HOBART — More than 1000 people protested on August 23 outside the Liberal Party state conference dinner at Wrest Point Casino, where Prime Minister John Howard spoke. Several union contingents, students, East Timor solidarity activists, Sexual Assault Service workers and ABC supporters demonstrated against budget cuts and military spending for over two hours.
Before the rally, Premier Tony Rundle had warned of a repeat of the August 19 demonstration in Canberra. More than 100 police were present and hospitals had casualty staff on hold despite assurances to the media from Trades and Labour Council secretary Lynne Fitzgerald that the demonstration would be peaceful, with placards and chants but no speakers.
Newspaper headlines on August 23 read, "Howard fears no violence", and the words on a poster advertising the rally, "Placards, banners, megaphones ... will be supplied" were highlighted in an article in the Mercury.
Despite media hype, the demonstration was peaceful and the atmosphere created by all the different community groups coming together was very positive. Some ALP members attempted to disperse the rally "before it got violent", but they were shouted down by chants of "We're here to protest and we're not being violent".
The rally marched from the casino entrance and ended outside the convention centre, where Howard was having dinner. Entry was barred to those not Liberal Party members for 28 days or not able to pay $45 for dinner.
An open microphone was initiated by members of Resistance and the Democratic Socialist Party, with speakers from several groups participating. Calls for solidarity with Indonesian political prisoners were well received by all except for an ALP-led section of the rally which tried to chant over a speaker on East Timor.