Anthea Stutter

The Feminist Futures Conference is being organised for May 28-29 by the newly formed Melbourne Feminist Collective (MFC): a group of mainly young activists who were inspired by a similar conference they attended in Sydney last year. James Muldoon from the MFC told Green Left Weekly: “We are a non-aligned loose knit group of feminists who are keen to build on the movement’s past successes by focusing on shared goals and strategies for the future. “We are seeking to move beyond the old divisions by focusing on what unites us

Three hundred people gathered at Sydney Town Hall on October 29 to protest against physical and sexual violence against women, as part of global Reclaim the Night protests. Professor of Law and Indigenous Studies at the University of Technology Sydney, Larissa Behrendt, outlined the challenges Indigenous women face, not only from Indigenous men but also the white legal system when reporting incidents of physical and sexual assault. Charlotte Long from Burma Campaign Australia spoke about the systematic rape of ethnic minority women in Burma.

Australian Services Union organiser Julie Kun outlined the ASU’s campaign for pay equity at an International Women’s Day meeting organised by the Anatolian Cultural Centre and the Socialist Alliance on March 14.

A lively rally of 1000 people marched through Yarraville Village on October 24, demanding the reinstatement of their local high school. The school serviced the Seddon, Kingsville and Yarraville area.

A vibrant and noisy crowd of about 300 women rallied at the State Library in Melbourne to demand an end to violence against women.

The Western Community Action Network (WeCAN) held its first public forum at the Footscray Town Hall on March 19.

Approximately 10,000 people rallied at Launceston City Park on August 23 in opposition to Gunns’ proposed pulp mill.

The Rudd government has asked the Productivity Commission to examine the economic, productive and social benefits of introducing a national paid maternity leave scheme. The Commission has heard submissions from a range of unions, business and community groups, and is due to release its report in February, 2009.

BY ALEX BAINBRIDGE& ANTHEA STUTTER HOBART — The campaign to end the woodchipping of old-growth forests took a major step forward when thousands of people marched through the Styx Valley on July 13. At last year's state election, it was clear

Abortion still an issue in TasmaniaLAUNCESTON — “Despite the emergency sitting of the Tasmanian parliament last December, ostensibly to pass legislation to solve the abortion access crisis, women still don't have full

HOBART — Abortion access in southern Tasmania will resume after the January 18 announcement that a privately run clinic is to be established in Hobart city centre. Public hospital doctors withdrew abortion provision late last

HOBART — The announcement on the eve of International Women's Day that the Women's Health Foundation (Abortion Clinic) will be closing has raised questions about the ongoing access of women in Tasmania to necessary health care.