The Australian Society for the Study of Labour History
On 18 September Moratorium marchers encountered a determined effort by the police to reassert their ‘dictatorship of the streets’. This might have been expected to occur most virulently in Brisbane and Melbourne but it was in Sydney and Adelaide that the police were most vicious, attacking demonstrators with pre-planned clockwork precision.
Elizabeth Orme Hamill, née Sutton, was a 31-year-old teacher, writer and divorcee when they met in Warrandyte. Although Danila had an anti-communist background – he fought with the Whites during the civil war in Russia and was captured by the Reds[3] – Elizabeth, both during their marriage and well beyond, was not only an artist in her own right, but an activist in the peace movement and the Communist Party.
Verity Burgmann Jack Mundey (17/10/1929-10/05/2020), legendary leader of the green bans movement, showed the world how important workers could be in protecting the planet.[1] ‘What is the good of fighting to improve wages and conditions’, he asked unionists, ‘if we are going to choke to death in polluted and plan-less cities.’[2] He emphasized that workers... Continue Reading →
Join us for the launch of Sean Scalmer’s new book on Graham Berry. Three time premier of Victoria, Berry was a hugely influential figure on Australia’s early political life. Democratic Adventurer: Graham Berry and the Making of Australian Politics ‘recovers Berry’s forgotten and fascinating life’. The book will be launched by Frank Bongiorno at a Readings virtual launch... Continue Reading →
On this, the 50th anniversary of the 8 May 1970 Moratorium, we publish Ken Mansell's "‘Taking to the Streets against the Vietnam War’: A Timeline History of Australian Protest 1962-1972", which takes you through the myriad protests and events that led to the largest demonstrations Australia had ever seen.
This year marks 75 years since the death of John Curtin. The Melbourne Branch's Dr. Liam Byrne has written the forthcoming biography of John Curtin and James Scullin, being published by Melbourne University Press in June 2020: https://www.mup.com.au/books/becoming-john-curtin-and-james-scullin-paperback-softback The book explores pivotal moments of Australian history that are directly linked to key points history and... Continue Reading →
By Rowan Cahill What follows is in part a review, but also a commentary, and it benefits from the perspective of an insider. As Terry Irving notes in his Acknowledgements to The Fatal Lure of Politics: The Life and Thought of Vere Gordon Childe (2020), I encouraged his “political intentions for the book” and read... Continue Reading →
Melbourne’s Moratorium demonstration of 8 May 1970 was the city’s largest public gathering ever and the highpoint of a movement that had been steadily building over a number of years in opposition to Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam war. Despite scaremongering and predictions to the contrary, the Moratorium demonstration exceeded all expectations – it was... Continue Reading →
Over the summer of 2019/2020 Community Radio 3CR hosted a program entitled Activism, Struggle and Labour History which was made up of a variety of presentations that were given during the 2019 Australian Society for the Study of Labour History conference. The programs are now available online as podcasts, along with other 3CR summer series, at https://www.3cr.org.au/summerspecials2019-2020... Continue Reading →
By Rowan Cahill The report that God is on the side of the Big Battalions is propaganda put out by the Big Battalion commanders. They hope thereby to spread alarm and despondency among the smaller forces.-Claud Cockburn As I engage with my seventh decade, I am variously approached by researchers and others for details of,... Continue Reading →
We respectfully acknowledge the First Nations of Victoria, and their Elders, past and present. We also acknowledge the Traditional Owners of lands across Australia, their Elders, Ancestors, cultures and heritage.
