national secretary John Percy; Sydney University student activist Ashisha Cunningham; former BHP steelworker now teacher Geoff Payne; Sudanese political refugee and refugee-rights activist Osama Yousif; feminist activist and trainee teacher at Macquarie University Angela Luvera; Indigenous Student Network founding member and women's liberation activist Kim Bullimore; Latin America solidarity activist volunteer development worker and Public Sector Association state council member Stephen O'Brien; and anti-nuclear activist and Clarence Environment Centre president Jim Knight, Paul Benedek for Port Jackson; Sue Johnston for Marrickville; Sam Wainwright for Bankstown; Roberto Jorquera for Auburn; and Nick Fredman for Lismore. The alliance will also be contesting local seats in the Newcastle and Wollongong regions, LISA MACDONALD, opposition to the war and racism; support for refugee rights; reversing the attacks on civil liberties; and defending worker and trade union rights">
NSW Socialist Alliance plans campaign, elects candidates
BY LISA MACDONALD
SYDNEY A NSW conference of the Socialist Alliance held on December 14 mapped out ambitious plans to use the next nine weeks of state election campaigning to strongly build campaigns for justice. The conference also pre-selected 21 candidates to contest the Legislative Council in the March 22 election.
The conference delegates, from across Sydney, Lismore, Newcastle and the Illawarra, discussed political developments in NSW, Australia and world-wide, and resolved to focus the alliances election campaign on: opposition to the war and racism; support for refugee rights; reversing the attacks on civil liberties; and defending worker and trade union rights.
A major theme of discussion at the meeting was how to help build the growing international movement against imperialisms war on Iraq. Many ideas were raised for involving more people in this campaign and for putting increasing pressure on the major parties to fund social needs rather than war for oil.
All branches of the alliance will continue to initiate local community anti-war protests and help build the suburban anti-war groups which are beginning to spring up around NSW. The alliance will also translate No war campaign information into other languages, including Spanish, Farsi and Arabic, and organise meetings with non-English speaking background communities and groups to discuss the campaign and related issues.
There was also much discussion about the most recent assaults on civil liberties by Premier Bob Carrs Labor government, and the need to make repeal of the new NSW anti-terror laws, the most draconian in the country, a major election issue. Delegates agreed that condemning, in words and action, the constant vilification of and attacks on Muslims and people of Middle Eastern background, and standing up to the government and medias racist scare-mongering was crucial.
Last month, the alliance defeated, through the courts, an attempt by Burwood Council to have Max Lane, an alliance candidate in the 2001 federal elections, convicted of unlawful use of a sound system during a Socialist Alliance street rally.
The conference agreed to build on this victory for free speech by initiating a campaign, in alliance with other groups and individuals who support democratic rights, to defeat the state governments attempts to ban campaigning stalls in public areas. Last December, three Socialist Alliance members were charged by state police and fined $100 each for distributing campaign information at a railway station in Sydney.
Following discussion about the Labor governments many assaults on workers rights over the last eight years, the conference passed a motion that: We absolutely support, encourage and help to organise workers taking strike action to improve our and their standard of living and workplace rights, and we will organise solidarity with these struggles.
The alliance organised its support for the Public Sector Association's campaign for extra school assistants and the Mascot Engineering workers picket line. The conference agreed to begin convening caucuses of alliance members in a range of trade unions to help strengthen its trade union and worker solidarity campaigning.
A working group of alliance members interested in organising solidarity with workers movements in Latin America was also established, and members agreed that the alliance would also help organise and build the Women Against War and Racism march on March 8, International Womens Day.
The Socialist Alliance ticket for the Legislative Assembly pre-selected at the conference is: Free the Refugees Campaign activist and former Green Left Weekly editor Lisa Macdonald; NSW Teachers Federation activist John Morris; long-time socialist and Latin American solidarity activist Raul Bassi; Finance Sector Union organiser and anti-war activist Angela Budai; Iranian political refugee and refugee rights activist Jamal Darwand; Community and Public Sector Union organiser Naomi Arrowsmith; youth worker Darcy Byrne; gay rights activist Michael Schembri; Fortians for Refugees founder and youth activist Karol Florek; Asia-Pacific solidarity activist Pip Hinman; student and anti-war activist Kieran Latty; Peoples Medical Centre Co-op president and long-term peace activist Dr Marg Perrott; community activist Kylie Witt; Democratic Socialist Party national secretary John Percy; Sydney University student activist Ashisha Cunningham; former BHP steelworker, now teacher Geoff Payne; Sudanese political refugee and refugee-rights activist Osama Yousif; feminist activist and trainee teacher at Macquarie University Angela Luvera; Indigenous Student Network founding member and womens liberation activist Kim Bullimore; Latin America solidarity activist, volunteer development worker and Public Sector Association state council member Stephen OBrien; and anti-nuclear activist and Clarence Environment Centre president Jim Knight.
The Socialist Alliance candidates so far pre-selected for lower house seats are: Paul Benedek for Port Jackson; Sue Johnston for Marrickville; Sam Wainwright for Bankstown; Roberto Jorquera for Auburn; and Nick Fredman for Lismore. The alliance will also be contesting local seats in the Newcastle and Wollongong regions.
From Green Left Weekly, January 15, 2003.
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