1: Green Left Melbourne Activist Calendar; Get in touch with your socialist side. Sorry its very messy to read

Green Left Weekly Activist Calendar April 29, 2009


Join Socialist Alliance and other union and solidarity activists at our annual May Day toast
May Day 2009: A just world for all
Sunday, May 3
10.30am. Breakfast (cheap). 11am. Toast to May Day. Resistance Centre Level 5, 407 Swanston St, City (opposite RMIT).
Kurdish music from Fadil Suna & Roscoe Heck. Speakers: Tamil speaker, Salvador Nunez (FMLN), Westgate Bridge worker & Sudanese Communist Party. 1pm. Official May Day march at Trades Hall. Socialist Alliance contingent will meet at 12.30pm Trades Hall. For more info 9639 8622 or 0413 377 978.

2009 Green Left Weekly Comedy Debate
7.30pm, Saturday, May 9. Brunswick Town Hall, cnr Sydney Rd & Dawson St, Brunswick. Join Rod Quantock and his almighty team of comedians in the ultimate political comedy battle. From corporate bail-outs to golden handshakes and fat-cat welfare to massive CEO salaries . . . 'this is the GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS we HAD to have'.
Featuring: Mohammed El-leissy, Courteney Hocking, Shiralee Hood, Mathew Kenneally, Wendy Little and Darren Parker. $35 solidarity/$25 waged/$12 conc. Bar & food available. Bookings essential: 9639 8622.

This is the regular Melbourne activist calendar compiled by Green Left Weekly. Emailed to subscribers each Wednesday fortnight, it is a one-stop activist listing of the main left and progressive events in Melbourne and Geelong as well as some regional centres.
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 at Green Left Weekly 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 melbourne@greenleft.org.au.


Other coming events . . .

Friday, May 1
May Day: Global day of action. Support workers' struggle around the world. 5.30pm. State Library, cnr Latrobe and Swanston Sts, City. For more info email aawl@aawl.org.au or ph 9663 7277.
Sunday, May 3
May Day 2009: Toast. Join Socialist Alliance and other union and solidarity activists at our Annual May Day Toast. 10.30am: Breakfast (cheap). 11am: Toast to May Day. Kurdish music from Fadil Suna & Roscoe Heck. Speakers: Tamil speaker, Salvador Nunez (FMLN), Westgate Bridge worker & Sudanese Communist Party. Resistance Centre Level 5, 407 Swanston St, City (opposite RMIT).1pm: official May Day march at Trades Hall. Socialist Alliance contingent will meet at 12.30pm Trades Hall. For more info ph 9639 8622 or 0413 377 978.
May Day march. 1pm. Outside Trades Hall, Lygon st, Carlton.
Thursday, May 7
Film premiere: El Caracazo. This documentary looks at the El Caracazo, a people's uprising against neo-liberal price rises that took place in Venezuela on February 27, 1989. Entry by donation $10/$5. 7pm. Resistance Centre, Level 5, 407 Swanston St, City (opposit RMIT). Presented by Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network.
Saturday, May 9
2009 Green Left Weekly comedy debate. With Rod Quantock, Mohammed El-leissy, Courteney Hocking, Shiralee Hood, Mathew Kenneally, Wendy Little and Darren Parker. 7pm. Brunswick Town Hall, cnr Sydney Rd & Dawson St, Brunswick. $35 solidarity/$25 waged/$12 conc. Bar & food available. Bookings essential: 9639 8622. For more info please contact Sue 0413 377 978 or Fiona 0413 326 797. (See advertisement above.)
Thursday, May 14
Forum: Who should bear the burden? — A community and trade union response to the economic crisis and job losses. What is the nature of the economic crisis we are experiencing today? Should there be more bailouts and subsidies given to business? Can taking industry into public hands make a difference in creating and maintaining jobs? How should the climate crisis affect a community and union response to the economic crisis? Speakers: Jamie Doughney (Victoria University) will be speaking on the nature of the economic crisis; Dave Kerin (union activist) will discuss the questions of jobs and the environment; and a speaker from the Textile Clothing Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA) on the recent Pacific Brands job losses. Chair: Wayne Klempel (Secretary of the Northern District Delegates' Committee of the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU)). 6.30pm. Anatolian Cultural Centre, 195 Sydney Rd, Coburg. For more info ph 9639 8622 or 0 407 023 672.
Mexico documentary film & discussion night. Launch of the international campaign for freedom for the political prisoners in Atenco. Speaker: Colm McNaughton, award wining radio documentary producer will discuss his upcoming project in and about the city of Juarez. 7pm. Uniting Church, 251 High St, Northcote.
Friday, May 15
Rally & march: End Israeli apartheid & occupation. Remembering 61 years of Al Nakba. End the siege of Gaza! End the Israeli occupation of Palestine! Recognise the Palestinian right of return! No Australian support for Israel! Sanctions now! 5.30pm. State Library, cnr Swanston & Latrobe Sts, City. For more info ph 0439 454 375 or 0431 728 271.
Sunday, May 17
Climate change human sign. Organised by LIVE, Port Phillip EcoCentre, Cool Melbourne, Bayside Climate Change Action Group. 11am. St Kilda Beach at the St Kilda Sea Baths. See LIVE for details and registration.
Community rally: Turn rubbish into community money! 2pm. Parliament House, City.
Saturday, May 30
Radical history conference: A century of struggle — Laborism & the radical alternative. Lessons for today. Socialist Alliance is organising a one-day educational conference on the long struggle to build a radical alternative to the deadening hand of the ALP and the lessons we can draw for today. The seminar will draw on the experiences of the communist and trade union movements in Australia over the last century. This will be an important seminar given the global economic meltdown, the crisis of climate change and the dampening impact that the federal ALP government has had on the trade union movement. For full agenda visit Radical history conference. Registration ($15/$5) from 9.30am. AMWU seminar rooms, Queensberry St, Carlton South. Organised by Socialist Alliance. Sponsored by Green Left Weekly. For more info ph 9639 8622.
Thursday, June 4
Public meeting: Women in Afghanistan — Fighting fundamentalism and building their own future. 7pm. AEU Building, 112 Trenerry Crescent, Abbotsford. For more info ph Barbara 9328 5372 or tour dates. Email SAWA info@sawa-australia.org if you want to arrange an event in your city.
Saturday, July 25
Cuba fiesta: Join Green Left Weekly to celebrate 50 years of the Cuban revolution. 7pm. Brunswick Town Hall. More details to be announced shortly. For bookings, ph 9639 8622.
Regular events
Melbourne Palestine Solidarity Network. For information ph 0406 402 401 or email melbourne.palestine@gmail.com.
Stop the War Coalition. For information ph 9639 8622 or 0433 695 693.

Geelong & regional Victoria . . .

Annual Green Left Weekly May Day dinner dance.
7pm, Saturday, May 23 Trades Hall, 127 Myers St, Geelong. This year's theme is 50 years of the Cuban Revolution with an eyewitness report back and photos from Tim Gooden and Sue Bull along with Caribbean food and music. Entry: $40 solidarity/$30 waged/$20 con. Book now ph 5222 6900.

Saturday, May 9
Rally against the desal plant. More and more locals and Melbourne residents are waking up to the real cost of desalination, to the environment and our pockets. Speeches, music, BBQ. 10am. Desal pilot plant site gate, Lower Powlett Rd, Wonthaggi. Organised by Watershed Victoria.
Saturday, May 23
Annual Green Left Weekly May Day dinner dance. This year's theme is 50 years of the Cuban Revolution with an eyewitness report back and photos from Tim Gooden and Sue Bull along with Caribbean food and music. Entry: $40 solidarity/$30 waged/$20 con. 7pm. Trades Hall, 127 Myers St, Geelong. Book now ph 5222 6900.
Resources . . .

Recent articles from Green Left Weekly
• Sri Lanka’s anti-Tamil genocide escalates
• Who pays for the recession?
• Abortion law raises its ugly head
• Campaign for a nuclear-free future
To subscribe to Green Left Weekly visit our secure online website for rates and payment at Green Left Weekly 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: Activist Centre, Trades Hall, 127 Myers St (opening hours: Mon 2-4.30pm, Fri 10am-4.30pm); ph 5222 6900.

Socialist Alliance: for the millions, not the millionaires
Socialist Alliance is a proud supporter of the Green Left Weekly project and contributes a regular column. Socialist Alliance is an anti-capitalist party. We stand for socialism — a democratic society that is run by and for working people, not the tiny, greedy, destructive elite that now rules. Put people before profit — for the millions, not the millionaires. Below are some of our recent leaflets which can be viewed in PDF and downloaded and/or printed (click on leaflet and then select 'save a copy' to download).
• Stop the war on the Tamils! Rudd must act NOW!
• Your rights @ work: Where the bloody hell are they?
• Defend jobs, not profits
• Save Pacific Brands jobs
• Nationalise the banks
• Stop Brumby's road & tunnel madness
Contact Socialist Alliance. Join with other socialists in the struggle in 2009. Visit us at the Resistance Centre, 5th floor, 407 Swanston St, Melbourne; 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. Check out Socialist Alliance.


Join the Resistance
Resistance is a socialist youth organisation which campaigns for feminism and workers rights, for real action on climate change, and against war, racism and oppression. We want to get young people politically active and to challenge governments that don't act in our name. Resistance meets at 6.30pm every Wednesday at the Resistance Centre, 5th floor, 407 Swanston St, City (Druids House, opposite RMIT). All welcome.
Resistance also has regular stalls to help distribute Green Left Weekly and involve people in campaigns. These are: RMIT 11.30-1.30pm, Tuesdays; Melbourne Uni 12-2pm, Wednesdays & Thursdays; Flinders St station 3.30-6.30pm, Fridays; Queen Victoria Markets 10.30am-12.30pm, Saturdays. For more info call Trent on 9639 8622 or visit Resistance.
In Geelong contact us at the Activist Centre, Trades Hall, 127 Myers St (opening hours: Mon 2-4.30pm, Fri 10am-4.30pm); ph 5222 6900.







Drop in to the Resistance Centre and talk to activists involved with Green Left Weekly, Socialist Alliance and Resistance.
Browse the Resistance Bookshop and its extensive range of left and progressive books, pamphlets, t-shirts, flags, badges, DVDs and stubby holders.
Visit our online bookshop at Resistance Books for a large range of books and other merchandise at very reasonable prices.
Find us at 5th floor, 407 Swanston St, City (Druids House, opposite RMIT); 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.

The Power of Community How Cuba Survived Peak Oil. Cuba, a small island nation, rebuilt its agriculture and food system when its supply of cheap oil ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. This fascinating and empowering film shows how the Cuban people pulled together, created solutions, and ultimately thrived, massively decreasing the country's dependence on imported energy and greatly reducing its use of chemical inputs. Cuba's experience in this 'special period' obviously holds big lessons for the struggle against global warming and climate change and coping with the inescapable consequences. Runtime: 53 minutes.
Available from Resistance Bookshops in Melbourne & Geelong. $20.

Green Left Weekly Activist Calendar June 10, 2009



Climate Emergency Rally

100% renewable energy by 2020! Green collar jobs not job cuts! Strong international action with climate justice! Don't pass the Carbon Pollution law! Protect Australia's forests!

1pm, Saturday, June 13

State Library, cnr Latrobe & Swanston Sts, City

Speakers include: Peter Marshall (United Firefighters Union), David Spratt (co-author of Climate Code Red: the Case for Climate Emergency). Entertainment includes Rod Quantock.

If you have thought of taking action on climate change, now is the time. Drought, bush fires, floods and rising seas are already hitting hard. It's an emergency and we need emergency action. In December 2009, governments of the world will meet in Copenhagen to create a new global climate agreement. Australia must support, not stop, strong global action. We can tackle the recession and climate change together. Direct investment in renewable energy will create jobs, stimulate the economy and begin to create the carbon-free economy of the future. For more info ph 9639 3660 or visit Climate Rally.




Forum

How to tackle climate change: Why is carbon trading so controversial?

7pm, Thursday, June 18

Anatolian Cultural Centre, 195 Sydney Rd, Coburg (100m south of Reynard St)

A discussion of the Rudd government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS). Speakers: Kenneth Davidson (columnist from the Age newspaper & co-editor of Dissent magazine), Trent Hawkins (Resistance organiser & climate change activist), Merryn Ridenbach (Moreland Climate Action Group). Organised by Socialist Alliance. For more info ph 9639 8622 or 0407 023 672.




Socialist Alliance Victorian state conference 2009

Crisis of capitalism: climate, jobs & war. Which way forward?

10.30am, Saturday, June 27

AMWU offices, 251 Queensberry St, Carlton

Guest speakers: Humphrey McQueen (historian & author) & Graham Brown (ex-coal miner & environmentalist). Workshops: Will a zero emissions economy save jobs?, Boycott Apartheid Israel campaign; The Tamil genocide: where to from here?; What has changed for refugees? All welcome. For info ph 9639 8622, 0413 377 978.




2009 Radiothon

3CR People-Powered Radio Appeal

We need to raise $210 000!! Your donation to our 2009 People-Powered Radio Radiothon will help us maintain a community voice. Since 1976, Radio 3CR has been a model of a diverse community holding strong to its core values of independence, people before profit and progressive voices telling stories not heard elsewhere. We need you — the community — so you can have a voice! Donate online NOW! or find out how to support us by other means.




This is the regular Melbourne activist calendar compiled by Green Left Weekly. Emailed to subscribers each Wednesday fortnight, it is a one-stop activist listing of the main left and progressive events in Melbourne and Geelong as well as some regional centres.

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 at Green Left Weekly 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@gmail.com.