Nationalist Alternative @ the Internet Censorship Rally, Perth, WA

Nationalist Alternative @ the Internet Censorship Rally, Perth, WA

By James Smith

Members and supporters of Nationalist Alternative WA attended the stopthefilter.org, internet censorship protest held in Perth at Forrest Place on Saturday the 6^th of March 2010.

The rally was a public relations disaster for the assorted communist groups who were attempting to hijack a public censorship rally for themselves whilst censoring others.

This activist report also details the unsuccessful attempt by ‘Resistance’ and the Socialist Alliance to force opposing viewpoints from a rally held to represent all of our concerns. Our banner which was just one element of our attendance was displayed prominently for a decent period of time and new contacts were made whilst leafleting, gaining signatures and promoting the spirit of the rally.

Why did Nationalist Alternative attend? We like the majority of Australians do not wish for a nanny state to dictate what we can and can not view, read or experience online. Nor do we buy Kevin Rudd’s “thin edge of the wedge” excuses for why.

Nationalist Alternative attended the rally in good faith simply as one group opposed to censorship of the internet, we had our censorship article uploaded on our site, signed petitions, walked petition boards around the crowd to obtain signatures and handed them back to the organisers. If a rally is the sum of its disparate parts we like the individual members of the public and other groups with or without a political basis such as “Anonymous” or the Socialist Alliance were simply another participant.

We embrace true free speech which is the entire spectrum including those views we at Nationalist Alternative may vehemently disagree with. If a viewpoint or concept or vision is flawed then through debate and open discussion it will become obvious.

Those that seek to: outlaw, make illegal, introduce oppressive legislation with jail terms in the hope that they can scare their populace into restricting their thoughts, provide no platform, physically harass, alter history books and curriculum’s and censor the ideas of others onlydisplay their own intolerance. Ultimately it is a personal fear that their own agenda and beliefs are flawed and the public will realise so when presented with articulate opposing views.



One of the most hypocritical streams of pseudo ‘alternative’ opposition in Australia is the tired and bedraggled assortment of Trotskyist, anarchist and communist groups who are not ‘left’ at all but proponents of a future totalitarian system like George Orwell’s 1984 nightmare. Say goodbye to individual and national rights, environmental concerns, diversity, a balance of private enterprise and state ownership, private property rights etc. Their opposition to the current liberal democratic censorship courtesy of labour and liberal governments is purely selfish and deceptive so they themselves can gain ‘the upper hand’ and imprison Australia with their own nanny state and iron control.

Fortunately their delusions are limited to 1^st year arts students and a small bitter rump of older members too proud or dogmatic to admit they are wrong. Their complete failure in Australia over the decades to ever gain a significant foothold leads many to believe the state today continues to allow them to run a muck publicly as ‘useful fools’ which explains the low levels of arrest or police attention these often violent thugs and their organisations receive.

Why ‘useful fools” ? what better way to ensure the continuity of the corrupt liberal democratic internationalist system then to present to the public a delusional bunch of fellow internationalists the communist clowns, as their only opposition? Of course people will be happy to stick with what they consider the 'lesser of two evils” – hence change never comes and the oppression continues.

With most public issues, socialists around Australia attempt to hijack and control them all and force people to view it through their sole prism of understanding. The socialist attempt to monopolise political speech and action, so as to be seen as the only alternative to the status quo. Whether it is gay rights, or the rights of indigenours peoples elsewhere, the socialists oppose and attach any other political stream which speaks up on these issues, even if they are in agreeance.

Evidence of the apathy these fools cause on the general public is illustrated below. What follows are a few quotes from members of the public commenting on forums after attending the rally.

“What a disappointing rally.

The majority of speakers talked more about socialist talking points than the internet filter. We were filmed at all times by a spook from resistance.org, and the organisers were the worst hypocrits ever.”



“I've seen large amounts of socialist propaganda everywhere lately, why don't these people go and live in a socialist country to see what it's like before trying to enforce this crap on us."



"Those Socialist Alternative guys are really annoying. They are like the westboro baptist church of Australian politics. Whenever people try to organise to protest a genuine issue these idiots turn up and try to brand it as a "socialist" demonstration.



They are the worst at Uni.

Pro-tip for SA: If I actually wanted to talk to you I wouldn't look the other way and avoid eye contact at all costs.”

What you see in the below video is these “useful fools”, in action. After obtaining signatures for the petition, listening to various speeches we decided to unfurl our own banner to add to the diversity of outlooks present at the rally. No different to the ‘Resistance’ group which had a huge red banner beside the stage proclaiming their name and slogans related to their own beliefs without any direct connection to the actual rally.

Within about 10 minutes a few rabid socialists ran up to the second level to DEMAND we withdraw our banner and presence from this public rally. Grabbing the fabric banner and trying to rip it unsuccessfully they resorted to holding on as tightly as possible in order to cause an assault charge by the waiting police on our members if we were to pry and twist their little fingers and arms from the fabric.

Readers will be amused by the deranged women in red whose foul language and death threats “kill these 3 kunts” is obvious. Note also the attempted headbutt of a NatAlt camera man which only left her forehead imprinted with a lens cover. Contrast this to the calm, stoic and non violent behaviour typical of NaAlt supporters who simply endured this all too common scenario whilst not falling into the violence trap.

The state was of course happy to allow this violence to occur, due to the already mentioned “useful idiots” concept. It is often the case the police intervene only when nationalists rightfully defend themselves. Such is the straitjacked situation of the average decent policeman who more often than not, privately acknowledge their support for uThe police or at least their political masters are clearly more interested in 'defending the peace', rather than 'defending free speech' and take the easy option of taking action against the few victims, rather than against the more numerous (for now) violent perpertrators.

Embarrassingly for the Socialist Alliance, during this banner scuffle the speaker on the stage looked up and noted

“it looks like there is some censorship occurring right before our eyes”

>

After their unsuccessful attempt, despite our members being outnumbered at forcing us from the rally we continued down to the groundlevel handing out our “political correctness is ruining Australia” leaflets and conversing with the public. Many individuals in the crowd were disgusted at the attempt by the 'socialists' at censoring another group at a censorship rally of all things.

One of the excuses obtained by a roving citizen journalist after the banner incident from the lady in red was that

1. Our banner was unrelated to the protest.


2. Discussions on immigration and its effects on water, congestion, the environment and our culture was not something to be discussed anywhere.


3. They decide the spectrum of allowed free speech

To which we answer the following

1. What could be more in the spirit of a NO to censorship rally than the presence of various groups and individuals with different viewpoints who whilst united in opposition to censorship also present their various concerns!!  It is exactly ‘freedom of speech” in action at a rally calling for the same thing.


2. Why then did she not pull down the huge red ‘Resistance banner” next to the speakers stage you see above which also had zero direct connection to the stop-the-filter rally. This banner simply proclaimed their name and slogans related to their own beliefs.


3. Is it not a fact that Socialist Alliance members canvassed in large numbers the entire public attempting to sell their magazine, hand out their leaflets up and down the 100m line of people queuing up to sign the petition ??


4. Our good faith attendance is proven by the following
   
   
   
   1. Researching and uploading an article on internet censorship on our website and also advertising the rally
   
   
   2. Signing petitions and walking petition boards around the crowd for the organisers obtaining further petitions.
   
   
   3. Handing out our “Political correctness is ruining Australia” leaflets which directly relate to censorship given that PC is the academic concept used by the government to justify many of their laws and proposals.
   
   
   4. Standing quietly and calmly not interjecting speakers nor accosting any other attendees at the event.
   
   
   
   

Editors Note

This is not the first time that the far left have hijacked an internet censorship rally to try and kickstart their own socialist revolution.  An internet censorship rally in Melbourne in 2008 saw other groups whose members were sporting nothing more than apparel with their logo being ejected simply for joining the rally.  Members from the Electronic Frontiers Foundation Australia had little choice to to accept this gross violation due to collaboration with the bullyboy Socialist groups.  Unfortunately, computer user groups and other digital rights groups are not aware as to how their cause is hijacked and manipulated for socialist ideals.

In another incident a group of ‘young liberals’ people Nationalist Alternative have core idealogical disagreements with, neo-conservatism being the first, setup a table at Latrobe University during the orientation week. Given it is a public asset this is an opportunity for ALL beliefs to represent their views in calm conversation and debate. The Socialist Alliance tore down on their table, spitting in females faces, pushing the table and leaflets over and physically hounding them off the campus.  If their were no Liberals on the day then the Labour table would have been next and if no labour presence then the greens. All people we have fundamental misgivings about but still maintain the right for them to join the public debates, counter protesting is one thing but outright censorship is another.

Nationalist Alternative call on organisations fighting for digital freedom and for free speech to carefully consider any 'help' from such groups and consider how events such as the one in the article not only make those who fight for free speech seem hypocritical but how it also hurts the cause.  Bad publicity (such as people being censored at such a rally) will set back the cause and portray important causes such as this in a more negative light.

It is highly likely most communist and socialist groups if in power would follow China in setting up a giant ‘intranet’ across Australia rather then an open internet.

Nationalist Alternative will continue to support freedom of speech both on the internet and in the public domain.

Strategies and Tactics for Dealing with the Australian Public

Public Relations Framework for Australian Nationalists.
By John Harper


Pillar One of Nationalist Alternative – “The struggle for the street”

Extra parliamentary action, grass-roots community work that engenders a positive image, local issues, working ‘outside’ the liberal democratic state.”

 – Manifesto 2

We are finding a large interest for real change in this country, beyond what the Liberal Democrats of either the ‘left’ (ALP, Greens ) or ‘right’ (Liberal Party – Abbot and his reformed neo-con Howard buddies) variety can ever offer. The major parties only offer more of

the same. Australians are yearning for real action, real change, for a party and/or organisation that actually do represent their interests.

Nationalist Alternative’s “Struggle for the Street” begins with local activism as shown in the below photographs.

Some of our outreach methods (Pillar 1) include;

• Leaflet and sticker drops with location dependant on the particular message/campaign

• Campaign for student rights

• The rental crisis major capital cities, particularly Melbourne and Sydney Universities

• Public information tables (containing leaflets, stickers, books, business cards and other future merchandise)

• Face to face discussions with the community

• Guerrilla marketing whether it be temporary banners over major freeways or other items coming up

• Attendance at demonstrations and protests

• Joining and aiding existing community campaigns for real democracy such as the opposition to the Newport mosque development in Melbourne

• Numerous social events amongst the networks we build

• Our emphasis on members/supporters to individually be calm and reasoned advocates of nationalism anywhere possible; workplaces, social events, family home, places of worship, hobby and sporting groups, business and professional conferences.

Leaflet tables are now starting to be a regular part of our activism. Various activists set up basic displays near high traffic areas to interact with the Australian public to discuss issues of national importance. Such topics often do not find a platform anywhere else due to State oppression and media blackouts.

Nationalist Alternative has conducted several ongoing sticker and leaflet campaigns in Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland and Western Australia around issues such as water scarcity and student rights which are two issues highlighted on our sticker range.

Nationalist Alternative is involved in the ongoing struggle for the rights for Australian students wishing to further their education at Uni or TAFE. We recognise the value of a unified student body fighting on issues of a broader national scope as a force for positive change. We are one of the few organisations brave enough to state “Put Local Students First!”. We do not support the selling out of our teaching standards as an export, nor should citizenship be an export! Where other parties and student bodies are more interested in the welfare of niche groups and internationals, Nationalist Alternative is unequivocal in putting local students first. A sentiment which is strangely lacking elsewhere.

Below are some pictures of activism, highlighting the methods used to place stickers. An extension pole can be used for high placement of material. This makes it harder for our oppressors to remove them.

Student issues Nationalist Alternative is involved with include;

• increasing HECS bills

• not enough University / TAFE positions despite Australia facing a so called skill shortage

• the use of universities/TAFE/Private College’s as VISA factories where foreign students select any course to simply build the ‘points’ to then achieve permanent residency

• Overcrowded tutorial and lecture theatres as evidence to the production line mentality of university administrations

• Blurring the line between tertiary institutions as national pillars of free thinking and blue sky learning versus increasing corporate pressure to tailor ‘output’ to a pre-defined set of parameters suitable only for entry level into their organisations

• Gradual decline in universities being truly independent and outstanding centres of higher learning and unfortunate growth in corporations like the NAB and McDonalds developing their own academies complete with co-option of titles like ‘Dean’.

• Lack of affordable inner city housing for students, young apprentices and most of the Australian working and middle classes in almost every Australian capital city.

• Low wages and the high start up expenses for apprentices, the lifeblood of Australian industry

• Marginalisation of young Australians in the struggle for increasingly scarce resources, including accommodation and casual work.

• The need for more vocational pathways for high school students inclined to a non- university option

Pillar 2 of Nationalist Alternative – “The Struggle for the Mind”

Acting as a ‘Think-Tank’: insightful cutting articles, and the dissemination of material in any form that de-institutionalizes and breaks the chains of existing liberal/Marxist/Imperialist/Neocon/universalist beliefs, norms, and values, and establish new forms that spearhead nationalist, particularist and ethnic identity” – Manifesto 2

How do we do it?

Political activism is useful if it serves the greater goal of sparking interest and intellectual curiosity on issues and at some future time, real action to bring results.

Changing mindsets is a long hard struggle and success is not measured in days or months or even years, curiosity sparked by activism of some sort is akin to planting a seed that may bear fruit immediately for some and 2 years later for others.

What it takes to “spark the curiosity” of any given individual widely varies.
Hence the numerous publicity methods outlined in the first section (Pillar 1) above are tools we use to bring immediate attention to viewpoints and truths otherwise obscured, outright suppressed or not given an opportunity to be discussed in any mainstream outlet.

Activism delivers ‘interested parties’ to our website and contact points. From here there are 2 further broad categories which enable exploration of ideas to continue.

• Written information, facts and figures and

• Face to Face: the ability to further converse/engage in and leverage your self up through our personal networks.

Our frequent articles discuss the same issues but in greater depth and persuasion including confronting common liberal criticisms/arguments head-on and exposing the thin ground their principles rest upon.

For instance our "Political Correctness" series of articles expose the hypocrisy and
double standards of Political Correctness, and how Nationalist
Alternative is committed to challenging this "belief system" which many
Australians wish to see gone.

Often after a new article is published many enquiries are made, not all from supporters but interested citizens who are intrigued by something different to what their daily newspaper/tv/magazine/classroom is telling them. There will be a lengthy to and fro by email followed by a meeting in person and a request to add them to future mail-outs.

The second category is our face to face meetings, regular socials, exchanging of work opportunities, business/trade/professional contacts and arranging/supporting platforms for events where nationalist speakers (international/national) can create a powerful network of pro Australian people who are keen to leverage off each others skills, competencies and strengths.

Hence, the primary aim of our articles and interactions with people is to destroy the stereotypes about nationalist thought and break the shackles over people’s minds to embolden them to think outside the norm in order to forge a new pro-Australian movement.

Strategies and Tactics for Dealing with the Australian Public

Strategies and Tactics for Dealing with the Australian Public
By John Harper




Pillar One of Nationalist Alternative – “The struggle for the street”

"Extra parliamentary action, grass-roots community work that engenders a positive image, local issues, working ‘outside’ the liberal democratic state.”– Manifesto 2

We are finding a large interest for real change in this country, beyond what the Liberal Democrats of either the ‘left’ (ALP, Greens) or ‘right’ (Liberal Party – Abbot and his reformed neo-con Howard buddies) variety can ever offer.  The major parties only offer more of the same. Australians are yearning for real action, real change, for a party and/or organisation that actually do represent their interests.

Nationalist Alternative’s “Struggle for the Street” begins with local activism as shown in the below photographs.

Some of our outreach methods (Pillar 1) include;

• Leaflet and sticker drops with location dependant on the particular message/campaign
  
  
  
  • Campaign for student rights
  
  
  • The rental crisis major capital cities, particularly Melbourne and Sydney Universities
  
  
  
  


• Public information tables (containing leaflets, stickers, books, business cards and other future merchandise)


• Face to face discussions with the community


• Guerrilla marketing whether it be temporary banners over major freeways or other items coming up


• Attendance at demonstrations and protests


• Joining and aiding existing community campaigns for real democracy such as the opposition to the Newport mosque development in Melbourne


• Numerous social events amongst the networks we build


• Our emphasis on members/supporters to individually be calm and reasoned advocates of nationalism anywhere possible; workplaces, social events, family home, places of worship, hobby and sporting groups, business and professional conferences.

Leaflet tables are now starting to be a regular part of our activism. Various activists set up basic displays near high traffic areas to interact with the Australian public to discuss issues of national importance. Such topics often do not find a platform anywhere else due to State oppression and media blackouts.

Nationalist Alternative has conducted several ongoing sticker and leaflet campaigns in Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland and Western Australia around issues such as water scarcity and student rights which are two issues highlighted on our sticker range.

Nationalist Alternative is involved in the ongoing struggle for the rights for Australian students wishing to further their education at Uni or TAFE. We recognise the value of a unified student body fighting on issues of a broader national scope as a force for positive change. We are one of the few organisations brave enough to state “Put Local Students First!”.

We do not support the selling out of our teaching standards as an export, nor should citizenship be an export! Where other parties and student bodies are more interested in the welfare of niche groups and internationals, Nationalist Alternative is unequivocal in putting local students first. A sentiment which is strangely lacking elsewhere.

Below are some pictures of activism, highlighting the methods used to place stickers. An extension pole can be used for high placement of material. This makes it harder for our oppressors to remove them.

Student issues Nationalist Alternative is involved with include;

• Increasing HECS bills


• Not enough University / TAFE positions despite Australia facing a so called skill shortage


• The use of universities/TAFE/Private College’s as VISA factories where foreign students select any course to simply build the ‘points’ to then achieve permanent residency


• Overcrowded tutorial and lecture theatres as evidence to the production line mentality of university administrations


• Blurring the line between tertiary institutions as national pillars of free thinking and blue sky learning versus increasing corporate pressure to tailor ‘output’ to a pre-defined set of parameters suitable only for entry level into their organisations


• Gradual decline in universities being truly independent and outstanding centres of higher learning and unfortunate growth in corporations like the NAB and McDonalds developing their own academies complete with co-option of titles like ‘Dean’.


• Lack of affordable inner city housing for students, young apprentices and most of the Australian working and middle classes in almost every Australian capital city.


• Low wages and the high start up expenses for apprentices, the lifeblood of Australian industry


• Marginalisation of young Australians in the struggle for increasingly scarce resources, including accommodation and casual work.


• The need for more vocational pathways for high school students inclined to a non- university option

Pillar 2 of Nationalist Alternative – “The Struggle for the Mind”

Acting as a ‘Think-Tank’: insightful cutting articles, and the dissemination of material in any form that de-institutionalizes and breaks the chains of existing liberal/Marxist/Imperialist/Neocon/universalist beliefs, norms, and values, and establish new forms that spearhead nationalist, particularist and ethnic identity” – Manifesto 2

How do we do it?

Political activism is useful if it serves the greater goal of sparking interest and intellectual curiosity on issues and at some future time, real action to bring results.

Changing mindsets is a long hard struggle and success is not measured in days or months or even years, curiosity sparked by activism of some sort is akin to planting a seed that may bear fruit immediately for some and 2 years later for others.
What it takes to “spark the curiosity” of any given individual widely varies.

Hence the numerous publicity methods outlined in the first section (Pillar 1) above are tools we use to bring immediate attention to viewpoints and truths otherwise obscured, outright suppressed or not given an opportunity to be discussed in any mainstream outlet.

Activism delivers ‘interested parties’ to our website and contact points. From here there are 2 further broad categories which enable exploration of ideas to continue.
Written information, facts and figures and Face to Face: the ability to further converse/engage in and leverage your self up through our personal networks.

Our frequent articles discuss the same issues but in greater depth and persuasion including confronting common liberal criticisms/arguments head-on and exposing the thin ground their principles rest upon.
For instance our "Political Correctness" series of articles expose the hypocrisy and double standards of Political Correctness, and how Nationalist Alternative is committed to challenging this "belief system" which many Australians wish to see gone.

Often after a new article is published many enquiries are made, not all from supporters but interested citizens who are intrigued by something different to what their daily newspaper/tv/magazine/classroom is telling them. There will be a lengthy to and fro by email followed by a meeting in person and a request to add them to future mail-outs.

The second category is our face to face meetings, regular socials, exchanging of work opportunities, business/trade/professional contacts and arranging/supporting platforms for events where nationalist speakers (international/national) can create a powerful network of pro Australian people who are keen to leverage off each others skills, competencies and strengths.

How to Prepare an Activist Banner – Hints for Activists

Homemade banners are simply another medium for placing information in front of the public or target audience and one that the Politically Correct system can do little to regulate. They have the potential to reach a wide audience with minimal financial costs, the above banner reached thousands of early morning commuters on a Melbourne roadway into the CBD and stayed there for several days.

The positive impact of a homemade banner is not to be over-looked considering the low risks involved and potential for wide exposure. A homemade banner negates the need to use the biased and controlled mass media, and allows your audience to read your own words rather than unbalanced reporting which comes with relying on external sources for promotion.

A homemade banner over a freeway overpass is also an in-offensive way to get your message across, with minimal environmental impact.

Cheap and effective these homemade banners are used

• in combination with more professional vinyl banners at a protest or
• for leaving on main road overpasses
• draping over a corporations billboard
• wrapping a politicians car
• anything your imagination can devise

Whilst an artist has their works sitting in a studio, our studio is the world and any surface we can stretch our canvas over.

Material

White cloth/ polypropylene banner material can be purchased off the roll at arts and craft stores. Alternatively, old sheets can make for an activist ‘canvas’.

Size
 We planned this banner by visualising 1 letter = 1 A4 sheet.

It is approximately 3 m long x 1.2 m high. This height provided 4 rows of potential message space.

Measure the height of the overpass railing

Ensure the whole banner can be stretched taught over a ‘frame’ displaying the whole message rather than having a part of it flapping in the breeze, which would leave some of your words unreadable.

    

Fixing your banner

Reinforce the section of the banner where holes are to be placed with heavy duty tape. Plastic cable ties are then poked through holes made around the edges of the banner. A plastic cable tie should be placed every 20-30 cm of edging, ensuring that when pulled tight the entire banner is readable.

 

Stencils

Stencils in this case were made by printing on A4 card (Portrait) and then cutting out by hand with a sharp blade. Depending on how stiff your cardstock is you may have to use tape for cleaner edges to ensure that there isn’t any bleed through. Alternatively, you can purchase alphabet stencils from arts and craft stores, or other paint providers.

Paint

Any water based paint on cloth material will do and a roller or brush or spray gun can be used to apply letters to the banner. We used about 250 ml of paint.

Costs

The banner shown in the photos cost $10-$18. To reduced costs, approach local suppliers in your area, many will be happy to provide cloth off cuts or sample paint pots. Better still reduce your costs by leveraging your local networks.

 

Can't get a lease on an inner city place?

By Carla O'Hara and Brian Hudson

The Sydney branch of Nationalist Alternative is currently engaging in a campaign to reach out to help young Australians in the dire predicament of finding and securing a lease on inner city accommodation.

A rental crisis is not just looming its occurring right now and many Aussies are increasingly finding themselves outmanoeuvred and ousted from an ultra competitive, inner-city rental market. Forced into unsuitable accommodation, including squats, the idea of plentiful, cheap, and geographically close student accommodation is as dead in the water as a free university education.

Local students are totally marginalised in the struggle for increasingly scarce resources, including accommodation and casual work. This effectively means they are being forced out of their traditional living space in the pursuit of Australia’s third largest export: Education. This is the white-elephant standing in the room no one is willing to address.

In 2009, Melbourne University students with no alternatives for accommodation resorted to squatting, only to be faced with eviction by the university. Squatting is becoming more common among students and the financially disadvantaged in Australia’s capital cities. In Blacktown alone, the Department of Housing has 1800 people on a waiting list for a home, while St Vincent De Paul has recorded a six fold increase in homeless families as the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) begins to bite.

Australia was in a housing shortage as early as 2006, in the wake of house prices lowering and the home sales market stagnating. Fewer people are now buying homes, and the statistics show that 1 in 4 Australians are faced with the prospect of securing a lease. Net population growth fuelled by immigration is currently at 170,000 per year and rental prices are increasing rapidly as demand for rental units is outstripping supply. In 2008, The Australian Property Monitors (APM) showed there had been double digit rental increase in each Australian capital city as a result of the rental crisis. Reminiscent of the Great Depression in 1930 are the long queues of hopeful tenants lining the streets for inner city leases. It is not unusual for the number of people turning up to a rental inspection to vastly outnumber those of a sales inspection. Some real-estate agents have reacted to this purely as an economic opportunity using what are now called “rental auctions”, which see potential tenants bid against one another for the opportunity to secure a rental property. Effectively this puts local students out of the market, and this sordid profiteering means the inner Sydney rental market is a barbaric free-for-all in which the biggest wallet wins.

The executive officer of the ACT Tenants Union, Deborah Pippen, said the rental auctions are unfair. “It leads to an uneven playing field for tenants. It artificially drives up rent prices,” she said.

To add to Aussie rental woes are media reports of ruthless real estate agents who force evictions to gain commissions from new tenants. This high demand/high turnover/high stakes situation is the reality of inner city renting today. Agents end tenancies without grounds to simply profit a 1st week re-letting fee, a fee that all agencies charge landlords upon signing up a new person.

This is only the surface of the anti-social behaviour of which some in the Real Estate industry engage in. Any other industry which impacted so negatively on people would be judiciously scrutinised, yet despite the obvious problems, the Real Estate Industry seems to enjoy a privileged position.

Real Estate is the only profession in which you don't need a university education. Real Estate agents, rather than providing a service worthy of the fees paid to them, are exploiting their position as property middlemen to pit renters and buyers against each other purely to profit even further.

The Real Estate industry has been turned into a business which uses fear, uncertainty and doubt, and blatant lies to manipulate the market. This can be seen in the current real estate climate, with buyers and renters being given the impression that it’s 'now or never', while at the same time, admitting to sellers that the market is shaky. This climate of doubt and fear, of promises of easy wealth, takes a fair share of responsibility in creating one of the biggest economic and social problems facing the country, that being housing affordability and the subsequent housing shortage.

The rental market has become so tight in Melbourne and Sydney with vacancy rates at historic lows of 1 percent; landlords can be scrupulous in their tenancy requirements. Some like Kerry Arbon who had been on a Melbourne apartment hunt for over five weeks, said he had applied for about a dozen properties without success. Despite a well-paid job and a good reference from a previous landlord, Mr Arbon said he believed he had not been short-listed for any of the properties. For hopeful tenants, being turned down is a real and daily occurrence.

Nationalist Alternative is aiding younger and disadvantaged supporters and members by securing lease contracts on their behalf, and co-ordinating individual students into collective houses. Nationalist Alternative is also building networks that seek to cut out the rental agent middleman, reducing costs for landlord and tenant.

In this way, Nationalist Alternative is committed to supporting struggling Australians such as local students, who may be suffering financial hardship, through no fault of their own under the excesses of liberal democracy, of which the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) is but a symptom.

Australians interested in more information, please contact Nationalist Alternative via the ‘Contact’ section of the website or email us at natalt@ymail.com.

Localised Failure of Liberal Democracy and Opposition to the Newport Mosque

By John Harper

Newport is an inner western suburb of Melbourne, back in July of 2008, activists of Nationalist Alternative, were notified by several supporters who lived and/or are living in the area and had received leaflets, to become involved in the local campaign to make the Council more accountable in regards to its planning decisions, whether for a new concrete carpark, shopping mall or otherwise. As Nationalist Alternative are strong supporters of the idea of local people having a say regarding the future of their own community and in proposed developments, we decided to investigate further. The planning decision in question was :

The building plans for a large mosque on Blenheim Road, Newport that could fit hundreds of people. 

(see artists impression of the mosque above).

An organisation/s of concerned citizens had formed due to the noticeable negative impact this development will have on the surrounding area. With proposed prayer times ranging from 4:20 AM to 11:10 PM and the prospect of increased traffic, noise and competition for the limited number of car park spaces planned for the area, anyone, even politically correct liberal progressives can see the significant change such a building would bring.

Nationalist Alternative attended meetings, donated funds towards hiring legal representation for the action group and spent evenings volunteering services for the resident activist groups, including distributing their leaflets, advertising their meetings, and collecting signatures and donations and providing moral support.

NatAlt was able to build good relations with the group and with certain key members. As many of the residents are politically inexperienced and often don’t appreciate the deeper underlying issues, it was encouraging to hear people express their thoughts and show us that people are not apathetic and do have an awareness of changes occurring within their community.

The council has a greater obligation to the community aside from ensuring that buildings meet zoning laws and construction requirements, but also in being sensitive to the needs of the community, the culture it has and the wishes of the residents as to the type of community they would like to live in. Developments must therefore take into account the impact they have on the culture, the way that these developments will alter the surrounding area and the suburb in terms of demographics and how such changes will impact on the lifestyle of residents.

Outrageous but not surprising were alleged comments by a councillor, when it was put to him by a resident group member “have you read and reviewed our submissions to council opposing this development?” to which was answered “No”, but you are invited to come and help turn the sods of dirt on the building site with the local Islamic community”.

So to residents, it was as if the decision had been made already and the council was just going through the motions. Unfortunately a few months later in 2008, the council voted to approve the development. Despite overwhelming resident dissatisfaction with the proposal, the council appeared committed to continuing the development, a fact not lost on the disaffected residents.

In response to this, NatAlt chose to lend support to one resident from a action group who chose to be a candidate. NatAlt distributed a flyer advertising the councils decision and detailing how the council appeared committed to approving the mosque regardless of the residents wishes, or without any concern to how this would impact the area. Not only was the flyer one to inform residents, it was a call to kick the incumbents out and an endorsement of the community activist who was running for council.

Despite the sensitivity of the issue and the propensity for people to be critical of community members who express concern over such developments, NatAlt recieved negligible opposition to our efforts. We will continue to play an active role in this issue and help represent the understated and often ignored wishes and concerns of the local community.

Lessons for Nationalist Activists - Relevance and Flexibility

Illustrating the relevance, particularly on a local level, of workingwith Australians on issues that are of importance to them and their dailyconcerns we note the following words of some nationalist activists onthe scene:

“We participated in our own door knock down many streets close and far to the development and whilst most residents did not want to become directly active, nearly all to a tee asked us to dispense withdisclaimers and other information and just ask them “Mosque? Yes or No”, to which 9.5/10 answered a resounding NO.”

We could have attended and simply hit the area with purely abstract political material,replete with esoteric political though straight out of a European think-tank and dressed in the black bloc look of our fellow nationalists in Europe from where we in Australia adapt the look. (and utilize for different ends as per other images on this site). However in light of the above, in this instance, Nationalist Alternative worked and dressed normally, both as non aligned residents attending meetings and leafleting on the issue along with local residents as well as in our own capacity. We supported and pushed the demand that council consider more closely and with greater sensitivity the needs of the residents, planning AND Cultural impacts and not blindly push forward developments (Of any nature mosque or carpark or shopping centre megaplex) that will have a negative impact on the community.

Residents have the right to make their voices heard, demand more accountability from indifferent and often major party dominated councils and to have the opportunity to exercise our democratic right to influence the development of our suburbs. Our people demand and require a greater input on the future of our own community, both locally and as the Australian nation.

Westgate Bridge Cleanup

Recently some members of Nationalist Alternative met to reclaim the parkland and waterways under one section of the Westgate Bridge. Tidying your own backyard used to be an unspoken principle of the Australian way of life and behaviour, an attitude widely held amongst the populace. Unfortunately scenes of filth and mess are all too common in today’s individualist society where worship of the credit card takes precedent over most other items. Only the most obvious and busiest thoroughfares of our cities are now kept clean while the rest decay. The grassed area next to the waters edge (2nd image) and the vegetation along the lake edge (3rd image) were thoroughly cleared and left spotless for the enjoyment of locals. In only a few hours multiple bags of rubbish were carted away and as a breather we thought we would take some images.