The following points of agreement are neither complete nor final. They represent, at best, where our group was at the time they were adopted.
As anarchists we fight to create a self-managed, socialist and stateless society, in which all contribute freely according to ability, and through which all have full access to the material basis for pursing their individual and collective fulfillment. In this libertarian socialist society, individual freedom is harmonized with communal obligations through cooperation, directly democratic decision making and social and economic equality. We believe such a society is both desirable and possible, and we actively work toward overcoming the hierarchies, exploitation and systems of oppression that stan... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.) The Victorian Labor government is planning to privatize nine public housing estates, selling off the land to private developers in a deal that would see only 50% of this land returned to public housing. It is unclear at this stage whether the government would own this 50%, or whether they would rent a certain number of apartments in the new developments to be used as public housing. It is no coincidence that the estates being targeted first are all located in the inner north suburbs with high property prices and as such lucrative expected returns on real estate development.
In an attempt to make the deal seem appealing to residents of the estates, the government has pledged to increase the number of public housing apartments on the estates... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.) Before dawn on Thursday the 19th of September, more than 800 agents of the Australian state descended on more than twenty properties in Sydney’s west. This unprecedented show of force yielded a mere fifteen arrests, only one of whom has been charged. It’s not the outcome of the raids but rather their glossy Hollywood production values that we should look to when attempting to understand their function.
While the machinations of ‘Operation Sovereign Borders’ lie shrouded beneath layers of official secrecy, accounts of the terror raids were painstakingly detailed. Bellicose headlines proclaimed our salvation from the imminent jihadist threat, while the moment by moment specifics were spelled out below in lurid techno-... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.) The Liberal government has initiated one of the most significant attacks on the rights and conditions of welfare recipients in Australia that has been seen in decades.
The cuts
One of the key changes proposed is tightened restrictions and greater compliance requirements for unemployed people under 30 on Newstart or Youth Allowance payments. From July 2015, young people will be forced to endure a six-month ‘waiting period’ before they will receive any unemployment benefits (a ‘hunger period’ or ‘homeless period’ might be a more accurate description). During this period welfare claimants will be required to look for 40 jobs per month or risk an extended removal of support, even if they find casual or pa... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.) Yesterday’s Manus solidarity rally in Melbourne did not “turn violent”, it was attacked first by a known fascist and then by the police.
The racist violence of the Australian state, directed at Indigenous peoples, Muslims, and anyone who would dare seek asylum whilst nonwhite, continues to embolden far-right thugs.
Earlier this month, neo-Nazi publicity hound Neil Erikson, abused a Labor senator in a bar. Last night he and two wannabe ubermensch decided to have a go at a Manus solidarity rally organized by the Refugee Action Collective (RAC).
Erikson shoved aside a RAC chairperson and seized the mic to announce that all “refugees are rapists”. He was quickly cut off when a nearby hero stepped in, pushed him ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.) The recent Sydney anarchist bookfair highlighted both the strengths and weaknesses of the ‘movement.’ For the curious the event offered a rare opportunity to listen to Anarchists political analysis of how society is and how it could be and what struggles we are involved in. For the committed it provided a useful space to network, share ideas and experiences. As someone who has lived and worked in Australia for three years what struck me is that apart from the talk on the revolutionary impact of global anarchism there and the usual anti-capitalist rhetoric there was very little debate as to where the anarchist ‘movement’ is going in Sydney and across Australia.
We know that, in order to get there, it will be necessar... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.) The National Australia Day Council describes Australia Day as “a day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation,” and a “day for us to re-commit to making Australia an even better place for the generations to come”.
But for many January 26 is no date to celebrate, and to fully understand why, we must recognize the price of this “great nation’s” achievements over the past 229 years.
The 26th of January 2017 will mark 229 years since the British invaded what is now known as Australia. It was on this date in 1788 that Captain Arthur Phillip raised the Union Jack for the first time in Sydney Cove, symbolizing British occupation.
When Australia was invaded, Bri... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.) Surely if we were all more committed to buying green, fair trade, or ethically produced products, there would be less environmental and economic exploitation in the world, right?
The idea that our consumer choices are ‘votes’ for the kind of world we want to live in is a powerful one, but it is an idea that is gravely mistaken.
Our current economic system, capitalism, is eating away at the ecological basis of our existence, whilst exploiting and dominating the lives of billions of people. This destruction, domination and exploitation is driven not by consumer choices, but by the logic of capital accumulation.
All businesses are confronted by the need to remain profitable. Businesses that do not generate a healthy return on in... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)