The eighth national conference of the Socialist Alliance in Australia decided to take a draft document titled “Towards a socialist Australia” through a nationwide public discussion and consultation process to promote a wide discussion about socialism in the 21st century.
This was part of the Alliance’s response to its assessment that along with the challenge socialists face to immerse themselves in the new wave of popular anti-capitalist struggles that have erupted, it is equally important that socialists take full advantage of the expanded political opening created by this new sentiment to win many more people to socialism.
“The global capitalist economic and environmental crises and the now global Occupy movement have opened a big public discussion about alternatives to capitalism,” said Susan Price, newly elected national co-convenor of the Socialist Alliance.
“We hope to advance this discussion by organising a series of forums and consultations in all major cities. We’ll invite a range of socialists and other progressive groups and individuals to give their input.
“The conference extends this dialogue beyond the organised left to trade unions, unions, faith-based communities, the First Nations, local governments and community-based activist organisations.”
At the ninth national conference of Socialist Alliance, to be held January 19-20, 2013, a redraft of the document, based on the year-long consultation process, will be reconsidered.
Green Left Weekly’s Europe correspondent Dick Nichols kicked off the conference’s discussion on the new world political situation at a packed out special presentation on January 20. Nichols, who is now based in Barcelona, spoke on the topic “The Indignado movement and beyond: Crisis, revolt and the left in Europe”.
This discussion was continued the next day with reports on the international situation by Mel Barnes and the Australian political situation by Paul Benedek.
The conference also reviewed the wide range of political activities Socialist Alliance members are involved in. This included movements for Aboriginal rights, such as fighting the racist Northern Territory intervention and the Gillard Labor government’s decision to extend its discriminatory provisions to other states, the campaign against Aboriginal deaths in custody, and campaigns to defend Aboriginal heritage sites in Tasmania.
SA members and Aboriginal activists Pat Eatock (who opened the conference) and Sam Watson — both veterans of the 1972 Aboriginal Tent Embassy protest — urged support for the 40th anniversary of the Tent Embassy, which took place over January 26 to 28.
Watson said in his greetings to the conference: “Back in January, 1972, I was invited down to the Embassy as the Minister for Information of the Brisbane Chapter of the Black Panther Party of Australia.
“That was my first visit to Canberra and I was invited to stay on and become a full-time staff member of the Tent Embassy. I stayed there until July, when the federal government enacted a law that gave them right to move the cops in and smash the tents.
“Over the next seven days, thousands of Blacks and our supporters, rallied, marched and fought pitched battles with the cops to put the tents back up.
“The embassy has now been there for 40 years and it has been the focal point of our national struggle ...
“This struggle has achieved great things; but there is still a long way to go. I want to acknowledge the enormous contribution that has been made to our struggle by our non-indigenous comrades and friends. We would never have succeeded to this stage without that strength and support from our comrades.”
The conference discussed other campaigns where Socialist Alliance members play active roles, such as the campaign against coal seam gas mining, the equal marriage rights campaign, refugee rights, international solidarity and anti-war campaigns, women’s rights and various trade union struggles.
Socialist Alliance members were also very active in the Occupy movement that came to Australia in October last year.
The Alliance made plans to build and strengthen its own organisation, but it also resolved to continue to try to unite with “anyone who supports the replacement of the capitalist system with a socialist system”.
“From our point of view, the door is always open to unity (or even practical proposals for greater collaboration) with others on the left, “ Alex Bainbridge said in the conference report on building the Socialist Alliance.
“We welcome the election of Anthony Main from the Socialist Party to Yarra City Council since our last conference and welcome the actual local alliances that have emerged in the last period: that is Community Voice in Wollongong and Left Unity in Adelaide. Further, we pledge our support to the Communist Party's election campaign in South Australia this month.”
The Socialist Alliance also decided to field two candidates in the upcoming March 25 Queensland state elections.
The conference received greetings in person from Greens NSW upper house parliamentarian David Shoebridge; Patrice Nyembo, President of the Congolese Community of Australia, Comrade Hom from the Nepalese People’s Progressive Forum and Victor-Hugo Munoz from the Latin America Social Forum.
Nelson Davila Lameda, the ambassador to Australia for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and Pedro Monzon Barata, the ambassador to Australia for the Republic of Cuba, sent warm messages to the conference.
Written greetings were presented from several parties and individuals: the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), the Labour Party Pakistan (LPP), Partido Lakas ng Masa (Philippines), John Riddell (Canada), Peoples Democratic Party (PRD) of Indonesia, Socialist Aotearoa, Left Unity, Aurora-POR (Spain), Janadesh Weekly (Nepal) and the Green Left current in the Green Party of England & Wales.
Susan Price and Peter Boyle were elected National co-convenors and Neville Spencer was elected national treasurer. The conference also elected 12 other members to SA’s national executive. A further 14 national executive members will be elected by state bodies.