The 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Australia was a significant milestone for the Party. An exhaustive process of pre-Congress discussion and preparation was brought to fruition. Congress lived up to its slogan, “Active and United for a Socialist Australia”. There was strong agreement on the political line of the CPA and Congress concluded on a note of unity and enthusiasm that bodes well for the task of building the Party to face the challenges ahead – challenges that have become more urgent with the election of an Abbott government. Delegates unanimously adopted the main document before Congress, the Political Resolution outlining the strategic path forward in the struggle against capitalism and for a socialist future in Australia.  more ...

Bill Shorten is the new leader of the parliamentary Labor Party. The new process for picking the leader – a Rudd legacy that involves potentially the whole membership of the ALP – has brought forth the former behind-the-scenes king-maker responsible for two previous leadership switches.  more ...

Many TV viewers realised with astonishment recently that the official US America’s Cup entry was skippered by an Australian, that the rest of the crew came from various countries (including Australia and New Zealand), but that only one was actually a US citizen. Many of the components of the yacht were even made in New Zealand!  more ...

Education Minister Christopher Pyne let the cat out of the bag last month regarding PM Abbott’s plans to abolish compulsory service and amenity fees at universities. He was quickly told to pull his head in when the Prime Minister copped flack from the National Party. As a result, Ministers are now required to get authorisation from the PM’s office before making press statements.  more ...

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis, leaves no doubts as to the impact that human activity is having on the climate and the rapidity of that change.   more ...

One of the highlights of the opening night of the CPA’s 12th National Congress was the address given by CPA General Secretary Bob Briton in which he presented a vision for a better Australia and the path to achieve that goal. The following are excerpts from his speech.   more ...

Congress delegates voted in favour of the folowing resolutions:  more ...

The CPA Congress reaffirmed its belief that internationalism is a vital part of the struggle against global capital. It has strong relations with other Communist and Workers’ parties around the world, and participates where possible in international actions and conferences. Congress received greetings from more than 30 parties and other international groups. These include a moving seven-minute audio visual message from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, People’s Army (FARC-EP) which can be seen on the CPA’s website. The following are excerpts from some of the greetings which were read to Congress:   more ...

So the honeymoon is over already! Tony Abbott’s Liberal Party government is already reneging on it electoral promises and disappointing its supporters among the masses, folk who fell for the propaganda and naively thought that a government that was primarily interested in the needs of business would also – somehow – look after the interests of small farmers, shop keepers and workers.  more ...