Melbourne

In 2009 alone, global military spending rose to an all-time high amount of $1.53 TRILLION! Because we encounter countless crises in today’s world -poverty, hunger, lack of education, poor health care, environmental issues – it is essential that we come together and create a global movement focusing on what IS important: human lives and their needs. It really is up to us… if not, then who?

‘Forty Hands’ is an initiative Poetry Workshops facilitated by RISE (refugees, survivors of war and ex-detainees), aiming to explore the power of poetry as a medium of expression and story telling. RISE aims to create a safe space for refugee communities to freely and honestly express themselves, developing self-esteem and confidence. Through promoting self-expression, RISE hopes to increase self-representation, active participa...tion and social equity amongst these communities.

Following a protest against Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin at Trades Hall on March 8, Socialist Party organiser Anthony Main has been banned from the building. A group of Jenny Macklin's supporters have falsely claimed that Anthony used sexist and derogatory language on the night. Anthony has denied these claims. The Trades Hall leadership conducted a bogus investigation and then decided to ban Anthony from the buildin...g where he works.