Socialist Alliance Tasmanian State Conference 2003
[This conference was held Saturday April 5 - Sunday April 6 at Chalmers, Launceston. Below are the greetings to the conference, resolutions adopted, a report on the event and the agenda. Contact Launceston Socialist Alliance for further details on 6327 1751 or 0417 319 662 or email launceston@socialist-alliance.org. ]

Greetings from Jack Mundey

Best wishes for a successful conference. I applaud the direction of conference towards "left unity" and as far as possible, avoid the sectarianism which has haunted the left and socialists, communists in the past.

Likewise, the other theme of "environmentalists and socialists working together" is essential, if indeed, the planet is to be saved. We cannot continue to plunder the non-renewable resources in the manner we have destroyed them for the last 50 years.

The need for socialist renewal is long overdue. Corporatism and globalisation have seen the giant trans-national corporations use the world like a chess board, and Australia's rights have been greatly reduced.

Socialism is the only long term answer. Therefore your conference assumes real importance to keep the socialist flame burning because there will not be a future for humanity - as well as other species - if we cannot win socialism.

Yours sincerely,
Jack Mundey
former secretary of the NSW Builders Labourers Federation
instigator of the famous "Green Bans"
life member of the Australian Conservation Foundation
former president of the Communist Party of Australia

Greetings from the International Socialist Organisation

Comrades,

War has a way of shining a spotlight on political life, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of political parties.

The ALP leadership has bitterly disappointed the many Labor members and voters who are opposed to this illegal, immoral and unjustified war. Simon Crean's craven and very public shifts between various pro and anti-war positions has highlighted his lack of principle. For tens if not hundreds of thousands of erstwhile Labor supporters, this is a final straw.

The Greens have been the main beneficiaries of this disgust. They have made a major contribution to the anti-war movement by their courageous public stand against the war. But the fact that their politics is ultimately rooted in an acceptance of the system and of the Australian state has thrown up some contradictions which may well come back to haunt them the more they grow. So only last week Senator Bob Brown successfully moved a resolution in the senate to call for the withdrawal of Australian troops -- coupled with support for them in this and future deployments.

The Socialist Alliance has been completely consistent and principled in its approach to this war. We have opposed it from the beginning, called for the return of the troops, called for the lifting of the UN-imposed sanctions, and have supported a military defeat for Coalition imperialism.

Around the country our branches have campaigned, raised the issue in elections, joined rallies and speakouts, and organised meetings.

This is an excellent record that we can and must build on. The profile and prestige of the Alliance will increase as we unite with everyone opposed to this war in action. Alliance branches need to be working with Labor and Green supporters in peace groups and unions and show in practice that our ideas and initiatives can take the movement forward.

In this regard, the ISO is proud to have proposed to the Alliance that we campaign against the upcoming war budget. This campaign sits well with the initiative to call on opposition parties to block the budget. But it does not rest simply on that one proposition -- we can and must organise alongside everyone opposed to this budget and to increased military spending, including welfare groups, leftwing Labor figures, Greens, unions and rank-and-file workers in health, welfare and education.

Medicare not missiles, welfare not warfare -- the Socialist Alliance can make a distinctive pro-working class contribution to the resistance to Howard's war on Iraq and his war on workers.

The International Socialist Organisation sends its greetings and hopes for a successful state conference.

David Glanz,
ISO national executive member and Socialist Alliance national co-convenor

Greetings from the Freedom Socialist Party

Dear Tassie comrades

Greetings to your important State Conference this weekend - we are sorry that we are unable to send a representative but are pleased that we will have a Comrade visit Tasmania over the May Day period.

The Socialist Alliance is an important initiative which has achieved much on electoral front in its short 2 year life. Your own achievement of putting Socialist on the ballot in Tasmania is but one stunning example.

The Socialist Alliance is an important united front. We are now starting to form caucuses - a significant development - in several unions. We are also having a real impact as a strong anti-imperialist/socialist voice in the anti-war movement challenging pacifism and those who peddle illusions in the UN. This collaboration needs to be continually fostered.

May you have a productive and democratic conference and we look forward to collaborating with as many of our Tassie comrades as possible on our upcoming visit to Tassie and at the National Conference.

Warmest comradely greetings

Alison Thorne
member of the Socialist Alliance National Executive for the Freedom Socialist Party

Resolutions adopted by conference

Resolution 1
This conference resolves to pursue every possible avenue to bring the responsible leaders of the "Coalition of the  Willing" to answer for their illegal acts in waging a war of aggression against Iraq, including the irresponsible use of landmines and/or cluster bombs in the fore knowledge that such use will necessarily and definitely cause injury and death to innocent civilians. Such continuing acts can already be evidenced and attested to. Therefore the perpetrators must now be brought to trial at the Hague for crimes against humanity.

Resolution 2
While resolving to solicit donations of books that could become part of a left-wing library, the Socialist Alliance Tasmanian state conference encourages members to loan books to other members and supporters.

Resolution 3
That the Socialist Alliance Tasmanian state conference resolves to establish both an email discussion group for members and a better functioning announcement list of members and supporters

Resolution 4
That conference directs convenors of the Launceston and Hobart branches to actively solicit articles for the Socialist Alliance newsletter from members outside of Launceston and Hobart and that the newsletter be published electronically

Resolution 5
That this conference resolves to endorse the campaign priority of the Socialist Alliance to prioritise participation in the campaign to stop the war including supporting the call for Australian troops to be withdrawn and support for the demand on the senate to block the budget.

Resolution 6
That all resolutions adopted by the conference be published on the Socialist Alliance website and in the next Tasmanian Socialist Alliance newsletter

Socialist Alliance Tasmanian conference a success

LAUNCESTON — The Socialist Alliance took a step forward with its state conference held here on April 5-6. Conference participants included members and observers from Hobart, Launceston, and the west and north-west coasts.

The conference brought together students, pensioners and unionists, socialists, Greens and environmentalists and anti-war campaigners from around the state.

“This conference has certainly given a boost to the Socialist Alliance branches in Launceston and Hobart” said conference organiser Alex Bainbridge. “And we were especially pleased by the roll-up from Tasmania’s west coast and the enthusiasm expressed for renewed socialist organising there.”

A youth-led “rally for a world without war” was held in conjunction with the conference on April 5. Organised by the Socialist Alliance and the socialist youth organisation Resistance, the rally was attended by 80 people.

Student anti-war activists Sam Clarke from Launceston College, Loki Campbell from Hellyer College in Burnie, and Duncan Meerding from Hobart College spoke out in opposition to the war. After open microphone contributions, the protesters marched through Launceston, staging a “die-in” in the street next to the mall, to symbolise the victims of war on Iraq.

After the march, the Socialist Alliance state conference was launched with a public meeting entitled “Visions of a world without war”. Addressed by left-wing writer Tim Thorne and Lisa Macdonald, who was the Socialist Alliance’s lead upper-house candidate in the recent NSW election, the meeting sparked wide-ranging discussion about the war on Iraq.

At the conference, the reports on the anti-war campaign heard contributions from activists from Burnie, Devonport, Launceston and Hobart, and reports from St Helens and Strahan.

Community activists used a workshop to plan a “shock and awe” poster campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of war on Iraq, linked to a postcard and petition campaign to call on the Senate to block the budget. Other workshops discussed student and union campaigns against the war.

An all-in session devoted to the prospects for socialist unity was addressed by Workers Liberty representative Riki Lane, who is also a national co-convener of the alliance, and Bainbridge, who is a member of Democratic Socialist Party national committee.

The second day of the conference included discussions about the draft trade union and general perspectives documents that are being discussed in preparation for the alliance’s May national conference.

There was also a feature session in which Macdonald outlined the socialist case for democratic planning of the economy to solve the environmental crisis.

The conference adopted resolutions on a range of measures to improve the functioning of the alliance as well as campaigning against war and supporting the campaign against land mines.

Resolutions adopted at the conference and greetings to the conference (from Jack Mundey, the Freedom Socialist Party and the International Socialist Organisation) have been published on the Socialist Alliance web site and will be printed in the next Tasmanian Socialist Alliance newsletter.

Conference Agenda