Fight for a Fossil Free Future, Disruption to End Climate Destruction, Punishment for Profit Report, Brotherhood of St Laurence Strike

Thursday, 24 August 2023 - 7:00am to 8:30am
A photograph of Rising Tide activists occupying a freight train.

Acknowledgement of Country//

 

Headlines//

 

Members of the Pacific Climate Warriors Mary Maselina Harm and Guy Ritani joined us to reflect on their campaigning for Pacific climate justice and a fossil fuel free future within and outside of last week's Labor national conference, which was held in Meanjin/Brisbane. Mary is a proud Samoan/Chinese-Fijian born in Canada and raised on Turrbal country, Brisbane, Australia. Passionate about the power of storytelling in creating social change, Mary enjoys working in multidisciplinary spaces, in particular with young people, to co-design initiatives and projects that are of value to them and their communities. Mary serves as the Pacific Climate Warriors' Queensland coordinator. Guy (ia/they/them) is a proud takatāpui Māori artist, climate justice and food systems sovereignty advocate. Guy is passionate about our relationship to country/whenua and the role creativity and storytelling plays in overcoming our climate crisis. You can find out more about the Pacific-led initiative for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty here.//

 

Naomi Hodgson, a founding member of the Rising Tide movement of civil resistance for climate defence, joined us to discuss Rising Tide's campaign - DISRUPTION TO END THE CLIMATE DESTRUCTION. Naomi will talk to us about and promote Rising Tide's climate justice forum to be held next week at Vic Trades Hall, 6pm Wednesday August 30. Naomi will also tell us how the 16 day Rising Tide speaking tour of South Eastern Australia is going and the planned action for early November. You can check out Rising Tide's events calendar here.//

 

Jay Coonan from the Antipoverty Centre and anti-poverty advocate Alex joined us in studio to unpack the Centre's recently-released report 'Punishment for Profit: How private providers became the only winners in Australia's cruel employment services system', which was published with support from GetUp! last week. The report, co-authored by Jay and Kristin O'Connell and incorporating the lived expertise of contributors including Alex, presents a critical analysis of the use of "mutual obligations" in Australia's social security system. Jay and Alex will be speaking about the rationale behind, impacts of and expenditure on employment services providers, as well as the structural changes required to centre the dignity, agency and wellbeing of people living below the poverty line. Head to the Punishment for Profit site to find out more and take the mutual obligations survey.//


Australian Services Union member and Brotherhood of St Laurence employee Alex Kakafikas talked to 3CR about the 24-hour industrial action taken by workers against the not-for-profit on Thursday the 14th of August. BSL workers are campaigning to improve their enterprise agreement (workers are unhappy with current pay and reproductive leave entitlements), this is the first time in 93 years that workers at the not-for-profit have taken strike action. BSL  have not been" charitable" with their employees who are 2 or 3 paychecks away from poverty. Support BSL workers' action today at 67 Brunswick Street from 12PM.//