Today’s Accent of Women commemorates May Day – International Workers Day on 1 May every year. The Second International designated International Workers’ Day be 1 May every year, in 1889. The date was chosen to commemorate the Haymarket Affair, a violent confrontation between police and labour protesters in Chicago on May 4, 1886, that became a symbol of the international struggle for workers’ rights. The strike at Haymarket in 1886 was about a national campaign to secure an eight-hour workday. May Day is a day of protest and action, right across the world, and this year Palestine was a major theme everywhere. On today’s Accent of Women, I bring you four speeches delivered at the May Day rally in Melbourne, Victoria – on a very frosty autumn evening.

It’s 11 years since the collapse of Rana Plaza, a building in Dhaka, Bangladesh that housed some 5 garment factories. More than 1100 workers died on 24 April 2013 but this was no accident. Workers and in fact, just about every body, knew that the building was unstable. It was built on a pond, without the correct construction permits, extra floors were added to the building illegally, and the heavy equipment associated with the garment industry all meant that the building couldn’t hold the weight of its contents.But also, on the day of the collapse, cracks had appeared in the walls of the building, and the other tenants  – banks, small shops, they all closed for the day. But the garment workers were not afforded this basic safety measure. They were forced to work that day on threat of losing an entire months wages. They staged massive protests outside the building, but were eventually forced inside because of the unrelenting poverty that they are subjected to.So Rana Plaza was no accident – it was, it is, Industrial murder. 11 years on, these workers are fighting for an across the board wage increase. Their year long campaign has had some gains. Joining me today to discuss the wage case and the anniversary of Rana Plaza, I am joined by Taslima Akhter.

On this week’s show, we return take a closer look at a number of campaigns that have emerged in Australia in the wake of the genocide in Gaza. Specifically, anti-weapons manufacturing campaigns and demilitarisation campaigns.My guests today are Palestinian/Syrian woman Nathalie Farrah from Disrupt Wars and the Get Elbit Industries out of Australia campaign. And Palestinian activist, Dana Alshaer from Melbourne University Students for Palestine Action Group. 

A recent military escalation in West Papua is the latest episode in a long history of repression and dispossession since the island came under Indonesian control. But the authorities in Jakarta still haven’t been able to stabilize their rule over West Papua.On today’s show, Accent of Women looks at the Resistance of the West Papuan people. 3CR’s Priya Kunjan spoke with leading Human Rights Activist in Indonesia, Vanessa Koman. 

On this week’s show, we’re gonna chat about an exciting new book that’s being released in a couple of weeks’ time, called, “An Unexpected Life”, it documents the stories of 11 Canberra based women who are migrants to Australia, their journeys to this country, their successes and failures and loves and regrets. And interwoven across these 11 women’s stories, is that of the author herself,Vesna Cvjeticanin. I had the privilege and pleasure of chatting with Vesna about her book.

The Migration Amendment (Removal and Other Measures) Bill proposes amendments to the Migration Act to deal with situations where non-citizens subject to removal are not cooperating with government authorities, or where their own government refuses to take them back. It is widely understood to be a response to the High Court’s ruling in November 2023 that found indefinite immigration detention to be unlawful.It’s also considered an attempt to pre-empt further litigation scheduled in the High Court. The case of an Iranian man refusing to cooperate in his deportation is due before the court next month. However, the amendments introduced in the bill go far beyond addressing this issue. They have wide-ranging impacts for how non-citizens are treated in Australia, and indeed for Australia’s relationship with governments around the world.My guest today is refugee, and refugee activist, Lavanya Thavaraja.

On this week’s show, we return our gaze to Gaza and the genocide of the Palestinian people there. It’s been almost 6 months since Israel launched its genocidal campaign of bombardment against the people of Gaza, ostensibly in response to Hamas’ attack on Nir Oz Kibbutz on the 7 October. The war has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, with some 1.2 million people now displaced in Rafah, with no where to go. All negotiations for a ceasefire have failed.First up, Rasha Abbas, the founder of Palestine Australia Relief and Action – this newly formed charity is supporting Palestinian refugees arriving in Australia. Then later in the show, Dana Alshaer, from UniMelb students for Palestine who are campaigning against the interests of weapons manufacturing companies in Australia’s higher education system. Companies such as Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and Boeing – are amongst the 5 largest weapons manufacturing companies in the world, and they fund research and PhDs at a range of universities including Melbourne University.  Donate to PARA if you're able to: https://para.org.au/

23,000 Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander children in out of home care.Grandmothers Against Removals is an organisation – actually started by Lidia Thorpe – that aims to end the removal of Aboriginal children, or at the very least, place them with family members.GMAR Victoria was established in recognition of the disproportionate representation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home-care. They’re all volunteers. They’re all Aboriginal grandmothers. GMAR’s volunteers understand first hand the impacts of colonisation on Aboriginal families and seeks to mitigate these in order to keep families together.I had the opportunity to speak with one of the lead volunteers, Aunty Rieo Ellis. https://www.mycause.com.au/charity/62924/GrandmothersAgainstRemovalsGMARVICTORIA

On this week’s show, our last piece of coverage from the ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations) meeting in Melbourne on 4, 5 & 6 of March, and today we continue our focus on Myanmar.Since the violent military coup on February 1, 2021, the people of Myanmar have staunchly rejected military rule, demonstrating resilience through the widespread Civil Disobedience Movement.  Over the past three years, the country has continued to reject military governance and has mobilised an effective alternative - the civilian government, known as the National Unity Government (NUG), which continues to consolidate its rightful claim to leadership.Today’s guest is Debbie Stothard, the founding member of the Alternative ASEAN on Burma was in Melbourne for the Myanmar People’s Summit, which was held alongside and in opposition to the ASEAN Special Summit.

Since the violent military coup on February 1, 2021, the people of Myanmar have staunchly rejected military rule, demonstrating resilience through the widespread Civil Disobedience Movement.  Over the past three years, the country has continued to reject military governance and has mobilised an effective alternative - the civilian government, known as the National Unity Government (NUG), which continues to consolidate its rightful claim to leadership.In opposition to, and alongside the ASEAN summit, the Myanmar People's Summit, convened by civil society, took place on March 4, 2024, at the United Workers Union offices in Melbourne. This summit represents a unified stance in support of a civilian and democratic government in Myanmar and aims to amplify the strongest support for civilian rule to ASEAN leaders attending the ASEAN Special Summit in Melbourne, hosted by the Australian Prime Minister.A special thank you to Tasneem Roc at APHEDA for providing the audio for this week's show, and if you'd like to get involved in any solidarity work with Myanmar, contact Tasneem on [email protected].

The Albanese Government has invited Ferdinand Bong Bong Marcos Junior to address the Australian Parliament on Thursday the 29th February. Bong Bong Marcos Junior is the son of former brutal dictator, Ferdinand Marcos Snr, who was deposed in 1986. The apple does not fall far from the tree, and Marcos Junior is shaping up to be quite the dictator himself. Marcos’ visit coincides with the ASEAN summit, scheduled to take place in Melbourne on the 4, 5 & 6 of March.Progressive Filipinos in Australia are mobilising against Marcos Junior and protesting against his visit and speaking engagements.  Guest: Alexia Fuentes from Anakbayan Melbourne. https://www.instagram.com/anakbayanmelbourne/