BY FRANCES SHEEHAN & SARAH CLEARY
Taking up the theme "Women fighting for global justice", the International Women's Day 2001 collectives have been launched in Sydney and Hobart. The Sydney collective is organising a political action for Saturday March 10, 10.30am at Sydney Town Hall. A march and rally will also be organised in Hobart on March 10.
In the lead-up to International Women's Day, which occurs on March 8, the Sydney collective is also organising a range of forums, educationals and actions around key issues facing the women's liberation movement. On January 29, the collective will be discussing the question of a treaty between black and white Australia. Two days later, on January 31, and in conjunction with the Committee in Defence of Iraqi Women's Rights, the IWD collective will hold a forum on the situation facing the women of Iraq.
Other forums will address such issues as women workers' rights; reproductive freedom; cancellation of the Third World debt; ending the feminisation of poverty; migrants and refugee rights; the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders; and ending global violence against women.
The collective meets 6pm every Monday at the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre. All women are welcome. For more information, call Marg on 9710 0272 or Janine on 0409 657 692.
The Hobart IWD collective is also planning political discussions in the lead-up to the march and rally. At its next collective meeting, there will be two feature talks on the internationalism and the history of IWD and on the effects of globalisation on women.
The next meeting of the Hobart collective is on Wednesday January 31, 6pm at the Hobart Women's Health Centre, 326 Elizabeth St, North Hobart. For more details phone Sarah or Kamala on 6234 6397.