Socialist Equality Party

Zac Hambides, 22, president of the University of NSW's International Students for Social Equality (ISSE), the SEP’s student movement, and an SEP member since 2007, will contest the seat of Kingsford-Smith, a predominantly working class electorate in south Sydney. The electorate covers the Botany Bay dockyards, Sydney airport, light industry in Alexandria, as well as the University of NSW and the beachside suburbs of Maroubra and Coogee. Hambides will challenge Labor’s environment minister, the former rock-star Peter Garrett.

SEP candidate speaks on crisis facing students

The following is the text of the speech delivered to a public meeting held on Wednesday August 4. Hambides spoke about the worsening crisis facing tertiary students.

The Socialist Equality Party, as part of the International Committee of the Fourth International, is the only party that explains to workers the real situation they face. We tell the truth. Our program raises the burning social issues faced by workers, students and youth in Australia and across the world.

Socialist candidate’s open letter exposes attempted political censorship at UNSW rally

The following open letter by Zac Hambides was circulated at a UNSW students’ rally on 20 July. The letter was issued in protest at the UNSW Student Representative Council (SRC) leadership’s refusal to include Hambides on the official speakers’ list on the grounds that it would be “impolite” to the other speakers.

“This fight is first and foremost a political struggle against the Gillard government”

Zac Hambides advanced the need for a political struggle against the Gillard Labor government and for a socialist perspective to defend education at a demonstration of students on 20 July. The rally was called in support of 70 staff who have been stood down by the administration for imposing work bans as part of an ongoing dispute over working conditions. Against the efforts of other speakers to cover up the decisive political issues at stake, Hambides explained that the university’s actions flowed directly from two central policies of the Labor government—its “education revolution” and its anti-strike laws.

Xstrata launches new provocations against Tahmoor miners

By Zac Hambides
22 July 2010 

Mining giant Xstrata has refused to allow more than 270 workers who went on strike for seven days last week to return to work at its Tahmoor mine in the New South Wales southern highlands. The provocation marks the second company lockout imposed during the long-running dispute for a new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) at the mine.