BY LISA MACDONALD
SYDNEY — At meetings held by the six Socialist Alliance branches in Sydney following the November 10 federal election, alliance members began to assess the election campaign results and discuss the activities of the alliance in the new year.
There was a lot of discussion about the meaning of the election results: Why did the Coalition retain government after six years of consistent attacks on working people? Why did the ALP poll so badly? Is this the end of One Nation? And how can the progressive political groupings best build on their electoral successes?
While alliance members' opinions on these questions varied, there was consensus in all branches that the election results revealed more clearly than before the urgent need, and the increasing political space, to build a stronger, united left alternative. The Socialist Alliance, all agreed, proved a timely initiative and must be developed further in 2002.
The general agreement among the membership that the alliance has begun to realise its promise — to strengthen both the socialist left and the progressive movements in Australia — was reflected in the decision of every branch to continue its building of the anti-war and refugees' rights campaigns and to hold public meetings to relaunch the alliance in the new year.
The most important decision was to embark on a membership drive for the last few weeks of the year to allow the alliance to obtain NSW electoral registration so that it can make te most gains in the next state election.
Under amendments to NSW electoral legislation adopted two years ago, any party or organisation wanting to obtain electoral registration (so that the party name can appear next to its candidates' names on the ballot paper) must submit a list of at least 750 members whose names appear on state electoral roll. Parties which have at least one member of parliament are exempt from this requirement.
To make it even more difficult for small and single-issue parties to participate equally in election campaigns, registration must be approved by the electoral office at least 12 months before the election is held.
Allowing a few weeks for bureaucratic paperwork, this means that for the Socialist Alliance to have its name on ballot paper in the March 2003 NSW election, it must submit 750 members names and addresses within the next five weeks.
Socialist Alliance members in Sydney, Lismore, Newcastle, Wollongong, Queanbeyan and other regional centres are organising street stalls, networking and doorknocking to join members so that the requirements of the electoral office can be met.
The alliance is asking all who support the democratic right of an organisation to put forward candidates in an election, and to be able to present its ideas to voters with a clear party identification, to join the Socialist Alliance and thereby assist it to obtain registration in NSW.
Copies of the membership forms required by the State Electoral Office are available at < http://www.socialist-A HREF="mailto:alliance.org"><alliance.org>. Information about what membership entails is available from <sydney@socialist-alliance.org> or can be obtained by phoning the
Resistance Centre in your city (see page 2).
From Green Left Weekly, December 5, 2001.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.