By Marina Carman
The Resistance National Conference will be held in Melbourne July 5-7. Resistance activists from around the country will gather to discuss international and Australian politics and the work of Resistance as the largest socialist youth organisation in Australia. A range of international guests have already been confirmed, including activists from Indonesia, India, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Philippines and East Timor.
The international guests will be featured throughout the conference, with the highlights being a panel on "The Struggle for Democracy in Indonesia and Freedom for East Timor" and a public meeting on Sunday July 7, looking at the challenges which face the left in Nicaragua and the elections to be held later this year.
This year's conference takes place in the context of the election of a Liberal federal government. Charting a course in this new political period is important for Resistance and for the rest of the left. It is at the national conference that Resistance makes its political assessments and where it decides what campaigns to emphasise.
This will require a large amount of discussion now, assessing the nature of the government's attacks and where the likely response will come. Resistance will have a key role to play in any fight back against the government, organising young workers, students and unemployed.
Resistance has been involved in a number of struggles since its last national conference, the most notable being the campaign against French nuclear testing and uranium mining in the second half of 1995. This year, many new campaigns have emerged, including struggles against education cuts and cuts to the public service, against the sale of Telstra and against Australia's foreign policy of restricting the struggles for freedom for East Timor and democracy in Indonesia, which the Liberals seem set to continue.
With the campaign against proposed cuts to education heating up, the work that Resistance has done in alliance with the National Tertiary Education and Industry Union, various university SRCs and the National Union of Students will be a focus for discussion. A feature talk titled "No Fees, No HECS, No Cuts: Fighting the Coalition's Attacks on Education" will take up the issues facing the student movement with the election of the Howard government, along with the new and exciting possibilities for a large and united campaign.
Also of note is the ongoing discussion Resistance is having about how to get young people active in their workplaces and in campaigns to save jobs and conditions. The feature panel "Jobs not Cuts: Workers fight the Coalition" will look at the work that Resistance has done in trade unions, with other trade union activists and in the workplace.
Natasha Simons, Resistance national coordinator, says, "The Resistance conference is a chance for all Resistance members, and people interested in becoming involved, to meet and discuss the campaigns we are involved in and how to push these forward. We want more and more people to understand the driving forces behind the system we live under and to take action against capitalist politics as a whole, whether implemented by Labor or Liberal.
"The conference is an opportunity for people to gain a detailed understanding of the issues facing the left today, namely, how to fight the Liberals and their attempts to finish off what the Labor Party started: from education and job cuts, to further extensions of woodchipping licences and uranium mining, to cuts to women's services. Building campaigns that challenge the agenda of the government and convince people to fight for something better is an urgent task.
"We think all young people can make a difference, if they stand together. That is what Resistance is all about. Coming to the conference and seeing Resistance's decision making in action is the best possible introduction to our politics for people who are interested in being part of making this difference."
If you are interested in attending the Resistance conference, or require help arranging travel, accommodation, child care, etc, contact your local Resistance branch or send in the clip-off below.