Iain McIntyre

Protesters blockading at Bentley in NSW against the coal and gas industry in 2014. A landscape view of the blockade with the sun on the horizon creating a beautiful light over the site with many people and colourful flags. Protestors have climbed tripods. There is a person dressed as an angel at the top of one. Text over the top of the image says Blockades that changed australia

Blockades that changed Australia

Learn about 8 blockades that changed Australia including Jabiluka, the Bentley blockade and the Knitting Nannas.

man buried in the earth in soil with his head poking out. He is wearing a hat and playing a recorder.

Environmental Blockading in Australia and Around the World – Timeline 1974-1997

A timeline of blockades against logging, development, mining in Australia and around the world from the seventies to the nineties.

Resources About Australian Housing Justice and Unwaged Rights Campaigns

Resources focused on case studies and stories of how communities have organised to secure housing, financial and other support for the unwaged and those on low incomes.

linocut of silhouette of workers outside shut factory gates

Jim Munro and the Unemployed Workers Movement in the 1920s and 1930s

Jim Munro gives an account of how the Unemployed Workers Movement started and actions taken in the 1920s in Melbourne, Australia.

Two women lighting fire in stove in kitchen and cooking with pots and pans.

Squatting’s place in winning Emergency Housing, 1945-48

A talk about how the squatting of empty houses and military camps forced governments in Australia to provide emergency shelter in the 1940s.

big protest signs on a parade of cars heading down a city street

Tactics in a time of physical distancing: Examples from Australia’s progressive past

In response to the Coronavirus pandemic the Commons is sharing protests, campaigns and events from the past which highlight ways we can undertake action whilst maintaining safe health practices and physical distance.

illustrated dog walking with transistor radio listening to music

Social Change Radio Directory

Community broadcasters are an important part of social movements. The Commons Social Change Radio Directory includes details of almost 100 radio shows from 5 Australian states.

school students striking on Melbourne street in 2019

Mass organising calls and webinars

Need to make the most of a hot campaign moment, mobilise people and create local actions? Tips and advice from 3 experts on how to organise mass calls and webinars.

$Man addressing anti-fracking rally in the Northern Territory, Australia wearing a tshirt that says 'Ban fracking Protect Country' with the logo SEED$

Community Mapping

What is community mapping? Learn from organisers that have used the community mapping model to empower their own communities.

Female highschool walking in protest against inaction on climate change holding painted pandanus mat with words 'stop adani'.

“When the bombs drop, school stops” – Eight decades of Australian school strikes and direct action

Australia has a long history of students walking out of the classroom to demand change. A timeline of Australian school strikes from the 1930s until 2019.

Art for Change: Interview about fundraising with art

An interview with Brenda from Art for Change, a group of artists who donate time and art to help humanity, with useful tips on how to fundraise with art.

Cyclists at a critical mass event hold their bicycles above their heads.

Pranks, performances and protestivals: Public Events

Creative tactics for social change: A number of examples of fun, empowering and engaging actions incorporating a creative approach.

An image of Jesus Christ with 'Refugee' text across the image.

Items of Mass Instruction Posters, Stickers, Memes and More

Creative tactics for social change: Different ways of spreading messages and information in a creative way… memes, posters, postcards, stencils, etc.

Letterbox with YES written on it and rainbow colours in support of gay marriage rights

Changing the world via shock and beauty: Visual Artworks

Creative tactics for social change: Different ways of spreading messages and information in a creative way, including placards, plaques, projections and craftivism.

Art of Bunnings employees on garage door and fence with speech bubble saying "just dropping our penalty rates"

Creative activism 101 An antidote for despair

Creative troublemaking! What is creative activism? Why do we use creative tactics? What are the advantages of using cheek, shock and surprise?

From Little Things Big Things Grow Events That Changed Australia

A list of small actions and major events which challenged the state of Australian society and pointed to better ways forward.

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'.

BUGA-UP

Formed in 1979, Billboard Utilising Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions (BUGA-UP) made its mark on hoardings around the nation. By revising advertising slogans and disrupting tobacco-sponsored events, the group revealed the true cost of tobacco and alcohol company deception.

Uncle Kevin Buzzacott stands in front of a large banner depicting a black hand against a red and yellow nuclear symbol.

Interview with Kevin Buzzacott

Kevin Buzzacott is a key figure in the opposition to the South Australian Olympic Dam mine and the nuclear industry in general. In this interview he outlines a number of the creative actions he has taken part in as part of a series of campaigns addressing the issues of dispossession and Aboriginal sovereignty.

Treesits, lock-ons and barricades: Environmental blockading in the 1980s

From 1979 to the 1990s Australia, Canadian and American activists took part in a series of environmental blockades to defend old growth forests, rivers and other biodiverse places. Join Iain McIntyre for a series of conversations with the blockaders who took part in these campaigns.

Always look on the bright side of life: The AIDEX ’91 story

In 1991 over 1000 protesters blockaded the National Exhibition Centre in Canberra with the goal of shutting down the Australia International Defence Exhibition. This book includes a detailed account of the blockade, the context of the growth of the Australian arms industry, and the words of the protesters themselves.

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