SPEAKERS

Niki Argyri

Niki is a Greek socialist and anti-fascist activist who is part of the national co-ordination of KEERFA, the Coalition against Racism and Fascism. As Greeks face the implementation of austerity by the once-heralded left party Syriza, workers are fighting back. At the same time, tens of thousands of refugees are making their way through Greece—and facing the brutality of Fortress Europe. The fascist party Golden Dawn has been trying to capitalise on it all, but they have faced resistance every step of the way. Don’t miss Niki’s eyewitness view in Reform vs revolution: Syriza and the Greek experiment and The politics of borders in Europe: racism, refugees and austerity. Niki will also join our final panel, Uniting the resistance

 

Joseph Daher

Joseph is a Syrian revolutionary socialist living in Geneva. With his blog Syria Freedom Forever, he has followed developments in Syria since the beginning of the revolutionary uprising in 2012. He will discuss the hope for change in Syria today, as fighters for democracy struggle against the Assad regime, jihadist groups, and their ‘false friends’ in the West in the session, Revolution and counter-revolution in Syria (via Skype)

 

 

Nick Riemer

Nick is a left activist, a Lecturer at Sydney University, and a prolific writer of opinion on a wide-range of issues facing the left. He has just returned from France, where he bore witness to both the growth in Islamophobia following the Paris attacks this year, and participated in the workers’ movement and the Nuit Debout movement that is taking over French squares in protest against new attacks on French workers. Don’t miss his session on Islamophobia, secularism and the French left

 

 

Jessie Smith

Jessie is a human rights lawyer at Rob Stary Lawyers in Melbourne, Australia’s largest firm representing those charged with terrorism offences. She has acted for clients facing charges under new, untested laws—many of which encroach on civil liberties—and also challenged extradition and international arrest warrants. Jessie believes that criminal lawyers must advocate for human rights and for rehabilitation. She will discuss Australia’s terrorism laws as part of our panel, The war on terror, racism and civil liberties

 

 

Lee Rhiannon

Lee is a Greens Senator for NSW and a long-time left activist. She has been active in the fight for public education, workers’ rights, and the environment, and been a voice inside parliament for a wide array of progressive causes. Lee will join our debate and discussion, following the July election, on Politics after the election: what kind of fight do we need? 

 

 

Dennis McNamara
Dennis is a committed trade unionist who has been a delegate for the Construction, Foresty, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) for many years. Dennis has been a part of rank-and-file initiatives to argue for more strike action and union protest against the Abbott and Turnbull governments and their attacks on worker’s jobs and conditions. Dennis will join the panel Politics after the election: what kind of fight do we need? and discuss how unionists can rebuild the fight

 

 

Laura Lyons

Laura is Wiradjuri woman and a leading member of Grandmothers Against Removals Sydney (GMAR), campaigning against continuing stolen generations of Aboriginal children. Children are being removed from their families at alarming rates as support services are under-funded and as federal policies attack Aboriginal control of Aboriginal affairs. Laura will join our final panel, Uniting the resistance.

 

 

Julie Ross
Julie is a long-time teacher and unionist who has supported refugee students. She is a founding member of the new activist group, Teachers for Refugees (T4R). Beginning in December last year with an ‘Education not Detention’ day of action, T4R has since inspired over 100 schools to join the movement to free the refugees. Julie will discuss the teachers’ activism and the role of workers in the fight for refugees in our final panel session, Uniting the resistance

 

 

Padraic Gibson
Paddy is a socialist and a long time activist for Aboriginal rights. He co-founded Stop the Intervention Collective (STICS) and has worked with Grandmothers Against Removals (GMAR) to fight the escalating rates removal of Aboriginal children from their families. He is prolific writer and speaker on Aboriginal history and the politics of the ‘new assimilation’, and he is currently researching the history of socialist and the fight against colonialism. He will speak on our panel 50 years on: The Gurindji strike and the fight for Aboriginal rights—the strike that kicked off the land rights movement

 

 

Jason De Santolo
Jason is a descendent of Garrwa and Barunggam peoples. He is a Senior Lecturer at the Jumbunna Indigenous House of Leaning. Jason has been active in campaigns against the impact of extractive industries on Garrwa homelands and the broader Gulf region in the Northern Territory. He will join the panel, 50 years on: The Gurindji strike and the fight for Aboriginal rights to speak about today’s battle for land, justice and rights for Aboriginal people

 

 

Phil Griffiths
Phil is a lifelong socialist and was a founding member of Socialist Worker Action Group, which became Solidarity. Alongside years of activism and journalism on the left, he has done invaluable research into the origins of the White Australia policy and the relationship between race and class in Australian capitalism. Drawing on his research, he will speak on ‘Aussie jobs’, nationalism and the legacy of White Australia, arguing that the union movement can organise workers’ on temporary visas, dump slogans like ‘Aussie jobs’ and build a united, anti-racist movement

 

 

Erima Dall
Erima is a socialist who has been involved in movements for climate action, and in fighting cuts to education. As a member of the Climate Action Collective at Sydney University, Erima was part of a left inside the climate movement that argued against market-based solutions such as emissions trading schemes and carbon taxes. In the wake of Naomi Klein’s book, This Changes Everything, and widespread discussion about the solutions we need to confront the worsening climate crisis, Erima will speak on  Tipping points and the climate crisis: too late for the green revolution?