N25 Media Release, 30 Oct 00
Globalisation convention attracts Western Australians from all walks of life
Perth's first community convention on the economic drawbacks of
globalisation will be held on 25 November at Curtin University and is
drawing participants from all walks of life and with a wide range of
political allegiances. Workers, academics, business proprietors, religious
leaders, public servants, farmers, pensioners and students are rushing to
register for the 600 available seats.
The one-day convention, known as N25, opens with a debate led by WA union
leader Tony Cooke, NSW public-interest advocate Dr Patricia Ranald and the
national president of the National Civic Council, Peter Westmore.
Delegates will then split up to tackle 14 specialised forum topics covering
the impacts of 'free trade' and globalisation on labour standards, the
environment, human rights, democratic governance, food quality, health and
other controversial subjects.
Eminent discussion leaders will include several State parliamentarians,
former senators Michael Beahan and Jo Vallentine, genetic engineering
critic Bob Phelps, social commentator Sister Veronica Brady and Perth
representatives of the alliance which recently protested against the World
Economic Forum (WEF) in Melbourne.
A nucleus of 80 citizens is preparing material for agendas which will
strike hard at Australia's international trade and investment policies,
seen to have crippled local productive industry and hugely enlarged
unemployment and national debt.
A goal of the conference is to find solutions which would not rely on
cooperative performance by bureaucracies, mainstream media and political
parties --all being seen to be influenced more by multinational corporate
interests than by grassroot opinion.
ends
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