Socialist Party Australia - SP Newsletter No.91

Includes regional activity, what’s on, news links and more....

The week that was

John Howard avoided an embarrassing split inside his own party this week after a compromise deal was made with dissident Liberal MPs around the question of his immigration policy. The deal only mildly touched up the edges of the existing policy and Howard's fundamentally racist and anti worker position on migration is fully in tact.

Howard was qoted as saying 'the government would maintain the basic elemants of its migration polocy, including mandatory detention, offshore processing and turning back boats before they arrive in Australia's migration zone'. In short the bosses will still decide who comes to Australia and the circumstances in which they come. But the circumstances of their indefinite detention will be looked at slightly more closely.

Long term detainees will also no longer be forced to sign away their legal rights as a condition of securing a new temporary visa to live in the community. The Greens welcomed the changes that will remove the requirement for detainees to sign away their legal rights and said "While that's welcome, it's a tiny change and the visa only applies to those the minister invites to apply and can only be granted at her whim. It's also not clear who it will apply to and what categories of detainees it will apply to,"

The Socialist Party also welcomes any progressive reforms made to the immigration system but points out that the immigration policies of all the establishment parties go hand in hand with their pro big business policies that give full support to the capitalist system.

The migration policies of the Liberals, Labor and the Greens are all anti worker and discriminate along class lines, they all support a system where bosses are free to move capital all over the world but workers are only allowed to live and work where they are deemed to be best assisting the bosses making more profits.

The Socialist Party will continue to fight against the mandatory detention of refugees as we have since the ALP introduced it and more recently since Howard has taken the idea to a new level.

The Socialist
Saturday 25th will be the last weekend of Issue 11. SP members and supporters are urged to get any remaining copies of the floor, out of the car boot, out of their locker - and into the hands of workers and young people around the country So if you have already sold one to all your regulars give a few away to people that wouldn't usually buy one. Congratulations to all the members who have already reached their target this month.

Regional Activity

Victoria

SP members in VIC are building for UNITE’s Youth march for real jobs and justice this Friday June the 24th. In particular leafleting schools to build for the high school strike on the day. If you can help leafleting or want to help out on the day (there are heaps of jobs to do). . Remember be at Fedeation Square this Friday 1pm to rally and march against Howard. There will be speeches, live bands and DJ's. Visit the UNITE or SP stall to join the fightback.

Melbourne City branch meets every Tuesday 7.00 pm @ Trades Hall Cnr Lygon and Victoria Streets Carlton. This weeks topic – The fight against conscription in Australia (WW1) All welcome

City Branch street stall every Saturday at Queen Victoria Market Cnr Victoria & Elizabeth St City 11.30am All welcome. For more info or to join SP in central Melbourne

Northern Melbourne Branch meets every Thursday 7.00 pm @ 3CR 21 Smith St Fitzroy. This weeks topic – The fight against conscription in Australia (WW1) All welcome

Northern Branch street stall every Saturday in Smith Street Collingwood outside Safeway supermarket 12.00pm. All welcome For more info or to join SP in Northern Melbourne

Whats on

Sunday 19th June is a big day in Melbourne there is a rally for refugee rights in Fitzroy and the Council for Single Mothers and their Children have a rally at the State Library. Unfortunately both are at 1pm but we want to send comrades to both. So all Melbourne members and supporters should meet at our Trades Hall office at 12.30 to organise our interventions.

NC members are reminded that following these demos at 3pm we will be having a NC phone hook up with WA and NSW also in our National Office.

Support rank and file unionism – Support 3CR's On The Picket Line show. Ring up this Sunday 10am to donate during this years radiothon. The target is to raise $1500 for Australia's best community radio station. No donation to big or small

New South Wales

Western Australia

Please note childcare is available at all SP meetings but only by prior arrangement please call ahead first.

News Links just a click away

Europe in turmoil – A socialist analysis
Read our latest analysis of the situation in Europe today, an in depth document published by the CWI International Secretariat.

Pakistan- Telecom strike remains solid as one union leadership betrays struggle
Regime uses ‘sticks and carrots’ to try to force through privatisation
Report by Khalid Bhatti, National Organiser, Trade Union Rights Campaign Pakistan

Ireland South - Historic victory for Turkish construction workers
The dispute at GAMA Construction, the Turkish multinational company, has ended with a victory for the workers.
Report by Kevin McLoughlin, Socialist Party, Dublin

Get Active - Join the fight back, Get Militant - Join the Socialist Party
The Socialist Party is the Australian section of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI).

‘Workers of the world unite – you’ve got nothing to lose but your chains’