Federation of Australian Anarchists Bulletin (1974-1975)

Header of the FAAB produced by the Brisbane SMG, Sept-Oct 1975.

Uploaded as part of the Anarchism in Australia project.

John Englart reports in his article, ‘Anarchism in Sydney 1975-1981’:

In November and December of 1972 an anarchist conference was held in Melbourne, and a libertarian conference in Sydney. Out of the Melbourne conference came the Federation of Australian Anarchists Bulletin (FAAB), which survived for two issues during 1973. The Sydney conference was organized by the Sydney Libertarians and was essentially a forum for the presentation of papers and discussion.
…
[In 1974] a number of Sydney individuals and Melbourne groups agitating for a national conference of anarchists. … The conference itself – held over 9 days in January 1975 – proved to be a watershed in recent Australian Anarchism.

At this conference, a Federation of Australian Anarchists was formally established, and the FAAB became the bulletin of the Federation.

An account from FAAB Jan/Feb 1975, reproduced by John Englart (‘Anarchism in Sydney 1975-1981’):

Following on from the acceptance of this document, there was discussion about the nature and production of the FAA Bulletin, with the result that this bulletin will become the internal communications bulletin of the FAA. It will be produced on a rotating basis by the federated groups … There was discussion concerning the feasibility of a national anarchist newspaper.

Several copies of the FAAB survive at the National Library of Australia, and some others survive in former FAA members’ personal collections. The Anarchism in Austarlia project is in the process of collecting and scanning surviving issues of the FAAB.

Catalogue

FAAB, No ?, Oct-Sept 1975
Produced by the Self-Management Group, Brisbane.

Contents:

  • Membership and Aims Statement, p. 1.
  • Editorial, SMG, p. 13.
  • Literature Report, AGP, p. 5.
  • Strategy and Tactics, unsigned, p. 6-9.
  • The Press, Slash Asterix, p. 9.
  • Attitude of Brisbane SMG to the press, p. 10.
  • What anarchism can learn from feminism and what feminism might learn from anarchism, A.P., p. 10-11.
  • Internal Democracy, unsigned appendix.
FAAB-Sept-Oct-1975-SMGDownload

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Thanks:

BubonicFred for the scan of FAAB Oct-Sept-1975.

John Englart for details and access to other issues (scans to follow).