The Socialist Alliance (SA) met over January 10-12 at its to discuss its perspectives and plans for 2025, a federal election year.
Fifty three delegates from across the country discussed the international and local challenges.聽
The opening panel, 鈥淪ocialism for our Time鈥, featured activists from the Asia-Pacific, including the Socialist Party of Malaysia and Transformative Justice Collective in Singapore. They reflected on their experiences of building an anti-capitalist alternative in their respective countries.
SA national co-convenor Sam Wainwright spoke about how capitalism is driving the climate crisis as well as the genocide in Gaza, and stressed the importance of building a socialist alternative.
Delegates discussed how Western imperialism is taking the world to the brink, including its criminal exploitation of the Global South.
础苍听聽report showed the United States and its NATO allies account for聽more than half of the world's military spending, compared to China (which only accounts for聽10.2%).
A resolution on Venezuela, reiterating SA鈥檚 opposition to the US embargo and any foreign interference in its domestic affairs, was discussed. It criticised the Nicolas Maduro government鈥檚 refusal to release detailed results (as constitutionally required) of the July 28 presidential elections and its repression of the protests that followed. The resolution said the Venezuelan people have a right to verify the vote.
The political openings for socialists in Australia were discussed, including the climate change challenge, the pro-Palestine solidarity movement, unionists鈥 rights to organise and the growing cost-of-living and housing crises.
Special attention was given to discussing the Palestine campaign and how SA could help develop it into a more potent political force.
Delegates also decided to prioritise participating and supporting Rising Tide People鈥檚 Blockade and to investigate further opportunities to campaign for housing justice.
SA also decided to host Ecosocialism 2025 in Naarm/Melbourne in September and will support 麻豆传媒鈥檚 campaign to fund its website upgrade and grow its supporter base.
It decided to contest the federal election, where practicable, and voted for an updated SA's policy platform. Jacob Andrewartha, Sam Wainwright and Sue Bull were reelected national co-convenors.
A Marxist Summer School, held over two days before the conference, discussed the relevance of understanding the national question and fighting for national self-determination today, drawing on the debates and ideas from Vladimir Lenin, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and Rosa Luxembourg.
Conference attendees also joined a walking tour of Glebe, once a thriving working-class suburb, where the struggle for public housing is in full swing against Labor鈥檚 privatisation efforts.
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