when it comes to Racist Refugee Laws

Liberal and Labor support:

• Mandatory detention of refugees
• Restrictions on the legal rights of refugees
• Calling refugees "queue jumpers"
• Using refugees as a racist diversion from the social effects of economic rationalism and globalisation

We Say:

• Families don't "queue" when fleeing repression
• No to mandatory detention
• Integration of refugees into the community, with English-as-a-second language courses and full welfare entitlements for all
• Full support for the campaign to close down the detention centres
• Undercut support for racism by fighting for the right to a job and home for all refugees and all local residents. The government's approach to refugees is used to divide working people and divert attention away from privatisation, spending cuts and capitalist globalisation

Fight for the rights of skaters!

By James Trumble

IT HAS been a fantastic month for Young Socialist League (YSL) and the Young Workers' Association (YWA) with so many achievments made. We had a stall and marque at the Big Day Out in Melbourne and signed about 120 new members to YWA and a lot of interest was shown in launching a campaign against the way young people are treated in the work place. This is something we will organise later in the year.

But probably our greatest achievment was the Skate Rally we organised on the Friday night of February 16th in Melbourne against the proposal for skating to be banned in the inner city and the closing of the Skate Park to build new BHP offices.

After the rally it was decided that instead of banning skating in the city there would be "no skating zones" around major corprate areas where it's been decidced it is not suitable for young people to be. Alexandra Gardens, where the Council originally considered putting the new skate park, is a drug dealing area. Under pressure from the wealthy rowing club next door, the Council has now decided to look elsewhere. The rowers don't want to mix with skaters!

We are demanding that the alternative site be at least as good as the current one. That means consulting skaters on the planning of the new skate park. We are meeting with the construction workers' union, the CFMEU, to seek their support. We are the victims when the skate park is closed down and the construction site begins. We are confident that construction workers will back our claim for a decent alternative site near or in the city centre. A new site will create more jobs for them.

This is not just an attack on skaters, this is one of many moves against young people pushing them further out of the city. The city is being made a corprate place where the young and poor are not wanted. Businesses in the city have two votes each! They have pressurised the Council on this issue and last year they pushed hard against safe injecting facilities for heroin users.

We will not allow big business dictate our future!

• Oppose the big business drive to privatise the city centre and the remaining public spaces
• An alternative Skate Park in or very near the City
• Public transport and environment before profits and cars Join the Young Socialist League and fight for your rights