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2007
Innovative Strategies for Health Funding in Cambodia and Laos
Speaker:
Dr Peter Annear, Research Associate, Globalism Institute.
Date:
Monday 16 June
Abstract:
In many poor countries today up to three-quarters of the national cost of providing health services are paid for out-of-pocket by patients themselves. The widespread introduction of user charges for public health services – a result of structural adjustment and declining government budgets – has caused the exclusion of many poor people from the health care they need, often including a third of the population. Now, innovative and locally based strategies are emerging in Cambodia and Laos (and other poor countries) to break down these financial barriers.
Unpacking Solidarity: Pedagogy, Power and Praxis in Academic Activism
Speaker:
Associate Professor Glen David Kuecker, DePauw University.
Date:
Tuesday 22 May
Abstract:
To unpack the meanings of solidarity within academic activism, this presentation shares critical self-reflections on solidarity experiences in working with the Zapatista communities of Chiapas, indigenous communities in La Montaña region of Guerrero, Mexico, serving as Resident Director of a praxis driven study-abroad program, and work with the community of Junín, Ecuador. Exploring these experiences, the seminar will discuss the process and method involved in this work, and will offer reflection on the core issues of pedagogy, power and praxis that are embedded in solidarity work. This analysis will consider the place of the academic activist within the Globalism Institute’s sustainable communities project. Several of the central themes inherent to academic activism are also at play within the ways academic activists understand and approach sustainable communities.
Local Global Program Climate Change Forum: From Where Will Our Water Come...and When?
Speakers and topics:
Program
Speaker profiles
Date:
Friday 27 April
Presentations:
Bill Kininmoth (presentation slide - 51kb PDF)
Bill Kininmoth (Powerpoint presentation - 748kb PDF)
Graham Hawke (Powerpoint presentation - 252kb PDF)
Greg Hoxley (Powerpoint presentation - 654kb PDF)
John Kane (presentation - 22kb PDF)
Dr Malcolm McCaskill (Powerpoint presentation - 2.54mb PDF)
Mark Wootton (presentation - 76kb PDF)
Materializing the Metaphors of Global Cities:
Singapore and Silicon Valley
Speaker:
Professor Terrell Carver, University of Bristol
Date:
Thursday 19 April
Abstract:
This paper examines two metaphors relating to global cities. The first is ‘cyber-sexy-city’, a metaphor constructed here to summarize a set of political initiatives and dilemmas current in Singapore, well known as a global city. The second is ‘Silicon Valley’, an already familiar metaphor summarizing aspects of globalization and globalism relating to cities but lacking the literal city referent – since it is not actually a city at all, nor does it particularly look like one city, or even several cities grown together.
The overall objective of this paper is to highlight not just the perlocutionary force of language (deployed through the tropological distinctions that establish a productive relationship between ‘the literal’ and ‘the metaphorical’) but to push this ‘constructionist’ understanding of the political process further towards an understanding of ‘the fantastic’ as that which precedes ‘the realized’. Or in other words, literalizing the metaphors of global cities is a process best understood as a practical form of science fiction.
Pantomime Terror: UK Hip-Hop at War
Speaker:
Professor John Hutnyk, Academic Director, Centre for Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths College, University of London
Date:
Thursday 22 March
Abstract:
With terror alerts and constant announcements at train stations and airports where
the Queen’s subjects are called upon to ‘report any suspicious baggage’; with ‘stop and
search’ security policing focused upon Muslims (and unarmed Brazilians); and with
restrictions on civil liberties and ‘limits’ to freedom proclaimed as necessary, it is now
clear that spaces for critical debate are mortally threatened in contemporary, tolerant,
civilized Britain. This discussion addresses new work by diasporic world music stalwarts
Fun-da-mental and the drum and bass out!t Asian Dub Foundation, relating to insurgency
struggles, anti-colonialism and political freedom in the UK. The presentation will argue
for an engaged critique of ‘culture’ and assess a certain distance or gap between political
expression and the tamed versions of multiculturalism accepted by/acceptable in the
British marketplace. Examples from the music industry reception of ‘difficult’ music and
creative engagement are evaluated in the contex of the global terror wars and a new
paranoia that appears endemic on the streets of London today.
2006-
The Reality of Aid 2006
Speaker:
Dr James Goodman, University of Technology Sydney
Date:
Report launch, Friday 17 November
Abstract:
Launched on the eve of the G20 meeting, the 2006 Reality of Aid report rings the alarm bells about the state of international aid. Focused on issues of security, conflict and the war on terror, it presents life-and-death challenges vis-à-vis development co-operation.
With reports from 20 OECD countries, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific, including Australia, and graphs illustrating major trends in global aid, the Reality of Aid report provides a unique commentary on the state of development co-operation.
AID/WATCH contributed a thematic chapter to this report entitled ‘Australian Aid – Promoting Insecurity’ which explores Australia’s aid program in the Asia Pacific region and the manner in which a security focus has dominated our aid expenditure. ACFID contributed a chapter on the overall scope of Australian development assistance.
With aid effectiveness on the G20 agenda, ministers should heed the uses and misuses of aid outlined in this important international report.
Justice and Reconciliation in East Timor
Speakers:
Former CAVR Chair Aniceto Guterres Lopes, Commissioner Isabel Guterres, Bishop Hilton Deakin, plus representatives of the Timor-Leste Government
Date:
CAVR report launch, Tuesday 14 November
Abstract:
The crisis in Dili this year is a reminder that without justice and reconciliation, the past will continue to haunt the people of a new post-conflict nation such as Timor-Leste (East Timor). Chega! ('Enough!'), the final report of the Reception, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CAVR), contains the most authoritative account so far of the recent sufferings of the East Timorese people, as well as recommendations for a more just and stable future.
Following its dissemination throughout Timor-Leste in recent months, Chega! was launched in Australia and the UK in November. The launches were also a timely opportunity to reflect on Australia’s role in the past and future of our new northern neighbour.
Sponsors of the Melbourne launch include the Australian Coalition for Transitional Justice in East Timor (ACTJET), the Globalism Institute and the University of Melbourne Human Rights Forum.
Globalization: The Next Phase
Speaker:
Professor Jan Nederveen Pieterse, University of Illinois
Date:
Public seminar, Thursday 2 November
Abstract:
In this seminar, Professor Pieterse tackled some of the major questions posed by 21st century globalization. Is the rise of East Asia, China, and India just another episode in the rise and decline of nations, another reshuffling of capitalism? Does it advance, sustain or halt neo-liberalism? How does the co-dependence of the rise of Asia and neo-liberal globalisation affect the varieties of capitalism? What is the relationship between zones of accumulation and modes of regulation? What are the ramifications for global inequality?
Public Interest Issues Raised by Nanotechnology
Speakers:
Steve Mullins (ACTU), Dr Rob Sparrow (Monash University), Georgia Miller (Friends of the Earth) and Bob Phelps (GeneEthics Network)
Date:
Public seminar, Wednesday 1 November
Abstract:
What are the key issues raised by the science of the small? In this public seminar, the speakers discussed occupational exposure and toxicity issues, ethical implications and challenges, social impacts and public participation, and parallels between the experiences of genetically engineered foods.
Hosted by the Globalism Institute and Friends of the Earth.
Romancing Globalization: A Mexican Love Affair
Speaker:
Associate Professor Rebecca Biron, Dartmouth College
Date:
Public seminar, Tuesday 30 October
Abstract:
In this free seminar, Rebecca Biron considered two globally marketed and highly successful Mexican films, 'Amores perros' and 'Y tu mamá también', for the way both films’ urban love stories act as an allegory for Mexico's romance with globalisation.
Instead of viewing globalisation through an economic, sociological and political prism, both films treat it as an object of desire. Seen this way, Mexico's relationship to globalisation can be considered through the structures of feeling that traditionally distinguish national identities
Hosted by the Globalism Institute and Friends of the Earth.
Local Global Public Lecture: Globalisation as Ideology
Speaker:
Professor Manfred B. Steger, Globalism Institute, RMIT University
Date:
19 September
Abstract:
In this public lecture Professor Manfred B. Steger, Professor of Globalization, RMIT
University, will contend that ‘globalism’ is a political ideology that has achieved
dominance in our global age.
‘Globalists’ make authoritative claims about the processes of increasing social
interdependence around the world that have become known as ‘globalization’. They
seek to limit public discussion on the meaning and character of globalization to an
agenda of things to discuss that supports a specific political and economic agenda.
Professor Steger will offer a critical assessment of the five central claims of globalism
and their relevance for the citizens of the Hamilton region.
Mining and Sustainability in the Philippines
Speaker:
JP Alipio
Date:
Public meeting, Thursday 27 July
Abstract:
JP Alipio, an indigenous Filipino, worked with the Legal Resource Centre (LRC/
KSK – Friends of the Earth Phillipines) to oppose the construction of a major mine
in Northern Luzon by Australian company Climax Arimco. He now works with the
recently formed local NGO the Cordillera Conservation Trust (CCT), which has a strong
sustainable development approach. Mr Alipio spoke on mining and the environmental
situation in the Philippines, with a focus on Northern Luzon.
Hosted by the Globalism Institute and Friends of the Earth.
Unity for Peace: National Peace Activists' Conference
Speakers:
Guests speakers included Cindy Sheehan, Hassan Juma’a and Anas Altikriti
Date:
Public meeting, Thursday 25 May / Conference, Saturday 27 May
Abstract:
The Unity for Peace conference was a chance for all peace activists to come together, to discuss issues such as the war in Iraq, civil liberties and uranium mining, and to lay the basis for a new, nationwide movement. All organisations and individuals that support this initiative were welcome to send delegates
http://www.vicpeace.org/unityforpeace/
Environmental Refugees
Speaker:
Professor Norman Myers, Oxford University
Date:
Public meeting, Tuesday 21 March
Abstract:
Since the early 1990s, Professor Myers has written widely on the phenomena of environmental refugees, people displaced
from their homes by various ecological impacts, including global warming. These are people who can no longer gain a secure
livelihood in their homelands because of drought, soil erosion, desertifi cation, deforestation and other environmentalproblems,
together with associated problems of population pressures and profound poverty. In their desperation, these people feel
they have no alternative but to seek sanctuary elsewhere, however hazardous the attempt. Not all of them have fled their
countries, many being internally displaced. But all have abandoned their homelands on a semi-permanent if not permanent
basis, with little hope of a foreseeable return.
As far back as 1995, these environmental refugees totalled at least 25 million people, compared with 27 million traditional
refugees (people fleeing political oppression, religious persecution and ethnic troubles). When global warming takes hold,
there could be as many as 200 million people overtaken by disruptions of monsoon systems and other rainfall regimes, by
droughts of unprecedented severity and duration, and by sea-level rise and coastal flooding.
Hosted by the Globalism Institute and Friends of the Earth.
Food and Thought Intercultural Mela
Speakers:
Some of Australia's leading chefs and food writers such as Stephanie Alexander, Gay Bilson and Richard Cornish.
Date:
Friday 24 to Saturday 25 February 2006
Abstract:
'Mela' is a Sanskrit word for a festival, a fair or a large gathering. In this tradition, the Food and Thought Mela was an opportunity for people to come together at a shared table and celebrate the rich diversity of their food communities.
Today's global food supply is made up of complex and often invisible relationships between corporations, producers, governments, individual consumers and local communities that raise many questions about how food connects us - as individuals, as communities, as nations - to each other.
What is the importance of local food systems to our communities?
How does the way we produce and consume food impact on our cultural, spiritual, environmental and economic wellbeing? How can young people be encouraged to develop an interest in growing, preparing and sharing good food?
These were some of the issues raised at the Food and Thought Intercultural Mela on the 24th and 25th of February 2006 at the Performing Arts Centre in Hamilton, Victoria.
This inter-cultural and international event was an opportunity for communities from the Hamilton region and beyond to hear some of Australia's leading chefs and food writers such as Stephanie Alexander, Gay Bilson, Richard Cornish and others speak on the global and local food issues facing communities around the world.
Download report
http://www.communitysustainability.info/events/FoodandThought.html
2005-
Land Rights in Papua New Guinea
Speakers:
Anne Kajir, Senior Lawyer, Environmental Law Centre, Port Moresby
Yat Paol, Member, Bismark Ramu Community Development Group, Madang
Gary Foley, renowned Indigenous Rights Activist, Melbourne
Date: Tuesday 13 September, 2005
Abstract:
Australia's independent aid watchdog AID/Watch in partnership with the Globalism Institute at RMIT presents a public forum discussing pressing issues of land rights and customary tenure in our region. Prominent land rights activists from Papua New Guinea, Anne Kajir and Yat Paol, will be joined by Australian indigenous activist Gary Foley to speak of the threats to customary land tenure in both countries.
A report on the forum is currently available, as is an image of Annie and Yat (centre) with two members of 'Black GST'.
Please visit the Community Sustainability Project website for more information on the Globalism Institute's work in Papua New Guinea.
Human Rights, Development and National Reconstruction:
Timor Leste's Independence in a Global Context
Speakers: Joaquim da Fonseca, Human Rights Officer, Human Rights Treaty Reporting Team of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Timor-Leste
Vannessa Hearman, Activist with Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific (ASAP) and the Timor Sea Justice Campaign
Damian Grenfell, Research Fellow, Globalism Institute, RMIT University
Date: Wednesday 14 September, 2005
Abstract:
In the last six years East Timor has moved from the tragedy of 24 years of Indonesian occupation to three years of United Nations mandated control, and then finally since 2002 to its own national independence. Drawing together speakers from East Timor and Australia, this panel discussion reflected on various aspects of East Timor's independence and considered the kind of nation that it is becoming. Linking themes of justice, human rights, and political economy in the current global context, the speakers expressed their views on a range of current debates around reconciliation and justice, the campaign for oil and gas resources, and the nature of the reconstruction effort in East Timor today.
Joaquim da Fonseca works as the Human Rights Liaison Officer for the Human Rights Treaty Reporting Team of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Timor-Leste. Prior to this Joaquim worked as the spokesperson and international campaign coordinator for Yayasan HAK, a Dili based organisation advocating for human rights and justice.
Vannessa Hearman has worked as an interpreter for the United Nations Transitional Administration (UNTAET) and the Australian Electoral Commission in East Timor. She is an activist with Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific (ASAP) and the Timor Sea Justice Campaign, and completed her MA at the University of Melbourne in 2004.
Damian Grenfell was the final speaker, and is a postdoctoral research fellow with the Globalism Institute at RMIT University. His research focuses on conflict, nationalism and globalisation, with a special emphasis on Timor-Leste.
The three presentations were followed by an extremely lively and thorough debate.
Reforming Justice in a Globalizing World
Speaker: Nancy Fraser
Date: 28 July 2005
Flyer: PDF Version of Flyer available to download and print.
Abstract:
Nancy Fraser is one of the leading international figures of Critical Theory. A Professor of Philosophy & Politics in the Graduate Faculty
of Political & Social Science at New School University, she is widely
regarded as the most important feminist critic and moral philosopher
of the present time. In her recent book with Axel Honneth, Redistribution
Or Recognition?, Nancy Fraser looks at the unintended side-effects
that can result from the interaction between different 'dimensions
of justice' and how some of the most basic questions of justice have
been marginalised by recognition issues, while many recognition struggles
fail to solve the most urgent problems affecting those whose interests
they seek to protect. Nancy will also be attending the Interdisciplinary
Conference at Deakin University 30/31 July and the Byron Bay Writers
Festival 4-7 August among other events.
Inside the Crystal Triangle: The Political Economy of Contemporary Colombia
Speaker: Dr Oliver Villar, University of Western Sydney
Date: Wednesday 13 July, 2005
Abstract:
As in the drug producing regions of the Golden Triangle (Burma, Laos,
Thailand) and Golden Crescent (Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan), the doctoral
thesis examines Colombia as a centrepiece in the Andean coca-growing
zone 'Crystal Triangle' of Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and increasingly
neighbouring Ecuador. The thesis is about a coherent and compelling
account of the class struggle in Colombia with an emphasis on class
and imperialism. It offers an historical overview of the economic
development of Colombia and its premier export cocaine. It examines
the nature and formation of the Colombian ruling class, the State
and their relationship to the United States. Building on this theoretical
framework, the thesis helps to explain an area much eluded in Colombian
political economy: the importance of cocaine to Colombia, the State,
economy, and the dynamics of the cocaine trade in U.S.-Colombian relations.
SREBRENICA 10 YEARS LATER: GENOCIDE AND ITS LONG-TERM EFFECTS
Speakers:
Prof Danny Ben-Moshe, Victoria University
Prof Andy Dawson, Melbourne University
Prof Grant Devilly, Swinburne University
Mr Dzavid Haveric, Deakin University
Mr Hariz Halilovich, Srebrenica Society for Prevention of Genocide
Prof Paul James, Globalism Institute (RMIT)
Dr Ida Kaplan, Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture
Prof Paul Komesaroff, Monash University
Mr Osman Softic, Mesihat Bosnian Islamic Council of Australia
Prof Rob Watts, RMIT University
Date: Monday 11 July, 2005
Flier: PDF Flier to download
Abstract:
Ten years ago, between July 11 and July 22 2005, 8106 men and boys from the UN 'safe heaven' Srebrenica were separated from women and children and subsequently executed by Serb military under direct supervision of general Ratko Mladic and Serb political leadership. This crime was planned and systematic. The wider region along the river Drina, known as Podrinje, was completely ethnically cleansed from its largest ethnic group, Bosniaks (Bosnian Moslems) in order to create Greater Serbia. The United Nations stood by while the crimes - later classified as genocide by The Hague Tribunal (ICTY) - were taking place at Srebrenica. One of the officers in charge, Serb general Krstic, was found guilty of genocide by the tribunal. About 900 others, who directly participated in genocide, including the 'most wanted' General Mladic and Radovan Karadzic are still at large ten years after massacres took place.
Ten year later the survivors from Srebrenica and Podrinje are scattered across the globe, from St Louis in the US to Melbourne in Australia, as well as thousands of them living in dire poverty as internally displaced persons within Bosnia.
Ten years later the families from Srebrenica are still waiting for identification of their loved ones from the remains recovered from one of the mass graves found in Podrinje.
Ten years after the Srebrenica massacre, the Melbourne-based Association of Survivors from Podrinje SREBRENICA SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION OF GENOCIDE, in association with Globalism Institute (RMIT University) and Victoria University organises a seminar to commemorate Srebrenica, to examine, remember and learn from the largest crime and the first act of genocide in Europe after the WWII.
The seminar expects to attract people from academia, media, government institutions and agencies, the general public and community groups.
Contact: Hariz Halilovich tel. 9925 9920 or hariz.halilovich@rmit.edu.au
The Basque Experience with Australia
Speaker: Dr Gloria Pilar Totoricaguena
Date: Monday 20 June, 2005
Abstract:
An investigation
of the Basque diaspora's nationalism including Basque Government's
para-diplomatic use of Basque communities around the world, participation
in homeland elections and political movements, identity maintenance
in Australia, and the crisis of return. Gloria Totoricagüena
earned her PhD at the London School of Economics having researched
diaspora studies and specifically a comparative analysis of the Basque
diaspora in eight countries. She is as a consultant for diaspora policy
to the Basque Autonomous Government and serves on several research
teams for diaspora politics and para-diplomacy projects. She is a
professor at the University of Nevada.
Behind East Timor's Claim for Oil in the Timor Sea
Speaker: Tomas Freitas, La'o Hamutuk (Institute for Reconstruction Analysis and Monitoring)
Julino Ximenes da Silva, Movimento Kontra Okupasaun Tasi Timor (MKOTT - Movement against the Occupation of the Timor Sea)
Date: Thursday 31 March, 2005
Abstract:
It has been almost a year since large protests in Dili took place outside the Australian embassy as part of demands for a greater share of revenues from the Timor Sea. This forum heard directly from two Timorese activists about what's at stake for the people of East Timor and they explained why they felt Canberra's position on the Timor Sea denies livelihood and justice for the Timorese.
The Indo-Naga Peace Process
Speaker: Mmhonlumo Kikon, Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights, India
Date: Thursday 10 March, 2005
Abstract:
Mmhonlumo Kikon is the convenor of the Delhi office/section of the Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights, the preeminent Nagas human rights advocate which has been monitoring and reporting on human rights abuses in Nagaland for more than 20 years. The NPMHR has also played a significant role in promoting peace talks between the Indian government and Naga national leaders. Although a ceasefire has been in place for several years, the state is still officially a 'disturbed area' and subject to special legislation giving the armed forces wide-ranging search-and-seize and shoot-to-kill powers.
2004-
Barriers to Women's Participation in East Timor's Reconstruction
25 October 2004. A tremendous amount has been achieved in the reconstruction of East Timor in the last five years. However, there is a concern that the position of women is not necessarily changing in a way that many may have hoped. This seminar sought to highlight the various barriers that continue to obstruct a fuller participation for women in East Timorese society.
Coming largely from an international perspective, the seminar addressed the framework for discourse on women in East Timor. How have East Timorese Women been approached by a range of international development, aid, policing and human-rights advocates and workers? Have the assumptions carried by international participants in East Timor's reconstruction been appropriate, what mistakes have been made, and what successful strategies have been adopted in the effort to address the concerns as indicated by women in East Timor? As the keynote address, Jacqui Siapno presented a working paper on 'Creating New Spaces, Shattering Silences: Class, Race, Ethnic, Linguistic, and Paradigmatic Questions besides the Gender Barriers'. She argued that there is a tendency to portray East Timorese women either as 'powerless victims' or as 'revolutionary heroes'. She discussed a tendency to refer to all East Timorese women as a monolithic grouping, without specific attention to radical differences in formation, in terms of class background, race, ethnic and linguistic formations.
Speakers: Jacqueline Aquino Siapno, Sara Niner, Janet Hunt, and Deb
Salvagno
Indigenous Health and Strategies for Change
13 October 2004. Professor Ian Anderson addressed a forum on strategies for change in the field of Aboriginal health, a field in which he has worked for nearly two decades, holding positions as an Aboriginal health worker, health educator, general practitioner and in health administration. Previously Ian has worked as an administrator for the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service and Medical Adviser to the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health in the Commonwealth Department of Health. The forum was presented by the RMIT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit.
Encounters with Free Trade
16 September 2004. Jacques-Chai Chomthongdi, from Focus on the Global South, spoke on the possible impacts of the Australia-Free Trade Agreement. While the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement has made the headlines across Australia, negotiations for other Free Trade Agreements like the Australia-Thailand deal have received little public scrutiny in this country. This is despite the devastating impact the deal could have on Thai farmers and peasants while also placing further pressure on the Australian textile and clothing industry. Presented by Friends of the Earth, the Justice and International Mission Unit of the Uniting Church Victoria and Tasmania, and the Globalism Institute, Jacques-Chai provided a Thai perspective on the impact of the trade deal. He also outlined the Thai civil-society responses to FTAs and the WTO. Given the rapid growth of bilateral free trade agreements across Asia and the globe, the evening provided an excellent opportunity for people to grapple with this latest trend of locking in damaging free-market policies.
Cyprus After the Failed Kofi Annan Plan
24 June 2004. Cyprus has been a problem for the international community for the past half century. Recently, the Turkish Cypriot community surprisingly accepted the UN Kofi Annan plan, and the Greek Cypriot community equally surprisingly rejected it. The main speakers debating these events will be Neshe Yashin, Turkish Studies, University of Cyprusand Maria Hadjipavlou, Dep. Of Political Science, University of Cyprus. There will also be input on the community repercussions here in Australia from Tumer Mimi (Turkish Cypriot) and Dinos Toumazos (Greek Cypriot). All are welcome to attend. Jointly sponsored by the Globalism Institute and RMIT Greek Centre in association with the World Conference of Religions for Peace.
Oil Refugees and Climate Change Oil
26 April 2004. Speakers were brought together from three countries directly and devastatingly affected by oil extraction and climate change.
Oil, Refugees and Climate Change brought together speakers from three countries directly and devastatingly affected by oil extraction and climate change: Fiu Mataese Elisara- Laulu from Samoa, Don Kennedy from Tuvalu, and Nnimmo Bassey from Nigeria - for one evening in Melbourne to answer these questions and share their experiences of living with both the oil industry and climate change.
Nnimmo Bassey from Nigeria spoke about the bloodiness of the oil industry and the violence associated with pipelines. He told the story of the plight of the people of the Niger Delta, who must live near to pipelines where major oil spills are common and having to deal with constant harassment from military who are often working in the interests of Shell and other oil companies. Nnimmo showed a ten minute video made in Nigeria that displayed the ecological impact of constant fires and oil spills.
Fiu Mataese from Samoa spoke passionately about the small islands of the Pacific and the need for larger, less isolated countries to recognise the problems such as extreme weather conditions that have been accentuated by climate change and take on the responsibility of their ecological debt. "It's an issue of justice, equity, trade and ecological debt." He emphasised the right to exist as a sovereign nation on traditional land rather than being forced by global warming to flee their lands and become refugees.
Don Kennedy from Tuvalu spoke on behalf of the Kioa development action group. He spoke about the myriad of problems that the people of Tuvalu are experiencing as a direct result of climate change including rising sea levels, frequency of king tides, frequency of storms and hurricanes, soil erosion and tidal inland creep, and contamination of plantation pits with saltwater. The future for the people of Tuvalu is uncertain and the Kioa development action group are trying to gain permanent residency for the people of Tuvalu on the Fijian island of Kioa .
East Timor: Possible Futures in a Globalising World
20 April 2004. A panel of speakers from within and beyond the university will provide presentations and short reports suggesting ideas on the kind of nation East Timor is becoming. Janet Hunt will speak on East Timorese NGOs from 'exclusion to engagement', and Damian Grenfell will speak on East Timor as a 'post-colonial outpost'. Reports will include an update from Friends of Baucau, as well as the current state of oil negotiations between East Timor and Australia.
A long struggle for independence and the violent images of 1999 are
often the basis for people's images of East Timor. While an understanding
of the occupation and resistance is vital, it is the future of this
new nation-state that has been chosen as the theme of the first event
for RMIT's East Timor Network.
Genetically Modified Food Public Forum
10 February 2004. A Globalism Institute, RMIT University and Greenpeace co-hosted event: 'Victoria on the Brink: A Public Forum on Genetically Engineered food in Australia'
The key speaker, ex-UK Environment Minister Michael Meacher delivered a paper on the need for rigorous, independent scientific testing of genetically engineered food crops which was debated by a panel of respondents. The panel of discussants was made up of Dur-e Dara (President, Restaurant and Catering Association of Vic), Dr Gyorgy Scrinis (Globalism Institute), Prof. Paul James (Globalism Institute), Mr Jeremy Tager (Greenpeace), Dr Bob Phelps (GenEthics Network) and Scott Kinnear (Biological Farmers Association).
Until June 2003, the RT Hon. Michael Meacher had served longer as a minister and frontbench opposition spokesman than anyone else in government, having been on the front bench for 27 of the past 29 years. As Minister of State (Environment) since 1997, Mr Meacher's responsibilities included: sustainable development, climate change, environmental protection and water issues; wildlife and conservation, Sites of Special Scientific Interest; and energy efficiency.
Mr Meacher spoke of the dubious scientific evidence used to support claimed benefits of GM food crops. After his talk, the panel discussion reflected deeply held community concerns about the safety of GM technology and the forces at work behind such narrow, technical responses to the crisis in conventional chemical agriculture. The discussion was enlivened by a Monsanto employee in the audience who was identified by Mr Meacher as a spokesperson for the company which he described as 'A very large, powerful and greedy corporation that uses every means available to it to further its aims and benefit its owners'.
The discussants called for a further moratorium on GM trials, arguing that such a significant and irreversible intervention in the food chain requires far more testing, public debate and certainty before any more GM crops are released into the environment.
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