501 Detainees at MITA, NDIS AAT Appeals, Moreland Council Workers’ Strike, UMSU BDS Motion and Rally

Thursday, 12 May 2022 - 7:00am to 8:30am
A photograph of a large crowd of protesters at a Free Palestine rally. Many are waving Palestinian flags and signs and wearing kuffiyehs. The front row of protesters are holding a large banner printed with the Palestinian flag overlaid with the text "Free Palestine".

 

Acknowledgement of Country//

 

Headlines//

 

On last week’s Friday Breakfast show Chloe and Jacob spoke with Joey, who is detained at Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation or MITA, about Section 501 of the Migration Act. This Act allows the government visa cancellation powers, and Joey discusses how the present government has been using these provisions. You can read about last month’s rally to free those detained at MITA, many of whom are held under 501 provisions, here.//

 

Elise Almond is a lawyer at Villamanta Disability Rights Legal Service, a state-wide service that represents disabled people, including via providing assistance with NDIS appeals at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). Elise joins us today to speak about the large spike in NDIS participants who have had their funding slashed, often without warning, in the recent months, with many taking their cases to the AAT.//

You can find out more about the issue here, here and here, and about the Melbourne march and rally against NDIS cuts and appeals being organised by Every Australian Counts for Thursday the 19th of May here.//

 

On Wednesday the 4th of May, members of the Australian Services Union and Municipal and Utilities Workers Union employed at Moreland Council downed tools to rally for decent wages and conditions. Like many workplaces across Australia, Moreland Council workers have been given an offer below the inflation level in their latest EBA negotiation. Solidarity Breakfast's Annie McLoughlin joined them outside the Brunswick Townhall on Sydney Road.//

 

Alec Ferguson joins us to discuss the recent BDS resolution passed by the University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU) - ‘UMSU Stands with Palestine – BDS and Solidarity Policy’ - and Students For Palestine’s on-campus rally, which will be held today from 1PM on South Lawn. Alec is a Lebanese-Australian socialist activist at Melbourne University, and is involved in Students for Palestine and Free Palestine Melbourne. You can find the academic solidarity statement Alec refers to here.//

Free Palestine Melbourne's 2022 Nakba Day Vigil will be held on Sunday the 15th of May from 12PM outside the State Library of Victoria. More information is available here.//


 

Songs//

 

Return Home - Bumpy//

 

Don’t Sleep - Alice Ivy, imbi, BOI//