BRISBANE — On October 7, a snap protest was organised by the University of Queensland student union women's rights group outside the Liberal Party headquarters in Bowen Hills. The protest was in response to a Family First candidate's comments that lesbians should be burnt alive.
The Liberal Party made a deal with Family First to exchange preferences for the October 9 federal election. However, on the basis that the Liberal candidate for the seat of Brisbane Ingrid Tall is a lesbian, Family First withdrew its preferences for that seat.
The protest called on PM John Howard and Tall to denounce Family First.
Andrew Martin
Protest against vivisection
SYDNEY — On September 26, 70 animal-rights supporters protested outside the Novatel Hotel in Brighton-Le Sands, which was hosting a conference for scientists responsible for animal experimentation. It was a lively and loud protest against vivisection and the use of animals for scientific research.
The protesters held a mock funeral procession carrying a coffin full of fluffy toy animals covered in blood stains. Many signs and placards depicted the cruel suffering of animals at the scientists' hands. There were pictures of monkeys with screws bolted into their skulls, dogs with horrific wounds, cats with their heads cut open and monitoring implements sewn into their brain.
The main chant of the protest was "Animal violence — bad science". The rally was organised by Animal Liberation. Sally Dingle-Wall told the protest that animal research is totally unnecessary, cruel and painful. She urged people to help by writing letters of protest to the prime minister and to boycott any products that do testing on animals.
Susan Mullan
Construction workers protest Canadian government's support for asbestos
CANBERRA — Members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) protested outside the Canadian High Commission on October 5, opposing the Canadian government's support for asbestos production.
Protesters chanted "What do we want? End asbestos. When do we want it? Now!"
"Canada is one of the few countries that still mines asbestos and is one of the world's largest exporters of the white asbestos or chrysotile", John Sutton, national secretary of the CFMEU construction and general division said on the day of the protest.
"Whereas most European countries and Australia have banned the use of all forms of asbestos because of their deadly impact on human health, the Canadian government has actively blocked the listing of white asbestos in the major international toxic substances convention.
"This stance is particularly abhorrent, when you consider that most of Canada's white asbestos is being exported to developing countries.
"The Rotterdam Convention, which the Canadian government has been undermining, assists developing countries to prevent shipments of toxic materials from First World countries being dumped on their markets.
"With 100,000 people dying every year worldwide from asbestos-related diseases, the Canadian government needs to seriously reconsider its policies on asbestos production and export and move quickly to ratify the Rotterdam Convention."
From Green Left Weekly, October 13, 2004.
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