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

Images from the "Radio Times", Fryer Library PN1991.3.A8R34

Hippies and air waves

In 1970 the cultural revolutionaries set up a drug counselling and referral service, the Bomb Shelta. In 1972 they formed Harpo, a loose coalition that produced an occasional newspaper and nominated candidates for arts and activities positions in the student union. In March they held the first Harpo’s Night Out, a combined political theatre and music event 17 reminiscent of FOCO. Food co-ops and alternative businesses were begun.  18  A Learning Exchange was set up in the city and on campus. In 1973 some were involved in the first counter-cultural festival, initiated by the Australian Union of Students (AUS), the Aquarius Festival at Nimbin. People began to move into alternative business and arts careers. Life choices, as much as any tensions of diverging poltics were sending people in different directions.

There were links between Harpo people such as John Stanwell and ex-SDA activists like Jim Beatson, in the Union’s setting up in 1975 of community radio station 4ZZ-FM. The station became both a subject of Union controversy, battles over content within the movement, and a police target.  19

Some 'politicos' attacked what they saw as the lack of sufficient news and current affairs programming. At the other extreme some wanted rock music only. In between were a range of positions. The battles were quite bitter but the station settled into a combined news, current affairs and music format. The Queensland state government under the premiership of Joh Bjelke-Petersen ensured that the cultural revolutionaries maintained a political edge.

"Joh must go", 22 October 1983, image from Bacon collection

4ZZ sponsored events (Joint Efforts) were harassed by police to the point that they eventually had to be discontinued. Beginning in 1977 the government contemplated dissolving the students’ Union, with some encouragement from the Fraser government. Vice-Chancellors Cowan and Wilson opposed the move and it was never acted on.  20 & 21

     Divergence

  Bookshops and bookstalls
 
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