Globalisation conference seeks answers

Wednesday, December 6, 2000 - 11:00

BY ROBERTO JORQUERA & SARAH STEPHEN

PERTH — Around 150 people attended the "Globalisation: trash or treasure" conference at Curtin university on November 25. The one day conference was initiated by the Stop MAI [Multilateral Agreement on Investment] committee but gained support among a variety of other groups and individuals.

The conference was opened by keynote speakers Tony Cooke (Unions WA secretary), Dr Patricia Ranald (coordinator, Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network) and Peter Westmore (national president of the far-right National Civic Council).

"Unions", Cooke stated, "don't have the view that you can throw the World Trade Organisation out and start again. There are no guarantees that any replacement would be any better", but then added, "We think the WTO needs reform, because it's fundamentally flawed."

Ranald argued that the current anti-corporate demonstrations had had an impact on the continuation of negotiations within the WTO and that they had shown "there was a need for structural reform within the WTO". She also noted that there was a need for "United Nations agreements to be able to override the WTO", and that "meetings of the WTO needed to be open".

Peter Wesmore argued for the anti-globalisation movement to support Australian businesses and for government control over the flow into Australia of foreign capital.

Workshop discussions included assessment of the S11 demonstrations, building global solidarity and collaboration, trade union responses to globalisation and the effects of globalisation on women and their responses.

The final plenary summarised the nature of the conference with a comical depiction of John Howard that involved Jan Jermalinski (CPSU section councillor and Greens member) and Richard Egan (NCC state president).

The organisers promoted the idea that a "united front" against globalisation could be created between left-wing groups and the far right. However, there was little agreement among the different groups attending about what common action to take.