Australian Anarchist Centenary Celebrations

The Australian Anarchist Centenary Celebrations occurred from 1 to 4 May 1986 in Melbourne, Australia.

Preparations to celebrate the centenary of the formation of the first known anarchist organisation in Australia commenced in August 1984 by the Libertarian Workers for a Self Managed Society (L.W.S.S.) The Melbourne Anarchist Club was formed on 1 May 1886 and included David Andrade, John Arthur Andrews, Monty Miller and Chummy Fleming.

The Centenary Celebrations were used by some anarchists to rebuff the negative connotations placed on the word "anarchy".

Anarchy is a bogy word: we are coming out of the closet, as it were, to show that we do not have horns or tails. We are simply Australians who have a different philosophy of life. We don't believe in Big Government: in fact, we don't believe in government at all. Government, any government is based on violence and power. If you don't believe it, just look at your headlines over the past few weeks. Anarchy doesn't mean bombs in the street or supersonic bomber raids, it means 'without rulers'. Anarchy means voluntary co-operation and self-management, equality, shared economic decision making.

The Centenary celebrations included a May Day march on 1 May of about 400 people, including several large puppets and many banners, and several visiting anarchists from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, United States, England, France and Spain. Over the weekend several events occurred including banner, poster and historical displays, a two-day conference held at RMIT and Melbourne University, and a picnic in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.

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