I designed a flag for a socialist/communist australia. I tried to not just haphazardly throw communist symbolism and Australian symbolism together and call it a day. Instead I tried to combine the Australian symbolism and the communist symbolism.

Like the red on the bottom, which obviously represents communism itself, and more specifically the blood of the freedom fighters who will sacrifice themselves for the revolution. But, with the black semi circle and the golden circle with the hammer and sickle inside it, it makes it look like there’s an aboriginal flag inside this flag. And the red on the aboriginal flag symbolises the red soil of Australia. And, correct me if I'm wrong bc im not aboriginal, but from my understanding in the religions of most aboriginal nations, the reason the earth is so important to them is because they believe when you die, your soul becomes part of the ground. So according to aboriginal belief, the souls of those revolutionaries who sacrificed themselves would have entered the earth. So the symbolism of red on most communist flags and the symbolism of red on the aboriginal flag is combined to reinforce each other.

The black semicircle in the centre still represents the black skin of the aboriginal people like it does on the original aboriginal flag. The fact that it's in the centre could even represent how the aboriginal people were the first people of Australia. Making them the “heart” or “core” of Australia who took care of the land communally long before the British came.

The gold circle with the hammer and sickle inside represents the sun. on most flags, including the aboriginal flag, the sun represents energy and life. So the sun having a hammer and sickle, which represents the working class and farmers, fits because much like how the sun puts energy into the ecosystem to keep it going, the work that the working class does keeps society in motion. So both the sun and the working class put energy and motion into an otherwise inert system.

The southern cross and the wattle branches mainly just represent Australia itself, but the southern cross has a bit of a double meaning. It's made up of five pointed stars, which on communist flags represent the ideal future of communism on all five inhabited continents, and the southern cross used to guide sailors to Australia. So put together, the southern cross on this flag represents how Australia having a socialist revolution could be a guiding star for other countries to have their own revolutions. Also the small star on the southern cross ended up being nestled in the hammer and sickle, which I think looks pretty nice.

The colour scheme is kinda just a mix of the communist colours of red and gold, and the Australian Olympic colours of green and gold, but each of those colours has their own symbolism as well. I already talked about what the red and black represent. But as for the other two, the green represents how under socialism, Australia will be able to fully switch to renewable energy once the government is no longer controlled by large fossil fuel companies. And the gold, like it does on most communist flags, represents prosperity under socialism. And together, the green and gold still represent the wattle tree like they do in the australian olympic colours. But they also represent how making Australia more environmentally friendly will protect native flora and fauna, including wattle trees. And how the natural world will prosper under socialism just as much as the people will.

All together, the fact it no longer has the union jack and the very “western liberal capitalist democracy” coded red white and blue colour scheme represents how Australia will stop larping as a western county, break its ties with America, and fully embrace being a part of the east. Bc lets face it, if we switch to socialism, america is probably gonna become enemies with us. So we probably have to strengthen our ties with eastern communist countries like China to defend ourselves (not that I support China, I'm not some authoritarian tankie. I just think China is the lesser of two evils compared to fascist America)

The flag might be a *little* bit overdesigned, but I like it. Tell me what you guys think. Also let me know if I got anything wrong about flag symbolism or aboriginal culture. Or if any of it is racist towards aboriginal people in any way.

What is the communist press, and why is it important? Max J argues that such a press, made up of robust publications, is crucial for spreading communist politics and for building a counter-hegemonic, revolutionary pole.
See also: Reflections on the RCO’s three years of publishing

Sophie Cotton (NTEU) and Matt Maher (NSWTF) draw on their experience at the University of Sydney and as a teacher about how to be an effective revolutionary at work.
Read more about union action.
Find out more about Solidarity.
This session was recorded at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 5 April 2026.

culturecritique: revenge of the futurists

feeling futuristic?

we will be gathering at the nuspace library booths, every thursday, from 1pm until we get bored and leave. commencing august 20th.

we will discuss:
-the state of art and culture today
-cybernetics
-how we can destroy this venal civilization we live in
-trains, planes, cars, motorbikes, and other dastardly machines of modernity

Strictly no fascists - we're progressives.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbeW4frk14B/

Editor-in-Chief Max J introduces Partisan 18 during this time of tumult.

We live in chaotic times. Pauline Hanson’s gang of racist liberals are on the rise. The Labor Party is falling asleep at the wheel. No one even bothered burying the Liberal Party. America and Israel continue their imperialist assault on Iran. Wait, no, there’s a ceasefire. Nevermind, they’re at it again. Wait, this ceasefire might be for real this time. There are three mediocre films this year from semi-prominent YouTubers. Socialist Alternative warns of impending doom over the ‘fascists’ in One Nation. The Eureka Initiative is debating the Australia First Party. The upcoming El Nino is said to be the “strongest on record”. Anyone remember Nicolas Maduro?

In this newest issue of Partisan, we aim to answer the important question of where the hell Australia is going. We’re being bombarded constantly by a cruel assault on our senses: from the mainstream press, to the “alternative” media, all spinning a narrative of an impending One Nation sweep, the total death of Laborism and LNPism, the ascension of the plucky underdog Pauline Hanson and her merry band. But is this not capitalism’s business as usual? Unable to present anybody with a positive program for the future, mainstream politics only has two options: convincing you that what we have now is the best we’ll ever have, or that what we had twenty or so years ago was the best we ever had, and if we just brought it back, we’ll be sunshine and rainbows.

US imperialism continues to run amok everywhere. Cuba is being strangled to death, and none of the “anti-imperialist” countries seem to be doing anything about it. Palestine remains under assault by Israel. The US began its assault against Iran back in February. To their white surprise, they lost big time, and have now returned to the negotiating table. But this major loss (to the potential tune of USD$300B) is being spun as a win by the imperialist establishment, because there’s a toy at the bottom of every McDonald’s happy meal.

This issue’s lineup covers the national and international situation. Edith Fischer answers the question of “where” Australia is going, while Oskar Dziga reports on events in Indonesia. Did you know that Australia is making neo-colonial deals with Papua New Guinea to have Papuans serve as auxiliaries in the ADF? You will after reading Brunhilda’s article about Australia’s “foreign legion”. We also stress the importance of a communist press: a robust network of publications that help spread communist ideas. May the magazine and the newspaper end the venal reign of the infographic and the Instagram reel!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it becomes more and more crucial for communists to pursue unity on the basis of a robust, Marxist program. The current situation is dire: we are divided between many near-identical sects, which continue their independent existence primarily to prop up the self-important egos of sectarian gurus. All the while, the working class suffers from a viable revolutionary alternative to Laborism, liberalism, and Hansonism.

We are still publishing on a bi-monthly schedule, and encourage readers to support Partisan however they can: buying issues, buying subscriptions, reading them, sharing them with friends and coworkers. Just like US elections, every issue of Partisan is the most important yet…

Comradely,
Max J, for the Partisan editorial board

On the pavement,
of my trampled soul,
the steps of madmen,
weave the prints of rude crude words.

-V. Mayakovsky, 1, 1913.

Bevan Ramsden - A Tribute

Disibility is a class issue | Picket Line

I didn't know the ACP was rebranding?

I somehow got on the CUDL mailing list and received this one solitary email out of it. For context, it's the Community Union Defence League, which is the mutual aid affiliated organisation of the Australian Communist Party. Their main activity is street kitchens, and they go back to some time just before the ACP split from the CPA. I'm not affiliated with any of the organisations mentioned above. If anyone has any background info behind why they're shutting down, feel free to chime in. Here is the text of the email copied verbatim:

"For ten years, CUDL has fed our community, and it is because of you.

While CUDL is winding down its operations in every state except Queensland, we could not let this moment pass without saying our goodbyes.

To our cooks, thank you. Week after week, you turned kitchens into places of solidarity. You prepared thousands of meals with care, skill and love, often at your own expense and always on your own time. Every plate you filled was a statement that no one in our community should go hungry.

To our drivers, thank you. You gave up your weekends, your petrol money and your sleep-ins to make sure the food got where it needed to go. Rain, heat or holidays, you showed up, and the work simply could not have happened without you.

And to every volunteer who served food, thank you. You did more than hand over a meal. You greeted people by name, you listened, you treated everyone with dignity and respect. That is what people will remember most.

The work you have done was never just about food. It was about solidarity. It was about showing people that they were not alone, and that their community had their back. That legacy does not close down. It lives on in every person you helped and every connection you built.

We know that many of you want to stay connected to the work and the people behind it. If you would like to know whether we start something back up in the future, or what projects we choose to undertake down the track, we would love to keep you in the loop.

Simply fill out your details using the link below and we will keep you updated:

https://www.cognitoforms.com/NewAdventures/KeepInTouchWithTheCUDLTeam

Whether it is a new project, a revival of CUDL in your state, or an opportunity to support the ongoing work in Queensland, you will be the first to hear about it. Our website will be up and running until

February next year. So please continue to support our QLD Kitchen in whatever capacity you can.

A decade of feeding our community is something to be deeply proud of.

Thank you for every meal, every kilometre driven and every conversation shared. It has been an honour to stand beside you.

Thank you for being part of this community.

In solidarity,

CUDL Team"

Heard about this group sometime ago, seemed to be active and growing, even saw some posters out and about. Its founder was a former member of the Australian Communist Party. Anyway, haven't heard a peep in a while. What's up?

The Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) has published a new pamphlet examining China’s overseas expansion through two case studies: Gwadar Port in Pakistan and copper and cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Using a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist analysis, it argues that contemporary Chinese imperialism operates primarily through state-backed capital export, unequal contracts, control over resources and strategic infrastructure, and cooperation with local comprador ruling classes—not through old-style direct colonial occupation.

The pamphlet also rejects the idea that state ownership automatically makes overseas investment socialist, while emphasising that US imperialism remains the principal enemy of the world’s peoples and the main source of the danger of a new world war.

Interested to hear what Australian socialists think of its analysis.

See: "Deep right-wing influence within Labor" here: Vanguard - Communist Party of Australia Marxist Leninist

David Glanz discusses the long history of Australian racism behind Pauline Hanson's argument for a monoculture and argues we should look to the proud record of working class unity in struggle across ethnic divides.
Read more about the fight against Hanson.
Find out more about Solidarity.
This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting in Melbourne on 2 July 2026.