Campaign Against Nuclear Testing endorses socialists

By James Vassilopoulos CANBERRA — Campaign Against Nuclear Testing has decided to support the Democratic Socialists in the March 2 election. CANT is the group which last year organised actions opposing French nuclear testing and Australian mining and export of uranium. It mobilised 2000 people on a Bastille Day demonstration and 3000 people at a Hiroshima Day rally. Late last year, CANT sent a survey on nuclear testing to the ALP, Liberals, Democrats, Greens and Democratic Socialists. It included questions on nuclear disarmament, US bases, uranium mining, independence for nations in the Pacific and what each party had done to oppose nuclear testing and uranium mining. Only the Democratic Socialists and the Greens responded. They gave similar answers. CANT decided to support the socialists mainly on the basis of how the parties responded to the last question. The Greens replied that they had taken part in the actions, that Greens MLA Kerrie Tucker went to Papeete to participate in the campaigns there and that during the election campaign they would publicly state their positions. The Democratic Socialists reported that they: were involved in the Movement Against Uranium Mining in the 1970s; had led and organised campaigns against the French and Chinese tests; organised secondary student walkouts of more than 2000 students; moved motions at workplaces and within the Community and Public Sector Union; collected thousands of signatures on petitions. They argued it was very important to mobilise as many people as possible to put pressure on the Australian government.