Indigenous Gallery
Indigenous Rights.
The Communist Party of Australia was the first political party to campaign for the rights of the indigenous people. The CPA assisted with the emerging struggle of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and developed policies on the national question in Australia.
About this Gallery.
In this display we have the 1931 policies - as well as policies from succeeding decades as our understanding grew of the issues of the indigenous people of Australia.
Policy.
We have leaflets and books produced by the party to support the Indigenous people of Australia and their struggle for their rights.
The struggle goes on today; we are involved with the Lex Wotton of Palm Island case and the Northern Territory Intervention.
Women’s Gallery
Women’s contributions.
CPA women have been active in all of the Party’s campaigns for the last ninety years. Conscription, rising prices for basic good, child care, equal pay, anti-discrimination, peace, the environment and IWD issues are just some of the many campaigns that women in our party have taken up.
Union Gallery
Union Movement.
The Communist movement has given the working class many fine trade union leaders, activists and Communist Party members have been the backbone of many industrial struggles.
During the last 100 years, the Party has distributed bulletins in many different workplaces.
Poetry/Book/Theatre Gallery
Communist Poetry, Authors and Books about the CPA.
The Communist movement of Australia has been a creative pool of many widely respected and admired writers and thinkers. The list isn’t exhaustive.
Three Golden Giants and other poems - Victor WilliamsAh, white man, have you any sacred sites? - Denis KevansCommunist contributions to theatre.
The New Theatre in Sydney is the product of Communist work and devotion to the arts.
Theatres were developed in other parts of Australia as well - plays with working class themes were put on in all parts of the country.
In this gallery, we have images of Reddy River by Dick Diamond - a play in the 60s from the New Theatre.
Books about the CPA.
A small selection of six books about the party and it’s history are listed in this gallery.
Red Letter Days - Jack BeasleyThe Communist Movement and Australia - W.J BrownMy Years in the Communist Party - Ralph GibsonThe People Stand Up - Ralph GibsonThe Reds - Stuart MacIntyreComrades Come Rally - John Sendy
Red Letter Days - Jack Beasley
The Communist Movement and Australia - W.J Brown
My Years in the Communist Party - Ralph Gibson
The Reds - Stuart MacIntyre
The People Stand Up - Ralph Gibson
Comrades Come Rally - John Sendy
Frank Hardy
Frank Hardy’s Power Without Glory (1950) was a fictionalised life of powerful Victorian John Wren, was refused by published and had to be printed and bound by volunteers and almost landed Hardy in jail for criminal libel.
Katherine Susannah Prichard
Katherine’s first book The Pioneers won the Hodder and Stoughton Prize for a novel in 1915.
Jean Devanny
Jean’s ‘Sugar Heaven’ in 1936 was the first Australian novel to be based on a strike - the Queensland cane cutters’ strike of 1935 forced the burning of cane before harvest, to eliminate Weil’s disease.
Judah Waten
Judah Waten’s ‘Alien Son’ in 1952 is based on the personal experiences as the child of a migrant family from Eastern Europe early this century.
