Anarchists takeover La Trobe University, Melbourne.


The false image of Anarchists as bomb toting maniacs is one which has served the ruling classes well over the last 150 years or so. Its ready acceptance by ideologists is astounding, as shown by the Oxford dictionary definition which states that anarchy is equated with chaos. The defintion is of course, erroneous. Nevertheless, the correct defintion is still given in the good old Oxford. That is that anarchy actually means "no rulers". Our rulers, such as Vice Chancellor Osborne, Crean (fortunately, now defunct) Howard, and various corporate gurus may still have cause to worry.
Anarchism: what is it?
Anarchists seek to build structures to enable all people to obtain:
equal access to resources; and equal access to power.
In doing so, it seeks to abolish hierarchy and private property. The manifestations of these institutions are seen in today's society in the form of government (both parliamentary democracies and Marxist-Lenninist regimes) corporations, academic institutions and the media, to name a few examples.
Anarchists at LaTrobe have been active at various times in the last four decades. In the late 60s and early 70s they joined forces with left Marxists (who shared their anti authorian beliefs) in the Libertarian Socialists group. This includes students and lecturers and controlled Rabelais and the SRC for a number of years. They opened up these units to control by the general student body and promoted freedom and democracy on campus and in the wider political setting. The anarchist collective has had various incarnations since then. Most recently, it has been active since mid 1995. Since then, it has involved itself in fulfilling the same aims as the groups which preceeded it. Anarchists activists from this group are now involved in the Part time, Evening and Mature Age Students Organisation (PEMSO), the SRC and Rabelais.

National Anarchist Student Conference

 The Anarchist collective at LaTrobe is planning a National Conference of students of a similar political persuasion to themselves. Furthermore, the gathering is to be held on this campus.
Yes, the anarchists in Australian secondary schools, TAFE colleges, and Universities will be invited to come together. Other anarchists from all over Australia and people interested in anarchism are invited as well. It will be held on the Queen's birthday weekend, 8-10 June, 1996. The conference has two aims. To promote anarchist ideas; and to provide a forum for anarchist students and non students to organise with each other. The conference will take the form of formal delivery of papers, workshops, plenary sessions, panel discussions, videos, and any other form of discourse which enjoys the support of the participants. It is hoped that a keynote speaker of national or international renown will be able to attend.
Topics for discussion include:
  1. Anarchism and Marxism: including, was Marx an anarchist?
  2. Multinational corporations, third world poverty poverty and oppression, environmental degradation and the global political-economy
  3. Transport: anarchist alternatives and solutions.
  4. Unionism and anarcho-syndicalism?
  5. VSU, student unionism, and anarchism.
  6. Action planning for organising Australian anarchist students.
  7. French nuclear testing, the military and state-corporate rule.
  8. State censorship and political oppression - e.g. police raids on Barricade Books (Anarchist bookshop), the Crean/Wade assault on the student press and arrests of student activists.
  9. Environment. Stuff car pooling and recycling, sack the bosses and abolish the state! Anarchist social ecology, and other anarchist approaches.
Get involved!
The national anarchist student conference presents an opportunity for anarchist students to start organising on a national scale. Hopefully, activities such as those mentioned above will follow. The long term aim is democratisation of all activities affecting students and workers at universities, TAFE colleges and schools. Most of the work for organising the conference has been done by members of the LaTrobe University Anarchist Collective (LTAC). We are asking for :
1. Help in organising the conference, including attending meetings.
2. People to deliver papers/workshops.
3. Suggestions for other agenda items.
Please contact LTAC or come to one of our meetings at 1 pm every Tuesday in the Union building.
The final word
Anarchist bomb throwers have been known to exist. However, their number would likely compare with the number of humanitarian U.S. presidents. One ought to note Noam Chomsky's estimation that had the Nuremburg laws been applied equally, every post war U.S. president would have been hanged. Comparing them with another head of state, Winston Churchill once complained of the squeemishness of those who disagreed with bombing the Kurds with mustard gas. Whilst the national anarchist student conference may not be as sensational as the IRA bombing of No. 10 Downing Street, it may be more effective.

National Anarchist Student Conference
LaTrobe University Bundoora.
Sat-Mon. 8-10 June, 1996.
Contact: Jack or Nigel,
c/o SRC
LaTrobe University Bundoora, 3083.
(03) 9479 2976.
or Andrew, (03) 9419 2825.
LaTrobe University Bundoora.
Cost: minimal. Child care and vegetarian food available.