SUMMARY FORUM 2000

Summary Inverell Forum 2000 - March 10-13

Proudly sponsored by "The Strategy", an uncontrolled freepress monthly newspaper

Venue: Flanders House (next to the RSL Club), Evans Street, Inverell

The Inverell Forum has grown to perhaps becoming the major political event in Australia on matters concerning our personal and national freedom.

There are many Freedom Forums around Australia, but the Inverell Forum is unique. This weekend was a sell-out.

And let's have a look at the reasons for that. The key reason is because different viewpoints are welcomed, not just allowed, but welcomed. That is not a common thing. Most people, most organisations won't allow another viewpoint. They have their goals and they are marching along a particular path.

But the Inverell Forum is different. The organisers looked at it being a genuine opportunity for people to learn, to come together and meet each other, to network and also most importantly, to find out exactly what to do. So that's what happens at an Inverell Forum.

The second most important reason for the success of the forum, is the stewardship of proceedings by our Compere Dennis Stevenson. For the last eight years Dennis has Compered the Forum with humour and sensitivity and has mastered the art of even handed discipline. The Forum runs like clockwork and everyone knows that the rules will be scrupulously followed. Dennis is prepared to risk making himself unpopular with a few in order that the Forum will be the best that it can be for the majority of participants. As one person in the organisation said, "Dennis can tell you to go to hell in such a nice way that you will look forward to the trip!"

This Forum marks the first time there has been a formal debate. Last year there was an informal debate just between two people on the voting system, but this year it was a formal debate on "Is Our Constitution Valid". This was also the First time we have had a Friday constitutional workshop.

So the Inverell Forum has actually grown into more or less a four-day event, starting on Friday and finishing on Monday with a wonderful social get together.

Unlike the 1999 forum whose theme was a call to action with directions by people like Dennis Zammit and Len Clampett who had successfully resisted bureaucratic excesses, this Forum concentrated on directions. Is the Australian Constitution valid? Is the Queen a "foreign" British Monarch with no valid influence in Australia?

These were the types of questions posed and debated, often with vigour and emotion at the Inverell Forum 2000. Jeremy Lee made the point afterwards that the Forum and those attending have now developed a maturity, which allows such core issues to the patriotic movement to be debated without lasting rancour.

Ken McFadzen again inspired, entertained and educated us in his amusing, matter-of-fact, manner. He discussed his successes with his local Council against their attempt to inflict wheeley bins on their rural residents. Others took advantage of breaks between speakers and the Monday barbecue to share their similar experiences and successes with Councils, State and Federal departments and even the Federal Parliament.

There was a healthy undercurrent of feeling among the participants at the Forum, that the tide has turned and we have the dictators on the run. They will fight a rearguard action with every weapon at their disposal, but we have read the last chapter of the book. We know how it ends: We win! Perhaps in truth, we will look back on their actions and see that they have served us by making sure that we grew in responsibility for our families our community our country and ourselves.

The Forum is about learning from each other, how we can make the necessary changes as quickly and as lovingly as possible.

Kerry Spencer-Salt, the editor of the National Watchman newspaper, addressed the Forum and took advantage of the occasion to hold a workshop on the Constitution on the Friday before the Forum. As he had a limit on the number of participants he could accommodate, the Forum initiated a debate for the remainder of the interested Forum participants.

The debate was on the question, "Is the Constitution valid?" The speakers for the "yes" side were
Jeremy Lee, Arthur Tuck and Betty Luks. The speakers for the "no" side were Ian Henke, Len Clampett and Garry Friend. This was a very stimulating debate. The debate and the subsequent question time brought forward interesting facts and elicited strong emotions on both sides.

Dennis Stevenson deserves praise for his chairing of this debate with such a difficult and emotional issue.

The Saturday program began with the usual welcome and introduction. This was followed by an informative talk on health by David Bridgman from the Gold Coast. He made the point that we can be most effective in taking political action when we are well. He said that most people don't look after their bodies and gave us ways to do so. Body cells replace themselves regularly. We must learn why they replace themselves with sub standard cells. We should all be environmentalists. The first environment we should protect is the one within our skin. Many so-called diseases are in fact the body's healing reaction to disease that presents itself as inflammation. For instance, inflammation of the toe could be gout, while inflammation of the tonsils is tonsillitis. We all clench our jaw in times of stress. Clenching of the right jaw is an emotional filter and the left is a pain filter. Stress causes us to live in a tense bodily state most of the time. We can't complete either the flight or fight responses. Firstly we should understand that different blood types react differently to food types. "O" blood type is best suited to a high protein diet. Wheat products will clot "O" blood type. "A" blood type is best suited to a low protein diet and reacts badly to meat but has an affinity with wheat. He recommends we use taste and smell to select food. If flavour and odour are absent, food is probably not good, be it organic or not. Physical exercise is most important. David suggested we mostly get our exercise from "Jumping to conclusions, dodging responsibility and bending the rules!!"

This was followed by Mark & Marika McNichol from Stanthorpe QLD, on the need for food preservation for self preservation and the successful methods and tools for food and water preservation which they have developed or learnt.

This was followed by an address by Ian Henke from the Institute of Taxation Research, Seaford Victoria on paying income tax. He produced many documents, one by Erin Holland, deputy Commissioner of Taxation, in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, stating "the Commonwealth has been unable to find the documents requested and considers that the documents do not exist". (These documents were those evidencing the creation and the authority of the Australian Tax Office and requested under the Freedom of Information Act). Ian then proceeded to predict that the courts, in line with their illegal and invalid decisions of the past, would ignore this evidence and claim that the Taxation Commissioner is the Secretary of the Taxation Department delegating to the ATO etc. He hinted at the many levels of court action he anticipated in this fight. As with the experiences of other speakers during the Forum, Ian spoke of many instances where judges in all courts are handing down corrupt findings to support a corrupt and invalid system. Whether it is the legal existence of the Australian Tax Office or the right to trial by jury, our courts, on the many vital issues of freedom, are mostly corrupted. After Mr. Henke's talk an elderly gentleman confided, "it appears the payment of Income Tax is optional. I do not intend to pay another cent of tax for as long as I live."

All through both days of the Forum, five-minute slots were allowed for speakers from the floor. There were fourteen such speakers in all.

Ken May from the Rural Action Movement (R.A.M.), Western Australia, spoke for 15 minutes. He spoke of his organisation's reason for being and the actions they have taken over the years in support of their farmer members. These action extend from blockading city streets, importing ship loads of fertliser to lower prices and blockading repossession of properties by the banks. He explained his group's special relationship with the Waterside Workers and the fruits this has borne. He reiterated the idea expressed by others, that we are all Australians and we should be prepared to unite with anyone on issues even if our long-term policies are in conflict. R.A.M is eager to affiliate with like-minded groups in the eastern states.

Another who spoke for 15 minutes was Tony Pitt of Maryborough, QLD. He made an impassioned appeal for unity by the many patriotic groups; even those with major differences. He handed out a detailed document to be used for a Constitution for this amalgamation. Tony spoke of his long involvement in the fight and the destruction of the many patriotic groups by infiltration and self-destruction. He also discussed why he was not in favour of Independent parliamentarians. We will no doubt hear at next years Forum whether this appeal for cooperation has fallen on stony ground, or whether it has taken root and if so, in what manner.

Mr. Michael Darby spoke at length of his experiences in various world trouble spots. He delivered a copy of his "a new Constitution for East Timor". He spoke of a bright future for East Timor and the many sources of revenue for the people of East Timor. Michael has very strong ideas about the money system, privatisation, and government and personal responsibility and he spoke very forcefully about them, brooking no opposition to his ideas when questioned from the floor.

Selwyn Johnston, Cairns, North QLD, has a history of strong political activity, particularly prior to the Republic Referendum. He spoke on water resources. He discussed the Bradfield scheme for Australian Water resources, but he then confined his detailed discussions to the diversion of the Upper Tully, Herbert and Burdekin rivers across the divide to the north and central inland QLD plains. He touched on the privatisation of Australian water resources and the possible future for Australian water resources as he saw them. He particularly pointed out the absurdity of being able under new legislation, to transfer water rights from the wet north of QLD to dry western Australia as if they were connected by a national grid, like electricity. Our government policy makers are certainly unthinking or vandals or both.

The dinner on Saturday night was a joyous occasion with the presentation of a small number of "choking crane awards" for people who had displayed quote, "frog like manoeuvres and very devious thinking." (Don't ever give up!) This was followed by recitation by Michael Darby. Michael's ability to recall very lengthy well-written poems of his own was only exceeded by his recall of Henry Lawson, Banjo Patterson and CJ. Dennis. His strong deep voice, and feel for the mood of the poetry, was excellent. This burst of patriotism was a key to reminiscences of childhood and was welcomed by all and included impromptu requests from the floor.

The Sunday program opened with a prayer by Bill Scouller a long time supporter of the Forum.

The first speaker was Antonia Feitz. Her topic was, "The Real Goal of Feminism: transforming society." This was a very detailed investigation into feminism and its effects on society. It ranged from the claims from feminists that reason and logic are male tools and they (feminists) have "other ways of knowing", which just happens to allow them the luxury of not needing to follow the rules of evidence, or logic or reason. This would be humorous if feminist judges were not already implementing these concepts in our courts of law. She touched on so many subjects, too numerous to mention here. Please get the tape when it becomes available. Antonia has produced what will become a classic guide to feminism for practical anti feminists. It deals with topics as diverse as language (manhole cover, madam chairman, etc). To women in the military and its destruction of morale, both for males trying to adapt and make allowances for the physical weaker women and the morale of wives knowing their husbands are sleeping side by side with young female personnel in ships and army camps. These are just some of the results of allowing fanatics to gain influence over our politicians and institutions.

Next Len Clampett gave a talk on developments in Australian sovereignty in view of recent high court cases and the consideration of hitherto unpublicised historical events. He said it was pointless to petitions against the GST and recommended a Mandate document with the name and address of each signatory registered and the mandate form having a watermark and a bar code. Whereas a petition can be legally ignored, a mandate can only be ignored by dictators. Failure to obey the mandate will bring politicians into direct conflict with the Will of the Australian people and we will no longer be able to pretend they represent us.

Dr Ziema McDonell from the Gold Coast, spoke on "Genetic engineering and health effects". The talk was wide ranging and dealt with many health problems and the role of multinationals in the pharmaceutical industry and the chemical and seed industry. It is quite an alarming topic and caused considerable disquiet among those attending the forum. Again you are recommended to purchase the tape to hear the full details.

John Wilson, fresh from his stay in Silverwater prison for contempt of court, spoke of his experiences and his plans for the future. The theme again was that our courts are corrupt. "Don't go to court expecting justice", he said. All judges seem determined to ignore the 'birthright' of our people, the Magna Carta, Bill of Rights, Act of Settlement, Habeas Corpus etc, even when they have been incorporated into our law specifically by an Imperial Acts Application Act. John spoke of his belief that our only hope of wresting OUR justice system from the hands of the lawyers is by the use of juries. (He was denied a trial by jury) He reminded us that it is called "trial by jury", not "trial by judge with jury to assist". We wish John well in his attempt to regather the threads of his life after this ordeal. We sympathise with John now that he is officially, "very intelligent but obsessive, compulsive without hope of rehabilitation!" May we all suffer from that disorder! We will become ungovernable.

Tony Symonds from Karara QLD has a history of working with the League of Rights. His history of the successes and failures of political parties and his various solutions were capped off with the motto," issues unite, parties divide". He reinforced this by stating that when he attended an early Pauline Hanson One Nation meeting to listen to the parties policies, the only policy he remembers now is the one with which he disagreed. We can work with everyone who agrees on one issue, but we will always fall out if we are expected to agree with every policy that they hold before we can work with them.

Jeremy Lee gave a talk summarising the world situation, the effect of the Internet on the WTO meetings in the USA and Switzerland. This is a snap shot of the effect that the Internet is having on every sphere of political life and is the reason for the calls for Internet censorship. The publishing and broadcasting monopoly is being sidestepped by the use of the Internet in the hands of ordinary people and particularly patriotic ordinary people. This was Jeremy's usual insightful, uplifting and optimistic summation of past, present and future events. His faith in the young is a constant and welcome theme in his writings and speeches.

Martin Essenberg from Kingaroy, QLD, spoke of his confrontation with the justice system over gun laws. He related the same story with judges not being willing to consider our "birthright" laws in Australian courts. The boot is now on the other foot and these courts right up to the high court are being asked to produce their source of power, authority and jurisdiction. Martin thanked a number of people who have helped him with his case including Garry Friend who has spearheaded this attack on the highest court in the land. These judges have been so used to making up the rules as they go along, they are completely flummoxed when confronted with their illegal behaviour.

Kerry Spencer-Salt held his Constitutional workshop on the Friday. He also gave an impassioned speech in the Forum on the decline of community morals. The theme of his talk was that the tolerance of small indiscretions especially against the laws of God inexorably leads to a snowballing effect which results in the disintegration of society and the destruction of law and order and national defence. He particularly referred to unrestrained abortion of the unborn, unrestrained immigration of races, which do not respect our laws and customs, and the giving of all our military secrets to foreigners such as the 40 Chinese generals who visited Australian airbases recently.

Voltaire's quotation "I may disagree with what you say but I will fight to the death for your right to say it" was the theme of the Forum. The maturity of those attending the Forum shone through. People agreed to disagree and little if any antagonism between people of different opinions was evidenced at the relaxed barbecue at the Ruming residence on Monday.

People were booking for next years Forum within days after this weekend. They stated they were booking early as a result of the testimony of those who attended this year.

I personally love to have the cream of the patriotic movement, experts in their own fields, in one room. I love the probing questions, the stimulating debate and above all, the feeling of being among kindred spirits, even if only for one long weekend. It will last me a whole year until the next Inverell Forum scheduled for 23-26 March 2001. The 2001 Forum will be in larger premises as this year was a sell-out.

Lindsay Johnson.

THE INVERELL FORUM

NEW TIMES SURVEY - MARCH 2000.

Inverell 2000 was a heartening reminder of how far the freedom movement has come since it started.

This year's gathering of over 200 delegates came from every mainland State, and included numerous organisations.

The health of the Forum was evident in its preparedness to cater for a wide and differing variety of opinions. There is nothing monolithic about Inverell. While stereotyped in the mainstream media as a far-right creature of the League of Rights, it is nothing of the sort. Environmentalists and alternative life-stylers mingle with constitutionalists, health and fitness proponents, various political party members and Local Government Councillors a healthy and representative cross-section of the Australian community.

Is the Murdoch or Packer Press to be found? They're conspicuous by their absence! Nor does one word about a Forum which brings thousands of dollars to the town of Inverell appear in the local paper. The 'establishment', while getting smaller and more isolated, still holds some sway among the local National Party-oriented glitterati.

Which matters not a hoot to the thinkers and the movers-and-shakers who convene at Inverell each March.

Perhaps the highlight of the whole weekend is the excellent organisation. Everything moves like clock work, well timed, well chaired, with immaculate logistics.

There's plenty of fire! Why wouldn't there be, when opposing points of views are put forward passionately? But, in the Christian tradition, personal animosity is set aside. At Saturday night's dinner, there is a wealth of good cheer and the renewing of old acquaintances. This year there was an hour-long rendition of Patterson and Lawson which kept the audience enthralled.

The Inverell Forum puts a lot of the bigger, government-sponsored gatherings to shame. A lot of credit is due to those who put so much personal effort into making it an event which can only grow even bigger and better in the years to come.