Now We The People:
Challenging the US Empire - Australia for peace and justice

The conference was held on August 23-24 at UTS, in Sydney. To discuss the conference, give us your feedback, or build on the links formed that weekend, let's use the discussion board on this site.

:: Conference papers are appearing and can be found here.

:: Notes from the conference review meeting are here.

:: Link to the statement adopted at the final session.

:: new! Andrew Bartlett's speech to the Senate about the NWTP conference

:: notes about printing this page

cost: $50 full price, $25 concession/unemployed
one day ony: $30/15

9.30 am - Registration (Guthrie Theatre lobby) UTS Broadway Campus, Building 6 (Harris St) level 3

10.15 am - Welcome to Country (Guthrie Theatre) Allen Madden, Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council

10.30 am - Opening Plenary: Where are Howard and Bush taking Australia? The social, economic and environmental consequences of the US Alliance.


Room 06.03.28 (Guthrie Theatre)
Panel: Doug Cameron (AMWU), Dr Patricia Ranald (AFTINET), Andrew Wilkie, Tanya Plibersek MHR, Senator Kerry Nettle, Margaret Reynolds (United Nations Assoc
iation), Dr Carol Araullo (BAYAN Philippines)
Facilitator: Sally McManus (SEARCH Foundation)

12.25 - Guest speaker - Mr Wellington Chibebe, General Secretary, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions

12.30 - 1.30 pm LUNCH (available at nearby shops)

1.30 pm - 4.30 pm: Afternoon workshops:

Workshop 1: Unilateralism and sycophancy: Australian support for US global strategy
Room 06.04.07
Panel: Andrew Wilkie, Denis Doherty, Dr Carol Araullo, Damian Cahill, Dee Marghetts MLC.
Facilitator: Lee Rhiannon MLC

Workshop 2: How the people are left out - the challenge to renew Australian democracy and the Constitution
Room 06.04.04
Panel: Rod Donald MP (NZ Greens Co-Leader), Mayor Liz Johnstone (City of Port Phillip), Lyn Carson (University of Sydney), Arthur Chesterfield-Evans (Australian Democrats)
Facilitator: Rev Dorothy McRae-McMahon

Workshop 3: A fairer finance sector for Australia
Room 04.05.50
Panel: Geoff Derrick (Finance Sector Union), Catherine Wolfhuizen (Aust Consumers Assoc), Prof Frank Stilwell.
Facilitator: Amanda Tattersall (Labor for Refugees)

Workshop 4: Medicare and Welfare reform - the US model for Australian society?
Room 06.04.16
Panel: Gary Moore (NCOSS), Ian McCauley (Uni of Canberra) Dr Alf Liebhold (GP), Monika Baker (National Organisation of Unemployed).
Facilitator: Dr Meredith Burgmann MLC

Workshop 5: Multiculturalism after 30 years - why Australia failed the refugee test
Room 06.05.49
Panel: Tanya Plibersek MHR, Dr Jock Collins (UTS), Maqsood Alshams (A Just Australia), Phong Nguyen (Vietnamese Community Welfare Agency, Melb)
Facilitator: Paula Abood

4.30 pm - deadline to lodge amendments for the conference statement at the registration table.

4.30 - 5.30 pm: Drinks & nibbles

Sunday August 24, 2003

9.30 am - Registration


10 am - Plenary: The global economy goes into crisis - what options for Australia?
Room 06.03.28 (Guthrie Theatre)
Presentation: Graham Larcombe, Prof John Quiggin Facilitator: Senator Claire Moore

12 noon - 2 pm: afternoon workshops (lunch of sandwiches provided)

Workshop 6: Australia - USA Free Trade Agreement, General Agreement on Trade and Services. What's at stake?
Room 06.04.07
Panel: Dr Patricia Ranald, Sen Kerry Nettle, Alistair Kentish (AMWU)
Facilitator: Richard Archer (SEARCH Foundation)

Workshop 7: Understanding the religious fundamentalism dynamic - at home and abroad
Room 06.04.04
Panel: Randa Abdel-Fatteh, Rev Ray Richmond, Günter Minnerup (UNSW)
Facilitator: Bruce Childs (Evatt Foundation)

Workshop 8: Universities for the rich - the privatisation of Australia's Higher Education sector
Room 04.04.16
Panel: Danial Kyriacou (NUS), Trish Mullins (NTEU), John Kaye (Greens NSW)
Facilitator: Anna York (National Union of Students)

Workshop 9: What rights for Indigenous Australians when might is again right?
Room 06.05.50
Panel: Dr Pam Johnston, Kevin Tory (TUCAR), David Cooper (ANTaR)
Facilitator: Adam Kerslake (NSW Labor Council)

Workshop 10: Ensuring Iraq is the last oil war - energy politics for a sustainable future
Room 06.05.49
Panel: Stuart White (UTS), Leanne Piggott (Uni of Sydney)
Facilitator: Jemma Bailey

2 pm - Closing Plenary
Room 06.03.28 (Guthrie theatre)
Facilitator: Kathy Ridge
Cartoon performance: Bruce Petty
Adoption of conference Statement
Room 06.03.28 (Guthrie Theatre)

2.30 - 4.00 pm: Closing Plenary: A just Australia or just a straggler - building the alliance for peace and justice
Panel: Rod Donald MP (NZ), Senator Andrew Bartlett, Sylvia Hale MLC, Rev Dr Ann Wansbrough, Anthony Albanese MHR, Pat Anderson (Aboriginal Medical Service Alliance of NT), Leigh Hubbard (VTHC), Elmer Labog (KMU Labor Centre, Philippines)

4.00 pm: Finale with the Sydney Trade Union Choir

Coffee, tea, water available throughout conference