whose sovereignty never been ceded. Robbie Thorpe has organised challenges to ongoing genocide, colonization and assimilation for over 30 years, working toward indigenous economic and political independence. He has launched High Court legal actions, run a series of high-profile and controversial political and cultural interventions and remains a fierce and unrelenting advocate for his people.

https://www.chuffed.org/project/robbiethorpedoco

Tuesday 2nd February, 5.30 pm -7.30 pm: Human Existence, Religions and the Digital World. Professor Peter Horsfield, Professor of Communication, RMIT University. Peter Horsfield's research over several decades has focused on the interaction of media and religion. Among other involvements, he was a member of the International Study Commission on Media Religion and Culture. His early study Religious Television: The American Experience was influential in changing perceptions of the extent and influence of the televangelists. His recent book From Jesus to the Internet examines Christianity as a mediated phenomenon. The first systematic survey of the interaction of media and religion in a religious tradition, it shows how Christianity's historical development was shaped by the opportunities and contests of the various media forms used in its practice. His insights into some of Christianity's currently hotly debated issues provide a much-needed historical basis for multi-disciplinary study. Gryphon Gallery, Mezzanine Level, Building 1888, near the Corner of Swanston and Grattan Street, Melbourne. (http://maps.unimelb.edu.au/parkville/building/198). Light refreshments will be provided at the conclusion of the lecture. RSVP: Sue Ennis: wcrpaust@iinet.net.au

Tuesday 9 February, 11.30 am: Rally to stop onshore gas drilling and fracking. Big energy companies have sought to "open up" Victoria to onshore gas drilling and fracking--putting prime farmland and water resources at risk. Regional communities around the state have said "no" to risky unconventional gas extraction. Parliament of Victoria, Spring Street, Melbourne. Organised by Friends of the Earth, Gasfield Free Vic, Yes 2 Renewables.

Thursday 18 February, 6.30 pm – 8 pm: Market Forces Campaign Launch. Market Forces believes that the banks, superannuation funds and governments that have custody of our money should use it to protect not damage our environment. We're planning to make this year massive. Massive campaigns, resulting in massive change. We have climate change commitments from banks that need to be turned into concrete action that moves finance out of fossil fuels. We want to turn divestment from coal, oil and gas from a steady stream to an unstoppable torrent. And of course, we have new dirty coal proposals here in Australia and overseas that need to be stopped in their tracks.  Venue: Treasury Room, Imperial Hotel, 2 Bourke St, Melbourne (corner Spring Street). Food provided, drinks at bar prices. Free entry but bookings are essential as places are limited. RSVP here. Market Forces is proud to be an affiliate project of Friends of the Earth Australia and a member of the BankTrack international network, connecting us with passionate campaigners, environmental issue experts and advocates of environmentally sustainable behaviour from the finance sector.  

Get the details and RSVP for our Melbourne campaign launch here. 

Monday 25 April – Friday 29 April: Living the Peace Testimony with Greg Rolles. Explore the connections between war, militarism, climate change, colonisation of Indigenous peoples, racism – and your own urges to help bring peace. Silver Wattle Quaker Centre, 1063 Lake Road, Bungendore, NSW. Telephone:02 6238 0588

Friday 10 June – Monday 13 June: Indigenous Spirituality and Culture with Karen Kime. Journey into Aboriginal ways of teaching country, kinship and cross-cultural issues in work and community. The workshop will also include examples of other indigenous people. Silver Wattle Quaker Centre, 1063 Lake Road, Bungendore, NSW. Telephone:02 6238 0588

Galilee Basin Alliance demand the right to say 'NO' to mining

Galilee Basin Alliance	23:17 (8 hours ago)		Clip
to bcc: me

Media Release:  

Monday, 30 November 2015

GALILEE BASIN DEMANDS THE RIGHT TO SAY ‘NO’ TO MINING

Farmers and landholders in Central Western Queensland are calling on Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg and state ministers to give them the right to say ‘no’ to mining at the next meeting of the COAG Energy Council on Friday 4^th December.

Minister Frydenberg said he'd put mining and land access on the agenda at the meeting.

Denice Campbell from the Galilee Basin Alliance said it was vital this meeting delivers tangible action and gives farmers, landholders and Traditional Owners the power to refuse mining companies access.

“While mining companies ultimately have the right to access someone else’s land and do to it what they will, usually without any consideration for the agricultural industry that is already in place, there will never be justice for ordinary people going about their businesses in this country. This applies equally to Traditional Owners.  It is wrong, ordinary people know it is wrong, politicians know it is wrong; they have said so in public forums.  Yet nothing continues to be done because the mining companies have powerful allies in all political arenas.  This corrupted process needs to end now or there will be huge costs to be faced in the future not unlike the stories and consequences of the “stolen generation”. 

“It is time for the buck-passing and bullying to end, and for our governments to legislate to give all landholders and communities a veto over mining that threatens our land, our water and way of life.

“Individuals and communities across Australia have experienced severe distress due to the laws being weighted so heavily in favor of multi-national mining corporations that they can legally force access to land without consent.

“All governments across Australia need to act now to end this special treatment for mining giants and to give us the basic right to a fair go and a real say over whether miners are allowed access”

“The bullying and harassment of landholders and Traditional Owners by mining corporations needs to end now. Governments need to prevent any further harm to rural and regional families“   Ms Campbell said.

We are asking that all governments:

• Reach an agreement at COAG to legislate the legal right for landholders and Traditional Owners to say ‘no’ to access by coal and unconventional gas mining companies.
• Provide state and territory governments six months to deliver legislative changes to that effect, and if they are not forthcoming, create national legislation using relevant powers.
• Immediately commission an inquiry by the ACCC, using powers it already has, to investigate whether the unconventional gas industry have engaged in unconscionable conduct in their dealings with landholders.

Inquiry on Landholders' Right to Refuse gas and coal Bill

The private senator’s bill proposed to make gas or coal mining activities undertaken without prior written authorisation from landholders unlawful and would ban constitutional corporations from engaging in hydraulic fracturing operations (fracking) for coal seam gas, shale gas and tight gas.

In addition to the 95 submissions listed below

http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/Gas_and_Coal/Submissions

the committee received by email approximately 350 short statements and form letters in support of the bill or that discussed matters beyond the scope of this inquiry. The committee decided not to publish on its website every email and form letter it received. An example of each type of form letter has been published.

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Scorecard: Planning bills not up to scratch

November 13, 2015

A new scorecard for Queensland reveals proposed new planning laws would be worse for the Queensland community and the environment than the planning laws in place under the Bligh government in 2012.

The scorecard, prepared by Environmental Defenders Office Qld (EDO Qld) and Queensland Conservation Council (QCC), comes after Deputy Premier and Minister for Planning Jackie Trad tabled the Government’s Planning Bill 2015and two related bills in Queensland Parliament late Thursday.

The LNP Opposition also has draft planning laws that will be up for consideration by parliament at the same time as the Government’s planning bills[1].

EDO Qld solicitor Revel Pointon said the scorecard was designed to help the community make sense of complex planning laws and revealed Queenslanders were not getting the first-class planning framework they deserved.

“We compared both the Government and the Opposition bills to see how they compared to planning laws in place under the Bligh and Newman governments.

“The QCC/EDO Qld scorecard assessed all the planning laws against four key indicators: protection of nature; support for community participation in planning; promotion of accountability and transparency; and whether they provide certainty to the community.

“The scorecard findings reveal the Opposition planning bills would be the worst outcome for Queensland, but disappointingly the current Government’s proposed laws are not much better.

“There are serious accountability and transparency shortfalls in both the Government’s and the Opposition’s proposed new planning and development assessment laws, mainly due to too much flexibility surrounding decision-making that tends to favour developers interests over the community.

“The current Government is clearly better on community involvement in planning and development assessment, in particular proposing to restore rules in the Planning and Environment Court that will protect the community from the threat of massive costs.

“However, the Government’s bills are only marginally ahead of the Opposition Bills on the other three measures.

“We are particularly concerned the government has decided to continue with its single assessment system – SARA – which weakens the role of specialist departments such Department of Environment and Heritage Protection.

“If the Deputy Premier wants planning based on the best science, we need our specialist departments to have a strong decision making role in planning and assessment decisions.

“We need strong, clear planning legislation to protect the environment for the future and to protect the community’s right to have their say on development that affects the places that matter to them,” said QCC planning spokesperson Karen Robinson.

“However both sets of planning laws will further entrench the presumption of development approval by weakening controls on code assessable applications.

“They also reduce the community’s rights to oppose development that does not comply with local plans and planning schemes,” Ms Robinson said.

“We are already seeing rising discontent in the community, particularly in south-east Queensland, as people wake up to find 15 and 20 storey apartment buildings approved where plans allowed just 6 and 12 storey.

“At the same time, scarce parkland and important koala habitat is being removed from protected zones and made available for development.

“People tell us they believe the planning system is broken, yet if the community is hoping any of the proposed new planning laws will fix this they are going to be seriously disappointed.”

[1] The Planning and Development (Planning for Prosperity) Bill 2015 (and two associated bills) were tabled in June as Private Members Bills by Shadow Treasurer Tim Nichols.

151113 Joint Media Release_Bills tabled _FINAL

https://www.qldconservation.org.au/take-action/queenslandplanningbill/

more

 https://www.qldconservation.org.au/2015/11/scorecard-planning-bills-not-up-to-scratch/

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Dale Hess Calendar - 15-08-31

Dale Hess
Tuesday 1 September, 6 pm – 8 pm: Life on Planet Earth: Sustaining hope in the midst of fragility and uncertainty. St Michael’s is proud to host this fascinating lecture series presented  by one of Australia’s leading International Relations scholars and commentators, Professor Joseph A. Camilleri OAM. This series aims to shed light on the critical psycho-social, economic,  environmental and security challenges of our times – how they  affect us personally, our life prospects, our networks and communities,  Australia and the world. It will open up new ways of thinking about the past and present and new possibilities for reshaping the future. Venue: St Michael’s Hall, 120 Collins Street, Melbourne. Tickets: $15 per lecture or $50 series pass. Bookings:www.stmichaels.org.au.

Saturday 5 September, 9 am – 11.30 am: Breakfast: Exploring local initiatives for living a good, low carbon life. Join us for a lively breakfast where practitioners Donna Livermore, Sally MacAdams, Ben Habib, Nathan Alison and Catherine O'Shea will share their learnings and experiences transitioning towards a low carbon, localized lifestyle: transition towns, co-housing, permaculture and local energy trading systems (LETS).

Monday 7 September, 6.30 pm: Public forum: Can Christianity and Islam Co-exist?Speakers: Rev. Professor James Haire, AC, and Professor Azyumardi Azra CBE. Join us to hear two eminent Christian and Muslim public scholars discuss key issues for a multi-cultural and multi-faith Australia. This important and timely dialogue will address Christian-Muslim relations in the Australian-Indonesian context and seek to build fresh understanding of how people of different faiths and cultures can grow together in understanding and appreciation of one another.  Venue: Yasuko Hiraoka Myer Room, Level 1, Room 106, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, University of Melbourne, 761 Swanston Street, Parkville. Admission free, but RSVP to secure your seat: neic-office@unimelb.edu.au

Tuesday 8 September, 6 pm – 8 pm: The World Economy: An ‘ocean liner without lifeboats’: Financial crises and the myths of the free market: the case for regulation. St Michael’s is proud to host this fascinating lecture series presented  by one of Australia’s leading International Relations scholars and commentators, Professor Joseph A. Camilleri OAM. This series aims to shed light on the critical psycho-social, economic,  environmental and security challenges of our times – how they  affect us personally, our life prospects, our networks and communities,  Australia and the world. It will open up new ways of thinking about the past and present and new possibilities for reshaping the future. Venue: St Michael’s Hall, 120 Collins Street, Melbourne. Tickets: $15 per lecture or $50 series pass. Bookings: www.stmichaels.org.au.

Wednesday 9 September, 6.03 pm: Asylum Seekers: The Culture We Can’t Afford to Lose.Culture Talk with wine and cheese with Julian Burnside. Cultural Infusion, Collingwood School Theatre, 49 Vere Street, Collingwood. Free entry. Book: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/culture-talk-tickets-18255951041

Friday 11 September, 6.30 pm – 9.30 pm: Film Screening: The Good Lie. The Bayside Refugee Advocacy & Support Association invites you to a special Invites you to a special screening of an inspiring and powerful story of triumph, friendship and compassion. Orphaned by the brutal Civil War in Sudan, Mamere, his sister Abital, and friends Jeremiah and Paul face a gruelling trip across Africa to a refugee camp. Much later, they are selected for re-settlement in the U.S.A. Carrie (Reese Witherspoon) is contracted to find them jobs, and she soon finds herself swept up in their struggle for a better life. Followed by guest speaker: Russell Broadbent M.H.R. [Lib. McMillan].  St John’s Uniting Church 567 Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick. Melway Map 67J3 Light supper provided. This is a free event. Donations welcome. RSVP email gm_moore@bigpond.net.au.

Saturday 12 September, 9 am – 4.30 pm: Youth Humanitarian Festival. Venue: Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn Campus Room ATC101. Cost: $15.http://www.youthhumanitarianfestival.com/

Tuesday 15 September, 6 pm – 8 pm: Islam, Islamism and Islamophobia    Religion and politics; terrorism and the ‘war on terror’. St Michael’s is proud to host this fascinating lecture series presented  by one of Australia’s leading International Relations scholars and commentators, Professor Joseph A. Camilleri OAM. This series aims to shed light on the critical psycho-social, economic,  environmental and security challenges of our times – how they  affect us personally, our life prospects, our networks and communities,  Australia and the world. It will open up new ways of thinking about the past and present and new possibilities for reshaping the future. Venue: St Michael’s Hall, 120 Collins Street, Melbourne. Tickets: $15 per lecture or $50 series pass. Bookings:www.stmichaels.org.au.

Wednesday 16 September, 9 am – 4 pm:  Youth Engaging the World: Living Pope Francis’ Vision of Faith. Registration: $35. St Michael’s Uniting Church, 120 Collins Street, Melbourne. Registrations –  https://www.acu.edu.au/616950; Email: iace@acu.edu.au  Phone: +61 2 9701 4176

Wednesday, 16 September, 6:30 pm until 8.30 pm: Atmosphere of Hope: Searching For Solutions to the Climate Crisis. Professor Tim Flannery, author, internationally acclaimed scientist and conservationist talks about his new book. Ten years after publishing his international bestseller The Weather Makers, acclaimed scientist and author Tim Flannery argues that Earth’s climate system is approaching a crisis. Catastrophe is not inevitable, but time is fast running out. In the lead-up to the United Nations Climate Change Summit to be held in Paris in December, Atmosphere of Hope provides both a snapshot of the trouble we are in and an up-to-the-minute analysis of some of the new possibilities for mitigating climate change that are emerging now. Venue: Clarke Auditorium, Eltham College, 1660 Main Road, Research ,Victoria. Entry: $35.00  includes a copy of the book or a $25 gift voucher, Tim’s presentation and refreshments. For Eltham College families (1 student and 1 adult) $35.00 or a $25.00 gift voucher. Prepaid early bookings are essential: 9439 8700 elthambookshop@bigpond.com

Thursday 17 September – Friday 18 September: Conference: Pope Francis and other Prophetic Voices: Calling Us to Reshape the Public Sphere.  Speakers for the conference include: Rev. Fr. Jerry Rosario SJ (India) – the Barefoot Priest from India , Dr. Jenny Te Paa Daniel (New Zealand) - Convenor of the International Anglican Peace and Justice Network, Fr Frank Brennan SJ AO – Australian Jesuit priest, human rights lawyer and academic, Professor Patrick Dodson – a Yawuru man from Broome, Western Australia, he is a former Chairman of the "Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, Dr Rachael Kohn - produces and presents The Spirit of Things on ABC Radio National, Emeritus Professor Joseph Camilleri OAM - Managing Director, Alexandria Agenda and founder of the Centre for Dialogue at La Trobe University. Venue St Michael’s Uniting Church, 120 Collins Street, Melbourne. Registration is $125 for the 2 day conference. Registrations –  https://www.acu.edu.au/616950; Email: iace@acu.edu.au  Phone: +61 2 9701 4176.  

Thursday 17 September, 7.30 pm – 9.30 pm: Public Forum: Reclaiming Justice, Truth and Compassion in the Public Sphere. Registration: $10+ donation. Australian Catholic University, Cathedral Hall, 20 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne (Please note: different venue to the Conference and Youth Forum). Registrations –  https://www.acu.edu.au/616950; Email:iace@acu.edu.au  Phone: +61 2 9701 4176

Sunday 20 September, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm: GreenFaith/ARRCC Planning and Discussion.5:30-6:00 GreenFaith/ARRCC planning and update; 6:00-6:30 Vegetarian dinner to share (please bring a dish – oven available); 6:30-7:30  Talk and discussion. Presentation by Nivy Balachandran about the worldwide United Religious Initiative and their Environmental work

You are welcome to come from 5:30 pm or join us later in the meeting. For more information contact Simon Grosser on info@greenfaithaustralia.org.

Tuesday 22 September, 6 pm – 8 pm: The Democratic Deficit: What it is and what to do about it. St Michael’s is proud to host this fascinating lecture series presented  by one of Australia’s leading International Relations scholars and commentators, Professor Joseph A. Camilleri OAM.This series aims to shed light on the critical psycho-social, economic,  environmental and security challenges of our times – how they  affect us personally, our life prospects, our networks and communities,  Australia and the world. It will open up new ways of thinking about the past and present and new possibilities for reshaping the future. Venue: St Michael’s Hall, 120 Collins Street, Melbourne. Tickets: $15 per lecture or $50 series pass. Bookings: www.stmichaels.org.au.

Monday 28 September,  8.45 am to 5.30 pm: Ecological Aspects of War: Religious Perspectives from Australia. A one-day symposium to consider intersections between war and ecology, through the lenses of religious social teachings and sacred texts, representative of the multi-cultural and inter-faith constitution of contemporary Australian society.  Keynote presentation  “Planet Earth as a Victim of War”  by Dr Jenny Grounds. Venue: Trinity College Theological School Trinity College Royal Parade, Parkville. Cost: Full $40 Concession $30 Skype $15 (you will be supplied with a url and password via email nearer the date). Register here. Early registrations are appreciated. Registrations close: Friday 11 September 2015. For further information contact Anne Elvey: aelvey@tpg.com.au

Tuesday 29 September, 6 pm – 8 pm: State of the Nation   How is Australia faring? A fresh look at its society, economy and politics. St Michael’s is proud to host this fascinating lecture series presented  by one of Australia’s leading International Relations scholars and commentators, Professor Joseph A. Camilleri OAM. This series aims to shed light on the critical psycho-social, economic,  environmental and security challenges of our times – how they  affect us personally, our life prospects, our networks and communities,  Australia and the world. It will open up new ways of thinking about the past and present and new possibilities for reshaping the future.Venue: St Michael’s Hall, 120 Collins Street, Melbourne. Tickets: $15 per lecture or $50 series pass. Bookings: www.stmichaels.org.au.

Saturday 10 October and Sunday 11 October: Voices for Justice Conference. For 10 years, Micah Challenge has been a global movement of aid and development agencies, churches, schools, groups and individual Christians who support the Millennium Development Goals to halve global poverty by 2015. Workshops include Climate Conversations; Campaign for Australian Aid; Prayer and advocacy Australia's aid program; Community organising strategies & skills; Theology of political engagement; Partner stories. Venue: Hughes Baptist Church in Hughes, Canberra. Registrations open at 10:30 am on Saturday morning.

Friday 16 October – Sunday 18 October: Local Lives – Global Matter: A Conference for Future’s Sake. Now is the time to announce a new paradigm and tell the story that has a future. Inspired by and following in the footsteps of a worldwide series of Economics of Happiness Conferences, this three day conference will include presentations, workshops, panel discussions, plenaries, story-telling, arts, music and site visits showcasing local initiatives. OASES is pleased to support this gathering of international and local thinkers and activists who will speak about: local economies and livelihoods; equitable, re-democratised societies; inclusive ethical culture; and the spirituality that connects us to the land and each other. Castlemaine Town Hall. For more information, to offer a presentation or generally get involved click here.

Sunday 18 October: Run 4 Refugees for the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre. Run 4 Refugees is our major fundraising event for the year and we'd love for you to take part. Last year we had over 500 amazing people who ran and walked for refugees, and raised over $250,000. This year we're aiming to raise over $300,000. The main event will be taking place in Melbourne on Sunday October 18th as part of the Melbourne Marathon Festival. You don't need to be a serious runner to take part, there are distances to suit everyone- from 3km to the full marathon. To sign up for the run click here. To create your fundraising page click here.

Monday 9 November – Tuesday 10 November, 9 am – 5 pm: Community Development: Introductory Course. Become more confident in designing & facilitating community development programs & activities. Learn practical ways of empowering communities; understand the basic concepts of Community Development; examine power and change processes; discuss community development practices; hold conversations with experienced Community Development workers; access to further learning resources; come to understand the field; use the modes of head (intellect), heart (feelings), hands (practical work with people) and feet (groundedness). Venue: 2 Minona Street, Hawthorn.

Wednesday 11 November – Thursday 12 November, 9 am – 5 pm: Community Development: Intermediate Course. Become more confident in designing & facilitating community development programs & activities. Learn practical ways of empowering communities; understand the basic concepts of Community Development; examine power and change processes; discuss community development practices; hold conversations with experienced Community Development workers; access to further learning resources; come to understand the field; use the modes of head (intellect), heart (feelings), hands (practical work with people) and feet (groundedness). Venue: 2 Minona Street, Hawthorn.

Green Left Weekly Activist Calendar 15-08-25

Activist Calendar, August 26

Rally: Stop Turkey's war on the Kurds Saturday, August 29, 11am. With a big decline in its vote in the June 7 elections, the regime of Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan is trying to create a security crisis to regain support before calling fresh elections. It has scrapped the peace process with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the large oppressed Kurdish minority, just as it was starting to take some important steps forward. Instead the regime is risking restarting the ruinous civil war with its violent attacks on towns and villages across the Kurdish southeast. The death toll is rising and hundreds of activists have been detained. War on the Kurds but continued covert support to the Islamic State terrorists in Syria — that is Erdogan’s real policy. Stop the attacks on the Kurds! Restart the peace process now! Federation Square, City. Organised by Australians for Kurdistan. For more info email AFK. Facebook

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.

Until September 5 Theatre: Stone the Boats. Candlelight Productions presents a new multimedia theatre piece about asylum seekers and the storm of opinions surrounding their arrival upon our shores. Fear. Anger. Compassion. Forgiveness. Perseverance. Follow the journeys of five people swept up in this controversy that is affecting us all. Metanoia Theatre at The Mechanic's Institute, 270 Sydney Road, Brunswick.Book here. Facebook Wednesday, August 26 Strike: National Union of Workers. NUW Stores members will be taking action and stopping work on  August 26. NUW members at CSL are proud of the contribution they make each day to create lifesaving products. They will be using the time they are taking action to hold a fundraising event for the Australian Red Cross. We would love for you to come and have some cake with us for a worthy cause. 12:30-4pm. CSL Behring, 189 Camp Rd, Broadmeadows. Public meeting: Nazeem Hussain. He has played an influential role in creating insights into multicultural challenges through his comedy. Unlike the standard flavour of comedians, Nazeem has been known to bravely tackle issues, people, groups and cultural segments in the community through his stand up, pranks and various TV series over the years. His ability to raise serious issues using comedy has brought to the fore important discussions of multiculturalism. Bookings are essential.$25. 6pm. The Cluster, Level 17, 31 Queen St, City. Thursday, August 27 Forum: The Steady State Alternative to Endless Growth: A sustainable vision for the future. Geoff Mosley, former CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation, will explain his vision for a steady state economy and will discuss the ‘how’ and ‘when’ of the transformation, including the obstacles to be overcome. 6:45pm. $10/$5. Trades Hall, Meeting Room 1, 54 Victoria St, Carlton. Presented by New International Bookshop & the Search Foundation. For more info ph 9662 3744. Comedy: Rod Quantock: Sustain this. Comedian, activist and now AOM, Rod Quantock at the Newport Comedy room. Come and check out what Transition Hobson Bay are up to and maybe walk away with a spring in your step. Newport Bowls Club, 4 Market St, Newport. Book here. Friday, August 28 Public meeting: Ghada Karmi: Diaspora & belonging.  Ghada Karmi was born in Jerusalem and trained as a doctor of medicine at Bristol University. 11:30am. ACMI Cinema 1, Federation Square, City. Rally: Stop the China Free Trade Agreement. 12 noon. Parliament steps, Spring St, City. Sponsored by AMWU; CFMEU; ETY; NUW; TCFUA; TWU; MUA. Racists not welcome. Public meeting with Tariq Ali: Why is democracy under siege and what can be done to restore it? Part of the Melbourne Writers Festival. 7:30pm. Federation Square, cnr Swanston & Flinders Sts, City. Bookings here. Saturday, August 29 Rally: Stop Turkey's war on the Kurds. The Turkish regime has scuttled the settlement process with its large oppressed Kurdish minority. Instead it is restarting the ruinous civil war. Stop the attacks on the Kurds! Restart the peace process now! 11am. Federation Square, City. Organised by Australians for Kurdistan. For more info email AFK. Facebook Rally: Bersih 4.0. The time has come for us to support our friends and families back home, and take a stand in support of democracy, rule of law and common decency in Malaysia. Lets get together to support the demand for institutional reform back home. Central to this demand is freedom for Malaysians. Freedom not just by namesake but freedom of expression, thought and association. 2pm. Federation Square, City. Public meeting: Ghada Karmi: The Future of Palestine. Ghada Karmi was born in Jerusalem and trained as a doctor of medicine at Bristol University. 4pm. Deakin Edge, Federation Square, City. Public meeting: An audience with Naomi Klein. Naomi Klein’s international bestseller No Logo exploded the way we think about global brands and their impact. In her latest game-changer, This Changes Everything, she exposes the war capitalism is waging on our planet. Have your assumptions challenged and discover how we can do better. 6pm. Athaneum Theatre, cnr Collins & Swanston Sts, City.Bookings here. Sunday, August 30 Concert: Juice Rap News. Live at Estonian House with special guest Nazeem Hussain. Juice Rap News is an online show that provides a broader, saner context and analysis of current affairs, media and politics — all via the medium of rap, music and comedy — revolutionizing the news with a unique and riotous collision of radical satire, rigorous research, righteous beats, and razor-sharp rhymes. 1pm. Estonian House, 43 Melville Rd, City. Bookings here. Public meeting: Naomi Klein: This changes everything. Naomi Klein is a Canadian author, social activist and filmmaker known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalisation and capitalism. She is best known for No Logo, about branding and the alter-globalisation movement; The Take, a documentary about Argentina’s occupied factories; and The Shock Doctrine, a critical analysis of the history of neoliberal economics. Her 2014 book This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate argues that the climate crisis can’t be addressed in the current era of neoliberal market fundamentalism. 4pm. Federation Square, cnr Flinders & Swanston Sts, City. Bookings here. Tuesday, September 1 Public meeting: Defying the Border Force Act. Speaking out against detention cruelty. Speakers: Christine Cummins (recently returned psychiatric nurse from Christmas Island); Christine Craic (National Vice-President of the Australian Association of Social Workers); Nathan Kennedy (President of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights). 6:30pm. Multicultural Hub, 506 Elizabeth St, City (opposite Victoria Markets). Organised by Refugee Action Collective. Thursday, September 3 - Monday, September 21 Film screening: Environmental Film Festival. Groundbreaking films, traversing the relationship between humans and their environments, challenging the way people think about the natural world and inspiring them to discuss, explore and act on important environmental issues. For more info visit Environmental Film Festival. Thursday, September 3 Book launch: Decolonizing Solidarity. Launch of Decolonizing Solidarity: Dilemmas and Directions for Supporters of Indigenous Struggles, a book written by Clare Land, in conversation with Robert Thorpe, guided by Gary Foley, Tony Birch and Marjorie Thorpe and Bob Pease. 6:30pm. Readings Bookstore, 309 Lygon Street, Carlton. Fundraiser: An Electronic Feast. A star line-up of local experimentalists and electronic artists band together to raise money for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, an organisation that provides vital services to new arrivals to Australia. In this time of dire funding cuts to essential services, we want to do what we can to help some of the most vulnerable people in our community find a connection and home in Australia, as so many people have done before them. 7pm. $10 online, $15 on door.Buy your tickets here. Shadow Electric, Sacred Heart Courtyard, 1 St Heliers St, Abbotsford. Friday, September 4 - Friday, September 11 Photo exhibition: Chile: 42 years of struggle, resistances and solidarity. It has been 42 years since the overthrow of the popular and democratically elected government of President Salvador Allende in Chile. After nearly 42 years 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, so-called 'democratic' governments. Foyer, Victoria Trades Hall, 54 Victoria St, Carlton South.Organised by LASNET. Friday, September 4 Comedy: Rod Quantock & Charlie Pickering. This 'Young Bull' of razor-sharp Australian political satire will be joined by the Godfather of the genre, Rod Quantock, an 'Old Bull' of comedic wisdom and insight if ever there was one. One show only! 8.30pm. The Yarraville Club, 135 Stephen St, Yarraville. Bookings from Yarraville Laughs. Saturday, September 5 Rally: Slutwalk. Stop victim blaming and violence against women. 1pm. State Library, Swanston St, City. All welcome. Thursday, September 10 Book launch: The 1% and the Rest of Us. Tim Muzio, senior lecturer in international relations and political economy at the University of Wollongong in Australia, will give a talk about his new book which explores what it means to be part of a socio-economic order presided over by the super-rich and their political servants. 6:45pm. $5. NIBS, 54 Victoria St, Carlton South. Friday, September 18 - Friday, September 25 Comedy: Corey White 'The Cane Toad Effect'. Sifts through the wreckage of a broken home, mental illness and failed love, delivering an hour of sparkling stand-up comedy that cuts through woe to the beautiful heart of life. This is a show that affirms the power of the human spirit and the glory of being alive. Times: 9.15pm (Sun: 8.15pm). Fringe Hub - The Loft, Lithuanian Club, 44 Errol St, North Melbourne.Bookings Melbourne Fringe. Sunday, September 20 Rally: Declare Victoria gasfield free. From country to city, we come together to protect our land, our water and our health from unconventional gas. Help us send a clear message that fracking and gasfields will never be welcome in Victoria. 12 noon.State Library, 328 Swanston St, City. Organised by Coal & Gas Free Victoria. Facebook Monday, September 21 - Sunday, October 4 Comedy: Abbott! The Musical. A fast-paced, musical comedy about 28th Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. Through a clever combination of satire, comic embellishment, catchy original songs and verbatim quotes from the man himself, the show is brilliant at pointing out the government's hypocrisy. 6pm. Tuxedo Cat - The Atrium, 293-299 La Trobe St, City. To book visit Melbourne Fringe. Tuesday, September 22 Comedy: Political Asylum. Join us at the Fringe Club as Australia's preeminent political comedy group Political Asylum presents a massive evening of side splitting satire live on stage! Featuring a curated lineup of some of the funniest topical jokesters from around the country, including local favourites and special guests! 9:30pm. Fringe Club - Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensberry St, North Melbourne. For more info visit Political Asylum. Saturday, September 26 Film screening: Ayotzinapa: Chronicle of an atrocious state crime. New documentary about the forced disappearance of 43 Mexican students. On the one-year anniversary of the events which left six civilians dead and 43 student activists rounded up by police and handed over to a drug trafficking syndicate to be disappeared. 6:30pm. RMIT Swanston Academic Building, Room 20 theatre, 445 Swanston St, City. Suggested donation $10. For more details ph 0421 957 341. Tuesday, September 29 - Sunday, October 4 Performance: Climamania. Join Australian jazz icon Bob Sedergreen, comic master Rod Quantock and the Soul Theatre ensemble as they put a carbon-neutral rocket under our entrenched complacency. 6:30pm. Metanoia at The Mechanics Institute, Studio, 270 Sydney Rd, Brunswick. Bookings at Melbourne Fringe. Sunday, October 11 Rally: Stand up for refugees. No turnbacks; Close Manus & Nauru; No Border Force Act; End mandatory detention. 2pm. State Library, 328 Swanston St, City. Organised by Refugee Action Collective.

Friday, August 28 GEELONG Equal love campaign meeting. Discussion on organising a marriage equality rally. 5pm. Activist Centre, Trades Hall, 127 Myers St, Geelong. Saturday, August 29 BENDIGO Protest: Stop the bigots in Bendigo! No to fascism, no to Islamophobia.Fascist group the ‘United Patriots Front’ (UPF) have called a protest in Bendigo outside the Town Hall in order to protest the construction of a mosque. After three highly succesful counter mobilisations by anti racist activists, unionists, students and progressives in Melbourne, we need to take the spirit of solidarity on the road. If you are in Melbourne there will be a convoy leaving from Trades Hall in Carlton (cnr Victoria & Lygon Sts, Carlton) at 12:30pm. For more information text SUBSCRIBE to 0422 726 843 (SMS only). 2:30pm. Bendigo Town Hall, 189-193 Hargreaves Street, Bendigo. GEELONG Public meeting: Laurie Penny: Unspeakable Things. Laurie Penny calls boldly for a new and braver feminism. She argues passionately for social justice and freedom in all its forms. Penny will speak the unspeakable in this no-holds-barred discussion with Clementine Ford. 3:30pm. Deakin University Geelong, Percy Baxter Lecture Theatre. Bookings here. Friday, September 18 GEELONG Red Cinema: Selma. 2014 American historical drama film directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Paul Webb. It is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by James Bevel, Hosea Williams, Martin Luther King, Jr., and John Lewis. Dinner at 6pm. Film at 6.30pm (note change of time, starting earlier than usual). Downstairs, Trades Hall, 127 Myers st, Geelong.

Australians for Kurdistan. 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. Meets on the first Thursday of each month. For information ph Gulay 0413 936 706 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 woes mount as public deserts him Trade union witch-hunt must be shut down MUA’s battle for jobs intensifies at Hutchison Ports Britain: Corbyn campaign has Blair running scared Check out Green Left TV: See Protesting against 'Reclaim Australia' 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: New radical left front to challenge SYRIZA in snap election RISE: Scotland's new left alliance to launch Japan: Government statement marking 70 years since WWII end is deceitful Ecuador: Zombie neoliberalism threatens 'Citizen's Revolution' 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: Stop the rorts: Put politicians on an average worker's wage The case for a universal age pension 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.