ADELAIDE — Hoping to build on the success of the last two years, the Adelaide Reclaim the Night collective has begun preparations for this year's march on October 28. A dance is being organised to follow the march. Collective members want to make links with Reclaim the Night groups around Australia to create a better coordinated national campaign. New members are invited to join. Phone (08) 274 1969 or write to PO Box 458, Eastwood, SA, 5063.
ADELAIDE — Left and progressive organisations met in Adelaide on July 4 to plan an action for the anniversary of Hiroshima Day on August 6. Representatives from the Democratic Socialist Party, Socialist Party of Australia, Resistance and Environmental Youth Alliance are organising a demonstration on Parliament House steps at 1pm.
Environmental Youth Alliance activist Anthony Thirlwall told Green Left, "It looks as though the ALP is preparing to dump its three mine uranium policy. This is at a time when the nuclear threat is still present. We want to demonstrate to express our opposition to the threat from the nuclear cycle." Anyone interested in helping to organise the demonstration can ring Adam on (08) 231 6982.
ADELAIDE — Women's issues are high on the agenda of the SA branch of the AFMEU. A union-sponsored welding course for women has begun to break down some of the barriers to women advancing in non-traditional areas. The women's committee plans to conduct an accredited two-day Forklift Drivers Certificate. This is one of the few ways workers can gain pay increases, however employers are usually reluctant to train women.
The AFMEU is also sponsoring Women's Week as part of the Suffrage Celebrations, and is sponsoring some rank and file workers to attend the 1995 International Women's Conference in Beijing.
BRISBANE — "Cuban culture is not only for Cubans, but for all the people of the world. That is why I am here, to show our culture to the people of Australia", Jacinto Herrera told a forum at the Resistance Centre here on June 29. Herrera, the international award-winning, Afro-Cuban musician and writer, spoke on "The Roots of Rhythm: revolutionary culture in Cuba", as part of his month-long tour of Brisbane.
"Young Cuban artists and intellectuals have been at war in Angola and Ethiopia, defending the rights of the peoples. At this moment, faced with the illegal US blockade, Cuban art is an ideological weapon against the blockade," Herrera said.
MELBOURNE — A vocal and vibrant crowd of 150, mostly tenants, marched to the Broadmeadows Department of Planning and Development on July 10 to demand continued funding to tenants groups. The protest was organised by Broadmeadows Combined Tenants Groups in response to state government plans to cut their funds.
Nick Button from the Combined Tenants Groups said that the new funding arrangements would not only threaten to kill off advocacy services for tenants, but they would also jeopadise community development. Elizabeth Thompson, a member of the Tenants Groups' management committee, said the plans, if acted on, would be a gross injustice to an under-resourced community with a high percentage of low-income earners, migrants and sole parents.
NEWCASTLE — A public meeting on June 22 launched the local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. More than 30 people, mainly local surfers and environmental activists, listened to Michael Legge-Wilkinson, researcher for the Foundation, speak about the organisation's work to preserve beaches and coastal regions. Andrew "Nobby" Edwards, the Newcastle Surfriders representative detailed how everyone could help look after the coasts and waterways by reducing our water consumption, looking out for illegal dumping in waterways and lobbying against the present system of ocean outfalls for sewage disposal. To get in touch with the Newcastle chapter, call (049) 438 412.