Medicare public forum
ADELAIDE — A July 16 public meeting on defending Medicare organised by the Socialist Alliance was attended by 40 people.
The meeting was addressed by Fran Baum, professor of public health at Flinders University; Dr David Scrimgeour, a member of the Socialist Alliance national executive; and Brian Noone from the Greens.
Qld Peace Network conference
BRISBANE — The Queensland Peace Network-organised July 19 conference, attended by 90 anti-war activists, decided to endorse local plans to protest against the September 13 World Trade Organisation talks in Cancun, Mexico.
The conference also recommended the QPN adopt a policy recognising the right of return for Palestinians who have been made refugees as a result of the creation of the Israeli state.
A Statement of Peace document is currently being prepared as a result of workshop deliberations held at the conference. For more information visit .
Protest against free trade deal
CANBERRA — On July 22, a small rally was held outside thee Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) headquarters to protest against the proposed free trade agreement between Australia and the United States.
Organised by the Greens, the rally was addressed by Greens senator Kerry Nettle, a Greenpeace representative and ACTU president Sharan Burrow.
Anti-FTA rally
SYDNEY — A hundred people attended a rally against the proposed US-Australia free-trade agreement (FTA) outside NSW parliament on July 23. Organised by the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network (AFTINET), the rally coincided with the Sydney leg of the Senate committee inquiry into the General Agreement on Trade in Services and the FTA.
The rally was addressed by Australian Manufacturing Workers Union national secretary Doug Cameron, Greens senator Kerry Nettle, Labor senator Gavin Marshall, NSW Democrats MP Arthur Chesterfield-Evans and Pat Ranald from AFTINET.
Bankstown Resistance branch formed
SYDNEY — Following their successful efforts at building the Bankstown Books Not Bombs student network, members of the socialist youth organisation Resistance organised the first meeting of the Bankstown Resistance branch on July 19.
@point = The meeting focus on a discussion of last week's Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly cover story on the "bring us home" demands of US troops in Iraq and recent Resistance national conference decision to publish a new, a 32-page Resistance magazine.
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, July 30, 2003.
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