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Beyond the picket fence

Sarah Maddison - Activist Wisdom More than 200,000 protesters marched through capital cities and regional centres around Australia last month as part of a national day of action against the Federal Government’s proposed workplace reforms.

The hundreds of simultaneous rallies across the country sent a message that social movements in Australia are alive and well. Dr Sarah Maddison from the School of Politics and International Relations believes, however, that the government’s proposed sedition laws mean the act of speaking out is increasingly under threat.

"Citizens are responsible for keeping politicians accountable between elections, to raise contentious issues and demand that they be addressed," said Dr Maddison, author of a recently published book, Activist Wisdom. "That role is now under fire to the great detriment of Australia’s democratic health."

Activist Wisdom explores the impact that social movements have had on Australian society and politics over past decades. From the battle by gay and lesbian groups to change Tasmanian discrimination laws to the damming of the Franklin River to the women’s movement that has achieved extensive change, activists have been responsible for consistently placing issues on the Australian agenda.

"People often relegate these examples to history, whereas activism keeps them bubbling along, keeps them on the government’s agenda and in the broader public conscience," Dr Maddison said.

In writing the book, Dr Maddison and co-author Sean Scalmer interviewed 19 campaigners about their experiences in a range of social movements. Their interviewees challenge the stereotype of activists as chardonnay-sipping socialists out of touch with ordinary Australians.

"Many activists have paid a huge personal price for their commitment," Dr Maddison said. "They are passionate about the cause they are struggling for and about the good that will come from their struggle, not just for themselves but for many."

Dr Maddison describes herself as an activist academic who has been involved in a range of social movements over the years but she believes now more than ever that neo-liberal democratic states such as Australia are making it clear they don’t like to be challenged.

"This government has taken a series of steps to stifle the legitimate challenging of the state," Dr Maddison said. "I believe the work of activists is important and needs to be valued in an academic sense but also, more broadly, activists need to be recognised as significant political actors. Australia would do well to listen a little more closely to them and value the work that they do.

"I don’t think there has ever been a time in which citizens in a democracy can sit back and be complacent about the health of their democracy."

Dr Sarah Maddison is a lecturer in the School of Politics and international Relations. Activist Wisdom is published by UNSW Press and is available at the UNSW Bookshop.

Author: Alex Clark, UNSW Media Unit