On October 2-3, the socialist youth organisation Resistance is holding its 34th national conference in Melbourne. Green Left Weekly spoke to three Resistance activists about some of the campaigns they are currently involved in.
Solidarity with Venezuela's revolution
Amanda Zivcic, Wollongong: I recently travelled to Venezuela with the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Brigade, along with dozens of other Resistance members. I got to see much of what I had been reading about — the Barrio Adentro health clinics, the education missions that have taught so many Venezuelans to read and write and the Women's Development Bank, which helps to empower women so that they may break out of the cycle of poverty, just to name a few. What struck me most was how the people themselves are leading the process of change, through grassroots organising in communities. I witnessed a people in the midst of reorganising their society around their needs and for their future. The US has already sought to destabilise the revolutionary government of President Hugo Chavez, and will no doubt continue to try. This makes international solidarity of pressing urgency. We need to demand an end to imperialist aggression against Venezuela and defend its sovereignty, not only for the future of Venezuelan's Bolivarian revolution, but for the future of all people's struggles across the globe, including here in Australia.
Young workers fight back
Tim Doughney, Melbourne: The federal Coalition government is continuing its support for the bosses at the expense of workers, and it is young workers who will suffer more under these attacks. For too long the exploitation of young workers has gone unchecked, at a time when the government is aiming to smash unions and cut-backs to social welfare are extended. It is time to fight back! The experience of the UNITE union in New Zealand shows us what is possible, that when we organise to struggle we can make gains. UNITE has unionised thousands of previously unorganised workers, especially young workers in casual and low-paid jobs. Resistance is helping to build the union fight-back in Australia against Howard's proposed industrial relations "reforms", and we're going on the offensive for better wages and conditions for young workers.
Defending students' right to organise
Trent Hawkins, Perth: This year, the campaign to stop the introduction of "voluntary student unionism" (VSU) has included large turnouts at nationally coordinated rallies — 15,000 in April and 10,000 in August. VSU has been the major political issue on university campuses. Resistance has helped build these campaigns and participated in the protest actions across Australia. The Coalition government's plan of destroying the active political nature of student unions opens up the way for further attacks on our education and will make it harder for students to organise against Howard's neoliberal agenda. But it's not just the Liberal's that are to blame — on August 24, Labor announced a proposed "compromise" on VSU, that would preserve the student amenities fee while not allowing it to fund student organisations or political campaigns. This slowed the campaign and disillusioned student activists. If VSU is passed in any form, Resistance will continue to fight the legislation by building a strong campaign that links up with other sections of the community under attack, such as workers, that can pose a serious threat to Howard's agenda.
[For more information, to register for the conference, or to join Resistance, phone (02) 9690 1230 or (03) 9639 8622 or email From Green Left Weekly, September 28, 2005.
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