Back to Vic Division

Community Announcements 21 February 2012

Posted 21 February 2012 by Ken Norling (Vic Division)

If you have anything you'd like included in this listing, please contact the NTEU Vic Division at knorling@vic.nteu.org.au. If you would like to receive these announcements as a weekly email, go to http://eepurl.com/W1K-.

DISCLAIMER: Forwarding this information to you does not constitute any form of endorsement by the NTEU Victorian Division of the matters therein.

Wednesday 22 February
COME THE REVOLUTION: A MEMOIR
A talk with the author Alex Mitchell, veteran journalist and one-time editor of the UK Trotskyist daily newspaper The Workers Press. In this role he travelled to the Middle East and interviewed Yasser Arafat, Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi. 6.30 - 7.30 pm, The New International Bookshop Meeting Room, Basement Floor, Trades Hall, Carlton. Entry is by gold coin donation to The New International Bookshop. Drinks and snacks are available by donation.

Wednesday 22 February
KIM BARKER: THE TALIBAN SHUFFLE
Foreign correspondent Kim Barker’s personal account of reporting in Afghanistan and Pakistan, The Taliban Shuffle, is a fiercely honest – and occasionally hilarious – dissection of the absurdities of an intractable conflict. Barker, previously South Asia bureau chief for the Chicago Tribune, abandons the journalist’s conventional poker-faced neutrality for a mordant take on the newest American – and Australian – military quagmire. In conversation with Karen Middleton (An Unwinnable War). This is a free event; bookings are recommended. Make a booking http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=20129. 6:15PM - 7:15PM, The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale Street. Information: http://wheelercentre.com/

Wednesday 22 February
ARE MELBOURNE’S GROWTH AREAS SUSTAINABLE?
Key event on sustainable transport compered by Terry Laidler and hosted by the Metropolitan Transport Forum. Speakers include: Cr Glenn Goodfellow (City of Wyndham); Meredith Sussex (Administrator, City of Brimbank); Griff Davis (City of Whittlesea); Janet Rice (City of Hume); Paul Hamilton (City of Casey); Professor Michael Buxton and Peter Seamer, (CEO, Growth Areas Authority). The Metropolitan Transport Forum (www.mtf.org.au) is hosting this public event on sustainable transport as part of the Sustainable Living Festival (SLF) series of events during February 2012.  The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) and Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) are also sponsoring this event. 4.00 - 6.30 pm, Melbourne Town Hall. Free event but RSVP appreciated mtf@mtf.org.au

Thursday 23 February
SUSTAINABLE ART AND DESIGN - CONVERSATIONS AT EMERALD HILL
A series of public talks/forums to be held in the Emerald Hill precinct of South Melbourne that explore art, heritage and ideas through history and contemporary culture. Artists, designers, businesses and communities are developing innovative ways to work and live in an eco-friendly way. Benefits are environmental, economic, social and cultural. It is an opportunity for dialogue, networking and showcasing – open to everyone. 6 pm - 7.45 pm, Sth Melbourne Town Hall Theatrette - 208-220 Bank St. Free, but bookings essential: www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/conversations_emeraldhill.htm

Thursday 23 February
LUNCHBOX / SOAPBOX: HILARY CHARLESWORTH ON WOMEN AND THE NEW WAVE OF DEMOCRACY
Since the end of the Cold War, much international attention has been devoted to building democracies to replace authoritarian regimes. East Timor, Afghanistan, Iraq and last year’s Arab Spring are examples of this movement. But women seem to be the consistent losers in the new democracies: why is this so and what can we do about it? This is a free event, and no bookings are required. 12:45PM - 1:15PM, The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale Street. Information: http://wheelercentre.com/

Friday 24 February
OCCUPY MELBOURNE: OCCUPY FRIDAYS!
10am-10pm. City Square, cnr Collins & Swanston Sts, City. For more info visit http://occupymelbourne.org/.

Friday 24 February
WHAT ARE 'AUSTRALIAN VALUES'?
Forum and discussion on a vexed question. 6:30pm. Darebin Intercultural Centre, 59A Roseberry Ave, Preston. Entry free. Dinner available. Organised by Darebin Ethnic Community Council. For more info ph Suriyan on 0468 330 113.

Saturday 25 February
THE 99% VS THE 1%
The Occupy movement raises the question of how the 1% maintain their rule at the expense of the 99%. Can capitalism be reformed? Is socialism the only alternative? Can socialism be democratic? What would a socialist society look like? How can the 99% succeed in building an alternative society? Public meeting, followed by an introduction to Socialist Alliance. 2pm. Resistance Centre, Level 5, 407 Swanston St, City (opposite RMIT). For more info ph 9639 8622.

Saturday 25 February
REBELLION, REPRESSION & THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE IN SRI LANKA: THE LIONEL BOPAGE STORY
Panel discussion with Lionel Bopage, Michael Colin Cooke & Martin Mulligan. 5pm. Darebin Intercultural Centre, 59A Roseberry Ave, Preston. Free dinner. Organised by Darebin Intercultural Centre. For more info ph 8470 8440 or email intercultural@darebin.vic.gov.au.

Saturday 25 February
GREENING MORELAND FORUM: ACTING TOGETHER FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE NEIGHBOURHOOD
Zero Carbon Moreland presents a free event for residents and community groups to come together, explore what’s already happening, what we still need to do and how we can act together for a more sustainable Moreland. Participants will also have opportunities to calculate their carbon footprint, test ride electric bicycles, and get sustainability advice from the Moreland Energy Foundation team. Then wind down with a free BBQ lunch! This is a Sustainable Living Festival satellite event. 10am - 1pm Coburg Town Hall, 90 Bell St. Free, but bookings essential: Asha on 93858585 / asha@mefl.com.au / www.mefl.com.au

Sunday 26 February
CELEBRATE 12 MONTHS OF THE ARAB SPRING - BBQ & EGYPTIAN FEAST
2pm, 81 Rathmines St, Fairfield. The dramatic and stirring events in North Africa and the Middle East are showing the world the power of an aroused, determined and united people. The bloody, corrupt US-backed regimes are shaking. Celebrate these great days. Speakers: Reham Maklad (representative of April 6 Movement), Ghaleb Jaber (Gulf & Arabian Peninsula pro-democracy activist), Mahmood Alfardan (coordinator Australian Bahrain Forum). Music & Egyptian feast (Halal food available). $20 (solidarity), $15 (waged), $10 (conc). A fundraiser for Green Left Weekly. Children welcome. For more info ph 9639 8622 or 0413 377 978.

Monday 27 February
CELEBRATE WESTERN SAHARA NATIONAL DAY
Dinner and exhibition of paintings from the Saharawi refugee camps. Guest speaker: Carmela Baranowska, award winning documentary film-makker. Music by Brazilian Saba band Rio Samba. Drinks 6pm. Two-course dinner 7pm. The Clare, 421 Rathdowne St, Carlton. $45/$40. RSVP to Georgia 0425 702 975.

Tuesday 28 February
CO-RESISTANCE & THE JOINT POPULAR STRUGGLE IN PALESTINE
Public meeting: Since the beginning of the Al Aqsa Intifada, many Israeli activists appalled by what their government was doing in their name, have joined the weekly unarmed and non-violent demonstrations and activities in the Occupied West Bank, standing together with Palestinians to reject the Zionist state's land theft, violence, occupation and apartheid policies. This forum will be a discussion with Inbal Sinai, an Arab Jewish activist from Israel who is currently visiting Australia. 6:30pm. New International Bookshop, Trades Hall, cnr Victoria & Lygon Sts, Carlton South. Entry by donation. Organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign. For more information ph 0439 454 375.

Tuesday 28 February
MELBOURNE SUPPORTS THE STRIKING WORKERS IN INDIA!
5:30pm until 7:30pm, Federation Square. On February 28, over 100 million Indians will join together and walk off the job in what is likely be the largest strike of workers the world has ever seen. Workers around the world will be standing in solidarity with those fighting for economic justice in India. In Melbourne we invite all those who support worker's rights to join together at Fed Square, the site of several inspiring political actions involving Melbourne's Indian community. www.workerssolidaritymelbourne.org. More information: http://ntui.org.in/labour-news/item/trade-union-strike-called-in-feb-as-pm-will-not-talk-to-tus/

Tuesday 28 February
DOES THE RIGHT TO STRIKE EXIST IN AUSTRALIA?
6:30pm (meal from 6pm). Resistance Centre, Level 5, 407 Swanston St, City (opposite RMIT). Only dictatorships ban strikes don't they? Wrong. Australia has so many legal restrictions to stop workers taking meaningful industrial action that the right to strike is effectively illegal. Victorian nurses and state public servants were forced to lift their effective industrial bans. Qantas workers had done very little before being locked out and banned from taking industrial action. Speakers: Len Cooper (Communication Workers Union telecommunications state secretary and founder of right to strike campaign); Tim Gooden (Geelong Trades Hall Council secretary); Paul Gilbert (Australian Nurses Federation), a Baiada chicken factory worker (participant in 2011 strike). Organised by Socialist Alliance. For more info ph 9639 8622.

Tuesday 28 February
THE FUKUSHIMA DISASTER – ONE YEAR ON, THE INSIDE STORY
Bayside Climate Change Action Group – February meeting. On the first anniversary of the devastating tsunami which destroyed the Fukushima nuclear power station in Japan, the country continues to suffer the major after-effects, including massive dislocation and contamination of goods by nuclear radiation. The Japanese have responded in different ways including government, business, communities and individuals. Takeshi Kuno, an urban planner from Obu near the city of Nagoya, is visiting Australia on an exchange program with the City of Port Phillip. For Bayside Climate Change Action Group he’ll present his insights into how the Japanese are embracing sustainability in response to the tsunami and nuclear disaster. Also, Tomo Matsuoka and Kaz Preston, members of the Melbourne group ’Japanese for Peace’ will  talk about the nuclear issue in Japan more generally. Inquiries: Ken 0420 538 837, www.bccag.org.au. 7.30 pm, Uniting Church, Trentham Street, Sandringham, Gold coin requested.

Wednesday 29 February
MELBOURNE CONVERSATIONS RIO+20: SHAPING OUR FUTURE, TELLING YOUR STORIES
Twenty years on from the Rio 1992 Earth Summit, the City of Melbourne in partnership with the United Nations Association of Australia (Vic) invites you to an important discussion in the lead up to the UN’s Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development in June. OurSay (http://www.oursay.org/), the digital democracy organisation, will capture your burning questions, eco-stories and achievements from the past 20 years, so you have the opportunity to contribute. Join Melbourne Conversations on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/melbourneconversations?sk=info. 6pm -8pm (entry from 5:30pm), Melbourne Town Hall. All welcome and entry free, but seating is limited so RSVP http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=20494 to secure your place.

Thursday 1 March
MULTIPLE CLIMATE CHANGE POLICIES: KILLING NO BIRDS WITH TWO STONES?
Europe wastes billions of euros by having overlapping climate-change policies. Is Australia about to make the same mistake? A price on carbon is critical for effective climate change policy. But what happens when cap-and-trade is combined with other policy instruments? Dr Cameron Hepburn will explain why more than a carbon price is needed and the potential pitfalls from multiple overlapping instruments that can interact in undesirable ways, undermining rather than complementing a carbon price. He will be joined by an expert panel to discuss how we might learn from Europe’s experience. 6:30 pm to 8 pm Carrillo Gantner Theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, University of Melbourne. All welcome. Free

Thursday 1 March
FAIR TRADE OR FREE TRADE? THE TRANS-PACIFIC FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
6:00-8:00pm, RMIT City Campus, Building 56, Level 4, Room 81, Corner of Queensberry and Lygon Streets. Entrance on Queensberry Street. Sponsored by the ACTU and AFTINET. Speakers include: Ged Kearney (ACTU); Professor Jane Kelsey (University of Auckland); Dr Kyla Tienhaara (ANU); Dr Deborah Gleeson (Public Health Association Australia). Facilitator: Dr Patricia Ranald, AFTINET. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPPA) free trade agreement negotiations between Australia, the US, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam are continuing at the Melbourne Convention Centre on March 1-9. For more information see Australian Fair Trade & Investment Network Ltd www.aftinet.org.au or contact Amy 9664 7385, aschwebel@actu.org.au

Saturday 3 March
SOLIDARITY GARAGE SALE & CULTURAL DAY/NIGHT IN SUPPORT OF LATIN AMERICAN STRUGGLES
11:00am until 11:30pm, Northcote Uniting Church, 251 High Street, Northcote. Come and join us in a day of live music, dance and poetry. Latin American docos screening and information tables from different groups. And garage sale: clothes, books, furniture, bric-a-brac, computers, etc. Food and drinks available. Garage sale from 11am in the church hall. Cultural performances from 2pm in the courtyard. If you've got anything in good condition you'd like to donate to our garage sale, please contact us on 0425 539 149. All proceeds to support travel costs for CONFECH representative from University of Concepción – Chile, visiting Australia in a speaking tour during April this year...just in a couple of months... we need to continued supporting the inspiring struggle of Chilean students for free and quality education in Chile now! Latin American Solidarity Network (LASNET) www.latinlasnet.org, www.latinamericansolidaritynetwork.org, http://www.facebook.com/lasnet

Saturday 3 March
FEST LA FROG: URBAN ECO FEST
Showcasing sustainable and organic, music and art, this event will be even bigger and better than last years. Fest La Frog is paving the way for the future of festivals by using solar-powered stages, local artists, solar boosted organic food and beverages. Fest La Frog has a zero waste policy and last year 650 people onsite created only a handful of landfill and half a recycling bin worth of packaging! 1:30-10pm. CERES Community Environment Park, cnr Roberts & Stewart Sts, Brunswick. For more info visit Fest La Frog. http://www.festlafrog.com/

Monday 5 March
PUBLIC FORUM: TRANS-PACIFIC FREE TRADE AGREEMENT AND ACCESS TO MEDICINES
6:00-7:30pm, University of Melbourne, Executive Lounge, 1st Floor, Alan Gilbert Building, 161 Barry Street, (Corner of Grattan and Barry Streets), Melbourne. Sponsored by the Public Health Association of Australia. Speakers include: Ms Sanya Reid-Smith, (Third World Network); Mr John Rock (APN + People Living With HIV in the Asia Pacific Region); Mr Matt Cleary (Medecins Sans Frontieres). The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPPA) free trade agreement negotiations between Australia, the US, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam are continuing at the Melbourne Convention Centre on March 1-9. For more information see Australian Fair Trade & Investment Network Ltd www.aftinet.org.au

Thursday 8 March
FAIR DEAL OR NO DEAL
Lunch Time Rally against The Trans-Pacific Free Trade Agreement. 12:30 to 1:15pm, forecourt of the Melbourne Entertainment and Exhibition Centre, enter from the Convention Centre Place or from Clarendon Street. Sponsored by Victorian Trades Hall Council. Further details closer to the event. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPPA) free trade agreement negotiations between Australia, the US, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam are continuing at the Melbourne Convention Centre on March 1-9. For more information see Australian Fair Trade & Investment Network Ltd www.aftinet.org.au

Thursday 8 March
THE MONTHLY ARGUMENT – THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT: AN INFANTILE DISORDER?
Melbourne University Graduate House, 220 Leicester St, Carlton. For more info visit http://themonthlyargument.wordpress.com/

Thursday 8 March
HALF THE SKY - THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY CONCERT
Presented by the International Women’s Development Agency. Featuring: Natalie Pa’apa’a, Deborah Conway & Willie Zygier, Vika and Linda Bull, Tina Del Twist Flap!, Briony MacKenzie, She Said Zed, The Sunshine Sisters AND MC Rachel Berger. All proceeds go to International Women’s Development Agency to fund their work with women across Asia and the Pacific. Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au. For more information visit www.iwda.org.au

Sunday 11 March
DAY OF ACTION TO END URANIUM MINING: FUKUSHIMA ONE YEAR ON
Australia is one of the largest suppliers of uranium to Japan, not to mention Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). The Australian government confirmed that Australian uranium was actually used in the reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. In spite of Australia's involvement in this ongoing nuclear disaster, it continues to expand its uranium mining activities and exports (such as the Federal government’s decision to allow uranium exports to India) and the expansion of BHP's Olympic Dam mine. 1pm. State Library, cnr Swanston & Latrobe Sts, City. Organised by MAPW, ICAN, Japanese for Peace and others. For more info visit http://www.11march.com/.

Tuesday 13 March
ANTIWAR DINNER - REPORT-BACK FROM YOKOHAMA & NUCLEAR INDUSTRY UPDATE
Medical Association for the Prevention of War hold a regular bi-monthly dinner with a guest speaker. Our March speaker will be Dr Margaret Beavis, who has just returned from the massive global conference on nuclear power in Japan who will update us on both Japan and the global movement. La Notte, 140 Lygon Street Carlton. $30fixed price menu, plus a voluntary donation to cover any student members who pay $15. All welcome. RSVP to secretary@mapw.org.au or ph 9439 7272.

Friday 16 March
103 YEARS OF CELEBRATION – GEELONG TRADES HALL LABOUR DAY DINNER
Guest speaker: ACTU President Ged Kearney. $75.00 per head – 3 course meal, wine, beer, soft drink included. 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm, Buckley’s Entertainment Centre, Fellmongers Rd, Breakwater. RSVP (by 9 March) Telephone: (03) 5221 1712 Email: gthc@webaxs.net

Saturday 17 March
CAMPAIGN LAUNCH: MELBOURNE SEXUALITY, SEX & GENDER COLLECTIVE
The collective has specifically been set up as a broad,inclusive group, with the goal of campaigning around issues which effect rainbow youth and young women. This campaign will target homophobia, transphobia and sexism, as well issues surrounding what is seen as the traditional notion of masculinity and how we can challenge what is seen as the traditional socially acceptable behaviours and attitudes of young men, through educationals and direct action campaigning. Come help us kick off a busy year of campaigning in 2012 with the campaign re-launch! Guest speakers include long time transgender rights activist Sally Goldner, Take Care (out there) co-ordinator Shane McMaster, and high school student and activist Carina Saunders talking about the relevance of feminism and the social pressures young women face. Level 10, 225 Bourke Street, City. For more info ph 9639 8622.

Sunday 18 March
RAW (RESPECT ALL WILDLIFE) FAMILY FESTIVAL
At the Morning Star Estate, Mornington. RAW 2012 highlights the local community’s commitment to the environment, conservation and animal rights. Raw 2012 will be a family focused event hosting an action packed day full of entertainment and interactive educational experiences. There will be bands, drumming groups, roaming entertainers, hands on animal experiences, face painting, rides, games, educational talks and much more. More information: www.raw.org.au