Antje, Author at The Commons

World Peace Day March near the Hotel Australia, King William Street, North Adelaide, 1969. People have signs, which read, "End Conscription", "Save our Sons", and "Bring our boys back".

Australian women protest conscription during Vietnam War [Save Our Sons (SOS)], 1965-1972

Save Our Sons opposed military conscription for Australia’s role in the United States invasion and occupation of Vietnam.

Crowd of strikers in Market Square, Brisbane

Australians general strike for right to unionize, Brisbane, Australia, 1912

Brisbane unionists organised a general strike in 1912 to protect and enhance the rights of tramways workers to organise.

Photograph of a billboard advertising Winfield cigarettes. The billboard advertising reads 'Anyhow... Winfield 25s'. Graffiti has been inserted so it reads 'Anyhow buga up a Winfield 25'.

Billboard Utilising Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions (BUGA UP) campaigns against tobacco advertising, Australia, 1978-1994

Civil disobedience actions reversed tobacco advertising messages to show the negative health effects of cigarettes.

anti nuclear protestors on USS Worden ship with protest banners saying No Nuclear Weapons

Australians campaign against nuclear power and uranium mining, 1974-1988

Street marches and trade union action typified Australian resistance to the building of nuclear reactors and uranium mining and export.

Change Makers (Text on orange background)

ChangeMaker Chat with Jane McAlevey: Winning Change Through Organising

A chat with Jane McAlevey, United States social movement organiser and trainer, about organising for workers’ rights.

Dilemma Actions: the power of putting your opponent in a bind

A study of 44 dilemma actions over the last 90 years examines the many benefits of creative protests for social movements.

Circular orange badge featuring at centre the slogan 'Stop the 71 tours' in black text and 'Anti-apartheid movement - fight apartheid' at bottom of badge.

Australians block cricket and impede rugby tour of apartheid South Africa, 1971

Anti-apartheid protesters impeded the South African Springboks rugby tour, and stopped the cricket tour, to protest racial inequality.

House Meeting Handbook: Harnessing the Power of Personal Networks and Storytelling to build Leadership and Support for your Campaign

The goal of this handbook is to help you build leadership, power, and the commitment to win your campaign with the help of house meetings.

protestors with a banner that says Thanks but no tanks

Thanks But No Tanks: Learnings from Disrupt Land Forces [Brisbane: 2021]

Actions and learnings from Australia’s Disrupt Land Forces Campaign at the Brisbane’s 2021 Land Forces weapons expo.

Writing Engaging Articles

A list of tips on how to write engaging articles from The Commons Social Change Library. Engage with topic, structure, tone and formatting.

A desk in a brightly lit room, with a laptop, coffee and coffee cup, and a notebook and pen sitting on it.

Writing for The Commons Social Change Library

Do you have an idea, case study, how to or article you would like to write in relation to social change? We would love to hear from you!

Greenpeace and Sea Shepherds force Japanese seafood company Nissui to sell stakes in whale hunting ships 2005-2006

Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd initiated a consumer boycott against Sealord Tuna to end whaling by its parent company, Nissui.

Black and white photograph of a sign that reads: 'GURINDJI Mining Lease and Cattle Station'.

Australian Aboriginal workers strike for fair wages and equality, 1946-1949

Indigenous pastoral workers in the Kimberley region of Western Australia struck for equal wages and full civil rights in the late 1940s.

Indigenous Gurindji win Land Rights in Australia (Wave Hill Walk Off) 1966-1975

The Gurindji of Wave Hill Station (Northern Territory) protested by a walkout against low wages, leading to the land rights movement.

Greenpeace pushes for global ban on CFCs 1986 – 1995

Greenpeace International agitated for a ban on chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to protect the global ozone layer from ultraviolet radiation. This case study describes the campaign.

Greenpeace pressures Coca-Cola to phase out HFC refrigeration for Olympic Games in Australia 2000-2004

Greenpeace International agitated for Coca Cola to desist from HFC refrigerants prior to the Sydney Summer Olympics in 2000.

The flag of the Torres Strait Islands. It features a white Dhari (traditional headdress), with a five-pointed white star beneath it. The background is dark blue, with green stripes at the top and bottom of the flag.

Torres Strait soldiers stage stay at home strikes, 1943

Torres Strait Islander soldiers strike to end discrimination in the army during World War Two.

Torres Strait Islanders hold maritime strike against pearling industry, 1936

Torres Strait Islanders refused work in the Native Affairs pearling fleet due to racial discrimination and held a maritime strike in 1936.

Black and white photograph of a large crowd of protestors. Banners include 'Vietnam Moratorium Campaign' and 'Stop the Country to Stop the War'.

Vietnam Moratorium Campaign: Australian citizens force end to participation in Vietnam War

Australian civil society groups resisted military participation in the war in Vietnam through organised and nonviolent action, from the late 1960s to the early 1970s.

Practical Guide to Law and Protests in the Australian Capital Territory

A practical guide to help groups and individuals understand legal issues around organising and participating in non-violent direct actions in the Australian Capital Territory.

Archive