Perth Indymedia

We speak with Rockhampton Peace Convergence spokesperson Robin Taubenfield about the Quaker Grannies arrested at the gates of Shoalwater military base after a cup of tea, lamingtons and a chat with the military about the cost of war. The Grannies were arrested and detained by police after holding a tea party complete with flowers, tea and cake to create dialogue with soldiers participating in the joint U.S / Australia / Japan /NZ Talisman Sabre war exercises.

We speak to historian and long time activist Cedric Beidatsch to try and understand the latest attacks on civil liberties and how they are connected to the Neoliberal Capitalist agenda in Australia and the world. This is part one of the interview where Cedric also touches on the changing nature of the global anti-Capitalist movement.

We speak with emeritus professor Frank Stilwell of Sydney University on the historic Greek referendum rejecting harsher austerity economics. Professor Stilwell was previously a colleague at Sydney University of the (now previous) Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis.

At 8am members of the Melbourne Palestine Action Coalition (MPAC) shut down the headquarters of Israeli arms manufacturer, ELBIT SYSTEMS, at 235 Ingles St Port Melbourne to mark the first anniversary of the 2014 Israeli ‘Protective Edge’ assault on Gaza. The group have blockaded access to the building and currently have two people locked on to the entrance gate, who state that they are prepared to remain there as long as possible. This is the second time the pro-Palestinian group has disrupted Elbit Systems, the first time being in August 2014 when they occupied the building’s roof and blockaded the entrance to Elbit during the 2014 Israeli attack on Gaza. We speak with Melbourne Palestine Action Coalition spokesperson Samantha Castro.

Not a week goes by that there is not a meeting or action around the state government's proposed Perth Freight Link. As the community anger mounts and on the eve of the Fremantle Council voting to officially oppose the $1.6 freeway, Indymedia spoke to councilor Sam Wainwright about the campaign to both oppose the PFL, as well as the privatization of the Fremantle Port

With the economy weakening, and job losses on the horizon for many West Australians, many are turning to financial counsellors for support- but the sector is also being hit with budget cuts, and is expected to lose around 50 jobs this year. For more on the perfect storm this might create, we spoke to Charles Brown, chief executive of Financial Couselling WA.

Simone Van Hattem with the latest on the Protect Peaceful Protest campaign in WA, a group concerned with legislation the Barnett government is attempting to push through parliament that would criminalise protest. "We are concerned that the punishments defined in the bill, up to $24000 or 24 months’ imprisonment, will act as a deterrent to lawful and peaceful protests; inhibiting our ability and the ability of all Western Australians to stand up for the people, places and activities they love and to have their voices heard." from the website http://protectpeacefulprotest.com/

Equal love and LGBTI rights campaigner Farida Iqbal on the historic supreme court ruling in the US for marriage equality and what it means for the Australian campaign. We speak with her also about the upcoming rally in Perth (5th July) - https://www.facebook.com/events/835882479842128/

Tammy Solonec Indigenous Peoples' Rights Manager at Amnesty International Australia speaks with us about their new report which finds Aboriginal youths are 24 times more likely to be in detention. The report is available from the following link - http://www.amnesty.org.au/images/uploads/aus/A_brighter_future_National_report.pdf

Bella Bropho discusses the latest police invasion of the refugee camp at Matagarup. She is one of the participants in this camp and the interview was recorded at the site. This is a sacred Indigenous site that is serving as a refugee camp for people who are being affected by the closure of Indigenous communities. Once again the police ripped down and stole all of their tents and are also blocking access to the parking lot. You can read more about this raid and how you can help by providing supplies to the camp here: https://www.facebook.com/sosblakaustralia/photos/a.1042299689120174.1073741828.1042255972457879/1102036053146537/?type=1&fref=nf You can find out more about the closure of Indigenous communities here: http://www.sosblakaustralia.com/ This interview was played on the 22nd of June 2015 episode of RTR92.1FM Indymedia. You can listen to this episode at this link (just select 22nd June episode on the little calendar on the left): rtrfm.com.au/shows/indymedia/

Dr Matthew Rimmer, a Professor in Intellectual Property and Innovation Law, takes on the Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill 2015. He describes this Bill and the associated report as 'love letters to Foxtel and News Corp' and criticises the Bill for serving corporate interests, as well as pointing out the worrying implications it has for online freedom. Be sure to follow Dr Matthew Rimmer on Twitter @DrRimmer: https://twitter.com/DrRimmer Find out more about these proposed laws here: http://mashable.com/2015/06/11/senate-piracy-websites-australia/?utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner Email Labor politicians to encourage them to oppose the Bill: http://choice.good.do/nofilter/email-your-labor-mp/ A shortened version of this interview was played on the 15th of June 2015 episode of RTR92.1FM Indymedia. You can listen to this episode at this link (just select 1st June episode on the little calendar on the lef

Audio highlights from last Saturday's confrontation between the far right bigots of Reclaim Australia and their anti-racist opponents

Felicity Ruby, ThoughtWorks Director of Global Internet Policy and former adviser to Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, on two years of Edward Snowden's revelations and where we're at on the battle for internet freedom.

Refugee rights campaigner Leonie Lundy to hear all about the Refugee Welcome Fiesta happening out in Freo this Sunday.

Kieran Bennett from Anarchist Affinity discusses a recent counter-protest against a United Patriots Front fascist protest in Melbourne. United Patriots Front is a spin off organisation from the racist Reclaim Australia movement. Bennett also discusses the need for a broad anti-fascist movement in Australia, that includes, but is not limited to, directly confronting fascists in the streets. For more information on Anarchist Affinity: http://www.anarchistaffinity.org/ Slackbastard's blog tracks fascist activity in Australia: http://slackbastard.anarchobase.com/ This interview was played on the 1st of June 2015 episode of RTR92.1FM Indymedia. You can listen to this episode at this link (just select 1st June episode on the little calendar on the left): rtrfm.com.au/shows/indymedia/

Malou Logan, vice chair person of Gabriela Australia discusses the campaign to free Mary Jane Veloso. Veloso is a Filipina worker who was arrested and sentenced to death for allegedly smuggling heroin into Indonesia. She has been in Indonesian prison since 2010 and has recently had her execution delayed. Logan makes the case that 5 years in prison is more than enough punishment for Veloso. To find out more about Veloso's case: http://migranteinternational.org/tag/mary-jane-veloso/ Connect with Gabriela Australia on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gabriela-Australia/1491865197762777?fref=ts This interview was played on the 1st of June 2015 episode of RTR92.1FM Indymedia. You can listen to this episode at this link (just select 1st June episode on the little calendar on the left): http://rtrfm.com.au/shows/indymedia/

The proposed Roe 8 extension is a 5.2 kilometre extension of the Roe 8 highway through Beeliar wetlands to just west of coobelup avenue. This road in combination with others including Roe 9 as well as a possible return of the Fremantle Eastern By-pass in the form of a tunnel is a part of the Barnett government's freight link plan. The development will have severe impacts on the environment and community of Fremantle. While the government are pushing ahead with the project, many argue that there are many alternatives, most notably moving freight to rail. Indymedia's Ray Grenfell spoke to Grainne from the group Rethink The Link to hear more about such alternatives and the campaign to stop the roads. Find out more about Rethink the Link here: http://www.rethinkthelink.com.au/

We’re joined by independent journalist Will Potter from greenisthenewred.com. He discusses: what ‘green is the new red’ refers to (linking the previous “red scare” about communism to the current “green scare” about animal and environmental activists), the way repressive laws target both militant and moderate activists, and the ways these laws are creeping into Australia and elsewhere around the world.

Jessica Ellen takes on the lack of funding for services to tackle domestic violence in the federal budget. Jessica is a law student who has done research into domestic violence and volunteered at community legal centres. She discusses the importance of domestic violence services and education for men, as well as gendered violence and why anger management alone doesn't address it. Follow Jessica on Twitter @jessicaellen_o and check out her YouTube video which explores the issues we discuss here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi7JGwL_qio&feature=youtu.be&a

Dr Patricia Ranald of AFTINET on the likelihood that US Congress will pass a bill in the coming days to fast track the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).