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.
Tag
History – Australia
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.
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.
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.
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.
Stepping Out For Peace: A History of the Campaign Against Nuclear Energy in Australia CANE and People for Nuclear Disarmament PND (WA)
Introduction Stepping Out For Peace is an oral history of activism carried out by Western Australian groups People for Nuclear Disarmament (WA) and its forerunner the Campaign Against Nuclear Energy. It includes a detailed and heavily illustrated account of campaigns from the 1970s onwards against uranium mining, nuclear reactors, nuclear weapons, and militarism. In doing […]
Podcasts About Decolonisation, First Nations Justice and Invasion Day
People’s History of Australia-podcast and blog looking at Australian history from the perspective of ordinary people fighting together for a better life.
Reconciliation in the forest? An exploration of the conflict over the logging of native forests in the south west of Western Australia
Why two Western Australian social movement organisations on opposite sides of the logging debate continued to contest WA’s forest policy for so long.
Project Iceberg: Fremantle’s Response to Visiting Nuclear Warships in the 1980s
A history of the unique nonviolent civil disobedience activities of a group of mainly Fremantle residents aimed at visiting US nuclear warships between 1983 and 1985.
Stories of Unemployed Activism from Radical Melbourne: 1906-1982
Introduction Four stories about actions – demonstrations, pickets, eviction resistance and occupations – that the unemployed people of Melbourne carried out from 1906 to 1982. These stories come from the Radical Melbourne 1 & 2 books by Jeff and Jill Sparrow, published by Vulgar Press in 2001 and 2004. The books feature dozens of stories […]
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.
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.
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.
The 1931 Perth Treasury Building Riot: Unemployed workers during the Great Depression
Unemployed workers during the Great Depression, the repression they faced, and the protests and tactics they used to fight for their rights.
Films about Women and Social Justice and Change
An inspiring list of feature films and documentaries about women and social change including Women of Steel, Suffragette, Mission Blue, She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry and more.
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.
People’s History of Australia Podcast
People’s History of Australia-podcast and blog looking at Australian history from the perspective of ordinary people fighting together for a better life.
The Jabiluka Blockade – 22 years on
Do you know about one of Australia’s most effective anti-nuclear blockades? The Jabiluka blockade in 1998 stopped the Ranger Uranium Mine in Australia. This article includes the campaign timeline and many further resources.