Tuesday, March 15, 2011

PEACE FESTIVAL PLANNED

Important Territory, Timor-Leste and national issues will be raised at an alternative Anzac Peace Festival in Sydney on April 26 in the Leichhardt Town Hall.

Forum themes will focus on the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown, and the now Japanese nuclear disaster ; the nuclear issue and the environment; Australia’s wastage on defence spending ; recognition of Aboriginal Diggers ; our involvement in the Afghan War; human rights in West Papua ; a photographer Penny Tweedie retrospective; Timor- Leste’s future; American military bases in Australia; challenging the proposed Muckety nuclear waste dump in the NT.

An indicated topic for discussion is : The Politics of “War” Memorials ! Where are the “Peace” Memorials? As part of the Festival there will be a fund raiser for the Leichhardt Council’s East Timor project, and films. Speakers will represent People for Nuclear Disarmament , the Anti-Bases Committee, Beyond Nuclear Initiatives and others .

Shirley Shackleton, wife of newsman Greg Shackleton , one of the Balibo Five murdered by the Indonesians ,will make a key address in the 7th Dr Andrew McNaughton Lecture , on March 23.