Photos: IWD rally and march
by Takver Sunday March 07, 2004 at 11:57 PM

International Women's day Committee in Melbourne organised a rally and march on Saturday March 6. Maybe a couple of hundred people turned up outside the State Library.

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I thought this was a pretty poor turnout to celebrate International Women's Day. It was a good collection of speakers who all spoke well. There were banners and placards. But about a third of the crowd were men. Several children were present, but I expected there should be more. It was also pretty obvious that a majority of the people were members or sympathisers of Socialist Alliance, and most of those were likely to be Democratic Socialist Party members. There was a banner from the AMEIU, the Meat Industry workers union, and the truck for the speakers carried CFMEU banners, but other union banners were sadly missing.

There did not seem to be a wide variety of feminist banners, nor a diversity of women's organisations that you would expect. Women for Palestine were there. So were Women for Peace, with Reta Kaur speaking about the year long vigil outside the US Consulate in Melbourne, in protest of the US invasion of Iraq. Sharan Burrow, President of the ACTU spoke, as did a woman on the Stolen Wages Campaign.

The rally marched down Swanston street to the corner of Bourke st, outside the Nike Store where further speakers were heard, including a women from the Philipines who described the sweatshop conditions women are employed in and the need for international solidarity.

From there the people walked down the mall to outside the GPO with more speakers.

I think the International Womens Day Committee needs to have a thorough evaluation of why there was not more people present, particularly a much broader range and representation of feminist and women's organisations and activity in Melbourne.

There are other IWD events in Melbourne, including an International Women's Day Fair at Ceres in Brunswick on Monday 8th March:
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~wfair/

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IWD Melbourne Rally
by Takver Sunday March 07, 2004 at 11:57 PM

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Lanora Jackson spoke about the Stolen Wages Campaign

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IWD Melbourne Rally
by Takver Sunday March 07, 2004 at 11:57 PM

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Women for Palestine stall.

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IWD Melbourne Rally
by Takver Sunday March 07, 2004 at 11:57 PM

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Outside Nike

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IWD Melbourne Rally
by Takver Sunday March 07, 2004 at 11:57 PM

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Outside Nike

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IWD Melbourne Rally
by Takver Sunday March 07, 2004 at 11:57 PM

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Amnesty International banner outside the GPO.

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