Communities, unions and churches creating a fairer future


7 June - Melbourne Town Hall
6.30pm for 7.00pm-9.00pm (close 10pm)

A range of informative speakers discuss:

• The new workplace and welfare laws
• The moral dimension - impacts on the most vulnerable
• Building solidarity in the community.

MC - Father Bob Maguire

1. Introductions
- Maureen Postma, General Secretary of the Victorian Council of Churches
- Perspective from a community services worker (speaker TBC)

2. The moral dimension - justice for workers
Father Bruce Duncan, Redemptorist Priest

3. "WorkChoices", working people (+ Victorian situation)
- Chris Walton, Assistant Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions
- Brian Boyd, Secretary, Victorian Trades Hall Council

4. WorkChoices and 'Welfare to Work'
- Sally James, General Manager Community Development, Melbourne City Mission

5. Church, communities and unions working together (the FairWear Campaign)
- Rev. David Pargeter, Executive Director Uniting Church Commission for
Mission

6. Creating a hopeful future
- Rev. Canon Ray Cleary, Chief Executive Officer, Anglicare Victoria

Union Solidarity will facilitate general discussion after the speakers conclude. Community representatives will be available to discuss your involvement after the meeting.

Endorsements so far: Union Solidarity, Victorian Council of Churches, Victorian Trades Hall Council, FairWear Campaign, Textile Clothing & Footwear Union of Australia, Justice and International Mission Unit of the Uniting Church in Australia(Vic/Tas), Melbourne City Mission, Australian Services Union, Australian Education Union, United Fire fighters Union, Plumbing Trades Employees Union of Australia, Electrical Trade Union, Construction Forestry Mining & Energy Union, Maritime Union of Australia, Victorian Council of Social Services, Federation of Community Legal Centres, Emily's List.

more info: Dave 0412 484 094

Up Yours Howard - Fight Anti-Worker Laws

It's time to tell John Howard that young people are thinking about him.

• Defend Your Rights
• Get Organised
• Fightback

Saturday 17 June 11am
Geelong Trades Hall Council
127 Myers Street Geelong

The Young Workers Conference, initiated by Socialist Youth organization, Resistance, and backed by Geelong Trades Hall, under the theme 'Up Yours Howard- Young Workers Fight Back' will tap into the growing sentiment that Howard's laws have the potential to be disastrous for many people in the community, particularly the young and students.

CONFERENCE AGENDA
10.00 -11.00 Registration

11.00 - 12.30 DEFENDING OUR RIGHTS
11.00 Panel: We're under attack and we're not going to take it! Justine Kamprad - Conference organising committee Speaker from CFMEU
11.30 - 12.30 Multi-media Presentation - Learning From History Bronwyn Jennings - Teacher, youth member of Trades Hall Council Tim Gooden - Secretary, Geelong Trades Hall Council

12.30 - 1.00 LUNCH

1.00 - 4.00 GETTING ORGANISED
1.00 - 2.30 Panel: Lessons from successful campaigns NZ - Joe Carolan, UNITE supersizemypay.com
France - Tim Doughney, organiser of June 1 Student Strike Venezuela - Kiraz Janicke, Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network Gold Coast - Amelia Taylor, Gold Coast United Casual Workers Alliance (UCWA)

2.30 - 4.00 Workshops
What is Work Choices really about? - Christian Bombig & Lisa Darminin, VTHC Young Unionist Network Supersize My Pay Campaign - Activists Mingzui Fu and Sam Harre from NZ UNITE and Radical Youth. Organising the unorganised - Amelia Taylor Coordinator of the Gold
Coast UCWA, Kassey Dickie, Australian Services Union & Anthony Maine, Unite (Australia) Union solutions to harrasment, discrimination and injustice on the job - Mick Bull former CFMEU apprentice organiser.

4.00 - 4.15 Afternoon Tea

4.15 - 5.30 HOW WE CAN WIN
Lisa Darminin - Campaign coordinator, Victorian Trades Hall Council
Fred Fuentes - National organiser, Resistance Discussion and conference resolution

6.00 onwards - BBQ (vegetarians catered for) and refreshments.

All out for June 28!

more info: Brianna Pike briannap@greenleft.org.au | Justine on 0422 720 216 | Geelong Trades Hall (03) 5229 2216.

Reports from the union delegation that visited the Philippines in May

Tuesday 6 June at 6pm
Evatt Room, Trades Hall
54 Victoria Street
South Carlton

All welcome

more info: Jiselle Hanna AAWL 03 9663 7277 | aawl.org.au | aawl@aawl.org.au

Let the Boats Land !

World Refugee Day Rally
Sunday 18 June at 12 noon
Melbourne Museum,
Corner Nicholson & Gertruge Streets Carlton

more info: Refugee Action Collective 0438 399 973 | www.rac-vic.org

Melbourne - Mass Rally and Protest

Working Rights: Worth Fighting For

June 28 2006

Gather at these points:

• Trades Hall
• Federation Square
• Spring St
• Southern Cross Station

Then march to the Bourke St Mall for a mass rally and demonstration.

More info: Victorian Trades Hall Website | Become a Workplace Ambassador

World environment day debate and discussion

Uranium “should we leave it in the ground?"

Monday June 5, 6.30pm
Northcote Town Hall
High St, Northcote

Speakers:

• Martin Ferguson, ALP Federal Member for Batman
• Dr Jim Green, national nuclear campaigner, Friends of the Earth
• Sue Ball, Socialist Alliance
• Greg Barber, Greens State Election candidate for Northcote

Organised by Socialist Alliance.

more info: Jim Green | jim.green@foe.org.au

Support of 3CR Radiothon 2006

Saturday June 3rd 2006
8am to 3pm
Unit 1, 78 Thames Promenade
Chelsea, Victoria 3196.

more info: Steve 9772 1351

Bring General Strike signs/banners and your radical spirit!
Bring some music, some instruments, some drums and make some noise!

FIESTA STARTS: 9:30AM
WED 28TH JUNE
CNR BOURKE/SWANSTON STS

Initiated by Eureka Sedition.
Endorsed by Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies) Melb

This year using General Strikes, our French brothers and sisters took on bad Industrial Relations law and won!

The only thing that will beat Australian IR laws is the thing that got us our rights in the first place - DIRECT ACTION!

Join us at the Workers and Community National Day of Protest in Melbourne and show your support for a General Strike!

more info: http://iww.org.au/node/76 | Dissenting unionists agitate for General Strike

Banule "Community Against Industrial Reforms" (name might change later) is having their first meeting:

Tues May 30
5.15-6.15pm
Watsonia Library (next to train station)
Ibbottson St, Watsonia
Melway reference: 20E4

Banule covers north eastern suburbs, Ivanhoe, Heidleberg, Watsonia.

more info: touchonetouchall@hotmail.com

7pm Friday June 2nd
at the Trades Hall Bar,
Corner Lygon and Victoria streets, Carlton

The Short Attention Span Film Festival presents

Troublemaking and Pranking Films from past and present, Australia and around the world including footage of the:

Radical Cheerleaders, Reclaim The Streets, UK Squatters Estate Agency, Food Not Bombs, BUGA UP, Sea Shepherd, Earth First, the 1996 Canberra Parliament House riot and more…

(If you cannot attend you can still donate to the Squatters & Unwaged Workers Airwaves show
during 3CR's 30th radiothon on (o3) 9419 8377 during 29th May - 11th June, 2006 )

more info: www.3cr.org.au

HELP KEEP COMMUNITY RADIO ON THE AIR

3CR Community Radio is one of Melbourne's most diverse radio stations, and a great source of news on industrial issues. This year 3CR turns 30.

Tune in to 855 on your AM dial from May 29 to June 11 for the 30th Birthday Radiothon and lots and lots of events, giveaways and celebrations. Help keep independent media on the airwaves.

more info: (03) 9419 8377 | www.3cr.org.au

Nuclear Free Australia and Melbourne Stop the War Coalition are initiating a rally to commemorate the anniversary of Hiroshima Day.

Sunday 6th August 2006 1pm,
State Library, Swanston St

STAND UP AGAINST WAR AND FOR A NUCLEAR FREE FUTURE
No uranium mining
No attack on Iran
Troops out of Iraq
Global nuclear disarmamentNuclear Free Australia are seeking endorsements for the rally: download endorement form

more info: Hillel, Nuclear Free Australia | 0417506150 | hillelfreedman@optusnet.com.au | Corey Oakley, Melbourne Stop the War Coalition 0402 262 753 | co595995@bigpond.net.au

Join in organising for a pre-State election rally for reproductive rights on October 7.

TUESDAY, 6 JUNE, 6.30 pm
Solidarity Salon,
580 Sydney Rd, Brunswick

A recent public meeting called by CWRR launched the planning of a rally for:

• employer-funded paid maternity leave for all women
• free, round-the-clock childcare, and equal pay and professional
• recognition for childcare workers
• free, safe abortion on demand
• free access for all women to assisted reproductive technology
• a livable income, free from coercion, for mothers on welfare -- starting
• with the scrapping of welfare-to-work
• sex education and free, quality health services for all women

SATURDAY, 27 MAY, 10.00 am
Location: 118 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne

Clinic defence to keep the Helpers of God's Precious Infants away from the Fertility Control Clinic

In the ongoing battle for women's right to safe abortion, the Fertility Control Clinic has been targetted by anti-abortionists. In 2001, the security guard was murdered by a fanatic who raided the clinic -- loaded with explosives and threatening everyone inside.

Campaign for Reproductive Rights defends the Fertility Control Clinic on the 4th Saturday of the month. This is when the Helpers of God's Precious Infants converge on the clinic to harrass women going in for appointments, taking photos. CWRR's defence line keeps these fanatics away from the entrance, on the other side of the road. When there are many on the defence line, the zealots don't even dare show up. CWRR's aim is to build a defence that permanently makes this, and all, clinics free and safe for women and clinic workers.

more info: Debbie Brennan | radical.women.melb@bigpond.com

MAPUCHE POLITICAL PRISONERS IN RISK OF DYING AFTER 56 DAYS OF HUNGER STRIKE.

Demostration
Monday 8 May
12 noon
Parliament House
Spring St. City

Patricia Troncoso, Juan Marileo, Jaime Marileo y Juan Huenulao are four MAPUCHE people who have completed 55 days in total hunger strike in Chile and their lives are now in danger.

The four were convicted in a mockery court (using masked witnesses, distorted voices, etc) accused of terrorism under a legislation brought about decades ago by the Pinochet dictatorship and now used by the current "democratic" administration in Chile.

more info: Chilean Popular and Indigenous Network | Latin American Solidarity Network (LASNET) 9481 2273 - 0402 754 818

Moreland Stands Up!

6.30pm
Wed May 17
Brunswick town Hall

Speakers:

• Kelvin Thompson, federal ALP member for Wills
• Sharan Burrows, ACTU president
• Brian Boyd, secretary VTHC
• speaker from Victorian council of social services
• Phil Cleary, community leader

more info: James dimivasso@hotmail.com | 0405 309 283