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$76,500 to make the Green Left fighting fund targetPeter Boyle
4 November 2006How hard is it to raise $76,500 before the end of this year? Not hard at all for some organisations. As the November 1 Sydney Morning Herald reported: “Opposition Leader, Peter Debnam, took to the harbour last night for a fund-raising cruise with the property industry aboard a luxury cruiser owned by a developer, Greg Gav.
“Last night’s event was limited to 15 donors. Each paid $750 to attend the Liberal fund-raiser on Mr Gav’s vessel, The Other Woman. The invitation said they were being offered the opportunity to have an intimate three hours with Mr Debnam and the Opposition planning spokesman, Chris Hartcher.
“Mr Gav lent his boat to Labor in 2002 when the federal MP Anthony Albanese organised a function for 30 of his Left faction colleagues. The Greens say Mr Gav has donated at least $27,000 to Labor but had given only $4900 to the Liberals until last night.” The November 3 SMH reported that “last night it was business as usual, with the Property Council of NSW holding a function for the Labor Party during which it handed over a cheque for $40,000. “On Wednesday night the ALP held a fundraising function at the Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, attended by almost 1000 people. At $500 a ticket, it raised nearly $500,000, with VIP tables and access to an exclusive cocktail party with ministers selling for $15,000 for nine guests. Dining with the Premier, Morris Iemma, cost $45,000.” If you want to read more about how the property developers and other capitalists grease the Liberal and Labor parties today have a look at the democracy4sale website: (<http://www.democracy4sale.org>) put together by the NSW Greens. It shows that the NSW ALP has raised $8.78 million from property developers since 1998-99, and the NSW Liberals and Nationals received $6.35 million. These developers must be getting what they’ve paid for! A decidedly anti-capitalist project like Green Left Weekly looks to very different people for support — people like senior citizen and proud Socialist Alliance member Bernie Rosen. In a letter with an enclosed cheque for $25 (just the latest in many donations he’s sent to our Fighting Fund), Bernie wrote: “In spite of my health problems I am still campaigning. This morning I distributed 12 old copies of Green Left Weekly in the Strathfield Boulevarde. Raul Bassi helps me very considerably by leaving me three Green Left Weekly’s that I take to regular readers and about 50 old copies that I letterbox or hand out to people. “Before my illness I used to distribute Green Left Weekly in Surry Hills and other suburbs such as Chippendale, Lilyfield, Randwick, Kensington, Darlinnghurst, Camperdown, Newtown, Maroubra, Bondi Junction, Burwood and Kingsford. Each week I went to a different suburb. I hope that when my health improves I will be able to do the same.” GLW doesn’t have filthy rich property developers rushing to be our friends. Greg Gav of Mars Property Group hasn’t offered his luxury cruiser to us, but we have an army of battlers like Bernie. The call is out to that army of GLW supporters. Please come forward like Bernie and help us raise that last $76,500 by the end of this year. So far this year we have raised 69% of our $250,000 target. You can help us make that target by depositing a donation to the Green Left Weekly Fighting Fund at: Greenleft, Commonwealth Bank, BSB 062-006, Account No. 901992. Alternatively, send a cheque or money order to PO Box 515, Broadway, NSW 2007, or phone through a donation on our toll-free line (1800 634 206), or donate online at <http://www.greenleft.org.au/fogl.htm>. Another way you can help is by coming along to GLW’s end-of-year fundraising dinners and other events being organised in the city nearest to you. See the calendar on page 27 for details. If you have a story of another battler who supports Green left Weekly please send it to us. My email address is: <peterb@greenleft.org.au>. |
From: Comment & Analysis |
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