Radical Politics & The University of Queensland : Staff & Student Activism

 

 Images from the Graeme Garner Collection

Society for Democratic Action

Students for Democratic Action was formed in Brisbane in 1966. Much of SDA’s success was attributable to high levels of organisation and the rapid development of infrastructure such as a press, a headquarters, and a bookshop. The later change of name to ‘Society’ for Democratic Action reflected their aim to campaign in the community as well as on campus. They began weekly forums in Centenary Place in the city.

 

An early interview with an SDA leader, Brian Laver, captures the radical liberal position and the influence of SDS:
"These students believe in democracy and most importantly they believe in the maximum participation for the individual.

Believing that democracy is a continuous process that does not finish at the polls they are prepared at any time to check abuses by working through the legal and administrative channels. However if this does not work they are prepared to commit civil disobedience.

The students believe that our society develops continually an ethos of war, where values of love, sincerity, honesty and respect are sacrificed to a rule of thumb called expedience, which is defined at any time by what group is in power.

The students therefore are united in the belief that our society needs to be re-oriented... to communication of life. The program to do this is found in the American "New Left" students concepts of Grass Roots Democracy" 4



Brian Laver pictured at Ky Rally, January 1967

The Liberal Club 5 seized the word <liberal’ to represent small ‘l’ liberal values (forcing right-wing opinion to revive the Democratic Club 6 tag). As the movement changed in 1969, and ideology took hold, the New Left Group 7 formed, and it articulated the humanist left liberal position. These two clubs often cooperated and provided a critique when the movement later took a revolutionary turn. That critique pre-figured some of the criticism in later histories of the movement. 8

The Labor Club 9 (which was not affiliated with the ALP) often formed, collapsed and reformed (as had been the case with previous Labor and ALP clubs) so its input varied. It played a major role in campus-based anti-conscription action. It also joined at times with the above two clubs to voice caution on the ideological and revolutionary turn.

Collectively all of these groups became known as ‘the radicals’. ‘Radical’ meaning in this context ‘going to the root’ of social issues, that is, seeking changes that will deal with problems for the long term.

Pictured at left: The Australian New Left : critical essays and strategy

SDA Meeting Minutes, Sept 196?

     A Conscience Left

  Hitting the streets
 
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