FLAC Kulin Nation/ melbourne works to stand in solidarity with the first peoples of the world in the fight against fossil fuel expansion, extractivism, and ongoing colonialism. We aim to undermine the economic system of neoliberal capitalism and mining companies with actions of resistance and radical joy and collective care. We uphold anarcho values of mutual aid andsolidarity that drive where and how we take direct action. As a collective, we continually practice anti–hierarchical, decentralised organising using consensus-based decision making. This means we work together without leaders, we skill-up together, look after each other and learn from the movements that came before us and the groups that are paving the way today. 

We recognise that social injustices and climate change are caused by the same interconnected destructive forces – and therefore cannot be addressed in isolation. Cutting to the point, this means we have learnt that racism, bigotry and the fallacy that is white-heteronormative supremacy is perpetuated by the colonial state – which in turn stole its wealth using capitalist and extractive industries – and it continues to steal and inflict violence through poverty, pollution, discrimination, otherness of bodies and identities, the disconnection to land and denial of indigenous sovereignty to this very day [and its legal!]. We want a fairer society and in today’s world, we need to be explicitly anti-racist, anti-colonial, anti-capitalist, anti-extractive, anti-any violence against any body that challenges and defies the destructive status quo of the very real and violent systems of power that drive our societies.

On a day to day level, we work together to help facilitate and support the creation of alternative structures in our ways of living. Strong community, rather than strong governance, is what builds real resilience. We value dignity and autonomy and believe in people’s ability to care for one another, non-human animals, and the earth’s ecosystems through collaboration, empathy and compassion. We all agree to a participants agreement that we adapt when needed, which gives a baseline on the collective values of the group. We all have different starting points and often direct action can be a steep learning curve, and the stresses of capitalist life are barriers to strong, healthy communities – so we continually reflect on how we support each other and do the work to make direct action accessible. 

In recent times, FLAC Kulin Nation / melbourne and its members have been involved in running NVDA trainings, consensus-decision making and meeting facilitation workshops with Skill Up 2020; actions targeting Adani contractors, supporting the direct action to halt logging in Eastern Victoria on traditional lands; supporting the blockade of the annual International Mining and Resource Conference (IMARC) in Melbourne and Camp Binbee – Frontline Action on Coal’s frontline stronghold against Adani. We are also continuing to support our friends in the Latin American Solidarity Network, in the West Papuan fight for justice and will continually support first nations led work on the stolen lands we stand on. 

*FLAC Kulin Nation/ melbourne recognises and condemns the role of the police in upholding ongoing colonialism and capitalism. Given the global histories of the police force and the violence they commit daily, we support the abolition movement and encourage people to Pay the Rent and give back money to indigenous led groups and campaigns that are doing the work as a starting point [search Paytherent.net.au and invasionday.org] We do not offer strict guidelines on how people respond to the police, in our interactions with the police, we aim not to recreate the violence they enact. 

We want to be a strong, supportive group, if you have any questions and would like to know more about what we do in FLAC Kulin Nation / melbourne, send us a message. If you’re interested in training, or you want to jump-in and jump-out of our fortnightly meetings or skill-up in DA, we are here! Everyone has a skill to offer and we welcome more people to challenge how we can thrive as a group.

Get involved! A better future won’t come to exist if we’re on our own. 
Find us on facebook: FLAC Kulin Nation/Melbourne.

Send us a message on facebook or via email: flacmelbourne @ protonmail.com