Hey all BREAD readers! I’ll just put this announcement in one last time (there has been a bit of interest thanks!). The main force behind the BREAD email hitting your inbox each week (Andy) is hitting the road for a while and won’t be able to continue doing the weekly email beyond the start of December. If the BREAD email is something you see as valuable and you would like to be responsible for keeping it going, email breadbne@gmail.com and I would love to work something out. Meanwhile, enjoy these radical events…
Week of Tuesday October 30th
Wednesday October 31
Rally to get big money out of politics
8:15-9am at Parliament House
Facebook event
Our democracy’s been hijacked. BIG donations from BIG business mean BIG rewards from politicians. Join us for a protest outside Parliament to shine a light on these dodgy political donations.
Queensland Greens MP for Maiwar, Michael Berkman, has introduced his Electoral Legislation (Political Donations) Amendment Bill 2018 that will ban all political donations from for-profit companies. This Bill addresses the limitations of the government’s recent Local Government Electoral (Implementing Stage 1 of Belcarra) Amendment Bill 2018 by applying the donations ban to all corporations and industries, not just property developers.
The Palaszczuk Government was dragged kicking and screaming to ban property developer donations by the Greens’ strong campaign to clean up politics. But the Government’s reform deals with just a sliver of the dirty money and they’re trying to pretend they’ve fixed the problem.
While big corporations and super wealthy CEOs make billions of dollars in profit, Queenslanders are struggling with low wages, insecure work and high cost of living, and until we kick big corporate money out of politics Queenslanders will keep being screwed.
If you want one reason why Labor and the LNP won’t ask big corporations to pay their fair share to pay for the public infrastructure and services we need, it’s the $7.8 million they received in corporate donations in the last 5 years.
It’s time to:
– say NO to corruption
– get big money out of politics
– get political decisions that benefit Queenslanders and our environment.
We know that many people feel strongly about this issue. It’s vital that the Queensland Government hears just how much people want them to fix the broken system. So join the rally on the 31st of October and let’s clean up politics!
For more information about the Bill, visit https://www.michaelberkman.com.au/donationreform.
This event is taking place on the land of the Jagera and Turrbal people and we acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded.
Against hundreds of new wells approved
10am – 1:30pm at Parliament House
Facebook event
We are making a stand to the Queensland government against the Coal Seam GasMining industry invasion established in Queensland without community consultation nor environmental impact reports or maintain any monitoring regulations and approval of thousands more.
It has affected many communities, for hundreds and thousands of kilometers have become contaminated the Air Land and Water throughout Queensland and spreading.
The Queensland gasfields has become an industrial estate and should never of been approved to build anywhere near farms and rural properties because of the toxic danger people are exposed to.
People have become very sick and animals dying. Dogs are turning crazy and hens laying eggs with traces of lead.
We have already lost one farmer Rest In Peace George Bender ♥
CLOSE THE GASFIELDS DOWN
KidsOffNauru Play-In
12-1pm at Department of Immigration, 299 Adelaide St
Facebook event
Everyone of us is someone’s dad, mum, uncle, aunty, grandpa, or grandma.. and know children whom we love and care about, and wouldn’t want any harm done to them. It’s time to stop torturing refugee children.
We need to get those #KidsOffNauru. Let’s remind each other and our politicians that locking up kids is never the answer, and that they should be playing, learning and thriving:
Let’s have a ‘Play-In’!
A peaceful, non-violent, family-friendly get-together with children, their carers, and supporters singing songs, face-painting, colouring-in, playing and laughing together.
We invite all parents, uncles, aunties, and grandparents to bring their little and not-so-lilttle kids, including teens and all who care about young people just like them being tortured in indefinite offshore detention on Nauru.
We invite people of all ages to participate whether it be joining in with the singing, holding a sign (signs provided) or handing out flyers.
This is an emergency. Let’s gather in solidarity with the children on Nauru, their families and tens of thousands of people in Australia and around the world standing up to get #KidsOffNauru.
*There will be small tables and mats with a few toys and activities for the kids to do as well as singing, but feel free to BYO small toys & portable chairs.
**This is a family-friendly event. Please respect the spirit of the Play-In which we have described above and behave accordingly. We will respect the authorities at all times in this particular action.
***Please let us know if you are not comfortable with your child or you being photographed for social media and/or by media.
Red Rose Rally
1pm at Parliament House
Facebook event
11 women have been murdered in Australia in the past 25 days. We need to stand together and say ENOUGH. This is a national crisis, a national shame. Please wear black and bring a red rose
Burning Out: The Hazlewood Mine Fire and Risks of Failed Rehab
5:30-7pm at Catchment Brewing Co, 150 Boundary St West End
Facebook event
On 9 February 2014 fires took hold in the Hazelwood mine in Victoria. The mine burnt for 45 days, sending smoke and ash over Morwell and surrounding areas, and causing extreme harm to the health of the local community. Failed mine rehabilitation was identified as one of the main reasons why the fire burned for so long with such disastrous effects.
Come hear directly from Wendy Farmer, from the Latrobe Valley, president of the local community group which formed during the catastrophic fire. She is travelling to Queensland to tell us her story, to expose the true risks of failed mine rehabilitation and to explain how her group forced an inquiry into the fire which exposed the true death toll and health impacts on the community.
There’s so many lessons for Queensland to learn from what happened, and fixing mine rehabilitation urgently is just one of them.
Wendy is passionate about working towards positive solutions for local communities, in renewable energy and other opportunities, and has lots to share with us!
As the Qld Government moves towards a final decision on mine rehabilitation legislation, come along and get involved in a fascinating night out.
Thursday November 1
Launch of Vintage Reds
10am-12pm at Level 2, TLC Building, 16 Peel St
Facebook event
Retired unionists are not retired activists. They share progressive goals of economic, social, industrial and environmental justice.
Retired unionists are not done yet! Come along to the launch of Vintage Reds, hear QCU General Secretary Ros McLennan speak about the Change the Rules campaign, and get active!
Save the UQ Union Complex
5:30-7:30pm at Room 09-201 Michie Building, UQ St Lucia campus
Facebook event
The UQ Student Union Complex has a rich history as a site of political and cultural dissent. Over the course of 50 years it has served as a hub for resistance to the Vietnam war, military conscription, street march bans, tertiary fees, racism, women’s oppression, homophobia and much more. It was where students and staff met and decided to strike after the infamous police riot outside the Tower Mill Hotel in July 1971.
In the dark years of Bjelke Petersen’s government, it was a place where democracy was kept alive. It was where 4ZZZ, Brisbane’s only alternative broadcast media, was launched. It was where The Saints, The Go-Betweens, the Riptides and many other bands could play without police harrasment.
Now the University of Queensland plans to demolish the entire complex (all of it, not just the Schonell Theatre) and replace it with a shiny ‘student hub’ with lots of shops. Apparently the Labor Party-LNP coalition running the student union thinks this is a good idea.
If you are outraged by this assault on our heritage and want to get involved in a campaign to stop it, come along to this organising meeting. Your anger, your energy, your campaigning skills are needed. We’ve lost two trades halls, the wharfies’ club and just about every other landmark of our struggles in Brisbane. Let’s not lose this one.
Friday November 2
KidsOffNauru Prayer Vigil
6:30-7:45pm at St Andrews Uniting Church, 299 Ann St
Facebook event
“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me…” – Jesus in Matthew 18:5a
Dozens of children and their families continue to be subjected to the cruel effects of detention on Nauru. Recently there have been repeated incidents of suicide attempts, including children dousing themselves in petrol. Some children have given up eating, and many bang their bodies repeatedly against walls in their distress.
Christians in Australia can not sit by while this situation continues. We would never allow our children to grow up like this, and so we must treat others as we would like us and our children to be treated.
So join us on Friday November 2 as we come together at cathedrals across Australia to pray, to lament, and to witness to a better way for children on Nauru. We come from many different traditions, but on Nov 2 we’ll unite together to remind ourselves, our leaders, and our nation that followers of Jesus will not remain silent about the gross injustices that have been committed again children and their families on Nauru, as well as men on Manus Island.
And as we join the call for #KidsOffNauru, we also remain committed to demanding the immediate evacuation to safety for all men, women, and children imprisoned on Manus and Nauru. #KidsOutAllOut
Saturday November 3
West End #StopAdani Doorknock 3
2-5pm At Bunyapa Park, West End
Facebook event
Join the local West End #StopAdani group as we hit the streets to put up yard signs and have powerful conversations across the neighbourhood!
As plans for the Adani mine push ahead, the movement to stop the mine continues to grow. We have big plans to increase pressure on our local politicians, including MP Terri Butler, who publicly expressed her opposition to Adani after our most recent doorknock.
RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSczwCzCJ9vjihdnG3r24sHEdxVWAIqfA6EAwngU6eNuHKSQdA/viewform
Everyone is welcome and no experience is necessary – we’ll teach you all the skills to doorknock. Hope to see you there!
Dr Ray Kerkhove presents on Brisbane’s Aboriginal history
1-3:45pm at Mitchelton Library Cafe, 37 Heliopolis Parade, Mitchelton
Facebook event
Please join us to meet historian Dr Ray Kerkhove for a fascinating presentation on ‘Boundaries & Curfews affecting Brisbane Aboriginal Life in the 19th & 20th Centuries’.
Ray Kerkhove is a professional historian, cultural researcher and writer who specialises in the Aboriginal history and material culture of southern Queensland.
This presentation, at RQI’s November general meeting, will look at the various boundaries and curfews that affected Brisbane Aboriginal life from the 1830s to 1930s.
Ray authored the first guidebook to the numerous Aboriginal camps that flourished in and around Brisbane from convict times to as late as the 1950s. Many of Brisbane’s suburbs trace their names, parks and key events to these former campsites.
Ray has decades of experience working with Indigenous community groups on many significant historical and cultural projects.
Entry to this Reconciliation Queensland general meeting is free and all are welcome.
Please bring a plate of food and/or refreshments for contribution to our afternoon tea. This is an informal gathering and no motions have been proposed for the meeting.
To reserve your place, please RSVP by email to events@rqi.org.au or call Rosalie on 0448 468 618.
About Dr Ray Kerkhove:
Dr Ray Kerkhove is a Visiting Fellow at the Harry Gentle Resource Centre, Griffith University. He has over 30 years experience working with Indigenous families and organisations.
He co-founded and project-managed ICP Aust Inc, which developed numerous Indigenous cultural and historical projects across Queensland. Ray has especial interest in reconstructing Aboriginal-settler conflict and historical landscapes, for example his recent book Aboriginal Campsites of Greater Brisbane (2015).
Ray’s report West End to Woolloongabba (1985) was written for FAIRA Aboriginal Corp in Woolloongabba. It formed some of the basis of the current debate on the Boundary Streets curfew.
Community Dinner for Affordable Housing
5-8pm at Bethania Community Centre, 88-118 Station Road, Bethania Qld 4205
Facebook event
Everyone needs a place to call home, no matter where you were born or how much money is in your bank account. Everyone should have access to affordable and secure housing. Right now, corporate profits keep rising while the number of people who are struggling to afford a roof over their head is increasing. We live in a world of contrasts, but it doesn’t need to be like that.
In Australia, millions of people have been priced out of the housing market. And not just to buy. For many, rent is unaffordable. People on the lowest incomes are hit the hardest: renters pay a small fortune for houses that are often not appropriate for their or their family’s needs, or for a house that is never repaired, or is simply too expensive. At the same time, the federal government gives out millionaire subsidies for property investors, and nowhere near enough for public housing or services to help people who have become homeless. How is this fair? Who sets the priorities for government spending?
On Saturday 3 November, we are putting on a community dinner at the Bethania Community Hall. We want to invite neighbours from across Logan to discuss how we as a community can push for a positive change so that everyone has a roof over their head at an affordable cost.
This event is open to people of all walks of life and everyone is welcome to come along. You don’t have to know anything about politics to join us. It will be a relaxed, friendly environment with guest speakers. Children are welcome to join.
We need to change the way we think about housing and build affordable and secure homes for people, not for property developer profit. We want to involve the community, to make sure our campaign for better housing in Logan is driven by the needs and aspirations of people who live here.
Tickets are $5 for an individual, or $10 for a family.
Proceeds go towards the cost of catering (including vegetarian, halal and gluten-free options) and hall hire. Any leftover funds will be donated towards the work of local organisations providing much-needed practical support to people in need: @Refugees Welcome Australia and the @Anti-Poverty Network.
The event will also feature some fantastic speakers, to be announced soon.
Until November 11
Defying Empire: 3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial
10am-4pm Monday-Saturday, UQ Art Museum University Dr. St Lucia
Web link
“We defy: By existing; By determining our identity; By asserting our histories; our culture; our language; By telling our stories, our way; By being one of the oldest continuous living cultures in the world.” – Tina Baum, NGA Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art
Bringing together works by 30 contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from across the country, Defying Empire: 3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum that recognised Aboriginal people as Australians for the first time. It highlights the strength and resilience of Australia’s Indigenous people since first contact, through to the historical fight for recognition and ongoing activism in the present day.
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