Resolutions: Socialist Alliance Victorian State Conference June 2009

The following resolutions were passed by the June 27 Victorian State Conference of the Socialist Alliance.

1. HONDURAS

The Victorian conference of Socialist Alliance condemns the attempted military coup in Honduras and will support any solidarity actions which are initiated.


2. ALP’S NEW BUILDING WORKER LAWS & ABCC

This Victorian State Conference of Socialist Alliance notes that the federal government’s amendment of the Building Construction Industry Improvement Act maintains special laws and special police to control workers and their unions in the construction industry through monitory and penal sanctions. The ALP has deliberately introduced pro big business laws designed to weaken the role of unions and penalise workers.

The “Fair Work Act” also is not designed for the continuing development of free and unfettered trade unionism. It is a continuation of the conservative Workchoices Act and therefore must be resisted.

Socialist Alliance does not support these laws and will expose the hypocrisy of those who accept them.

SA members will take what ever measures they can to campaign against these laws, including participating in any campaign lead by union/s, where this does not happen – initiating actions designed to begin an opposition campaign, raising the issue within their unions, expose those who argue for the laws or not to take action against the ALP, help to build any actions around the Ark Tribe campaign, research and document struggle against the IR laws for publication.


3. TROOPS OUT OF AFGHANISTAN

With the Australian and US governments increasing military intervention in Afghanistan, and extending the war into Pakistan, it is important that Socialist Alliance take steps to rebuild the anti-war movement in Melbourne.

Socialist Alliance will seek out groups which might participate together to organise a protest on the anniversary (7 October) of the invasion of Afghanistan.


4. TAMIL SOLIDARITY

This Conference condemns the support given by successive Coalition and Labor governments to the Sri Lankan government for its repression of the Tamil people. Socialist Alliance pledges to work with the Tamil community to begin building a broad Tamil solidarity campaign.


5. FREEDOM FOR TAMILS

The Victorian conference of Socialist Alliance calls on the Sri Lankan government to:

* release Tamils from detention and allow them to return to their lands and homes

* immediately halt plans to further change the population demographic in the north and east by transferring Sinhalese into the Tamil areas

* Close down military bases in the north and east

* allow aid from the Tamil diaspora to be sent to the Tamil population without impediment from Sri Lankan authorities

* allow safe and unconditional access of overseas Tamils to Sri Lanka

* Allow international aid groups and human rights monitors access to the Tamil regions

* Allow immediate and unhindered media access to Tamil regions, including detention camps.

* Allow a human rights tribunal to investigate acts of war crimes, disappearances and murder of both Tamils and Sinhala journalists.


6. SWITCH OFF HAZELWOOD

The next major climate action in Victoria is Switch Off Hazelwood on 12-13 September at the Hazelwood power station in the Latrobe Valley. Socialist Alliance supports this action and will do what it can to publicise the action and mobilise for it.


7. NO TO RACISM

The courageous protests by Indian students drew attention to the racist attacks that South Asian students are experiencing. Initially the police and the government denied that racism was involved in the attacks, then the premier announced that he was going to march in the Walk for Harmony on Sunday 12 July.

The best response to racism is for a broad community mobilisation against racism, involving other communities that experience racism. This conference proposes that Socialist Alliance initiates an anti-racism contingent in the Walk for Harmony.


8. REFUGEES AND THE CLOSURE OF CHRISTMAS ISLAND DETENTION CENTRE

While the Rudd government has improved some things for refugees, it has retained the Howard government's mandatory detention policy and still discourages asylum seekers from coming to Australia.
The Victorian conference of Socialist Alliance calls on the Rudd government to:
* end off –shore and on-shore detention, shut down Christmas Island Immigration Detention Centre and end the mandatory detention policy
* grant asylum to refugees waiting overseas for a country that will accept them instead of trying to stop asylum seekers from coming to Australia by pursuing people smugglers.

*abolish the billing of asylum seekers for the cost of their detention

* fast-track the processing of family re-union applications for those refugees who spent years in long-term immigration and who now hold Permanent Protection Visas

We also reject and condemn the Rudd government’s attempt to blame ‘people smuggling’ as the basis of the problem rather than the causes being torture, war etc


9. TAMIL DOCTORS

This Conference condemns the detention of 3 Tamil doctors who were working in Vanni in Sri Lanka and calls for their immediate and unconditional release.


10. ELECTIONS

The federal Labor government has betrayed working class people on the issues of industrial relations, the indigenous intervention and climate change and the Brumby government is on the nose for its closeness to corporate interests. This makes it vital that there be a clear anti-capitalist ticket in the upcoming elections.

(a) Socialist Alliance will stand candidates in the upcoming federal and state elections. The next Socialist Alliance state conference in 2009 will pre-select our senate candidates.

(b) Create an ongoing election campaign fighting account to make it easier for nominated candidates to track expenses and to allow members to contribute financially to the fund over the years.


11. NEXT STATE CONFERENCE

That we hold another state conference in September/October 2009.