Sick of capitalism? Yeah, us too. That’s why we’re organising the Marxism Conference, the biggest anti-capitalist gathering in Australia. Here are seven reasons why you should join us over the Easter weekend.
1. You can name drop a few inspiring radical figures, like Malcolm X, Angela Davis or Rosa Luxemburg, but you’re not sure you can trust what your textbooks said about them. History is full of rebels whose amazing personal stories are intertwined with inspiring social movements and revolts against the system. The conference is an opportunity to learn more about these individuals, draw inspiration from their experience and unlearn the conservative spin of the school curriculum.
2. You’ve saved a few sick Instagram posts about the ingenious strike methods deployed in France, inspiring women in Iran or the strike wave hitting the UK. Across the world, people are taking to the streets to fight against exploitation and oppression. The Marxism Conference offers a unique opportunity to hear from and meet seriously staunch radicals from all over the world. One of these unmissable guest speakers is Hossam el-Hamalawy, an Egyptian journalist, revolutionary socialist and active participant in the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
3. You’re seriously concerned about the influence of the far right in global politics. For these monsters to be stopped, more left-wing people need to understand what we are up against. One of the themes of this year’s conference is discussing the modern far right, debating theories of fascism and unearthing vital histories of movements that have stood in their way.
4. You’re mad that corporate greed is destroying the planet. The climate crisis is already here. Meanwhile, fossil fuel companies continue to expand and make record profits. Maybe you aren’t sure if there’s a way out of this disaster? The Marxism Conference is chock-full of sessions designed to break beyond the bullshit greenwashing and argue for radical solutions to the climate crisis.
5. You were part of the gang at school that hated Andrew Tate and his legion of incel minions. Or maybe you marched last year for abortion rights, when five supreme misogynists voted to strip millions of Americans of their reproductive rights. Another theme of the conference is dedicated to understanding the roots of gender and sexual oppression, dissecting the contending ideas of different theorists and organising a serious fightback to defend our rights.
6. You’re an anti-racist, a regular at Invasion Day marches and want to hear the real story of colonialism in Australia. This country was built on genocidal dispossession, a process that still informs Indigenous oppression today. At Marxism, telling the truth about the crimes of Australia will take centre stage. Even better, the conference is a megaphone for radical fighters against oppression, including the legendary Aboriginal activist and historian Dr Gary Foley. If you haven’t heard him speak before, get keen for what will be a seriously captivating session.
7. You’re looking to meet more like-minded people who want to change the world as much as you do. Marxism Conference is about bringing together as many left-wing people as possible from across the country because we want to understand the world in order to change it. It isn’t a series of lectures, with one expert talking to a room of bobble heads, and it’s the opposite of bingeing Netflix alone in your room. This is a space where you can bring your own ideas and questions. It’s an opportunity to learn how the world works and how it can be radically changed for the better. Do yourself a favour: get a ticket now.
By agreeing to pass the safeguard mechanism reforms, Labor’s signature climate policy, the Greens have helped greenwash the continued expansion of fossil fuels.
Last week’s conclusion of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt scheme has once again brought national attention to the program that, from 2015 to 2019, saw nearly half a million welfare recipients hounded over unlawful fake debts concocted using faulty calculations.
The global economy has been in turmoil since the start of the pandemic—collapse, rebound, inflationary spiral. Now, “It’s the ‘Godot’ recession”, Ray Farris, chief economist at Credit Suisse, told the Wall Street Journal in early March. Everyone waits but it doesn’t seem to come. Every few months, economic forecasts flip from contraction to slowdown to cautious optimism about sustained growth.
The Australian Greens achieved unprecedented success at the last federal election, gaining their highest ever number of parliamentary seats after putting forward a left-wing platform calling for including dental and mental health in Medicare, the wiping of student debt, 1 million affordable homes, free child care and income-support increases.
There is a dangerous escalation of transphobia happening right now. The political right in the United States and the United Kingdom are rolling back civil rights for trans people specifically and LGBT people more broadly. This is being driven by an amalgamation of mainstream conservative parties, the far right, Christian fundamentalists and right-wing shock jocks and tabloids.
Hundreds of students protested across the country on Friday 17 March to demand an end to fossil fuels and taxes on the rich and big corporations to fund a shift to renewables and decarbonisation of the economy. The protests, organised by the National Union of Students, criticised the Labor government for approving major new coal and gas projects when the world needs to rapidly reduce emissions.