Autonomous Regions Coalition Update

ARC held its AGM on the evening of August 30th. The executive committee was returned virtually unchanged. Garth Kindred, Chairperson; Laurie Stubbs, Vice Chair; Bronwyn Sindel, Treasurer; Lydia Kindred, Secretary; Ordinary Members are Ed Perry, Margaret Seydel and Simon Scott. A General Meeting followed with free, open and lively discussion about our future directions. We will have an information stall at the Peace Carnival at Ewingsdale Hall on Sunday Sept 16. The ARC Chairman will also be delivering a presentation at the Nightcap Forest Festival on Saturday October 20.

Laurie has been working with Charles Mollison (convener of the Foundation for National Renewal) on the ‘Pledge Campaign’. In readiness for the Federal Election they are approaching candidates across the country to take up the cause of constitutional change in making it possible for this to be initiated by the people, and not exclusively by party dominated parliamentarians.

Though ARC is non-partisan it is a ‘fiercely political’ movement and we are currently discussing the possibility of fielding candidates in the upcoming local government elections to work towards realising our aim of greater regionalism.

This whole subject of a new federalism/regionalism is very topical at present with forced amalgamations of local councils in Qld and with the Howard government looking at more direct intervention on the ground ‘in the public interest’ to deliver essential services. There is also every indication that the Australian public is becoming increasingly critical of our democratic system and its limitations.

The ARC offers a new vision of democracy built from the bottom up, through ‘community governance’ and addressing issues of climate change, energy generation, environmental management and planning, by creating greater levels of autonomy through self governing regions.

The ARC Committee would like to remind supporters to renew their membership ($10 annually) and invite VJ readers to consider offering their support for ARC in this way.

For more information feel free to contact ARC on a-r-c.org.au or check out our website arc@a-r-c.org.au and maybe leave a comment in our blog section.

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