10May

Media Release – Silencing Councillors

Posted in Activism, Community, Media Releases, News | Leave a comment
by Max Riethmuller

Media Release – Silencing Councillors From Virginia Waters
Sunday 10 May 2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18ZXq4P4gB/

Lismore City Councillor Virginia Waters is objecting to the Media Policy which Lismore Council is proposing to adopt at the meeting on Tuesday 12 May 2026 at 10am

“Brazen and illegal” were some of the words Lismore City Councillor Virginia Waters used to describe the proposed new Media Policy.
“When I read it I was horrified. They’re trying to codify the crushing of democracy and gag elected representatives. Worse still, they have not proposed to place the policy on public exhibition and buried these proposed restrictions deep within the business papers,” Cr Waters said.
Lismore Councillor Virginia Waters is objecting to the Media Policy which Lismore Council is proposing to adopt at its meeting on Tuesday 12 May 2026 at 10am.
‘This is a sad day for Lismore’ Ms Waters said.
Council is recommending adoption of a policy which claims that Councillors are not permitted to speak to the media without first consulting the General Manager and receiving guidance on what they should say. The new policy is part of a Media Policy the Council is proposing to adopt without placing it on public exhibition for public comment.
‘Trying to place barriers in front of Councillors before they speak to the media is undemocratic and unlawful’ said Clr Waters.
‘Councillors are elected to represent their constituents and voice their opinion publicly. Democracy thrives on debate and the High Court has found that free speech is implied in the Australian Constitution. The Court specifically found that free speech applies to all three tiers of government in Australia including local government.
‘The LG Act requires me to facilitate communication between residents and the governing body. It also requires me to be accountable to the electors and therefore I need to explain why I vote the way I do on important issues, and why I bring proposals to the Council for debate.
See attached extracts from “Free Speech in Local Government in NSW”:
Page 6
Page 10
‘The community can be assured that I will continue to speak with the media and the public whenever I believe it is appropriate. I do not have to seek the approval of the General Manager before I express my opinion. I do not have to wait until the GM is at work on Monday morning before replying to a media inquiry on Friday evening.
‘Lismore is a democracy and frankly it is a little embarrassing that an unlawful proposal such as this has made its way onto the Council agenda.’
‘If anyone would like to read the offending passage it is found on page 1316 of the 1379 pages of the Annexure to the business paper. No wonder no-one has called me to object, they probably can’t find it!
‘If you think this is a storm in a teacup, think again! Not long ago it was raised with me that Council would prefer if I stopped writing my column in the Nimbin Good Times. Apparently, I expressed my opinion too much.
‘I can assure my readers that I will not be stopped writing my column and I am confident that Council has no power to make me jump through hoops just to express my opinion.
‘I am pleased however that this heavy-handed attempt to place restrictions on Councillors and proscribe what we say has given me another excellent subject to write about. In a democracy I might not like what another person says, but as long as it is not hate speech, I will defend their right to say it.’
Media Contacts:
Virginia Waters
Adam Guise

Lismore Greens
Adam Guise – Greens for Lismore
Dr Amanda Cohn

01Dec

Fediverse Support is Here!

Posted in Community, Media Releases, News | 1 Comment
by Max Riethmuller

You can now follow Altmax Media and comment on stories via your fediverse account. Comments and Boosts will only be visible on fediverse clients however (such as Mastadon).
[EDIT: comments aren’t quite working yet and we are still looking into why – however you can still follow us and get our posts on your fediverse feed)

Search for @altmaxmedia@altmax.com.au and click “Follow”.

You can also follow individual Altmax authors if you only wish to follow certain contributors.

Author’s fediverse handles will usually be @firstname@altmaxmedia.com.au. For example @john@altmax.com.au. You can also search for “@altmax.com.au” and all author handles should show up.

Once you are following the Altmax or an Altmax author, you will be able to see all stories posted from that date under their profile name (handle).

24Nov

BlueSky Feed

Posted in Media Releases | Comments Off
by Max Riethmuller

28Oct

Media Release – International union leader calls on G20

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by Max Riethmuller

International union leader calls on G20 to improve lives of working families.

Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of International Trade Union Confederation, will speak at the G20 rally on November 15. The ITUC represents 125 million workers across 125 countries.

Sharan Burrow, who will also participate in Labour 20, has called for a focus on jobs and wages at this November’s G20 leader’s summit.

“G20 leaders must prioritise jobs, wages and social protection to kick start the global economy and afford justice to working families.”

“The Labour 20 represents working people and calls on governments to take a courageous stand against the increasing American corporate model that is destroying the social balance in the global economy” said Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation.

The rally will assemble at 11am November 15 2014 at Emma Miller Place (Roma St) and subsequently march past the G20 summit to Musgrave Park.

For further comment contact media spokesperson Adrian Skerritt on 0400 307 892, or email info@briscan.net.au

15Oct

G20 is Austerity Summit Claims Protest Organiser

Posted in Activism, Economics, Media Releases, Politics | Comments Off
by Max Riethmuller

Media Release

“G20 is austerity summit” claims protest organiser

BrisCAN spokesperson, Adrian Skerritt said: “The G20 meeting will disrupt the lives of Brisbane residents from November 8 to November 16. But it won’t end there. G20 policies will continue to disrupt our lives long after the meeting is over.”

The G20 forum is committed to shifting wealth from the majority of citizens to the incredibly rich. They will do globally what Newman and Abbott are doing locally – sell public assets, outsource and cuts to social services.”

“The G20 is the Austerity Summit” claimed Mr Skerritt.

“What they can’t achieve through their budgets and trade deals they will attempt to resolve through war. Look at Obama and Abbott’s new war in Iraq and Putin’s use of military force in the Ukraine.”

The rally and march on November 15 will condemn G20 policies that create poverty and inequality. The march will also champion the values that should drive economic and political decisions – justice, sustainability, indigenous sovereignty and democracy.

“BrisCAN is demanding a world with an economy that works for people and the planet, a world safe from the ravages of climate change and war, a world with good jobs, clean air and water and healthy communities” said Mr Skerritt.

The rally will assemble at 11am November 15 2014 at Emma Miller Place (Roma St) and subsequently march past the G20 summit to Musgrave Park.

For detail about BrisCAN-G20 visit briscan.net.au or www.facebook.com/briscan.g20.
For further comment contact media spokesperson Adrian Skerritt on 0400 307 892.

18Feb

POLICE AND LOCALS RUN AMOK ON MANUS ISLAND

Posted in Immigration, International, Media Releases | Comments Off
by Max Riethmuller

Media Release from Mark Gillespie Refugee Action Collective

MEDIA RELEASE

POLICE AND LOCALS RUN AMOK ON MANUS ISLAND: SCORES INJURED; FEARS FOR
THE LIVES OF ASYLUM SEEKERS

Scores of asylum seekers have been injured, some seriously as gangs of
armed PNG police and locals go from compound to compound attacking any
asylum seekers they can find.

Asylum seekers were left defenceless when all staff and G4S guards
were evacuated from the detention centre. Tension with groups of
locals had been building throughout the day. G4S had already withdrawn
from Mike compound late Monday afternoon.

The attacks started late Monday night after the power was cut to the
detention centre. PNG police and locals then had the run of the
detention centre.

Locals are armed with machetes, pipes, sticks and stones – have bashed
and cut asylum seekers. One asylum seeker has been thrown from the
second floor of a building; others have suffered machete cuts. There
is one report that a man has been left with his eye hanging from its
socket after a bashing.

Asylum seekers fled from their compounds into the dark in a desperate
attempt to flee from their attackers. A call from Mustafa in Mike
compound around 11pm said that there were only five or six people left
in his compound and they were now fleeing to try and find safety.
People had fled all the other compounds. Mustafa said that he was
covered in his own blood from cuts to the head, hand and arms. He
estimated at least 50 people in Mike compound alone had been injured.

One of the last of the staff to be taken out of the detention centre
around midnight Monday night said it will be a miracle if no-one is
killed.

Gunshots can be heard in the background of calls coming from the
detention centre.

“The blood spilled inside the Manus detention centre is on the
Immigration Minister’s hands. Manus Island has always been a disaster
waiting to happen,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee
Action Coalition.

“Scott Morrison deliberately played down the seriousness of the
situation and the danger that asylum seekers faced. It seems clear now
that the injured asylum seekers were deliberately treated inside the
detention centre to hide the scale and seriousness of the injuries
suffered on Sunday night.

“It must be clear now that asylum seekers cannot live safely on Manus
Island. They should never have been taken there. Asylum seekers must
be brought to Australia.”

For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713

01Dec

Media Release – G20 Dissenters form Action Network

Posted in Activism, International, Media Releases, Politics | Comments Off
by Max Riethmuller

December 1, 2013

Media Release

G20 Dissenters form Action Network

As Australia assumes the G20 presidency prior to the summit in November next year, concerned community members announce the formation of the Brisbane Community Action Network G20 (BrisCAN-G20).

The network has formed to facilitate community responses and raise the profile of dissent to the G20 summit. BrisCAN-G20 will foster collaborations between community groups, support community action and provide commentary and critique of the G20 and Australia’s role in it.

The network has developed out of shared concerns about the G20’s perpetuation of an abusive economic system. The Group of 20 summit outcomes privilege the wealthy over the majority, have disregard for the environment and human rights, and lack transparency and public participation. Furthermore, The Group of 20 is involved in the erosion of civil liberties as a mechanism of control and fails to provide meaningful, sustainable and just community focused solutions to global crises and conflict.

Kim Stewart from Friends of the Earth Brisbane said “While the coming together of nations could be an opportunity to promote peace, social justice and ecological sustainability, the G20 is perpetuating financial and economic system that is failing the majority of the world and destroying the planet.”

Benjamin Pennings from Generation Alpha said “It is time for Australia and the G20 to re-think our economic system and make decisions that protect the earth – our shared habitat – and deliver a just and sustainable future for our children. The G20 do not act for global good. They should not be making decisions for us.”

For more information on BrisCAN-G20 or media comment please contact:

Kim Stewart, Friends of the Earth Brisbane – 0413 397 839
Benjamin Pennings, Generation Alpha – 0418 164 014.

29Nov

Media Release – Citizens Network Forms To Fight Civil Liberties Crackdown

Posted in Activism, Law, Media Releases, Politics | Comments Off
by Max Riethmuller

MEDIA RELEASE * MEDIA RELEASE * MEDIA RELEASE * MEDIA RELEASE * MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release, 30 November 2013

Citizens network forms to fight civil liberties “crackdown”

A packed meeting of more than 70 concerned citizens and representatives from community organisations founded a new campaigning organisation at Brisbane’s Electrical Trades Union hall on Wednesday night, responding to what organisers called “an unprecedented crackdown on civil liberties in Queensland”.

The Queensland Civil Liberties Network was born amid cheers from meeting participants who set about planning a series of protest actions over coming months, including a rally and march to fall on Parliament’s first sitting day, February 11 2014.

Brisbane alternative media publisher Max Riethmuller said the Newman government had created a climate in which people now feared gathering in public.

“I have already seen people choose not to attend a protest out of fear of the VLAD act,” Mr Riethmuller said.

“The slow usurping of rights in this state has potential to strip us of very important basic rights,” he said.

Mr Riethmuller said that by positioning this legislation as being about ‘bikies’ or ‘parties’ the government was engaging in “subterfuge”.

The meeting also endorsed the actions of the Queensland Council of Unions, Brisbane Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy and other organisations in relation to the UN Human Rights Day on 10th of December, and the upcoming Anti-VLAD Freedom Ride on December 1st.

“The Queensland government is contravening various articles of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, particularly in regard to the right to free speech and the right to freedom of association,” said Mr Riethmuller

Meeting organiser Ewan Saunders attacked the recent “Out-of-control Parties” legislation as “absurd”.

“Next will it be people only inviting 11 people to their backyard BBQ’s to avoid the chance of being thrown in jail for a year?” Mr Saunders asked.

“When ordinary law abiding people have to closely watch their movements to avoid getting in trouble with the law, we are basically living in a police state,” he said.

“My hope is that this network can help build effective and broad-based opposition to these laws.”

For media comment, contact:

Ewan Saunders: 0401 234 610
Max Riethmuller: 0415 200 577

Visit the campaign Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/civillibertiesqld

22Nov

Media Release: Malaysians to Occupy Lynas HQ in Sydney

Posted in Activism, Economics, Environment, International, Media Releases, Politics | Comments Off
by Max Riethmuller

MEDIA ALERT

EMBARGOED 6:00AM | Friday 22 November 2013

Malaysians to Occupy Lynas HQ in Sydney:
Protest shareholder meeting, divest from Lynas

WHAT
SYDNEY | Eight representatives from Himpunan Hijau, one of the largest environmental movements in Malaysia, will be travelling to Australia to protest against Australian rare earth mining company, Lynas Corporation. Lynas has started exporting its toxic and radioactive rare-earth pollution to it’s controversial refinery, the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in Kuantan, Malaysia.

Himpunan Hijau will be joined by Friends of the Earth Australia, Beyond Nuclear Initiative, AidWatch and The Greens.

WHERE & WHEN
Occupation outside Lynas Headquarters
ALL DAY Tuesday 26 – Thursday 28 November 2013
56 Pitt Street, Sydney

Press conference hosted by The Greens
Thursday 28 November 2013
10AM behind NSW parliament

Protest outside Lynas Corporation Annual General Meeting
Friday 29 November
8:30AM-1:00PM
Opposite Establishment Hotel,
252 George Street Sydney

BACKGROUND
On August 4th 2011 Australian company Lynas Corporation officially opened its Mt Weldrare earth mine in Western Australia. Lynas has started exporting rare earth concentrates, through the port of Fremantle in Western Australia to the port of Kuantan in Malaysia, to their polluting, energy intensive and highly controversial rare earths processing plant, the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP).

The LAMP is vehemently opposed by at least a million Malaysians. It was constructed without any public consultation and near fishing communities. Its pollution and waste management are seriously deficient according to a scientific report[1] by Germany’s Oeko Institute.

More info and for interviews with Himpunan Hijau representatives contact:
Tully Mcintyre,
Coordinator, StopLynas.org
An affiliate campaign of Friends of the Earth Australia
tully.mcintyre@foe.org.au
0410 388 187

[1] “Description and Critical environmental Evaluation of the Rare Earth Refinery Plant LAMP near Kuantan/Malaysia” http://www.oeko.de/oekodoc/1629/2013-002-en.pdf

*Note: Press Releases are authored by contributing organisation.

04Sep

Media Release: Ploughshare Activist Faces Court And Says Farewell

Posted in Activism, Media Releases | Comments Off
by Max Riethmuller

Peacebus Media Release 3 September 2013

Ploughshare activist faces court and says farewell

Graeme Dunstan will face further charges associated with his role in Bryan Law’s mattock attack on a Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter during Talisman Sabre 2011.

9 am Thursday 5 september
in the Rockhampton Magistrates Court

Mr Dunstan is charged with wilful damage (cutting of a chain), possession of tainted property (his camera) and unauthorised entry onto airport land (his feet).

Found guilty on a charge of wilful damage to the helicopter in the District Court on 22 August, Mr Dunstan was sentenced by Judge Nicolas Samios to a 2 year suspended prison sentence and a three year good behaviour bond with a self recognisance of $2000.

He was also required to make reparation for the $162,831.63 worth of damage done to the $45 m chopper.

Tomorrow he will be represented pro bono by solicitor David Mills and will be pleading guilty to all charges.

Mr Dunstan, a 71 year old age pensioner, expects more fines and that these will be deducted at $20 a fortnight from his pension.

“The government giveth and the government taketh away,” he commented.

Nomad Dunstan expects this court appearance ought wrap up the Tiger Ploughshare matters and his activist season in Rockhampton.

He intends to take his Peacebus south to support a blockade of the Swan Island SAS base at Queenscliff Victoria 22- 26 September.

“We peace activists are determined to bring ALL the troops home from Afghanistan,” he said. “No more US wars.”

Further information
Graeme Dunstan 0407 951 688