This year’s annual Reclaim the Night (RTN) rally on October 27 was followed the next day by a conference discussing feminist campaigns. The Geelong Women Unionists Network (GWUN) organised both.
The RTN rally, which focused on ending systemic violence against women, was MCed by Adele Welsh, GWUN co-convenor and Geelong Trades Hall assistant secretary.
Welsh commended the brave women who have been counting the number of women killed by their partners at Destroy The Joint. She acknowledged the vicarious, psychological trauma involved in undertaking this vital role and called for a minute’s silence.
The protest then marched through the CBD, with local counsellors and unionists speaking about family violence. Renowned feminist Nancy Donkers summarised the history of the protest and stressed the importance of continuing a public feminist campaign.
Karen Batt, Community and Public Sector Union Victorian branch and federal secretary, was a keynote speaker at the Working Women Get Organised conference.
She outlined the challenges negotiating directly with Fair Work Australia and the union’s commitment to campaigns for equal pay and against privatisation.
Arrernte woman, writer and unionist Celeste Liddle reported on the devastating and lasting effects of colonisation on First Nations women. Institutional forms of colonisation continue today, she said with paternalistic policies such as the Northern Territory Intervention and quarantining Centrelink payments, which leads to family violence.
Wil Stracke, Victorian Trades Hall Assistant Secretary, spoke about the need to end the misuse of non-disclosure agreements and Geelong MP Chris Couzens addressed issues of gender and climate.
Neoliberalism and fossil fuel companies’ mega profits were scrutinised, as was the fact that catastrophic climate change impacts those contributing little to the problem: women, First Nations people and Global South populations.
Emotions ran high at the conference dinner which was addressed by activists from Refugee Women for Visa Equality. Tamil women spoke about their epic walking trek, from Naarm/Melbourne to Ngunnawal/Canberra, to raise awareness about the need for themselves and 10,000 refugees to have permanent visas.
They described the debilitating physical and mental effects of feeling insecure: temporary visas prevent them from working, travelling and attending university. Some have been separated from their families for years.
Regional Trades and Labour Councils at the conference pledged to support future actions to assist in the campaign for permanency.