The last month has been very successful and busy for Militant.
- Our educational weekend at Camp Eureka was our best ever according
to many who attended. It was a good opportunity for new members
to get a deeper understanding of socialist ideas and for others
to develop up a degree or two theoretically. We discussed the
history of the workers' movement from the 1850s until today; imperialism
and globalisation; the theory of the permanent revolution and
more. It was a great social weekend too and the children accompanying
adults also had a ball. We aim to have another educational camp
before the end of the before our 1998 National Conference at Camp
Eureka in February or March.
- In Geelong, we held an open air meeting together with the
Student Union at Deakin University talking about the terrible
free car park facilities and linking it in to the need to build
a strong student Left on campus. The meeting has followed by a
march of about 30-40 students to Administration with a petition.
They threatened 'an RMIT' ie occupation, unless the authorities
responded favourably. A follow-up rally was planned for a week
later. That night Militant hosted drinks at a Geelong Irish pub.
- In Melbourne, public meetings were held at Hoppers Crossing
(for the second time) with three new people in attendance, and
at Dandenong (as we go to press). The branch in Melbourne has
now divided into two - a city and a northern suburbs branch. The
latter has received great publicity in the Moreland Courier, with
branch treasurer Lucy Beaton interviewed under a headline, 'Militant
sets its sights on the north'.
- Again in Melbourne, branch members have been busy helping
the key CFMEU picket line at West Melbourne and other important
rank and file work in the postal union, metal workers, secondary
teachers' union, tertiary union, and fighting a key victimisation
case of a Telstra worker. Some of this work is reported on elsewhere
in the paper and the rest will be in next month.
- We have been building the New Labour Party, discussing perspectives
for our student work in 1998, reorganising our trade union work,
running six educational classes a week, and publishing the national
newsletter and newspaper.
- As well as this the usual work of the branches has been maintained
such as regular papers at Flinders St Station on Friday afternoons,
and on Saturday mornings at Preston Market, Barkly Square Brunswick,
and at Victoria Market.
- At VUT (St Albans campus), Militant member Chloe Beaton has
been elected unopposed to the Student Union and will be General
Secretary in 1998. She has a strong team of Militant members behind
her and hopefully we won't be in the same situation as at La Trobe
University this year, where we had four members on the SRC (including
three office bearers), leading to them working day and night to
keep the student organisation alive while party work, political
education, and link with other comrades in the trade unions and
elsewhere suffered. It was a credit to them, by the way, that
the Left vote was maintained at La Trobe, despite losing the election
due to a big rise in Greek students voting for a chauvinist anti-Macedonian
ticket, giving their preferences to the Liberals.