- The Guardian
- Issue #2052
Party event at the 8-hours monument in Melbourne. Photo: Lauren Richardson.
On 1st May Communist Party of Australia comrades gathered at the 888 Hour monument in Melbourne to mark May Day. From a speech by comrade Zach Doney:
“May Day is celebrated all over the world. We are here in solidarity with proletarians of all countries. The first May Day protests were had in Australia as part of the Shearers’ protests in 1891.
“In Australia, in Melbourne May Day is observed thusly – a week of special events culminating in the official rally on the Sunday after May Day. This arrangement has persisted since 1924 and has been designed so workers and their families can attend an event in the absence of mass strikes or an official public holiday.
“Progressive forces in Australia should, at this moment, be fighting for an independent and non-aligned Australia. This means disentangling ourselves from the war machine of the USA. Bases like Pine Gap make Australia a target. Agreements like AUKUS do not serve the defence interests of Australia. AUKUS serves the interests of US imperialism and more specifically its ambition to constrain the activity of China closer to China’s shores.
“Trade unions shall not forget that their productivity is being squandered on the imperial interests of the fading superpower of the USA.
“The relevant slogan is: ‘Peace is union business!’ ‘Give Peace a budget!’”
Melbourne comrades also ran a stall at the Victorian Trades Hall event on 7th May, and marched in the May day parade.
