Thousands of women and men turned out for International Women's Day rallies and marches around Australia last week.
From Sydney, Lisa Macdonald reports that more than 3000 people wound their way through the city centre on the morning of March 10 chanting "Global justice, global rights, women of the world unite!". Large numbers of purple balloons, big, colourful banners, hundreds of placards demanding women's rights, and the traditional high-spirited whistling and drumming created an atmosphere that generated many smiles and cheers of support from the Saturday morning shoppers who stopped to watch the long march go by.
Speakers from the Sydney IWD Collective and the Committee in Defence of Iraqi Women's Rights followed a welcome onto Aboriginal land in Town Hall Square. A week earlier the Anglican church, which is located on one side of the square, had refused IWD permission to use the area. However, the large number of people who gathered there on the day was decisive in the rally going ahead.
The march plan was to stop at a number targets relevant to women's lives along the route to Hyde Park. When the marchers arrived outside the Nike store, however, they found it blockaded by a police car and a line of officers.
At the stop outside NSW Parliament House, speakers from FairWear, Stop the Women's Prison and M1, which is organising the blockade of the stock exchange on May 1, encouraged the crowd to stay active after IWD by getting involved in these campaigns against corporate tyranny.
The march finished up in Hyde Park where representatives of the Indigenous Student Network, Bessie Smyth (abortion) Clinic and the Aceh Referendum Information Centre spoke before the crowd was entertained by a wide range of women singers, poets and performers.
The city march followed an afternoon march and rally in Parramatta in Sydney's western suburbs on March 8. Around 80 people heard performers and speakers during a march which stopped at the local Department of Immigration office, the Family Law Court and District Court buildings, and the Commonwealth Bank.
The following night, an IWD dinner organised by the Worker Communist parties of Iraq and Iran attended by around 120 people was addressed by speakers from the both these parties, the Democratic Socialist Party and the Sydney West IWD Collective.
Lynda Hansen from Brisbane reports that about 600 women gathered in King George Square for the International Women's Day march and rally on March 10. "What do we want, global justice, when do we want it, now!", was the most popular chant as the rally marched from King George Square to the Botanical Gardens.
At one point, the march stopped outside the state education department to hear speakers from Students Campaigning Against Multinationals (SCAM) and the Parents and Citizens Coalition for Public Education. A large contingent from the Public and Citizens Coalition for Public Education, which is campaigning against public funding for private schools, joined the march.
The IWD demonstration was also addressed by a speaker from the M1 Alliance, Karen Fletcher, who called on women to join the movement against corporate globalisation and join the blockade of the stock exchange on May 1.
Susan Austin, on behalf of the IWD Collective, announced that the collective would launch a campaign for abortion rights from the rally.
From Perth Sarah Stephen reports that 500 people took part in this year's IWD march, held under the theme of "Women for Global Justice". Among the participants were a contingent of 20 men and women from the Community and Public Sector Union. Speakers included a young refugee from Afghanistan, Roya Ahmed; an activist from the Refugee Rights Action Network, Ana Kailis; Toni Walkington from the Community and Public Sector Union; Barbara Whelan who spoke as a participant in the Melbourne S11 protest and urged feminists to get involved in M1.
Some women distributed a leaflet explaining why they felt a women-only march was important, and National Union of Students state women's officer went around to each man at the rally and told them that their participation in the march wasn't welcome. The organising collective proceeded as planned and encouraged women who wanted to march with other women to lead the march from the front, which they took up.
An open mike at the end of the rally sparked a heated to and fro of contributions on men's involvement, including some contributions from men. it reflected a clear majority of support for the more active inclusion of supportive men in feminist protests such as IWD.
Michelle Ficus and Sarah Peart report that 400 people participated in the Melbourne IWD rally on March 10. The first speaker, Jackie Lynch, a member of the M1 Alliance and the Democratic Socialist Party, spoke about the movement against neo-liberal globalisation and urged people to come to the protest outside the Stock Exchange on May 1.
Surma Hamid from the Committee in Defence of Iraqi Women's Rights described the outrageous conditions of refugees in Australia and condemned the racist policies of both the Labor and Liberal parties. Kate Gilbert from the Council of Single Mothers and their Children told the rally about the latest welfare attacks on single mothers and disabled people. Shelley Marshall spoke of FairWear's campaigns to force companies to comply with the industrial laws in Australia and sign the Homeworkers' Code of Conduct.
Following an address by Indonesian trade union activist Suliyem the demonstrators marched to the Nike store on Swanston Street.
From Adelaide Rebeccca Meckelburg and Kate Ward report that around 500 people took to the streets of the city on March 10 to mark IWD. High school students led the IWD march to the Adelaide Stock Exchange, where M1 activist Kathy Newnam inspired everyone as she described the growing global movement against corporate tyranny and the role that women are playing in it. The march maintained its continuous volume as it headed for Parliament House. Everyone cheered as greetings from Indonesian labour movement activist Dita Sari were read out.
Many women attending their first IWD march were clearly inspired by the day's events. Vera Rubsov told us, "today I believe I am one of the many people that have been inspired to join the global solidarity movement and I will be explaining to everyone why it is necessary for them to join the movement as well".
Sarah Cleary from Hobart reports that 70 people gathered at the Parliament House lawns the annual IWD march and rally, before marching to the Hobart Stock Exchange. A highlight of the rally was an anti-beauty "pageant" organised by the collective. The pageant featuring Barbie from Barbieland, and models Fifi and Mini, highlighted the role of the cosmetic and fashion industry, in perpetuating women's insecurities about their body image.
Bronwyn Powell from Wollongong report that around 100 women and 25 men marched from Wollongong railway station to the Wollongong Mall amphitheatre for the IWD rally on the evening of March 8. The march was extremely exuberant, with chants of "Not the church, not the state, women will decide their fate", "One struggle, one fight, women of the world unite" and "We're women, we're here, and we're not going shopping" reverberating through the mall.
From Darwin, Sibylle Kaczorek reports that small but spirited
group participated in this year's IWD march, which stopped to hear speakers at a sports clothing store, Macdonald's, Rourke's Drift and Northern Territory Parliament House. Ruth Ratcliffe, member of Resistance, encouraged women attending the rally to support the M1 protest action because "whenever we fight against poverty and against the power that corporations exercise over the majority, we fight for women's rights". Maria da Costa Gusmao, a member of the Socialist Party of Timor (PST), launched an appeal for a new women's bookshop in East Timor. The bookshop aims to assist Timorese women in becoming economically independent.
From Rockhampton Erin Cameron reports that the town's first IWD rally was attended by 40 women and supportive men.