Action updates

ADELAIDE — The Environmental Youth Alliance had stalls in front of five schools last week in the northern, southern and western suburbs, where urban environmental issues are most pertinent. Many young people who had never heard of EYA wanted to become involved in campaigning for environmental justice. EYA here is running a "poisonous companies" campaign focusing on making companies take responsibility for the pollution they cause. For more information ring Trish or Emma on 231 6982.

• About 250 demonstrators assembled on the steps of Parliament House on January 23 to hear Sandy Saunders, director of Aboriginal Legal Rights, and Fr Jeff Foale, director of the Catholic Multicultural Office, speak out against racism in Australia. The rally was called by a coalition of church groups, unions, community groups and individuals formed in late 1992 under the banner of the Anti-Racism Alliance (ARA).
  

• A small crowd gathered outside the magistrates court here on January 28 in a demonstration organised by Women Against Demeaning Images. The action was in support of presiding magistrate Pat O'Shane's dismissal of charges against five Sydney students for defacing a billboard of a lingerie-clad women being sawed in half.
  

HOBART — Young people demonstrating against youth unemployment and poverty invited passers-by to limbo dance under a rod representing the poverty line, outside of the Department of Social Security offices here on January 29. Teresa Dowding, a spokesperson for the radical youth group Resistance and also the Democratic Socialist candidate for Denison, told the protesters: "We urgently need genuine job creation and the money is there. If a fraction of the military budget were invested in jobs and social services, we would see a radical improvement in the life chances of young Australians and everyone's standard of living."

MELBOURNE — Sixty people attended a Get Together Against Kennett on January 24 held at Richmond Secondary College — one of the five Victorian schools being occupied by students, teachers, parents and others fighting their closure by the Kennett Liberal government. The meeting resolved to build a broad ongoing union-community alliance. For details of future meetings contact Joan (419-0500) or Andrea (326-8245).

PERTH — Picketers at the old Swan Brewery site on the morning of January 26 were kicked, punched, shoved and thrown about by police breaking through the picket line. One Aboriginal women was thrown face down into a police van with her hands cuffed behind her. Aboriginal activist Clarrie Isaacs was thrown against a moving truck and left unconscious on the ground for 10 minutes. The media here have portrayed the event as though protesters had attacked the police.

From GLW issue 86