Archive of StopMAI Brief Activity reports

 

2004

On 31 July, StopMAI held a street meeting outside the Brand electorate office of the Hon. Kim Beazley MP, the failed former ALP leader who had just been restored to the party's front bench. The ALP's ambivalent attitude to the AUSFTA had drawn criticism from US officials, which was blunted when the old war-horse with Washington military-industrial connections was brought back to favour. This was, of course, very bad news for anti-AUSFTA campaigners. See picture of the street meeting, which was attended by three of Mr Beazley's election opponents, including StopMAI member Jean Jenkins (Greens candidate). See also our media release.

The AUSFTA has been passed by the US Congress and Senate. Australia's House of Representatives has passed enabling legislation with ineffective objection by the sole Greens member Michael Organ. The Senate is the only remaining obstacle in its path.

In June 2004, StopMAI assisted efforts to launch a weekly 'Politics in the Pub' programme of discussions (more). (This was continued up to the time of the federal election in October but was never rewarded with satisfactory audience attendance.)We also planned and managed a Roundtable forum with Tariq Ali (30 June).

In April 2004, the focus was on the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement. Though signed by both parties at executive level, the FTA requires ratification by the US Congress, which is not seen as a foregone conclusion in a presidential election year. The Australian Parliament lacks power to repudiate the treaty but can impede its implementation by rejecting ancillary legislation. Inquiries are under way by the Government-dominated Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) and a more independently structured Senate Select Committee. StopMAI sent submissions to both inquiries (See JSCOT and Senate) and was invited to present oral evidence.

20 March 2004--12 noon, Perth Anniversary Rally against illegal invasion of Iraq

In March of 2003, with flimsy claims that Iraq presented a danger to the US, the Bush administration launched its "Shock and Awe" campaign. In 365 days, over 10,000 Iraqis and at least 672 US-led soldiers have died. The conservative numbers from US Central Command also show 3,582 US-led soldiers wounded in the same period -- a number contradicted by the US Air Force claim of 12,000 wounded in 9 months.

The international community -- with the exception of many elected officials -- has condemned the war as clearly illegal, an act of aggression against a people already broken by a decade-long period of economic sanctions.

Yet the deaths and lifelong injuries, the criminality of the invasion and occupation, even the resounding public outcry -- none of these are the real story. The real truth of the invasion of Iraq, what is clearly the motivation, is the bald-faced pillage and profiteering .[Source: winnipeg.indymedia.org ]

2003

StopMAI joined with Oxfam-CAA and the WA Globalisation Roundtable in organising a landmark forum 'The Trade Invasion' on Saturday, 10 May, 2003. Details appear in the calendar of events, from which a descriptive flyer can be downloaded. This forum addressed the move by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to promote a MAI-type investment agreement in the World Trade Organisation.

For the first time in our long campaign, we began to see some evidence of understanding of about the downsides of 'free trade' negotiations among mainstream media and some major-party politicians. On 21 April, Perth's monopoly daily paper The West Australian published an editorial leader critical of the proposed free-trade agreement between Australia and the USA (AUSFTA). On 15 April, several StopMAI members contributed to an investigation of AUSFTA and the GATS being conducted by the ALP federal caucus on the initiative of its shadow trade minister Craig Emerson. At that forum, a chamber-of-commerce spokesman also added his voice against AUSFTA.

On 1 March, we participated in the 8th WA Roundtable meeting on globalisation, convened by Greens parliamentarian The Hon Dee Margetts, MLC. Speakers on GATS and AUSFTA were Patricia Ranald (AFTINET) and Ted Murphy (NTEU). James Duggie (WA Conservation Council) spoke on Water services.

The February issue of our newsletter Citizens' Voice highlighted the connection between the Howard Government's subservience to the US in sending troops to Iraq and the mercenary 'carrot' of an Australia-US Free Trade Agreement. See newsletter

We participated in the No War Rally in Perth on 15 February, the largest demonstration seen here since the anti-Australia Card march in 1988. See media release. Download flyer (rtf) See photos of the rally and march.

2002

In September 2002, StopMAI became the first organisation in Australia to formally adopt the principles of International Simultaneous Policy. See ISPO website

The August 31 StopMAI meeting reluctantly decided to cancel the proposed second Globalisation Convention, scheduled for 23 November 2002, because of a shortage of resources and available speakers.

In 2002, we contributed to the globalisation debate by bringing noted speakers Prof Jane Kelsey and Dr Doug Everingham to address public forums in Perth.

In August, we hosted a working dinner on GATS, other WTO issues and Australia's bilateral trade negotiations with Ted Murphy, the National Assistant Secretary of the National Tertiary Education Union.

A successful public forum was held on International Simultaneous Policy (Simpol) on 27 July 2002. Guest speaker was former federal Health Minister and ISPO Australian Coordinator Dr Doug Everingham. (Download forum leaflet and read media release.)

We held a public forum on Privatisation of Water Supply on 25 May with guest speaker James Duggie of the WA Conservation Council..

The advertising flyer for these events can be downloaded here.

On 20 July, we participated in the fifth of the new series of roundtable forums on globalisation sponsored by the Hon Dee Margetts, MLC. One aim of these talks is to involve an increasingly wider network of organisations and interests in discussion of the local and national impacts of corporate-control globalism with a view to enhancing the quality, breadth and effectiveness of public debate and appropriate actions. The meetings are generously hosted by the Australian Local Government Association (WA).

On Sunday, 5 May, StopMAI supported the traditional Fremantle May Day rally and street march of Unions WA. It was pleasing to note the local launch by Oxfam-CAA of the international 'Make Trade Fair' campaign. (More details here.)

On the evening of Tuesday, 30 April, we were graced by a visit from Professor Jane Kelsey (Law, Auckland University). StopMAI took the opportunity to host a quality knowledge forum for 20 leading Perth activists. By invitation of the M1 Alliance, we then took Jane to a welcome dinner for Ali Kazak, Head of the Palestinian delegation to Australia, at the Greek Club next door to our Unions WA venue.

In the wake of the Australian Government's rash persecution of asylum seekers and the US response to the devasating September 11 terrorist attack on its trade and military symbols, a draconian crackdown on all forms of dissent and activism is being legislated by 'western' governments, including that of Australia. StopMAI has resolved to support opposition to the so-called 'Terror Laws' and forwarded a submission to the Senate inquiry initiated by the opposition parties.

In this context we welcomed in February the visit of outspoken journalist John Pilger who has documented the fraudulent complicity of governments and media in promoting a censorship of silence over the worldwide trend for human rights to be diminished in the interests of corporate control and profit. We also hailed the success and phenomenal attendance of the World Social Forum in Brazil, which dwarfed the cynical New York meeting of the Davos-based World Economic Forum. (See media release.)

At its February meeting, StopMAI considered a pattern of actions to sponsor and support in 2002, with special emphasis on seeking solutions and alternative principles to the destructive greed which is impoverishing most of the world's people. It was resolved to sponsor a second Convention on Globalisation on 23 November. (This did not proceed for various reasons, including an exorbitant demand for a public risk insurance premium.)

2001

Throughout the world, civil society forces were spontaneously mobilising and/or being organised and trained to contest the power of the transnational corpocrat masters and their servile bureaucratic and political régimes. An assembly of over 250,000 protesters against the G8 summit in Genoa (July, 2001) indicated what lies ahead. Since no on-site protest was possible against the November WTO summit in the remote and prohibitive sheikhdom of Qatar, actions were mounted in many capital cities.

StopMAI coordinated a sign-on donation campaign to pay for 'GATS-Attack' advertising against Australia's participation in a further liberalised General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). The ad was 'bushwhacked' by the political games of the 'war on terror' plus the Tampa refugee crisis. Alas, funding failed to meet the October target, before the WTO's November summit in Qatar. See the report in Citizens' Voice.

On Sept 11, we were holding a free evening public forum at the Fremantle Club on the theme 'Whose Trade Organisation?' with speakers John Croft, Nicky Cusworth and Rodney Vlais. A quality webcast of their addresses can be quickly opened here. It's 60 minutes long, featuring the full presentations of the three speakers. (If you want to save it, allow at least half an hour for the 14mB to download.) For higher quality audio on CD, contact Quinton or Glenn at virglen@iinet.net.au . We were able to go home and watch the stunning demolition of the World Trade Centre's twin towers on the late news that night.

StopMAI supported the international actions in Gothenburg and Genoa with media releases which are available here. On 11 July, we participated in a roundtable conference organised by DFAT with the newly appointed Australian WTO ambassador Mr Davis Spencer.

Citizens' Voice Network held a public forum on GATS and NCP on 7 June. Speakers were Brian Jenkins on GATS, Dee Margetts on NCP and John Croft on community economics and banking.

[At a well-attended meeting on 24 February, representatives of StopMAI and other action groups launched a cooperative 'Citizens' Voice' programme to coincide with the federal election campaign. Focus issues are National Competition Policy (NCP) and GATS (with some emphasis on the role of bankers). More details are in the April Citizen's Voice.]

StopMAI presented evidence to the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) on 20 April. The JSCOT is still accepting submissions on Australia's relations with the WTO.

2000

N25 CONVENTION (Perth, Nov. 2000)

Papers from the convention have been archived at http://www.egroups.com/group/WAGF which is the site of a discussion group on issues of globalism. There were 200 participants in N25, held at Curtin University on 25 November, 2000.

PUBLICITY

Post-Seattle anti-WTO critique in The West Australian, 23 Dec 99. (Go to story)

Media liaison was planned to coincide with the (now 11 May) release of a Senate Committee report on the WTO ruling on importation of raw salmon. See press release. Goal is to influence Australian Government support for Tasmania's quarantine ban and, ultimately, to bring about amendment of the WTO SPS Agreement, under which Australia has been compelled to drop restrictions on imports of diseased salmon.

CAMPAIGN

StopMAI is affiliated with the international movement against the MAI and a WTO new free-trade round. We are a member of the new Australia-wide coalition AFTINET (Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network), based in Sydney, which sends a fortnightly newsletter to individual and group members. We are affiliated with the World Social Forum (WSF), a global network established in opposition to the corporate World Economic Forum (WEF).

As a contribution to the international campaign, we have prepared web pages documenting the failed 1999 Seattle Ministerial and a collection of analytical writings following the victory of people power over the corporations at Seattle. We are also compiling a very comprehensive webliography, or guide to relevant internet sites.

The webliography includes links to many relevant key documents, eg, criticism of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, and discussion of the newsmaking April 16, 2000 demonstrations in Washington DC.

In February, we made a written submission to Treasury in relation to a review by the OECD of its Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. [Notwithstanding its poor performance over the failed OECD MAI, Treasury still has carriage of OECD matters.]

There are two avenues of local protest: Direct action in public, and lobbying the Federal Government.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION PROCESS
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) last year succumbed to public pressure and held seminars in all States to sell its views on WTO negotiations. Some pretence was made of listening to non-business viewpoints but the meetings were not recorded and thus had little or no effect on DFAT's free trade doctrine. [At about the same time, however, DFAT's long-established policy of kow-towing to Indonesia over its East Timor military occupation was discredited as a result of public opinion.]

The Perth hearing on 20/9/99 was attended by about 20 people, including 3 from StopMAI (D Giles, B Jenkins, J Massam) and 3 other identifiable opponents of global economic totalitarianism (Jonathan Schultz, and two National Civic Council representatives, one being local chieftain Richard Egan).

DFAT presenter Graham Thompson (an experienced trade negotiator, close to retirement) showed a PowerPoint presentation about the value of trade, then conducted discussion alone. Perth Office chief Jenny Matthews was also present but assisted only with equipment and limited note-taking. (The proceedings were not recorded.)

Oral submissions were made by representatives of shipbuilder Austal Ships, the rock-lobster/prawn industry and the WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry before the 'civil society' objections were aired by Jon Schultz, Brian Jenkins, John Massam and Richard Egan.

When taken to task about lack of timely consultation, Thompson said they had established channels of communication which 'the public' had been able to use for at least 30 years. He must have been referring to a particular 'public', ie, the business lobbies to which they pander, as we well know.

Challenged as to why DFAT (having already finalised its Seattle position) did not represent any of the civil society viewpoints, Thompson replied that DFAT was guided by the positions taken by Cabinet, by successive governments and the policies of the major parties. He was reminded that well-articulated minority views, eg on the relationship with Indonesia over East Timor, had been proven more correct than those supported by the major political parties - and that this was quite likely to be the case again, apropos the WTO.

Thompson 'welcomed' the input of community views, but it was quite plain that this was a PR exercise - a chance for people to 'sound off', with no undertaking that their views would be considered further. The department must also see the hearings as a litmus test of public feeling. For that reason, our group was satisfied to have provided a strong balance to the proceedings.

DFAT's digested opinions on its public consultations have been posted on its website at http://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/negotiations/hearings/

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On 30 November, 1999, anti-WTO demonstrations and other actions were organised in Perth and other capital cities across the world, in solidarity with some 100,000 members of international civil society who demonstrated in Seattle during the WTO Ministerium.

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The Australian Government, via the DFAT and APEC, has already strongly urged WTO member nations to undertake negotiations for a MAI-type treaty. The 25 May announcement can be seen at http://www.dfat.gov.au/media/releases/fischer/990525.html

DFAT originally sought public submissions which closed on 1 May 1999. These are referred to in an issues paper. The Department has also initiated a website to improve its communications with business interests and published a promotional booklet, Foreign Direct Investment: The Benefits for Australia .

It is noteworthy that DFAT has responded to our criticism by publishing discussions of our concerns on its website (go there and click on FAQ and other links at the foot of their public hearings page). We have also, in April 2000, for the first time been invited to attend a business forum organised by DFAT's Western Australian office.

COALITION-BUILDING
Recognising that the WTO forum has both more diversity and more power than the OECD, we're seeking to broaden our coalition and network, particularly by joining forces with organisations who see their work and interests endangered by the prospect of further 'globalisation' of investment and the possible impact on Australia in terms of increased foreign ownership of business, reduced employment, labour standards, environmental standards, etc. In this connection, we obtained the cooperation of Senator Dee Margetts (The Greens WA) in hosting at her Victoria Park office a 'Globalisation Roundtable' meeting which was attended by representatives of some churches as well as unions and other CSOs.

We contributed to a United Nations Association (Westminster, UK) initiative Charter 99 to democratise the UNO and reassert its primacy in global governance. We also initiated a Convention on Globalisation to be held in Perth on Saturday, 25 November 2000.

During August, 1999, we received news that interstate colleagues in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales were reorganising to campaign effectively against a WTO "New Round" and against the APEC discussions being held in Auckland (early September). Some States also planned actions on 30 November, in support of the epoch-making Seattle demonstrations against the WTO.

On 30 November, 1999, the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network (AFTINET) was formally launched in Sydney. StopMAI (WA) was among the first organisations to express interest, and we resolved to apply for membership in March 2000. In June 2000 we also resolved to affiliate with the World Social Forum (WSF), an international alliance in opposition to the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Public Forum, 26 June, 1999:'Multinationals, Governments, and the MAI'
We are pleased to record that this function was a tremendous success. We thank the guest speakers Patricia Ranald and Tony Cooke -- and also the enthusiastic crowd which packed the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital lecture theatre. Go to a brief report of the meeting.

International Coordination. We will be working more closely with international contacts, both to share information on the progress of WTO developments and to choose and implement effective co-operative strategies. We work regularly with friends in the UK, Germany, France, Scandinavia, Canada, USA, New Zealand, and are tuned in to the Third World Network.