Graham Matthews, Sydney
"Building the fightback against Howard's agenda" was the theme of the Socialist Alliance's NSW state conference held at the Newton Neighbourhood Centre on April 16. Ninety members and supporters of the Socialist Alliance from all Sydney branches, plus Wollongong and Newcastle, attended.
The conference was opened by well-known Aboriginal activist Ray Jackson, who reminded participants that the conference was being held on land stolen from the Gadigal people. Jackson also updated the conference on the struggle for justice for T.J. Hickey, who died following a police pursuit in February 2004. In spite of new evidence that should warrant the reopening of the inquest into Hickey's death, the NSW attorney general and the coroner are so far refusing to act.
Socialist Alliance national co-convenor Raul Bassi presented a report to the conference detailing political developments in Australia since the re-election of the Howard government in October 2004.
"Does the election of the Howard government mean that Australian society is moving to the right?", Bassi asked. "Then how do we explain the massive protests over the last five years in support of reconciliation, in opposition to the invasion of Iraq and the like?"
Bassi took issue with the NSW Labor government, which is carrying out a similar agenda to that of the Howard Liberals. Referring to plans to "redevelop" the housing commission dominated areas of Redfern and Waterloo by demolishing public housing and relocating the residents, Bassi said: "Our task is to make Waterloo a real Waterloo for the little Napoleon [Bob Carr] that we have in this state."
Susan Price, the NSW Socialist Alliance trade union work coordinator, presented a series of resolutions on the alliance's trade union activity to the conference. "A year ago we decided to use our resources to build and support the militant union current", she said. "The correctness of this position is shown by the fact that it's now this current that is leading the fightback and forcing the ACTU and the union bureaucrats to play catch-up."
The conference decided to support the building of a "United action can stop Howard" contingent for the Sydney May Day rally this year. It also endorsed a call for a unified Socialist Alliance contingent at May Day and other union actions. It also supported calls for industrial action on June 30 in opposition to Howard's industrial "reforms", and the formation of an open trade union defence committee.
Resolutions were adopted pledging the alliance's continuing support for the anti-war movement, including participation in the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the building of local peace groups where possible.
In passionate speeches to the conference, Macquarie Fields residents Barbara and Peter Perkins described the intense police harassment of young people that preceded the high-speed police pursuit and crash that precipitated the riots in the outer-western Sydney suburb earlier in the year.
"The NSW government has declared war on the people of Macquarie Fields", Peter Perkins argued. "As a result, the people of Macquarie Fields have declared war on the state government."
The conference also established a range of political caucuses within the alliance, allowing members wanting to campaign around specific political issues to come together on a citywide basis. Caucuses were held discussing trade union activity, the anti-war campaign, queer rights, Indigenous rights and refugee solidarity campaigns.
The conference also approved moves to centralise much of the administrative and record-keeping work of alliance branches at a state level, freeing up extra time and energy for members to devote to political work.
[Graham Matthews is a co-convenor of the NSW Socialist Alliance. To join the Socialist Alliance in NSW or for more information email <sydney@socialist-alliance.org>.]
From Green Left Weekly, April 27, 2005.
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