Much to discuss at women's conference

By Carla Gorton

ADELAIDE -- “Creating Space for Change” was the theme of a women's conference on July 21-22 at Adelaide High School. The conference was attended by almost 200 women and featured more than 30 workshops.

The two keynote speakers were Katrina Power, chair of Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute, who spoke about the Kumarangk (Hindmarsh Island) women's business, and Miriam Ortega, from Chile.

During her visit to Australia, hosted by Casa Chile, Ortega met with many human rights and women's movement activists. Ortega was released, by Patricio Aylwin's government, after 11 years in jail for her political beliefs and activities. She is now a campaigner for the rights of women political prisoners.

Major conference panels reflected the diversity of opinions among feminists. The panel “What is Women's Liberation Today?” focused on personal transformation as the key to liberation. In discussion, a few women argued for an understanding of women's common oppression, which recognises differences such as race and class and values collective forms of struggle. A Nungar woman made the point that for Aboriginal women, liberation is totally intertwined with the struggle to free their entire people.

A workshop dealing with attacks on young women, such as those by Anne Summers and Helen Garner, drew a large crowd. Panels on “Building a Women's Community Base” and “Activism in the '90s” raised many important issues.

At the final plenary, the state government was condemned for its attacks on women's services and its inquisition into the Ngarrindjeri women's spiritual beliefs.

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