Cuba film premiere
NEWCASTLE — Two hundred people attended the premiere of a documentary about Cuban music, the Buena Vista Social Club, here on 17 March.
The screening was sponsored by the Committee in Solidarity with Latin America and the Caribbean and Green Left Weekly, in collaboration with Showcase Cinemas. More than $900 was raised to aid CISLAC's development projects in Cuba and Green Left Weekly's Latin America coverage.
Newcastle CISLAC is to have its annual May Day dance, featuring Bravoson, on May 12 at the Newcastle Workers Club.
ANU penalises students
CANBERRA — Students and staff have reacted angrily to a decision by the Australian National University to pass excess costs from new copyright legislation on to students.
After amendments to the Copyright Act and the formation of a new agency, Copyright Australia Limited, universities were presented with a choice of either paying a flat fee of $25 per year per student to cover all copyright payments or individually recording all copying of copyright material and making separate copyright payments.
ANU has chosen the latter option and has passed the excess costs on to students. Photocopied books of course work, which used to be an economical way for students to access reading material, have doubled in price.
Stories of inequality
BRISBANE — The severe inequalities faced by lesbian, bisexual and transgender women were the subject of "Songs and stories of (in)equality" on March 14. The night, part of the International Women's Day program here, drew 45 people.
The Brisbane Gay and Lesbian Pride Choir began the evening with lesbian, bisexual and transgender women talking about their personal stories of "coming out". A parent also spoke of coming to terms with their child's homosexuality.
Participants were also critical of superannuation funds unwillingness to follow the directions of the contributor and funds' ability to deny benefits to the surviving same sex partner. The definition of "dependent" still excludes same sex partners.
Women's history book launch
BRISBANE — "This new pamphlet is an excellent outline of the Marxist analysis of the origins of the oppression of women", long-time feminist Coral Wynter told a public meeting at the Resistance Centre here on March 15 to launch a new book, The Dispossession of Women, by Pat Brewer.
Wynter explained that this pamphlet explores new anthropological evidence on the interrelated history of the rise of class society and the oppression of women. It seeks to tackle the hitherto largely unexplained reasons for the transition from a relatively egalitarian primitive communist society to one based one class exploitation and sexual oppression, she said.
Australian government tried
BRISBANE — The Australian government's "dirty washing" was aired at a mock trial of the Australian government outside the offices of Liberal Party senators at Waterfront Place on March 15. Thirty people attended the trial, organised by Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation.
The court met under "judge" Auntie Maureen Watson, a respected member of the Brisbane Aboriginal community, and heard evidence from "the Australian people" about the government's actions on issues as diverse as mandatory sentencing and its support for the World Trade Organisation. During the trial, the Australian government was represented by a dummy in the shape of a bird (representing Aboriginal affairs minister John Herron), who kept his head in the sand throughout.
Myths about asylum seekers
SYDNEY — Organisers of a symposium on asylum seekers here fear that people are not being given the full story about who Australia's asylum seekers really are or about federal government policy towards them.
Put together by the Detention Working Group, the symposium will feature an ex-detainee talking about life inside Australia's detention camps for asylum seekers and the human rights commissioner Chris Sidoti.
"Misunderstanding asylum seekers: A symposium on truth, myth and justice in Australia" will take place on March 25 at the Granville Town Hall from 10am to 4pm.