We live in a world in which a relentless drive for profits is pursued regardless of the impact on people and the planet. War, racism, poverty and oppression dominate the lives of millions and climate change poses the greatest threat to humanity we have ever faced.
Resistance 2010: The World Can't Wait! is a three-day conference to be held at the Thirroul Community Centre in Wollongong over the ANZAC long weekend (April 24-26). The conference is about putting people and planet before profit.
Conference sessions will discuss fighting injustice today to build a sustainable and just world for the future, because tomorrow is too late. Socialists, activists and unionists from many different campaigns in Australia will meet to plan responses to the urgent questions that confront us all.
Scientists think that at most we have a decade, maybe a decade and a half, before climate change becomes irreversible. Yet our government continues to act as though it can negotiate with the laws of physics and chemistry, rather than make the changes that the science dictates we must.
The tremendous failure of the United Nations Copenhagen climate summit, and the role of the Australian government, showed that to powerful interests, maintaining business (and profits) as usual is more important than facing the climate crisis and securing a safe planet.
A plenary session will be devoted to building the fight for a safe climate as well as the need to build a broad, mass and radical movement to challenge the governments and powerful interests who are resisting change.
There will also be workshops on food security, climate justice, Cuba and sustainability, public ownership and workers' control for a just transition, and the campaign for renewable energy.
Richard Downs, the spokesperson for the historic walk-off from the prescribed community of Ampilatwatja against the Northern Territory intervention, will address a number of sessions about the struggle for Aboriginal rights in Australia. This will include the union-backed plan to build a sustainable community for the Alyawarr people's resistance to the NT intervention.
The campaign for equal marriage rights will also be a big feature as Australia continues to denies lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people the right to marry. The largest demonstrations in defence of queer rights in Australian history were held last year. Rachel Evans from Community Action Against Homophobia and the Socialist Alliance will address the conference.
Most of all, The World Can't Wait! will be about creating solutions. Resistance is a socialist youth organisation and this conference is about bringing radical young people together to fight for a just world — for revolution — with the support and experience of other activists, socialists and unionists.
It will also allow activists, young and old, to share information and ideas, learn from each other, and plan responses and solutions that put people and the environment before capitalist greed.
Young people have the power to play a radicalising and explosive role in the struggle for a better world. It is from them that the socialist movement in Australia can be strengthened and renewed.
Young people must take the lead in the struggle for socialism, but discussion with others is also needed to inform and assist young activists.
The conference will draw on the lessons from the many struggles of the people in Australia and around the world for social justice, genuine democracy and people-driven change.
The revolutionary movements sweeping Latin America, which are posing the most serious challenge to capitalist destruction for decades, are full of inspiration and lessons for people fighting for justice everywhere.
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