On December 13th 2008, there will be rallies in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth to protest against the Government’s plans to censor the Internet in Australia. This video has all the details and also some advice about what to say when you’re talking to people who are worried about what kids might see online. Please spread this video and news about the rally far and wide.
Rally details:
Brisbane:
Saturday 13th of December 2008
11am-3pm
Brisbane Square (between the casino and city library, Victoria bridge end of Queen St Mall)
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=42526399601
Sydney:
11:00 AM 13th of December, 2008
Where: Town Hall Square, George Street, Sydney (beside Town Hall)
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=49916537640
Melbourne:
Date: Saturday 13th of December 2008
Time: 12:00pm – 4:00pm
Location: Outside the State Library, corner of Swanston St and La Trobe St.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=46838735931
Hobart:
Saturday, December 13, 2008
11:00am – 1:30pm
Parliament Lawns
Hobart, Australia
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=39329861995
Adelaide:
Saturday, December 13, 2008
12:00pm – 4:00pm
Parliament House Stairs
North Terrace
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=39343300875
Perth:
13th of December 2008
12pm-3:00pm
Stirling Gardens, City
Nice, David! we need to make more use of youtube (and similar). I’m glad you gave top billing to the “openness” solution.
Thanks keza. Yep, the strategy I outlined in the video came from a combination of what you talked about in my previous article here, and this article by Gold Coast blogger Danu Poyner
I went to the Adelaide Rally. They are talking about a national ‘march in March.’
YM i’d be interested in your comments. I’ll try and get some images up. The steps were full and the crowds on the footpath had to be asked to leave a corridor for pedestrians – i estimate 300 people at the Adelaide Rally.
The Marshalls had Digital Liberation Coalition (DLC) badge.
There were 5 speakers, mostly describing themselves as concerned citizens, but someone from Socialist Alliance also spoke. I talked to the MC and he took on board that maybe he could end up with a comment like ‘this crowd isn’t large but we’ll promise today that if the Rudd government continues with it after the failure of the ‘live trials’ we are just the type who will make the Rudd government a one-term government’. (I do love seeing those words in one sentence and it was even better to hear them in public – you bet i want to make these ALPers accountable and i’m bitter and twisted)
Pressure on OPTUS to back out on the basis that it is against their intrerests to be involved with a thing that will slow the internet so appreciably? Notable absences at the Adelaide Rally was an open dissenting ALP speaker (also not from Young Labor or National Organisation of Labor Students -NOLS), so no Kate Ellis. Leading campaigner Mark Newton did not speak – I was hoping to hear him.
In giving a Seagull’s critique, i would say that it was too long without some kind of crowd activities like handing leaflets out in the Mall etc.. Or entertainment or discussions/participating in future organising activities etc..
My own self criticism is that i attended without a leaflet and did not seek the opportunity to speak. (Got some nice photos but having difficulties due to up-loading complications) I’ll keep on in the next few days as i think i’ll haveto get to the lab.
People think of the Rudd government win as a landslide which it sort of was, but this gov is vulnerable, (even more so due to financial situation) and in the same way the Howard government was, to the swinging voters already has many of those people are wondering about Rudd’s censorship of photography, and his tendency to Bread and Circuses.
Re: march in March..Good idea? Tentatively – I think so. Even if by then it seems more like a storm in a Minister’s tea-cup, there can be no harm to the insider efforts. Sometimes you’ve got to combine lobbying and mobilisation.
I certainly think that some good old fashioned leaflets designed for distribution to students is worthwhile – (Maybe NUS is useful for something ie finance printing)
Anyway, anything in March ought to be timed to coincide with, rather thanclash with Uni schedules.
Re: TelstraPrivatisation… possibly fortuitous as government ownership would make non co-operation less possible. So good on Telstra for refusing to trial – Trujilo has gone up in my estimation. Conroy needs to be focusing on making them accountable rather than making them collaborators in political/government control. (Small hint the TIO is a self-proclaimed toothless time waster.)
Alternative strategies presented to the gathering included:
1. using the web to catch child pornographers (note also link to missing persons files to discourage trafficking repatriate victims, and prosecute the producers).
2. Advertising to educate parents’ as to how the internet ought to be considered an adult environment and how they need to exercise control and not hand over to government. Refer them to PC filters that they can use in their home. (Andrew Adelaide)
3. More Nurses/ better health care etc.. (Kelly Adelaide)
If i were in Conroy’s shoes and feeling this kind of damaging pain i’d be thinking of how to cut the losses and stop the pain. But i doubt he thinks like that. I expect that he will dig his heels in, rather than admit error or take a ‘backward step.’
What do others think?
Links (added afterwards):
UK blocks Wikipedia ‘page’
An open letter to Conroy from Meg Thornton
A recent list of banned material in Australia
I attended the rally in Canberra.
It was organised very quickly at the last moment via the Internet.
Still, there were about a hundred people present – not bad for Australia’s national capital. And, hey, a single spark and all that!
There were two speakers, in addition to the chairperson.
A woman from the Greens, who I think is a local MP, expressed Green opposition to Rudd’s plans but said a few things that struck me as working against the anti-censorship position. For instance, when someone says the propsoal is bad because we will not know what is being censored, does that imply that the law would be okay if somehow the public was given a list of the censored sites?
There’s a need to think through on this type of thing. A clear, principled, unambiguous opposition to censorship should be the rallying cry.
The other speaker was a young guy in a suit, who represented an ISP. He spoke about the technicalities, the bad conseuqneces for an efficient speedy internet, while making it clear he opposed censorship anyway.
There was a choir nearby, singing Christian carols and wearing Santa caps. A highlight of the rally for me was seeing a young woman in a t-shirt with the slogan:
“Stand back: I’m going to do SCIENCE!”.
After the rally, quite a few individuals, including myself, went up to grab bundles of flyers for distribution and to make a donation. There was enthusiasm that something is happening. With the liberals apparently opposed to Rudd’s plans, at the moment, this is a winnable campaign.
Barry
That’s meant to be Liberals with a capital “L”, folks. “With the Liberals apparently opposed to Rudd’s plans, at the moment, this is a winnable campaign”. Barry
While at the Rally there was a man wearing a T.Shirt which said Keep religion out of politics go to http://www.secular.org. It worked i did. Both Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens are on the Advisory Board. http://secular.org/images/sca.jpg
Maybe we could try this to advertise strange Times? Also, (i hate to admit) i handed out old Lastsuperpower cards with – ‘now see Strange Times’ written on the back of the card! What about T.Shirts? Maybe we (I could co-ordinate something) could start producing a few good quality Tshirts with a no censorship design, but also as advertising for strange times? comments on emphasis or designs?
Whoever edits and publishes these acrtlies really knows what they’re doing.
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