By Bronwen Beechey
MELBOURNE — Peace, environment and solidarity groups will be joining together between October 21 and 25 to demonstrate against an event that has been described as "Aidex on wings".
The Australian Air Show and Aerospace Expo, to be held at Avalon Airport, will have more than 100 companies displaying their wares to politicians and public officials, military officers and defence officials from Australia and around the world.
The final two days of the Expo are to be promoted as "family" days, featuring displays by the Royal Flying Doctor Service and other "safe" organisations. But according to Dimity Hawkins of the Stop Aerospace Campaign, this is simply a screen to hide the real nature of the event.
"The display will be 70-80% military based", Hawkins told Green Left Weekly. "Two hundred billion dollars' worth of infrastructure will be sold to countries of the Asia Pacific region by the year 2000. We are told that this is the spending spree Australia has to have in this time of recession. Australia spends $1.6 million per day on defence aeronautic equipment, with the Defence Department projecting to spend $3 billion at this particular arms sale."
The demonstrations will also highlight the fact that human rights are constantly violated by countries that are regular customers at these arms sales. Solidarity groups are expected to be in the forefront of actions at the Expo, opposing Australia's continued support of such regimes.
Environmental issues will also be raised. "The environmental degradation caused by the military is astounding", Hawkins said. "The US defence machine is the biggest polluter, and the recent Gulf War was the biggest environmental disaster ever. Military exercises such as Kangaroo 89 and 92 entail the trampling of extremely sensitive environmental areas in Australia and the desecration of Aboriginal sacred sites."
The campaign will be coordinating demonstrations in the city and at the Avalon site. Hawkins believes that a large number of people will want to be involved. "A campaign like this unites so many groups struggling for peace, social justice or our environment. When it comes to the arms trade, the whole lot is at stake."
The Stop Aerospace Campaign can be contacted by phoning (03) 419 8700, or writing to c/o PO Box 222, Fitzroy 3065.