Socialist Alliance (SA) launched its campaign for the federal seat of Rankin on February 15 at the Albion Peace Centre. Its Queensland Senate team was launched in Cairns last November.
Unionists and solidarity activists gave greetings and Phil Monsour, local singer-songwriter and Palestine solidarity activist, performed some of his songs.
Longtime socialist activist Alex Bainbridge will challenge Treasurer Jim Chalmers in Rankin.
SA’s key focus is: break ties with the genocidal Israeli state; build public housing; and climate action.
Union and refugee rights activist Jonathan Strauss and sexual and reproductive health practitioner Kamala Emanuel, make up SA’s Senate team.
Alan Isherwood, a longtime activist on the Atherton Tablelands, and Hala Hijleh, a Palestinian-Jordanian activist in Free Palestine FNQ, spoke movingly at the November launch about SA’s work and Strauss’ commitment to a fair and sustainable future.
Strauss is a former National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) branch president at James Cook University, who now lives in Brisbane. Like hundreds of other university workers, his job was made redundant. “Defending our rights to protest and organise is vital, whether this is for Palestine solidarity at universities or workers to have control of their unions,” Strauss said. Democracy is about “putting people, not wealth, in charge”.
Taz Hossein chaired Bainbridge’s launch in Rankin, where Palestinian activist Omar Ashour, who works with Emanuel and Bainbridge in Justice for Palestine Magan-Djin, spoke.
Hossein said SA has a vision to educate and build support for socialism, since “so many people only understand electoral politics, this is where we must meet them”.
Ashour described them as “morally oriented, willing to stand up for their values, good listeners and always supportive of unifying solutions”. He said the community is “hopeful for more pro-Palestine voices”, alongside the Greens.
University of Queensland NTEU activist Annie Pohlman, who served with Strauss on state and national councils, reflected on his decades of advocacy in higher education. Strauss had been a “key advocate at every level of [the] union ... from representing workers in meeting with bosses all the way through to our union’s governing bodies.” Pohlman praised his integrity, advocacy and defence of union democracy.
Venezuela solidarity activist Eulalia Reyes told the launch she is “happy and excited” to support the SA candidates, even if she does not agree with all of SA’s positions on Latin America. “I am ready … because I know that this is the way to go.”
Bainbridge said Chalmers and Labor’s front bench are letting people down on climate, Palestine and housing. “In 82% of all electorates more than half the population lives in housing stress. In Rankin, more than 70% are in housing stress and [the figure is] 85% for renters.”
He said there is dangerous rise in greenhouse gas emissions and that Chalmers had not uttered the word “genocide” about Israel’s war “even once”.
“The socialist movement in Australia has powerful ideas … Now it’s time to rise up. The real practical alternative to the mess of capitalism is to break the power of the big corporations and replace that with the power of the people.”
Emanuel said more people see that genocide is part and parcel of imperialism. “The Empire has no clothes now”, she said, adding that these are the conditions for a political earthquake.
“There is power and there is our resistance and dedication in fighting for a better world.”
SA supporters on the Sunshine Coast gathered on February 8 to plan support for the campaign. SA will hold events across Queensland, including the Gold Coast, on March 9.
[To get involved in the Queensland Socialist Alliance campaign phone 0437 790 306 or email brisbane@socialist-alliance.org. To donate, visit socialist-alliance.org/donate.]