Chris Peterson

It seems Australian hip-hop act The Herd are not the only musicians under attack from conservatives for standing by their principles. In September, the Herd pulled out of a coal industry-sponsored concert in Mackay, Queensland to the anger of big coal (but to the delight of their climate-conscious fan base).
The Ampilawatja walk-off national speaking tour is spreading the word about life under the Northern Territory intervention and the Aboriginal elders who have walked off their community in opposition.
On September 15, 1500 firefighters and supporters marched through Melbourne, chanting “more firefighters, not less”.
MELBOURNE — On August 21, 500 students and supporters braved rain outside the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), a school of the University of Melbourne, to protest against funding cuts.
On July 17, 20 members of jailed democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy were arrested after peacefully marching in a crowd of 300 to mark Martyrs’ Day.
Around 60 people protested outside parliament house on July 25 in solidarity with recent democracy protests in Iran. They demanded the release of political prisoners, an end to censorship and the rejection of the recent presidential elections as a fraud.
The July 14 Age reported on unoccupied “ghost mansions” in the well-heeled Melbourne suburb of Toorak. These million-dollar houses have been bought by wealthy landowners and left unoccupied – in some cases for decades.
About 5000 people turned out for the government-organised Harmony Day march through Melbourne on July 12.
On May 31 in Melbourne, 5000 angry students marched against the increasing number of violent attacks on Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi students.
Last week’s university staff strikes across Victoria were in response to decades of attacks on higher education.
On May 18, human rights activists rallied outside Australian foreign affairs minister Stephen Smith’s office in Perth to protest against the treatment of Burma’s democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
The (International) Noise Conspiracy (T(I)NC) formed in Sweden in 1998. It’s well known for its strong political stance on many progressive issues. The band will be touring Australia until May 29. Dates are available at http://www.myspace.com/internationalnoiseconspiracy.