Ayotzinapa Part 1, Anti-Poverty Community Organising, 2023 Victorian Overdose Deaths, International Student Cap Impacts for RTOs

Thursday Breakfast

Acknowledgement of Country// Headlines// Freelance journalist, writer and researcher Ann Louise Deslandes spoke with Priya earlier this week about the recent 10th anniversary of the Ayotzinapa student disappearances from the city of Iguala in Mexico's state of Guerrero. On the night of September 26, 2014, and into the next day, municipal, state, and federal police officers, alongside soldiers from the Mexican Army and members of the criminal syndicate Guerreros Unidos attacked six buses in the city of Iguala, five of which had been temporarily commandeered by students of the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College to travel to Mexico City in order to commemorate the October 2 anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre. Today, you'll hear part 1 of this interview, where Ann speaks about the nexus of state and paramilitary violence that the students were unwillingly caught in on that night in September 2014, the attempt by then Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto's government to establish a falsified "historical truth" to put inquiries to rest, and the promise of recently retired Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to support the students' families in their fight for justice. Ann is based in Mexico City, and covers politics and culture in Mexico for international English-language media. She also writes, reports and consults on human rights (especially regarding gender and sexuality), social movements, and community development. Ann has most recently written about the Ayotzinapa student disappearances for The Nation on October 9. You can read her newsletter, The Troubled Region, here.// Bec Pring, Magan-djin-based lead organiser of the Community Union Defence League Queensland, joins us today on the United Nations Day for the Eradication of Poverty (during Antipoverty Week, 13-19 October 2024) to talk about the role of organising, mutual aid and community kitchens in the fight against a bipartisan political choice to keep people living below the poverty line in so-called Australia. Bec is a community organiser and activist who has spent a significant part of the past two years working out of Musgrave Park alongside comrades providing community meals and building relationships of solidarity and mutual support. They're an advocate for community connection and breaking down barriers created by fear, isolation and capitalism to bring people together. During our conversation, Bec spoke about the 2025 People Against Poverty Summit being organised in Magan-djin/brisbane - donate to this effort here.// Scott Drummond, Head of Policy and Practice at VAADA, joins us to speak on a new report released 3rd of Oct by the Coroners Court of Victoria, showing that 547 Victorians died from overdose in 2023. The figures are very close to the 550 overdose deaths recorded in 2022 — which was the highest annual number of overdoses deaths recorded in the past decade.// Troy Williams, CEO of ITECA, joins us to speak on deep concern within segments of the tertiary education sector over the lack of clear direction in the Senate’s review of the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024. The Bill, if passed in its present form, will pave the way for introducing international student caps that most damage independent Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and higher education institutions.// Songs//Stick of Gum - Nemahsis//Listen to the story behind the music video here and find out why Nemahsis’ label made the decision to drop this promising young Palestinian artist.// Rally for Public Housing//Saturday 19 October, 11:30AM-1PM126 Racecourse Road, FlemingtonThis rally has been called in opposition to the Labor Government's plans to demolish and privatise all 44 public housing towers in Victoria, starting with towers on the Flemington and North Melbourne estates. The rally is supported by the Victorian Greens, RAHU, BPU, SPHC, Friends of Public Housing Vic, Vic Socialists, Socialist Alliance, and 100% Public (formerly Save Barak Beacon).// Winter in Gaza//Palestinians in Gaza are approaching winter with very little to survive the season. With the increasing cost of commercial goods, families can’t afford to feed or clothe themselves or their children making them vulnerable to illness or fatality. They need support to survive! A group of folks campaigning for different families in Gaza have decided to combine our campaigns to reach a total goal of $12,000 AUD by 18th Oct.//DONATE HERE:ACC NAME: Metals 4 Mutual AidBSB: 313-140ACC NUMBER: 1250 7209Reference: Winter Fundraiser for Sudan//Donate to the $1,000,000 AUD appeal during the global week of action for Sudan coordinated by Project Blackseed.From the fundraising page:“The crisis in Sudan is demanding our immediate attention. This is a neglected emergency where for more than 500 days, millions of lives are hanging in the balance. Unlike other crises, aid can reach those in desperate need, making our collective action more crucial than ever as the conflict escalates. Your participation could mean the difference between life and death for millions.Our goalsRaise $1,000,000 for SudanProvide immediate relief to those facing acute malnutrition and food insecurityRaise awareness about Sudan’s ongoing humanitarian crisisHighlight global fundraisers on our page to unite people and bring attention to this overlooked humanitarian crisisTo have as many people post about this as possibleFollow Project Blackseed on Instagram for more details.”// Image credit: Sapdiel Gómez Gutiérrez, 2014.