The AIDEX '91 Protest: a Case Study of Obstructive Direct Action Iain
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The AIDEX '91 Protest: A Case Study of Obstructive Direct Action Iain McIntyre Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts by Thesis Only June 2011 School of Historical and Philosophical Studies The University of Melbourne Produced on archival quality paper i ii Abstract In November 1991 the biennial Australian International Defence Exhibition (AIDEX ‘91) was held in Canberra at the National Exhibition Centre (NATEX). Organised in the context of the drive by the Australian Labor Party to double domestic military exports between 1987 and 1992, the event attracted overseas and domestic arms manufacturers and buyers, as well as up to 2000 protesters from across Australia. There had been a similar demonstration at the previous AIDEX exhibition, held in 1989, and this one occurred in the wake of recent disruptive protest activity around issues such as rainforest imports and old-growth logging as well as events such as the first Gulf War. During the eleven-day protest a number of events occurred across Canberra including religious ceremonies, concerts and a series of rallies at Parliament House and in the city centre. The majority of protesters camped across the road from NATEX and picketed its main gates. Tactics as varied as lying passively on the road and setting barricades on fire were employed, causing much debate during and after the event. Media coverage was widespread and often sensational, leading many protesters to complain of misrepresentation. The protest was also marked by allegations of extensive police violence and over 200 arrests were made. In the months leading up to AIDEX ‘91 the government of the Australian Capital Territory had announced that it would not allow another arms fair to be held in the region. The poor publicity generated in the build-up to the 1991 event also saw the number of exhibitors fall from 234 to 138. During the protest, displays, military vehicles and other items were either delayed or prevented from entering the site. Afterwards, attempts by the event organiser, Desiko Pty Ltd, to organise similar events on federally owned property in the ACT and in the adjoining town of Queanbeyan, New South Wales were blocked by local and state authorities wary of the disruption caused during AIDEX ‘91. Although air shows and smaller events have continued to be held in Australia, there has not been an arms exhibition on the scale of AIDEX since 1991. This thesis will provide a history of the AIDEX ‘91 protest. In doing so it will seek to understand why the issue of arms fairs arose at this time as well as how and why iii a particular repertoire of contention, which I have labelled ‘Obstructive Direct Action’, was employed by activists as part of a strategy of ‘coercion’. The organisation, promotion and unfolding of the protest will be examined and evaluated along with the outcomes it produced. The ways in which protests such as these reflect the tactical, organisational and strategic choices that activists make, consciously or otherwise, will also be considered along with how such choices are shaped by the context in which they occur. iv This is to certify that (i) the thesis comprises only my original work towards the Masters, (ii) due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used, (iii) the thesis is 38 867 words in length, as approved by the RHD Committee. Signed Iain McIntyre v vi Acknowledgements I am indebted to my supervisors, Dr. Sean Scalmer and Professor Stuart Macintyre, for their invaluable advice and guidance. I am grateful to Dr. David Nichols for initially suggesting I undertake postgraduate study. I thank my parents for their lifelong encouragement. Lastly, this thesis is dedicated to Naomi Evans and Ruby Evans- McIntyre, without whom it would not have been possible. vii viii Table of Contents Table of Abbreviations 1 Map of AIDEX ’91 Protest Site 3 Introduction 5 Chapter 1 19 The Context and Development of Opposition to Australian Arms Fairs Chapter 2 27 The use of ODA by Australian Peace and Environment Movements, 1983-1991 Chapter 3 37 The Organisation and Framing of the AIDEX ‘89 and ‘91 Blockades Chapter 4 53 Tactical Choices and ODA Chapter 5 73 The AIDEX ‘91 Protest Chapter 6 99 The Outcomes of the AIDEX ‘91 Protest Conclusion 115 Bibliography 119 ix x Table of Abbreviations AABCC Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition ACF Australian Conservation Foundation ACT Australian Capital Territory ACTAD Australian Capital Territory Assembly Debate ACT-TLC Australian Capital Territory Trades and Labour Council ACTU Australian Council of Trade Unions AFP Australian Federal Police AGPS Australian Government Printing Service AIDEX Australian International Defence Exhibition AITEX Australian International Technology and Equipment Exhibition ALP Australian Labor Party ANU Australian National University APEC Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation AUSTRADE Australian Trade Commission BWIU Building Workers Industrial Union CAA Community Aid Abroad CAM Campaign Against Militarism CPD Commonwealth Parliamentary Debate CPP Canberra Program for Peace DOD Department of Defence DSP Democratic Socialist Party G20 Group of Twenty (Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors) ISO International Socialist Organisation MAPW Medical Association for the Prevention of War MAUM Movement Against Uranium Mining MP Member of Parliament/Member of the Legislative Assembly NSW New South Wales MRAG Melbourne Rainforest Action Group NATEX National Exhibition Centre NDP Nuclear Disarmament Party 1 NEFA North East Forest Alliance NfP Network for Peace NSW New South Wales NUS National Union of Students NVA Non-violent Action NVDA Non-violent Direct Action ODA Obstructive Direct Action OSG Operations Support Group PADEX Pacific Area Defence Exhibition RCP Radical Christian Pacifism RSL Returned Services League SA South Australia SAC Stop AIDEX Campaign SAFE Stop Arms For Export SPS Sydney Peace Squadron TWS The Wilderness Society QPF Queanbeyan Peace Forum WA Western Australia WILPF Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom WWF World Wildlife Fund 2 Map of AIDEX ‘91 Protest Site 3 4 Introduction In November 1991 the biennial Australian International Defence Exhibition (AIDEX) was held in Canberra at the National Exhibition (NATEX) Centre. As the largest exhibition of military hardware ever held in the southern hemisphere, the event attracted overseas and domestic arms manufacturers and buyers as well as up to 2000 protesters from across Australia. There had been a similar demonstration at the previous AIDEX exhibition, held in 1989, and this one occurred in the context of recent disruptive protest activity around issues such as rainforest imports and old-growth logging as well as events such as the first Gulf War and the massacre of protesters in East Timor. During the eleven-day protest a number of events occurred across Canberra including religious ceremonies, concerts and a series of rallies at Parliament House and in the city centre. The majority of protesters camped across the road from NATEX before picketing its main gates. Tactics as varied as lying passively on the road and setting barricades on fire were employed, causing much debate during and after the event. Media coverage was widespread and often sensational, leading many protesters to complain of misrepresentation. The protest was also marked by allegations of extensive police violence and over 200 arrests were made. In the wake of the blockade the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman, the Federal Privacy Commissioner and the Community Law Reform Committee of the Australian Capital Territory all examined aspects of police behaviour. In the months leading up to AIDEX ‘91 the government of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) had announced that it would not allow another arms fair to be held in the region. The poor publicity generated in the build-up to the 1991 event also saw the number of exhibitors fall from 234 to 138. During the protest, displays, military vehicles and other items were either delayed or prevented from entering the site. Afterwards, attempts by the event organiser, Desiko Pty Ltd, to organise similar events on federally owned property in the ACT and in the adjoining town of Queanbeyan, New South Wales (NSW) were blocked by local and state authorities wary of the disruption caused during AIDEX ‘91. Although air shows and smaller events have continued to be 5 held in Australia, there has not been an arms exhibition on the scale of AIDEX since 1991. This thesis will provide a history of the AIDEX ‘91 protest. In doing so it will seek to understand why the issue of arms fairs arose at this time as well as how and why a particular repertoire of contention, which I have labelled ‘Obstructive Direct Action’ (ODA), was employed by activists as part of a strategy of ‘coercion’. The organisation and unfolding of the protest will be examined along with the outcomes it produced. The ways in which protests such as these reflect the tactical, organisational and strategic choices that activists make, consciously or otherwise, will also be considered along with how such choices are shaped by the context in which they occur. In exploring these questions I will provide a case study for the efficacy and use of ODA in Australia. I will make the following key arguments: (a) That the anti-AIDEX ‘91 campaign brought together a cross-section of participants from Australia’s social movements to obstruct and disrupt the 1991 Australian International Defence Exhibition and prevent similar events from taking place in the future. (b) That opposition to the arms trade and defence exhibitions was triggered by a series of changes in Federal ALP policy and the way in which private companies and activists interacted with them. (c) That by the time of AIDEX ‘91 a significant section of Australia’s peace and environment movements had come to favour a repertoire of contention based on informal organisation and the use of disruptive and extra-parliamentary activities; and that this development was related to a faltering in the alliances forged between the ALP and social movements during the 1980s.