History - Australia - The Commons Social Change Library

Activism and Campaign History: Start Here

Activism and Campaign history – A range of resources about the history of First Nations, social and labour movements in Australia and beyond.

Draftmen Go Free: A History of the Anti-Conscription Movement in Australia

An in-depth account of the hundreds of campaigns and actions that were carried out across Australia against the war and conscription.

Defying Censorship: The New Theatre and Till The Day I Die

Read an excerpt from the book, The New Theatre: People Plays and Politics Behind Australia’s Radical Theatre.

Yellow triangle with words that read - vote for the franklin. The triangle is on top of an image of Rock Island Bend, a rock formation in the Franklin River. Steep rock cliffs with forest frame the river flowing towards a large rock outcrop that the river flows around.

Franklin River Campaign

Learn all about the successful Franklin River Campaign that took place in Tasmania in the 1980s. Includes videos & school resources.

ten dvd covers of movies about social movements struggles and leaders

Films and Documentaries about Social Movement Struggles, Victories and Leaders

Be inspired with this list of movies and documentaries about social movement struggles, victories and leaders – Selma, Milk, Silkwood, Norma Rae, Gandhi and more.

A large group of men on strike sitting on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in front of one of the opera house sails. Some are wearing hard hats

How Workers Defeated Anti-Strike Laws in the 1970s

Read an excerpt from the book, Without Bosses: Radical Trade Unionism in the 1970s, about workers retaining the right to strike.

Aboriginal Change Makers: Stories of Aboriginal Self-determination and Empowerment

Stories and event about the role of Aboriginal Change Makers in the fight for equality and a more just society for all of us.

Women Fighting Back in the Depression Years

Read about the role that women played in unemployed movements during the Depression Years in Australia in this book excerpt by Janey Stone.

an old black and white photo of a procession of people walking along a street outside a hotel with text on their roof that reads Royal Hotel

Beer Strikes: A History of Hotel Boycotts in Australia, 1900-1920

Watch this video presentation about beer strikes and the history of hotel / pub boycotts in Australia in the early 1900s.

a group of people protesting on the street wearing face masks and holding their fists in the air. There is a banner in the back reading Black Lives Matter. The person at the front wearing an Australian Aboriginal flag is holding their phone.

Australian Actions at Different Points of Intervention

Australian examples of actions that intensify impact in terms of ensuring visibility, challenging opponents, and disrupting narratives.

workers sitting on steps outside Opera House

The 1972 Sydney Opera House Work-In

Learn about the Sydney Opera House ‘work-in’ carried out by construction workers who expelled management & continued work under workers’ control.

a group of men in work clothes covered in coal dust wearing hard hats with miners lamps on the hats

The Nymboida Coal Mine Takeover, NSW, 1975–1979

How workers at the Nymboida coal mine in NSW resisted mass sackings by taking over and running the mine themselves in 1975. firstly through an occupation and then via union ownership.

Lines of Resistance: What can the Old Left offer today’s creatives?

Lines of Resistance: A Symposium on Media, Arts & Activism that profiles research on the role of media and visual arts in activist movements.

an illustration of a pair of scissors opened up to cut under the title which reads The Barber who read history

A Shelf of Reds: Neglected Radical Historians

Australian radical historians and activists, Rowan Cahill & Terry Irving, share a selection of books about radical Australian history.

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.

Protest poster - Aboriginal Australians in protest holding a sign that says No mining on sacred land. The wording on the poster says We, The People of Noonkanbah call for support.

Noonkanbah 1979: When Unionists Stood up for Aboriginal Rights

The Noonkanbah dispute was an important chapter in both the struggle for Australian Aboriginal rights and union solidarity in the 1970s-80s.

black screen with white writing - why would activists archive

Activist Archiving: Start Here

A list of articles and ideas from the Commons Librarians about resources to explore in archiving your work in social change.

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

Blockades that changed Australia including Jabiluka, the Bentley blockade, S11, Nookanbah and the Knitting Nannas.

The Australian Movement against Uranium Mining: Its Rationale and Evolution

Historical overview of the Australian movement against uranium mining, focussed on two major campaigns: Roxby and Jabiluka.

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