Stop the drive to war - a Victorian Socialists event

What to expect

Australia is on a path to war. Labor, the Liberals, the mainstream media and the foreign policy establishment are united in their push to militarise Australia, strengthen the US Alliance and increase aggression against China.

Hundreds of billions spent on nuclear submarines and a new ‘strategic review’ which recommends increasing the size and capabilities of the Australian Defence Force, plus the presence of US bases like Pine Gap and increasing numbers of US troops on Australian territory means Australia is firmly part of the military build-up in the Asia-Pacific region.

Victorian Socialists stand opposed to this. We stand against the AUKUS deal and the US Alliance. We say no to nuclear submarines and will fight for the hundreds of billions set to be spent on them to be diverted to much needed increases in funding for welfare, housing, healthcare, education and other areas.

Socialists have a proud tradition of anti-war agitation and activity. The coming period requires a strong resistance movement against those who seek to propel us further and further down the road of a catastrophic global war.

Join us for this special event, held at Trades Hall in Carlton, to discuss how we can oppose AUKUS and the drive to war.

Speakers:

• Arthur Rorris (via video link) - Secretary of the South Coast Labour Council. He recently led a May Day rally of thousands in Wollongong against AUKUS and the proposed nuclear submarine base at Port Kembla.
• Diane Fieldes - a socialist from Sydney who first became active during the anti-Vietnam war movement of the early 1970s. Diane has since been a constant part of social movements in Australia, including the anti-uranium movement and more recent anti-war campaigns.
• Dave Sweeney - Australian Conservation Foundation and co-founder of ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. Dave is an anti-nuclear campaigner and has written on nuclear waste, mining, weapons and Indigenous rights.
• Corey Oakley - Secretary of Victorian Socialists. He was active in the anti-war movement against the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Entry:
$10 unwaged
$25 solidarity

Stay after the speakers for a gathering at the CFMEU bar. Dinner options available.