Alliance begins registration process

BY ALEX BAINBRIDGE

HOBART — A March 19 Socialist Alliance application to be registered as a political party in Tasmania has been accepted by the Tasmanian Electoral Office (TEO). Notifications were printed in Tasmania's three daily papers on March 23, opening up an objection period. The Socialist Alliance is likely to achieve state registration by the end of May.

Tasmania currently has just five registered parties: the Labor Party, the Liberal Party, the Greens, the Democrats and Tasmania First."We believe that it is decades since any socialist party has been officially registered in Tasmania", said Socialist Alliance convener Kamala Emanuel.

The advertisements published by the TEO list the names and addresses of over 100 members of the Socialist Alliance who have applied for registration. Emanuel told Green Left Weekly: "We have complied with this legislation in order to make the socialist voice stronger. But we consider it to be an unnecessary violation of the privacy of party members. Even when we have achieved registration, we will not stop campaigning to overturn this aspect of the electoral act."

State elections are likely around September. The Mercury reported on March 21 that the Labor government has accumulated a "war chest" to pay for pre-election bribes in the May 23 budget.

"We need to accumulate a mini 'war chest' of our own, if our election campaign is to be successful", Emanuel told Green Left Weekly. "We will need to appeal to supporters to make donations towards the campaign since socialists don't receive financial backing from big corporations or governments."

From Green Left Weekly, March 27, 2002.

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From GLW issue 486