SKA TV Activist Awards
By Bridget Riggs
MELBOURNE — The 1997 Access News/SKA TV Activist Awards were held on October 9 at RMIT. The night symbolised the number and diversity of actions held in Melbourne over the last year and brought together many activists to celebrate struggle.
In the words of Rod Quantock, who hosted the proceedings, "We have Jeff Kennett to thank for this evening, for without him many of us would not have been here".
The night was an important opportunity to meet other activists, find out about different campaigns, and be informed about upcoming actions. It also illustrated the important role that community radio and television stations play.
In the anti-racism campaign, while the establishment media vilified the movement, Access News was out there finding out the facts. We were not painted as "disgraceful" or "contained", nor did the coverage focus on one group; Access News' footage played a pivotal role in building a broader anti-racism campaign.
While Campaign Against Racism was nominated for best use of an inanimate object, the egg thrown at the Dandenong rally, what it could symbolise is the egg on the face of right-wing groups that try to close down community-supported communication networks.
3CR is an important asset and needs to be protected from closure. 3CR is running another radiothon to generate funds to cover legal costs and possible fines from a recent defamation charge. Supporters should tune to 885 in the AM dial in Melbourne to hear the details.