Melbourne 2018 Activities Archive



Sunday, 16 December, 6-9pm
Friends, Food and Feminism!
Celebrate the festive season with Radical Women


2018 is nearly over! It's time to take a break from our battles and come to the dinner table. Enjoy an evening of feminist comradeship, looking back on the year's highlights and swapping ideas of what needs to be done for the times ahead.

Soul-nourishing dishes for $10 or $15 solidarity. Drinks from the bar.

All genders welcome!

RSVP is essential. Please email radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au or join the facebook event here to let us know you are coming.

Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Tram #19 to Blyth St, Upfield train to Anstey, parking available.


Saturday & Sunday, 8 - 9 December
Building on the legacy of Ray Jackson,
Wiradjuri working-class warrior for justice


Ray Jackson (27 March 1941 - 23 April 2015), Wiradjuri unionist, socialist feminist, internationalist, Aboriginal justice warrior and recipient of the French Human Rights Award in 2013, has been honoured in a poster paying tribute to his life and legacy. The poster, part of an international Celebrate People's History series, will have its Melbourne launch on 8 December at the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA).

The launch is part of a weekend of activities featuring an exhibition of Ray's political T-shirts, posters, badges and photos from his decades of activism and leadership as well as workshops. It will highlight the various battlefronts that Ray connected and how his legacy can inform and strengthen today's struggles.

Radical Women is proud to co-host this event with other organisations active in the many fields of Ray Jackson's work - First Nations Workers Alliance, Indigenous Social Justice Association Melbourne, Freedom Socialist Party and Abolitionist and Transformative Justice Centre.

Saturday 8 December 12:30 pm - 5:00 pm: Exhibition of artwork, political T-shirts and photos 2:00 pm: Official Melbourne poster launch and reflections on Ray's legacy

Sunday 9 December 10:00 am - 5:00 pm: Exhibition open 10:30 am - 5:00 pm: A day of workshops and political movement building

Maritime Union of Australia
46-54 Ireland Street, West Melbourne
3 minutes walk from North Melbourne Station

The event is free. Posters will be available for $10 to raise money for deaths in custody families.

For more information, email radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au. Please join the facebook event here.




Starting Wednesday, 15 August, 6.30 pm
5-session feminist study group
Women Resist Fascism: Yesterday and Today


Are you concerned about recent actions by bigots and white supremacists? Learn about the far right's misogynist and racist agenda and how women have opposed it. Discuss why rightwing and neo-Nazi groups are growing and how we can stop them. Readings available for purchase at sessions. Everyone welcome.

Alternate Wednesdays, 15 & 29 August, 12 & 26 September, 10 October

Sessions are 7.00 - 9.00 pm. Dinner served at 6.30 pm for a $10 donation

Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Tram #19 to Blyth St, Upfield train to Anstey Station, parking off Staley St

Hosted by Radical Women
For more info, email radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au or phone 03 9388 0062. To join the facebook event, click here and indicate "Going" for each session.

Saturday, 11 August, 11.00 am - 1.00 pm
Radical Women Organising Meeting
The time is right for socialist feminism!

Want to learn more about Radical Women and how, after decades, this women's leadership group stays so uppity? Come and learn about exciting organising against fascists and the far right, the LGBTIQ movement honouring RW leader, Alison Thorne, upcoming study and plans for action, and more. Share your ideas and connect with like-minded activists.

Luscious snacks available for a $5.00 donation.

Sessions are 7.00 - 9.00 pm. Dinner served at 6.30 pm for a $10 donation

Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Tram #19 to Blyth St, Upfield train to Anstey Station, parking off Stewart St

For more info, email radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au or phone 03 9388 0062. Join the facebook event here.

Facebook: Radical.Women.Australia
Twitter: @RadicalWomenMEL


Saturday, 28 July, 10.00 am - 3.00 pm
Radical Women discussion circle
Woman as Leader: Double Jeopardy on Account of Sex


"The very issue of female leadership is a revolutionary question." - Clara Fraser

What does it mean to be a woman leader under a system that treats her as men's property? Join Radical Women to discuss this inspiring and fiery writing by socialist feminist pioneer, Clara Fraser. Everyone is welcome!

A warm winter lunch will be available for a $10 donation.

The booklet is available at Solidarity Salon for $5.50.

For more information about the discussion circle, to RSVP or to purchase the booklet in advance, contact Radical Women via email radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au or phone (03) 9388 0062. Join the facebook event here. Solidarity Salon will be open from 9.00 am on the day.

Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick Catch Tram #19 to Blyth St, or the Upfield train to Anstey station. Parking is available off Staley St.



Saturday, 23 June, 4:00 pm
Celebrate Stonewall 2018
After Yes: Reviving the spirit of Stonewall in Australia and Around the Globe

Are you over the wedding cakes and the corporate floats? Were you inspired by 78ers marching in Mardi Gras and their vision of liberation? Hear from a diverse panel of speakers who'll provide a global sweep of the challenges faced by LGBTIQ people today, explore solutions and chart opportunities for resistance and solidarity.

- Sally Goldner: community radio presenter, bi and trans advocate
- Josh Mason: coordinates the blog LGBTIQ punk stories and is a veteran of disciplined counter-organising to stop Nazis, bigots and other unsavoury types in Melbourne
- Sara Niner: anthropologist and expert in gender politics on lesbian, bi and trans oppression in Timor-Leste
- Lisa Farrell: represents Radical Women in the Indigenous Social Justice Association and takes pride in having out-organised the World Congress of Families in 2014

Chaired by Alison Thorne: Veteran queer liberationist and union delegate who edits the Freedom Socialist Organizer

Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Between Blyth & Stewart Steets. Take Tram #19 or Upfield train to Anstey Station. Plenty of parking.

Dinner served immediately after the panel, catering for all diets. Dinner and door: $20 solidarity, $15 waged and $10 unwaged. $5 door only. Drinks available from the bar.

Jointly hosted by Radical Women and Freedom Socialist Party
For more info: radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au or facebook: Radical.Women.Australia



Wednesday 27 June, 7:00 pm
Celebrating LGBTIQ pride
Activism then and now

To launch its 35th anniversary, Victorian AIDS Council is hosting "Activism Then and Now," covering the spectrum of issues mobilising the LGBTIQ community into action, from the HIV epidemic and response to it and decriminalisation of homosexuality to the fight for marriage equality.

Among the speakers is veteran LGBTIQ liberationist, Alison Thorne. Alison is a founding member of the Melbourne chapter of Radical Women and managing editor of the Freedom Socialist Organizer. She was also among the first grassroots activists to respond to the emerging AIDS crisis in 1983. This organising led to the foundation of VAC, which next month is celebrating 35 years of health advocacy, sex positive/liberationist education, service provision and leading a fightback for our lives. Alison will join a stellar panel, who will reflect on activism then and now - and, most important, what next!

Doors open 6.30pm. Event begins 7pm.

Location: Village Roadshow Theatrette, State Library. When entering the State Library, use the La Trobe Street entrance.

Tickets are free. Book online at: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/panel-discussion-activism-then-now-tickets-46312371550>

To attend with the Radical Women and Freedom Socialist Party team, contact radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au





Sunday, 3 June, 1.30 pm
Radical Women Organising Meeting
Queer liberation is a feminist fight!


In honour of LGBTIQ rebellion, this meeting will feature a review of Lesbianism: A Socialist Feminist Perspective by revolutionary organiser Susan Williams, MD, followed by open discussion.

Join in this invigorating conversation, help organise the event After Yes: Reviving the spirit of Stonewall (23 June), and learn of other opportunities for activism!

Snacks available for a $5.00 donation. Everyone is welcome! Join the facebook event here.

Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Between Blyth & Stewart Streets. Take Tram #19 or Upfield train to Anstey Station. Plenty of parking.

For information: radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au



Sunday, 13 May 2018, 3.00 - 5.00 pm
Honoring May Day
What will it really take to Change the Rules?

When Sally McManus, as new ACTU secretary, said that she has no problem with workers breaking laws that are unjust, workers sat up at the ready. But the business world went ballistic, and the ACTU quickly retreated, switching its message from "break bad laws" to "change the rules."

The argument underpinning the ACTU's Change the Rules campaign is that the rules, once fair, are now broken, and workers need to pressure parliamentarians to improve them. What do women workers, who have been waiting for equal pay for over 100 years, think about this? What about unionists who remember the militant strikes that won the conditions we're now losing?

Join Radical Women for this Sunday Session honouring May Day. Let's talk about what it will take to change the rules.

Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick Between Blyth & Stewart Steets. Take Tram #19 or Upfield train to Anstey Station. Plenty of parking.

Snacks available for a $5.00 donation. Everyone welcome!

To find out more: radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au or facebook: Radical.Women.Australia




Sunday, 11 February,1.00 pm
Kick off the new year with feminist action!



Help Radical Women plan for 2018 - a year for building a strong united front against emboldened fascists and increasingly repressive police powers, fighting for Aboriginal justice, and grassroots organising in the unions. Bring your thoughts and learn how you can get involved.

Snacks available for a $5.00 donation. Everyone is welcome!

Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick

Join the event on facebook here. For more info, email radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au or call 03-9388-0062.



Sunday, 4 February, 3.00 - 5.00 pm
Radical Women Sunday Session

Resisting "Australia Day": Change the system, not just the date!



The proud history of Invasion Day protest against Australia's genocidal past and present is being funneled into a call to #ChangeTheDate. This month's Sunday Session will explore the history of Invasion Day resistance, what it calls for and protests against. We'll also discuss the reactionary nature of Aussie nationalism and talk about what it will take to change the system, not merely the date.

Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Snacks available for $5 donation. Everyone is welcome!

Check the Facebook event to get the pre-readings and more info. To find out more about RW's monthly Sunday Sessions, contact us: radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au or facebook: Radical.Women.Australia



2017 Activities
2016 Activities
2015 Activities
2014 Activities
2013 Activities
2012 Activities