Setbacks for AIDEX
By Tim E. Stewart
NEWCASTLE — The Newcastle University Students Association at a meeting last week passed a motion opposing the proposed Australian Industry Defence Equipment Exhibition (AIDEX) in November at Canberra.
The motion was passed on the grounds that AIDEX is essentially an arms bazaar supporting an industry that is economically draining, environmentally destructive, and socially useless.
NUSA represents more than 13,000 students, and its official opposition to AIDEX may move campuses nationwide to follow suit. It is hoped that representative student associations will now take the initiative to organises buses to Canberra on November 21 to partake in the Stop AIDEX activities.
(From Canberra, it's reported that the ACT government has given in partially to community pressure and announced that the directors of the National Exhibition Centre would be instructed not to accept any more contracts for arms exhibitions. However, a spokesperson said this year's AIDEX would not be cancelled, because cancellation would cost the government $5 million.)