Social research suggests that Civil Disobedience is a very effective strategy in bringing about large scale system change - think Civil Rights, Women's Rights, Indian Independence. More locally in Australia refusal to obey laws and contracts has been used for positive result. For example, mass walk outs were used by the Victorian union movement to shift from a 14hr work day to our current 8hr work day. Indigenous Australians and students consciously disobeyed segregations laws by supporting indigenous kids to ‘illegally’ swim in the public pools of Moree and Kempsey. And of course there are the significant environmental wins from the non-violent direct action taken in the Franklin River and Jabiluka campaigns.

The Festival of Civil Disobedience is a celebration of our long history of rebellion in Australia reminding us all that standing together can (and has) made a difference. If you are working for change, come along and be inspired by local grassroots activists sharing their experience and knowledge about how civil disobedience can help you and your movement create the shift you want to see in the world.