BY ALANA KERR
SYDNEY — In the last two weeks, four branches of the Socialist Alliance in metropolitan Sydney have pre-selected their lower house candidates for the upcoming federal election. These candidates, in the seats of Kingsford Smith, Grayndler, Lowe and Parramatta, are now hitting the campaign trail alongside NSW Senate candidates Pip Hinman and Ian Rintoul.
University of New South Wales academic and anti-racism campaigner Marina Carman was chosen as the alliance's candidate for the eastern Sydney seat of Kingsford Smith.
Born in South Africa, Carman has a long experience in campaigning against racial discrimination. In 1998, she was one of the organisers of strikes by thousands of students against Pauline Hanson's One Nation, an experience that she says taught her that "Many people, especially young people, in Australia are concerned, outraged even, about the growth of racist sentiments and are prepared to take a stand against it".
Carman says that the diverse ethnic mix in Kingsford Smith will mean the Socialist Alliance's campaign and policies will get a resonance in the area.
"Most racism is based on ignorance and false perceptions of being under threat. What the alliance aims to get across is that working people have no country, we're all brothers and sisters, and refugees and migrants should be welcome here. They certainly shouldn't be locked up or deported back to poverty, persecution and possible death."
The Kingsford Smith campaign will be launched on September 23 at Waverley Library, 32 Denison Street, Bondi Junction. The event will feature a screening of the documentary M1: People Resist Corporate Globalisation.
At its meeting on September 4, the Marrickville branch of the Socialist Alliance elected Sue Johnson as its candidate for the inner-city seat of Grayndler. Johnson, who works in the state public service, is a Public Sector Association delegate and a member of the Progressive PSA.
Johnson was previously a member of the Teachers Federation and a founding member of the Activist Teachers' Network. She has been very active in public education campaigns.
"The NSW and federal governments are hell-bent on destroying public education, and communities along with it", Johnson said. "Howard has slashed funding to universities, stopped growth funds for TAFEs, while demanding increased enrolments, and introduced the Enrolment Benchmark Adjustment which diverts massive funding from local public schools to private schools.
"Well, people have had enough of these policies. Education is a basic right, and the Socialist Alliance stands for free education for all and for curricula which serve the needs of students."
While working at TAFE NSW Sydney Institute, Johnson started the "Save the on-campus child-care centre" campaign at the Ultimo campus. The campaign, which brought together students and unionists from the Teachers Federation, PSA and LHMU, succeeded and the child-care centre continues to operate.
The Marrickville Socialist Alliance branch is planning a community march through the streets of Newtown on October 19 to say "Refugees are welcome".
At its meeting on September 11, the Burwood branch of the Socialist Alliance elected well-known Indonesia and East Timor solidarity campaign leader Max Lane to stand in the seat of Lowe in Sydney's inner-west.
On the same night, former Green Left Weekly editor and women's liberation campaigner Lisa Macdonald was chosen by the Parramatta branch to contest the seat of Reid.