Wage Peace - Disrupt War

Strategic, bold, direct and discursive action to disrupt militarism in Australia and our region.

Margie Pestorius

Wage Peace Wins Global Peace Award 2023

Global anti-war organisation World Beyond War announces that Wage Peace has won the 2023 Global War Abolisher of the Year

August 28, 2023

World BEYOND War enthusiastically presents the Organizational War Abolisher of 2023 award to Wage Peace Australia. This organization is a leading global inspiration to many peace-related campaigns, including those working to close down giant arms fairs. Wage Peace Australia accurately describes its approach: “We jump on tanks, blockade weapons factories, occupy arms dealers’ offices and reclaim military bases as well as engaging in public discourse and other more conventional campaign methods.”

Please – we encourage you to watch the presentation video here. The 2023 War Abolisher Awards are on the website at https://worldbeyondwar.org/war-abolisher-awards/ .

Wage Peace Australia’s campaign to disrupt the largest weapons bazaar in Australia, the Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition, has been so successful that the arms fair will no longer return to Brisbane. It will, of course, likely be held in a different city, but if people learn from the nonviolent, educational, disruptive activism used in Brisbane, then this arms fair and every other one could be chased out of every location on the planet, leaving those whom Wage Peace Australia refers to as “Harms Dealers” nowhere to do their harming. Zelda Grimshaw, one of the coordinators of the Disrupt Land Forces mobilization, paid tribute to the communitarian spirit underlying this success:

“Wage Peace is proud to be part of a powerful community of resistance to militarism in Australia, and we are proud of the generative role we play in that community. This award recognises Wage Peace’ creative initiative in disrupting the Land Forces weapons expo. We are thrilled to accept the War Abolisher of the Year Award on behalf of the hundreds of peace-loving humans who answered our call to drive weapons companies out of Brisbane. We are grateful for the support of First Nations elders in this struggle. We are grateful for the global community connected through World Beyond War. 

Now let’s cancel those nuke subs.“

Wage Peace is also involved with a campaign to resist the involvement of weapons companies in Australian education. Currently underway is a Wage Peace podcast: “Get Your Armies Off Our Bodies.” The podcast offers an accessible and fresh look a the weapons industry in Australia, presenting militarism through the eyes of Wage Peace people and their friends.

Wage Peace Australia works with peace groups in West Papua, and has helped World BEYOND War to do the same. Wage Peace Australia created the War on West Papua website. Wage Peace Australia is known for its selfless work in collaboration with other organizations. It needs to be known to a broader world.

Wage Peace Australia’s educational and activist endeavours are explicitly aimed at abolishing war, and its members do outstanding work on demilitarizing security and building a culture of peace, two pillars of World BEYOND War’s strategy for creating a global security system free of the scourge of war.

Wage Peace Australia’s Margie Pestorius, in accepting this award, said

We view people-powered disruptive action as being key to shifting the value base and bringing ordinary people into engagement on militarism, defence, war, international relations, and foreign affairs discourses.

We recognise and commemorate the Frontier Wars which rolled out across Australia from 1800 to 1930. We support people-to-people events and ceremonies that respond to the horrific violence inflicted by the British military with settler communities over 140 years. We acknowledge the strong, organised resistance of First Nations peoples in this land.

World BEYOND War is a global nonviolent movement, founded in 2014, to end war and establish a just and sustainable peace. The purpose of the awards is to honor and encourage support for those working to abolish the institution of war itself. With the Nobel Peace Prize and other nominally peace-focused institutions so frequently honoring other good causes or, in fact, wagers of war, World BEYOND War intends its awards to go to educators or activists intentionally and effectively advancing the cause of war abolition, accomplishing reductions in war-making, war preparations, or war culture. World BEYOND War received hundreds of impressive nominations. The World BEYOND War Board, with assistance from its Advisory Board, made the selections.

The awardees are honored for their body of work directly supporting one or more of the three segments of World BEYOND War’s strategy for reducing and eliminating war as outlined in the book A Global Security System, An Alternative to War. They are: Demilitarizing Security, Managing Conflict Without Violence, and Building a Culture of Peace.

DCIM\100MEDIA\DJI_0262.JPG
DCIM\100MEDIA\DJI_0819.JPG

No AUKUS: No Subs! The only beneficiaries are the Military Industrial Complex.

Download below!

Wage Peace and AUKUS and the Submarines

Aukus is an agreement – a “security pact” –  between the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States aimed at what, we don’t quite know.

Wage Peace offers a distinct perspective on AUKUS, presenting a series of insights and reflections supported by references.

This narrative encompasses layers of complexity, much of which remains submerged beneath the surface, akin to a hidden submarine. Hence, we’ve crafted an informative poster for your contemplation, ideal for mounting on your toilet door.

Submarines carry and launch nuclear missiles, standard missiles and hypersonic missiles. Missiles are bombs. The Military Industrial Complex wants more and bigger military projects because it’s good for business, and that is its business model. Big projects necessitate the corporation to be involved for a LONG time, receiving lots and lots of government money.

First Nations Land, Submarines and Nuclear Waste

We assert that the  nuclear weapons corporations want Australia to take and hold ALL UK and US’s high level nuclear waste. This is not widely documented though people following the issue in the 80s and 90s know it in their bones.
 
First Nations people have said No! to radioactive waste on their land 6 times. So the government under direction of the nuclear corporations will regulate it as “Defence” Land.
 
Australians are more likely to accept a waste dump if it’s labelled “Australian” Nuclear Waste.  That’s why the nuclear companies want it labelled an “Australian” Nuclear Sub.
 
David Hardaker of Crikey has suggested that this is a key driver of the entire “AUKUSwillFukus” deal.

Ships and Submarines and Weapons

Americans have a zillion military projects on the go. 1 trillion US dollars a year is being spent on military projects. Every electoral area in the US has military projects which make that area beholden to the Military Industrial Complex.
 
There’s  not enough engineers in the US for their too-BIG military projects.  So Australia’s tax dollars will pay for US military shipbuilding.  Through AUKUS, the US has organised Australia to fund, educate and pay a workforce to build US weapons. It’s a lie that these weapons belong to Australia. And even if they did – we would be opposed to such flagrant wasteful, distasteful purchases.
 
Which corporations get the BIG BUCKS? General Dynamics/Electric Boat, BAE and Boeing.
 
Boeing develops hypersonic missiles. It is developing these in Brisbane at the University of Queensland. The Universities are being drawn into this scenario.
 
Each Corporation has its pet Australian university. BAE – Adelaide  Boeing – Brisbane  Thales – Sydney LockheedMartin – Melbourne

Big Guys on the Inside, Submarines and State Capture

Canberra is run by ‘operatives’ of BIG corporations and consultancy firms:  like Crosby Textor (CT). It’s been “infiltrated”. It’s  not just about lobbying – it’s been “captured”! State Capture.
 
Crosby Textor infiltration is a great case study that is very relevant to AUKUS. The last Prime Minister’s private secretary had been CEO for Crosby Textor. Crosby Textor also  did electioneering for Boris in the UK and the LNP in Oz. AND Crosby Textor has BIG contracts with General Dynamics. It’s basically funded by General Dynamics.
 

Back in the 90’s, Mr Textor was pushing for nuclear waste dumps.

Revolving Doors on the Top Floor and Submarines

Oz ambassadors and defence ministers transition into weapons companies. Chris Pyne (Nioa, Elbit), Brendan Nelson (Boeing) and Kim Beazley (Lockheed Martin)

We also have US naval commanders (appropriately labelled “Swamp Monsters” by Caitlin Johnstone) sitting near the top of the Defence Department.

Propaganda Outfits with BIG BACKERS and Submarine

A bunch of “institutes” pumped with cash from billionaires push the Pentagon’s line for AUKUS alignment: CSS ASPI USSC AMCHAM AAA

Each has it’s own associated ex Defence Minister or Ambassador on its board.
E.G.  Hockey at the AAA – Nelson at AMCHAM

Exporting Weapons, Components and Submarines

Australia is organising to be a BIG weapons exporter.  In 2018 they announced that Australia would plan for being in the top 10 exporters of the world. It’s strange because actually they are in the top 3 or 4 importers of weapons. This is extraordinary for a country without any threats of enemies.
 
Australia is already the 3rd BIGGEST importer of weapons. And Australia is attempting to develop its ‘manufacturing capabilities’.
But the US won’t allow certain types of manufacturing: the necessary Intellectual Property (IP) is withheld. We are only allowed to make what the US allows, that benefits the US. This is outlined in the excellent book of Professor Clinton Fernandes – Australia a Sub-Imperial Power.

We think there is a one main thing going on there.

ENDLESS WARS bring endless profits for endless corporations.

We can tell that Australia is planning for war with China and we are heading for war – but why and how. Who is involved?  And  how did these submarines come to be?

We are provoking war with China to sell weapons and keep the economy going in the USA.
Because the USA is a military industrial complex.
 
The US with Australia is provoking war with China to avoid war with the USA.
 

REFERENCES

https://www.crikey.com.au/2023/07/26/aukus-nuclear-dump-deal-decades-old/
https://www.crikey.com.au/2023/07/24/aukus-nuclear-waste-dump-cost-australia/
 
Introduction to State Capture in Australia https://australiandemocracy.org.au/statecapture
 
See also Pearls and Irritations
See interview with Paul Keating
 
Fab Aukus Poster COLOURDownload
submarine with explanation aukuswillfukusDownload

E6 Jangan Bunuh Kami Lagi / Stop Killing Us: West Papua Part 2

The canoe last episode that brought Adolf and 42 others to Australia, is not the only journey in solidarity between here and West Papua.

This is Izzy Brown’s story, about the Freedom Flotilla, and family connections to the West Papua campaign – including one connection that’s too close to home.

 

Sounds from:

Wantok Musik’s album We Have Come to Testify, Various Artists: https://wantokmusik.bandcamp.com/album/we-have-come-to-testify

Combat Wombat, Plant Dem Seeds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ1qPSvfWmw

Freedom Flotilla documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE4PjQNKIzQ

 

Episode links:

War on West Papua, tracking weapons sales into the territory:

waronwestpapua.org/

Freedom Flotilla: https://freedomflotillawestpapua.org/

Freedom Flotilla exchange: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8MgUSzcJmg

Investigation into ASIO and Timor Leste leaks: https://etan.org/et99c/december/1-4/01asio.htm

Reports on West Papua: https://humanrightsmonitor.org/

Filep Karma and the Citizens’ Tribunal on the Biak Massacre: https://www.biak-tribunal.org/video-testimony-filep-karma/

Filep Karma detention (2011): https://insidestory.org.au/filep-karma-and-the-fight-for-papuas-future/

 

Find us at Wage Peace:

https://wagepeaceau.org

info@wagepeaceau.org

https://www.facebook.com/wagepeaceau

https://linktr.ee/wagepeace

 

E5 Jangan Bunuh Kami Lagi / Stop Killing Us: West Papua Part 1

In the towns and cities and among the hills and valleys of West Papua, is a desperate struggle for independence and the preservation of cultures and ways of life. But we rarely hear about it in Australia or around the world.

This is Adolf’s story, from childhood in the mountain village, to protests in the city, to fleeing for his life to continue his campaign outside the country.

And a boat that helped break some of the silence around West Papua.

 

Sounds from Wantok Musik’s album We Have Come to Testify, Various Artists:

https://wantokmusik.bandcamp.com/album/we-have-come-to-testify

 

Episode Links:

Reports on West Papua: https://humanrightsmonitor.org/

Sophie Chao: https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2022/april/1648731600/sophie-chao/psychic-terror-wrought-palm-oil-production#mtr

Citizens’ Tribunal on the Biak Massacre: https://www.biak-tribunal.org/

Australian complicity:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/19/killed-like-animals-documents-reveal-how-australia-turned-a-blind-eye-to-a-west-papuan-massacre

 

Find us at Wage Peace:

https://wagepeaceau.org

info@wagepeaceau.org

https://www.facebook.com/wagepeaceau

https://linktr.ee/wagepeace

 

Always Will Be

From the Frontier Wars to police in communities to the biggest weapons ever made.

Militarism started in this continent when the British invaded over two hundred years ago, and it continues to this day.

Boe Spearim, Aunty Sue Coleman-Haseldine, and Uncle Ned Hargreaves tell their stories of struggles that are vital for all of us.

 

Produced and presented by Zelda Grimshaw and the team at Wage Peace

 

Sounds from Spoonbill: https://soundcloud.com/spoonbill

 

Relevant links:

Frontier War Stories Podcast: https://boespearim.podbean.com/

Research on the Frontier Wars, including weapons used: https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/introduction.php

Empire of Guns book, on the development of weapons during the British Empire: https://www.penguinbookshop.com/book/9780735221864

Upcoming documentary Native Title Rockets about the incursions on Aunty Sue’s land: https://www.nativetitlerockets.com/

Yuendumu’s Ceasefire call, from PAW media: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=509617044128769&ref=sharing

 

Find us at Wage Peace:

https://wagepeaceau.org

info@wagepeaceau.org

https://www.facebook.com/wagepeaceau

https://linktr.ee/wagepeace