Advance Australia Fair - Building Sustainability, Justice and Peace
Workshop - Community Organising
Saturday 30th July 2005

Back to workshop program

Outcomes from the Community Organising workshop

Rough campaign plans

Fair Trade – Australia-China Free Trade Agreement

• Objectives
  - Monitoring the impact on communities in both China and Australia
  - to influence public opinions on environment and labour rights.
  Primary targets - Federal parliament
  Secondary targets – state parliament, local industries, fruit and veg farmers, some unions
  Allies - some unions, retirees, Chinese community in Australia, landcare and environment groups, local governments, opposition parties, human rights and community groups.
  Adversaries - Transnational companies based in China, mining companies.
  Constituents - fair trade activists.
  Tactics and activities - Fair Go! Alter vision, Networking and promotion, Use of logos, images, search, analysis (readable), pamphlets, posters. Public meetings, seminars, link with groups in China, Media, email tree, web site, petitions, visiting MPs, fundraising.
  

Human rights – for a human rights charter in Victoria

• Aim to make human rights ‘real’ for our communities (only 30% of community already aware and supportive).
  Primary target – State Government of Victoria
  Secondary targets – loyal MPs, branches of political parties, prominent spokes-persons
  Allies – unions, student bodies, human rights groups, welfare advocates, NGOs, church groups, SBS, some community radio, web-diary and Crickey.com
  Adversaries – monopolised media, conservative movements, conservative political parties, religious fundamentalists, education system.
  Constituency – Victorian communities.
  Tactics and activities – slogans and badges, information. Workshops, forums, training, mainstream media work. Ad campaign, networking editorials.

Refugees – Broad aim for community acceptance

• Secondary aim - Develop support services for refugees
  Targets - Local community (eg businesses) and community institutions (eg schools)
  Allies and adversaries - Some dual eg local community ally and adversaries.
  Tactics and activities - Inform community, cross-cultural training, mentoring, engage media, networking, fundraising, translate materials, refugee representation, refugee membership.
  Campaign timeline
  Beginning – planning; Middle – Community festival, ongoing mentoring and tutoring program; End – economic independence/participation, strengthened friendships/links between refugees and wider community.

Industrial relations - influence content of federal IR legislation changes

• Timeline – up till October 2005. End with a national rally in October
  Primary targets – Liberals in marginal seats, all National Senators, Family First Senator.
  Secondary targets – workers, general public, community organisations, state Liberal MPs (other than Victoria)
  Allies – Community organisations, community media (local/ethnic/interest groups), churches, educational parties,
  Adversaries – Big business/corporations, private media, employer associations
  Constituencies – unions, workers
  Tactics:
  Beginning – Form campaign groups with all allies. Develop clear message – we wont vote for you next time!
  Middle – delegations to MPs, letter writing/emailing to all MPs, media releases to community media, leafletting and stalls at railway stations, markets, workplaces, shopping centre and neighborhoods. Public meetings.
  End – National rally

Religious right – present an alternative vision of social justice to counter the vision of the religious right

• Aim - Get politicians to consult non-religious right groups when doing policy inquiries.
  Measurable outcomes – congregation lower, questions on vision.
  Primary target – politicians who make up list of people to talk to
  Secondary targets – non religious right groups to put pressure on government
  future congregations, mortgage belt, possible converts, ordinary Australians.
  Allies – non religious right groups, those interested in policy/issues, trade unions, NGOs, interfaith dialogues, backbenchers (?), freedom of speech advocates.
  Adversaries – some politicians, Religious right groups, people who misinterpret our approach, people who want to control policy inquiries.
  Tactics
  - investigate other campaigns for what works and doesn’t work
  - find out who/how decisions are made. Use internet on who gets consulted. Find out why only religious right groups consulted on work/life issues.
  - Hold public meeting to launch campaign
  - Link with groups already active – form a broad network coalition.
  - Hold a social justice roundtable
  - Form internet forum/email lists
  - Memorandum of understanding
  - Email campaign to parliamentarians
  - Teach group skills
  - Research receptive backbenchers to lobby/influence/educate.
  - Build and maintain administrative capacity
  - Letters to editors in newspapers
  - Articles/discussion in church newspapers – The Melbourne Anglicans, Crosslight, Catholics.