OCCUPY MELBOURNE

Dave opened the meeting and welcomed everyone.

Introduced facilitators and working groups. No political affiliations.

Spoke of the four ‘P’s

Acknowledged that the consensus process was frustrating but also important and exciting.

Acknowledged that last week not all the working groups reported back and promoted more efficiency.

Announced Agenda.

Spoke of working group report-backs

Explanation of working groups (open groups that gather to organise movements, proposals to be brought before the GA for approval.)

Anyone can join.

People can start new groups- check whether or not there is already a group for a specific purpose before creating a similar one.

Facilitation Working Group Report-back

Beth Clarification of role

recognition that Saturday GA was rushed and tense

consensus was undermined by shouting rather than adding name to proposal list

facilitation team was also undermined

process aims to ensure everyone is heard

shouting out of turn creates a hostile space like parliament

wants to make people feel comfortable at General Assemblies

calls for no more heckling and more respect for people who have waited for their turn to speak

need for more transparency

OPEN meeting Tuesday, 5pm, Gopals, Swanston St

for anyone wishing to be part of the facilitation team.

Next General Assembly Wednesday, 6pm, State Library.

Assembly member: asks why no General Assembly every day.

Beth: Team needs time to review, confirm, peaceful process

Facilitation team wants the right to be treated well.

Dave: Thanks Beth.

4th ‘P’= Patience

Kids and Carers’ Committee Working Group Report-back

Speaker: Whilst no occupation space, confusion over working group meeting space.

PROPOSAL: Working groups give 24hrs notice for meetings so everyone has a chance to attend.

Working groups continue to be accountable to the General Assembly.

[Sits down]

Meaghan begins to bring up separate issue (??).

Process continues.

Dave: Confirms Meagan’s proposal will be voted on.

Media: Aiming for transparency

invitation to join talk group.

Dave: Calls for vote on 24hr notice before working group meetings

CONSENSUS REACHED: 90%

Dave: Next on the Agenda

-union/outreach

-kitchen

-declaration

-Wednesday General Assembly

-discussion/people’s forum

Community and Union Outreach Report-back

C+UO Speaker 1: QANTAS issue

Assembly: Shame

C+UO Speaker 1: 12000 workers unclear on pay, 6000 flights cancelled.

Australia held to ransom.

Alan Joyce’s 71% wage increase

Assembly: Shame

C+OU Speaker 1: Proposal to support, don’t want to take away workers rights.

Important issue for Occupy Melbourne.

Doesn’t think Occupy Melbourne should continue with this.

QANTAS closing the country down.

Assembly: Shame

C+OU Speaker 2: Logistical support

Corporate Scumbags March @ 3pm Saturday, State Library.

PROPOSAL: continue holding weekly assembly in City Square

Our Square

Regularly at 6pm Wednesday.

Dave: City Square is at Cnr Swanston/Collins

Assembly: Why are we not discussing location? Why are we not discussing now?

C+UO Speaker 2: Clarifies NOT proposing exclusively once a week, IS proposing a regular meeting minimum once a week ( more General Assembly than one per week possible).

Dave: General concern, is City Square viable from legal/police liaison perspective?

Police Liaison: Public property assembly fine without structures- although the TAC structures may cause logistical issues.

Dave: Take it easy (to assembly), need for legal clarifications

C+UO Speaker 2: Clarifies, any day, any location so long as General Assembly at least weekly and in the city. (Centrality important for people who have to travel a long way.)

Public space ensures legality.

Assembly member: Strong opposition to City Square discussion

Dave: Please, don’t shout.

Beth: State Library, Once a week minimum

Dave: Proposal is City Square, Wed, 6pm.

Assembly member (Davey): PROPOSAL to have discussion about tonight’s activities before arranging next meeting.

Beth: Facilitation team currently understaffed to host General Assemblies every day.

Next Wednesday, State Library, 6pm.

Proposal calls for weekly meetings

Assembly member: Asks that discussion over tonight’s activities occurs before General Assembly discussion.

Beth: Need meeting on Tuesday (Gopals) to build on process

Dave: Calls for consensus to finish with agenda before discussing tonight’s activities

consensus not reached

Calls for consensus to discuss tonight’s activities first

consensus not reached

Dave: default position is to continue agenda

Assembly: default position did not receive consensus.

Assembly dissents

Dave: Apologies.

Steps down

Beth: You can join facilitation or any other working group at any stage.

Everyone can join.

This ensures everyone’s votes get heard.

Dave: Suspends meeting to deliberate how to further facilitate assembly.

Assembly to momentarily discuss views in small groups

Dave: No respect for process then proposal to get through working group report- backs and the facilitation team will step aside.

Nick: What working groups are.

Report back to the General Assembly on what they do to help the community and put forward proposals.

These followed by the individual proposals.

Still need to hear from

-Creative Innovation

-Media

-Kitchen

-Logistics

-First Aid

-Direct Action

Direct Action Working Group Report-back

DA Speaker 1: Intense General Assembly

Hold together to take on the 1%

Message of love

Group met before Saturday (assumed there would be a home base)

Community focused music festival for November 5.

Assembly: Heckling, had a home base previous night

DA Speaker 1: Trying to get people involved.

Try to make Occupy Melbourne festive, welcoming and inviting.

Another issue being communication.

Has a Google group and email.

Occupiers should put forward suggestions.

One person to receive emails and keep track of meetings/trainings.

Would like to work more closely with the Community and Union Outreach

Get involved and suggest ideas

Work together, keep in contact

Not always possible to be strategic with police presence.

Volunteers are trying hard, join us.

If you’d like to propose a direct action, let us know.

To get involved there will be a post-meeting gathering.

Meeting this week in a central location.

Creativity and strategy.

Dave: Acknowledge people who did stay overnight.

Assembly: Point of clarification: Approx 70 people stayed overnight at City Square.

Nick: Bowen Lane crowd was in its hundreds.

At the State Library the numbers dwindled.

People moved on by police.

Reiterated that many people stayed.

Media Team Report-back

Media: Herald Sun positive article from Eddie McGuire

Congratulates the General Assembly for Saturday.

Need for transparency and process.

No-one in Media working group has all the passwords

People assigned for Twitter

People assigned for Facebook

Anything posted approved by 3 Media team members

Google group has been set up

opportunity to report the real story

occupy.melbourne.media@gmail.com

security conscious.

Copped verbal attacks all week.

3AW, Herald Sun.

False stories.

Very little sleep

Team members being followed

Phone number on press release

Highly stressful

Amazing job yesterday, won people over

Kitchen Working Group Report-back

K Speaker: We have had no break for two weeks

If anyone has issues with Kitchen moving to Edinburgh Gardens, if anyone has an alternative decision or a plan, offer it to kitchen

Lots of work, please help out

Came to Bowen Lane but RMIT had nowhere to park and nowhere to put water.

Need a detailed plan for parking for large truck, access to water and disposal of water.

Dave: Assembly should not yell out over people

K Speaker: We’re responsible for Occupy Melbourne’s equipment and do not want all this to be confiscated by the police.

Will ferry food to where people need it.

If you want to chop food with sharp knives in front of police, do it yourself.

Reaffirm, will transfer food to where you are

You’re welcome to join the team

Email occupymelbournekitchen@gmail.com

need donations

Dave: There is a working group recruitment list posted

Please raise hand if you want to talk

Don’t just yell

Up to date website for working teams

Media team does their best.

Logistics Working Team Report-back

Jeff: Friday, Spotless depot cleaned out

Possessions taken to tip and compacted

next step for the Legal Team

Generators stored in Trades Hall unaccounted for by anyone who rightly should have been accountable.

Difficult for donors.

May have been collected, most probably gone.

Met at 8 to arrange options (storage)

Low in man power

Blankets and tarps and food to people occupying

Self-assessment, not enough support, under-staffed, under-coordinated.

Sorry.

Meeting this morning to help and hold to account.

Join the logistics team

Sean, new face of logistics…hard job

Figuring out options

Jef announces to step down as it is his last week of Medical school.

Creative Innovation Working Group Report-back

CIW Speaker: Met last Tuesday

Welcome participation

Want to recruit more people

Calls for new forms of protest and commitment to resistance of traditional forms of protest

Want to create spaces for discussion

Proposals yet to come

Dave: refers Assembly to the working group list

First Aid Working Group report-back

FA Speaker 1: sunscreen

water

Heatstroke, panic attack

here to look after you

FA Speaker 2: Limited resources and supplies due to confiscation by police on

Eviction Friday

Building Wish-lists

If you can please prepare yourselves with sunscreen, water and rehydration solution

Asthmatics and those with allergies, please be aware that certain environments are more likely to trigger so please as much as you can, be prepared.

Team encourages decisions that keep people safe and healthy.

We love you.

FA Speaker 3: First Aid is only 3 people in a march of 1500 people.

Whilst we treat people we are static and get left behind.

Need people to watch our backs.

First Aid workers left vulnerable at RMIT packing up triage with large police presence after protesters moved to State Library.

Don’t leave First Aid in unsafe situation where police may give them a hard time.

First Aid 4: We need supplies, volunteers (trained or untrained), need communication and logistic support within First Aid.

Dave: Thanks, First Aid, you’re heroes.

Indigenous Working Group Report-back

Koby: Intro

Brendan Murray is coming on Tuesday for a smoking and healing ceremony

Assess vibe for City Square as location

Respect Elders, past and present.

1pm, City Square (originally for today if it weren’t for communication difficulties)

Everyone welcome.

See the Smoking ceremony and experience the culture.

Bring fresh fruit, seeds and nuts.

Assembly: Always was, always will be, Aboriginal Land

Koby: Suggestion to serve an eviction notice to the TAC tent currently occupying City Square

destroyed our community

RE The Queen: F— mummy dearest.

We don’t need the Queen after all the war crimes they’ve committed.

John: Welcome to my country.

I’m Torres Straight Islander.

Family, Eddie Mabo.

Welcome Occupy Melbourne

Represent 3000 Torres Straight Islanders and 18 islands.

Did not fight and die if not to destroy Terra Nullius

Beautiful black people present at Occupy Melbourne

Fight to destroy colonialism of the world

Stand in support of African people

Unity

Mabo quote “we fight”

Legal Working Team Report-back

Matt: Introduced

Issues with council and police

Urge to get into contact, lost property most likely missing but legal is still looking into this

If you’ve lost property, we would like an itemised list

email: occupymelbourne@gmail.com

Numbers: 0434 126 515 (Anytime)

Arrrested? Lawyers volunteering for us: 0407 410 821. Hotline available 24/7.

Legal training, appreciate observers/volunteers.

Committed.

Many Human Rights Workers and Barristers will see Fridays legal issues through to finality.

Manifesto Working Group Report-back

Beth: To create a document to express ourselves and to emphasise unity.

The ‘Why’ and the ‘What’ of our movement.

Tuesday, 2pm, State Library

Everyone Welcome.

Many other Occupy groups list what they oppose, their grievances.

Occupy Melbourne proposes positive declaration, i.e. we believe, we support

Structure: “Our Vision”, “Our Group”, “Our Process”, “Our Immediate Goals”

Not demands – Occupy Melbourne will take an active role in fulfilling the Manifesto

eg. Indigenous group already initiated the goal of Treaty

Each goal will have an associated working group

Open system – anyone can join a working group

Not empty words, representation of our reality

Everyone invited

Tuesday 2pm State Library

Clarification – ongoing work, nothing official until ratified by the General Assembly.

Dave: As promised, facilitation working group steps down.

Facilitation team will be available on Wednesday, 6pm, at State Library or whichever location the Assembly decides.

Remember open facilitation team meeting on Tuesday at 5pm at Gopals

Nick: Stepping up to help moderate in absence of facilitation team.

For/Against general business items.

Assembly member (Arthur): Against Nick’s act to volunteering

At all times wishes the Chair to only speak to a) the General Assembly or b) the next speaker ( disapproves of conversing with the facilitation team)

Wants new standard meeting process

Feels manipulated by process

Endorses facilitators stepping down.

Assembly should be in charge.

Nominations/Votes for Moderator.

Nick: No consensus on Nick as moderator

Substitute moderator:

Nominees

1. Nick (formerly affiliated with the Greens)
2. Davey (no affiliations, experienced activist)
3. Mitch (affiliated with Resistance, Socialist Alliance, Geelong Climate and others. ‘Here to help.’)

Two counters for votes, not enough support for Mitch, no consensus for either Nick or Davey.

Nick: To end the division, Davey and I will co-moderate.

CONSENSUS

Davey: Settled down. It’s 7.11pm. Meeting to go no later than 8pm.

CONSENSUS

Nick: This is not a typical General Assembly

Issues: location of occupation

take proposals for agenda

Davey: List of agenda items

order, ask assembly approval

Nick: Soap box incorporated in the meeting

Davey: Items

Future proceedings

Support QANTAS employees on agenda

Assembly member, Liam, leaves saying the new process is illegitimate

logistics/support for people tonight

Nick: PROPOSAL: Support the same order on Soap Box list

Forming an Agenda

Issues for people tonight

Make the urgent decisions

facilitation team has left

Davey: issue of majority put on hold

SOAP BOX

Felix: Expresses personal feelings about the movement

sustainable future

freedom

living our destiny in unity

peace/harmony

(please see Felix for his prepared transcript)

2^nd Speaker: Occupy Melbourne should transfer accounts from banks to credit unions.

Record how may do this.

Email: profitbanktocooperationbank@gmail.com

Nick: encourage immediate and pressing issues ( other issues are just as well served in conversations)

Tagan: no affiliations

tenacity characterises Occupy Melbourne’s

procedure important, don’t get involved in squabbles.

Assembly member: I want to be heard sooner

Nick: Occupy Melbourne has agreed upon a format and a process

Chris: PROPOSAL: We send a message to condemn Alan Joyce and that we support QANTAS workers demands.

Occupy Melbourne criticism about lack of specificity.

QANTAS prime example of unfair distribution of power. Corporations and government.

Nick: Direct action and Outreach also working for QANTAS employees rights.

Speaker Against: practicality of giving in to workers demands

Reply: pay rise coinciding with workers rights cuts justifies demands.

CONSENSUS

James: FIVE PROPOSALS RE FACILITATION

1. Dissolve facilitation working group
2. logistics arrange the megaphone
3. vote on facilitators each meeting
4. amendments to motions to assembly
5. Education workshop to teach people facilitation

Nick: Clarifies there was an education workshop already which every one was invited to.

PROPOSAL to defer James’s five points until next meeting

CONSENSUS

Davey: Clarify as a personal view, believes these are very important proposals that should be given priority at next General Assembly even though there is not enough time today.

Next Speaker: Focus on unification, not division.

Lots of ideas

encourage working group participation

united by 99%

goals

conversation

peripheral issues aside

Davey: 7.48pm

PROPOSAL: at 8pm, discuss tonight’s camp.

CONSENSUS

Nick: Meeting 5pm Tuesday, Gopals, Facilitation meeting, everyone can join.

Next Speaker: faciliation caught in the process

we’re worried about the police

need to connect with people, get the message out

get a space (warm, relaxed) for better decision-making

poll who’s staying

money, tarps, pillows (resources for tonight)

Davey: Recap, Meeting space, Resources.

Arthur: Disorganisation inevitable

set up goals

drop current procedures

ARTHUR’S 3 PROPOSALS

1. When polling the assembly, always phrase the address in the same format i.e. – “Those in favour raise hand” gather percentage.
   • “Those against raise hand” gather percentage.
2. At all times the moderator must be talking to the Assembly or the guest speaker (not to converse with the facilitation team)
3. On procedural issues, 90 percentage consensus not necessary

Emily (Speaker Against first proposal): dislike form

modify language so we’re not sustaining current political format.

(Speaker For): Faster decision making

(Speaker Against): Straw polling good for when there is more than one option

Arthur: Clarifies that proposal 3 allows for straw polling on procedural issues.

Davey: Proposal 1: No consensus

All Arthur’s proposals deferred until next General Assembly.

Next Speaker: Republican, Aus Independents

Justice Barry, Ned Kelly, Eureka Stockade

Commonwealth govt. state laws used for political agenda.

Crown land (owned by people of Victoria)

Fed Square (owned by railways)

City Square ( owned by people)

Against permit system

Democracy knows no barrier

Thank you for listening.

Nick: 8pm

Who’s staying?

What support is in need

Understanding about other issues

PROPOSAL: to discuss tonight’s logistics only for the rest of the meeting

CONSENSUS

PROPOSAL: next meeting will be the one definitely happening on Wednesday, 6pm, State Library

COUNTERPROPOSAL: Next meeting 6pm Monday

Speaker (Against counterproposal): no affiliations

small groups

need a concept of quorum for accurate/safe representation

concerns of mistakes

Clarification (James): Affiliation Revolution, Socialist Party, support Palestine Campaign.

General Assembly for Monday 31/10/2011 limited only to logistical, campsite decisions.

Nick: deferral of all other issues

Davey: and to clarify the meeting for Monday 31/10/2011 would therefore not require facilitation.

PROPOSAL: Monday, 6pm, State Library, General Assembly. To only discuss issues of immediate safety/legality and immediate campsite logistics and therefore no facilitators required for the meeting.

CONSENSUS

Nick: Call to close Media and to contact Media and Legal.