Accent of Women

On today’s Accent of Women, a different perspective on the War on Gaza and the October 7 attacks. Combatants for Peace is a grassroots movement of Israelis and Palestinians, working together to end the occupation and bring peace, equality and freedom to the are we call Palestine but others call Israel. Committed to joint nonviolence since their inception, Combatants for Peace uses civil resistance, education and other creative means of activism to transform systems of oppression and build a free and peaceful future from the ground up.  Launched in 2006, Combatants for Peace is the only movement worldwide that was founded by former fighters on both sides of an active conflict. As a result, they were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 and 2018.Iris Gur is an activist from Combatants for Peace. She is Israeli, and she starts here by discussing how she was first politicised, and how she came to join the peace movement.

Two years on from the Supreme Court’s ruling in the United States that overturned the historic decision on abortion rights in the famous case called Roe v Wade, and abortions are predictably the most inaccessible they’ve been. The National Mobilzation for Reproductive Justice has been spearheading a campaign to get unions behind the fight for reproductive justice against the far right's relentless onslaught. To mark the 2nd anniversary of the Supreme Court decision on June 24, National Mobilzation for Reproductive Justice will hold a press conference in Washington DC, outside AFL-CIO headquarters, to deliver an open letter signed by 600 unions, union groups and members to the AFL-CIO, which calls on the AFL-CIO to convene a national union conference to strategise for a national fightback for reproductive rights. Today's guest is Nancy Reiko Kato, Japanese American feminist, socialist and organiser with National Mobilzation for Reproductive Justice.

On today’s show, we feature Maiy Aziz from Everybody’s Home, a national campaign to fix the housing crisis. Everybody’s Home was launched in 2018 by a coalition of housing, homelessness and welfare organisations to achieve the change needed so everybody has a safe and decent place to live.But first up, a reminder that there’s still a Genocide in Gaza. Rihab Charida - a Palestinian Film Maker speaking at a recent Belmore Park, Sydney event for Palestine.

On today’s show, we head down to one of the Stop the Ports Rallies held across Australia by Trade Unionists for Palestine to highlight the need for Australia to cease aiding and abetting the war on Palestine. In Melbourne, Victoria, trade unionists and community members gathered first at station pier then marched along the foreshore to Sandridge Beach, with the cranes of webb dock clearly in sight. The purpose of the co-ordinated nationwide action was to highlight again that maritime trade is strategic in the war on Gaza, and that workers everywhere, do indeed have the power to grind everything to a halt.Today’s guests are Reem Yunis and Mai Saif.

On the 29 April this year, our comrades in Bangladesh organised an international meeting called From Local to Global: Struggle and Solidarity. The purpose of the meeting was to talk about international organising and solidarity, in the context of major international workers events such as International Workers Memorial Day, International Working Women’s Day and of course May Day.The speakers today are Dina Siddiqi,  Linda Gomaa, Nafisa Nipun Tanjeem.

Today’s Accent of Women commemorates May Day – International Workers Day on 1 May every year. The Second International designated International Workers’ Day be 1 May every year, in 1889. The date was chosen to commemorate the Haymarket Affair, a violent confrontation between police and labour protesters in Chicago on May 4, 1886, that became a symbol of the international struggle for workers’ rights. The strike at Haymarket in 1886 was about a national campaign to secure an eight-hour workday. May Day is a day of protest and action, right across the world, and this year Palestine was a major theme everywhere. On today’s Accent of Women, I bring you four speeches delivered at the May Day rally in Melbourne, Victoria – on a very frosty autumn evening.

It’s 11 years since the collapse of Rana Plaza, a building in Dhaka, Bangladesh that housed some 5 garment factories. More than 1100 workers died on 24 April 2013 but this was no accident. Workers and in fact, just about every body, knew that the building was unstable. It was built on a pond, without the correct construction permits, extra floors were added to the building illegally, and the heavy equipment associated with the garment industry all meant that the building couldn’t hold the weight of its contents.But also, on the day of the collapse, cracks had appeared in the walls of the building, and the other tenants  – banks, small shops, they all closed for the day. But the garment workers were not afforded this basic safety measure. They were forced to work that day on threat of losing an entire months wages. They staged massive protests outside the building, but were eventually forced inside because of the unrelenting poverty that they are subjected to.So Rana Plaza was no accident – it was, it is, Indu

On this week’s show, we return take a closer look at a number of campaigns that have emerged in Australia in the wake of the genocide in Gaza. Specifically, anti-weapons manufacturing campaigns and demilitarisation campaigns.My guests today are Palestinian/Syrian woman Nathalie Farrah from Disrupt Wars and the Get Elbit Industries out of Australia campaign. And Palestinian activist, Dana Alshaer from Melbourne University Students for Palestine Action Group. 

A recent military escalation in West Papua is the latest episode in a long history of repression and dispossession since the island came under Indonesian control. But the authorities in Jakarta still haven’t been able to stabilize their rule over West Papua.On today’s show, Accent of Women looks at the Resistance of the West Papuan people. 3CR’s Priya Kunjan spoke with leading Human Rights Activist in Indonesia, Vanessa Koman. 

On this week’s show, we’re gonna chat about an exciting new book that’s being released in a couple of weeks’ time, called, “An Unexpected Life”, it documents the stories of 11 Canberra based women who are migrants to Australia, their journeys to this country, their successes and failures and loves and regrets. And interwoven across these 11 women’s stories, is that of the author herself,Vesna Cvjeticanin. I had the privilege and pleasure of chatting with Vesna about her book.

The Migration Amendment (Removal and Other Measures) Bill proposes amendments to the Migration Act to deal with situations where non-citizens subject to removal are not cooperating with government authorities, or where their own government refuses to take them back. It is widely understood to be a response to the High Court’s ruling in November 2023 that found indefinite immigration detention to be unlawful.It’s also considered an attempt to pre-empt further litigation scheduled in the High Court. The case of an Iranian man refusing to cooperate in his deportation is due before the court next month. However, the amendments introduced in the bill go far beyond addressing this issue. They have wide-ranging impacts for how non-citizens are treated in Australia, and indeed for Australia’s relationship with governments around the world.My guest today is refugee, and refugee activist, Lavanya Thavaraja.

On this week’s show, we return our gaze to Gaza and the genocide of the Palestinian people there. It’s been almost 6 months since Israel launched its genocidal campaign of bombardment against the people of Gaza, ostensibly in response to Hamas’ attack on Nir Oz Kibbutz on the 7 October. The war has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, with some 1.2 million people now displaced in Rafah, with no where to go. All negotiations for a ceasefire have failed.First up, Rasha Abbas, the founder of Palestine Australia Relief and Action – this newly formed charity is supporting Palestinian refugees arriving in Australia. Then later in the show, Dana Alshaer, from UniMelb students for Palestine who are campaigning against the interests of weapons manufacturing companies in Australia’s higher education system. Companies such as Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and Boeing – are amongst the 5 largest weapons manufacturing companies in the world, and they fund research and PhDs at a range of universities including Melbourne Universi

23,000 Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander children in out of home care.Grandmothers Against Removals is an organisation – actually started by Lidia Thorpe – that aims to end the removal of Aboriginal children, or at the very least, place them with family members.GMAR Victoria was established in recognition of the disproportionate representation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home-care. They’re all volunteers. They’re all Aboriginal grandmothers. GMAR’s volunteers understand first hand the impacts of colonisation on Aboriginal families and seeks to mitigate these in order to keep families together.I had the opportunity to speak with one of the lead volunteers, Aunty Rieo Ellis. https://www.mycause.com.au/charity/62924/GrandmothersAgainstRemovalsGMARVICTORIA

On this week’s show, our last piece of coverage from the ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations) meeting in Melbourne on 4, 5 & 6 of March, and today we continue our focus on Myanmar.Since the violent military coup on February 1, 2021, the people of Myanmar have staunchly rejected military rule, demonstrating resilience through the widespread Civil Disobedience Movement.  Over the past three years, the country has continued to reject military governance and has mobilised an effective alternative - the civilian government, known as the National Unity Government (NUG), which continues to consolidate its rightful claim to leadership.Today’s guest is Debbie Stothard, the founding member of the Alternative ASEAN on Burma was in Melbourne for the Myanmar People’s Summit, which was held alongside and in opposition to the ASEAN Special Summit.

Since the violent military coup on February 1, 2021, the people of Myanmar have staunchly rejected military rule, demonstrating resilience through the widespread Civil Disobedience Movement.  Over the past three years, the country has continued to reject military governance and has mobilised an effective alternative - the civilian government, known as the National Unity Government (NUG), which continues to consolidate its rightful claim to leadership.In opposition to, and alongside the ASEAN summit, the Myanmar People's Summit, convened by civil society, took place on March 4, 2024, at the United Workers Union offices in Melbourne. This summit represents a unified stance in support of a civilian and democratic government in Myanmar and aims to amplify the strongest support for civilian rule to ASEAN leaders attending the ASEAN Special Summit in Melbourne, hosted by the Australian Prime Minister.A special thank you to Tasneem Roc at APHEDA for providing the audio for this week's show, and if you'd like to get

The Albanese Government has invited Ferdinand Bong Bong Marcos Junior to address the Australian Parliament on Thursday the 29th February. Bong Bong Marcos Junior is the son of former brutal dictator, Ferdinand Marcos Snr, who was deposed in 1986. The apple does not fall far from the tree, and Marcos Junior is shaping up to be quite the dictator himself. Marcos’ visit coincides with the ASEAN summit, scheduled to take place in Melbourne on the 4, 5 & 6 of March.Progressive Filipinos in Australia are mobilising against Marcos Junior and protesting against his visit and speaking engagements.  Guest: Alexia Fuentes from Anakbayan Melbourne. https://www.instagram.com/anakbayanmelbourne/

It’s been 130 days of war and genocide in Palestine. The world watches on and there is no ceasefire in sight. Israel continues to play the victim. Netanyahu is now promising to bombard Rafah – where they have sent over 1.5 million Palestinians to escape from bombardments in the north.Ahmad Tibi, a Knesset member, and Palestinian citizen of Israel, is urging the international community to “stop this war”. He has said that anyone who intends to invade Rafah intends to commit a war crime’ At least 67 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air and sea attacks on Rafah early on Monday 12 February, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.On Accent of Women today, we continue our coverage of the massive demonstrations country wide calling on the Australian government to refund UNRWA; to call for a ceasefire; to stop arming Israel, and to stop supporting genocide. 

January 26.  Australia Day.  It marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships at Port Jackson, in New South Wales, the raising of the Flag of Great Britain at that site by Governor Arthur Phillip, the invasion of Australia and the start of genocide against the original owners of this land.  January 26 is a day of mourning and a day of struggle, marked by big, loud, powerful Invasion Day rallies right across the country. In Melbourne, over 100,000 people marched in solidarity with First Nations People and on today’s Accent of Women, I bring you some of the voices from that rally. 

It’s been more than a year since the U.S. Supreme Court wiped out half a century of federally protected abortion rights. Since then, the speed and breadth of far-right attacks on reproductive justice has been breathtaking. So has the resistance on the ground.Nga Bui, coordinator of the Mobilisation for Reproductive Justice in New York City, joins me today to speak about the war on women, trans folks and queers, people of colour, Indigenous, disabled, working class and poor. If you’re based in Melbourne and you’d like to get along and hear Nga speak further on this topic, the details are: Saturday, 6 January at 4.00 pmThorne Harbour Health, 200 Hoddle St, AbbotsfordContact rw.aus@radicalwomen.org

As we enter the 10th week of bombardment in Gaza, and over 17,000 people there have now been slain. It becomes clearer and clearer that these atrocities have very little to do with avenging the 240 hostages taken, and it always was about pushing Palestinians out of the tiny Gaza strip and occupying it. Hamas is only active in Gaza, but the killings and repression are unabated in the West Bank.So today, we return to our coverage of the movement in support and solidarity with the Palestinians – millions upon millions of people worldwide are protesting, are resisting are saying, not in our name, to the genocide unfolding in Palestine.On today’s program, Accent of Women brings you speeches from the Sydney rally, held on Sunday 3 December. First up Reem Burrows.