Ecosocialism 2025 was the meeting place at Ballam Ballam Place, in Naarm/Melbourne over September 5-7, for hundreds of activists and many guest speakers from left parties and groups from the Indo-Pacific and Asia.
Ammar Ali Jan, general secretary of the Haqooq-e-Khalq (People Rights) party in Pakistan, Cyn Huang from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and Socialist Alliance (SA) Merri-bek Councillor Sue Bolton opened the conference laying out aspects of the type of ecosocialist future they are struggling to create. Ali Jan said as capitalism unleashes genocidal violence all over the world 鈥渢here is no time wasted building our capacity to resist鈥.
Cyn Huang highlighted some positive developments in the United States, including the growth of the DSA, but didn鈥檛 shy away from outlining the huge challenges socialists face.
Bolton pointed to the number of spontaneous uprisings, such as聽in Nepal and Indonesia,聽which need support, adding that building organisations striving for system change is more important than ever.
Sharing experiences and strengthening international collaboration was a key aim of this conference. Activists from Malaysia, the Philippines, India, South Korea, Singapore, Brazil, Indonesia and the US attended in person, with speakers from Pakistan, Ireland and Ukraine participated online.聽
First Nations activists from across the continent, as well as from Aotearoa/New Zealand and West highlighted the centrality of the fight for self-determination and sovereignty.
The panel featuring Senator Lidia Thorpe, a Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung activist,聽Arrernte woman聽Celeste Liddle,聽Raelene Cooper, Mardudhunera woman and founder of Save our Songlines and Dr Arama Rata, M膩ori researcher, writer and organiser was a special hit.
Another highlight was the panel of activists from Malaysia, Indonesia and West Papua, who discussed building resistance to Indonesia鈥檚 ongoing occupation of West Papua.
A panel on 鈥淐apitalist crises, ecosocialist solutions鈥 discussed the enmeshing of the global ecological crisis with the war, economic and political crisis and continued the discussion on ecosocialism and 鈥渄e-growth鈥. Jess Spear (a climate scientist and ecosocialist activist in Ireland), Gandipan Nantha Gopalan (Socialist Party of Malaysia) and SA鈥檚 Peter Boyle agreed that capitalism systematically externalised social and environmental costs to the Global South and to women.
Hong Kong socialist Promise Li and SA's Sam Wainwright discussed Western imperialism today and suggested frameworks for how to assess the economic rise of China and Russia.
Newly-elected Victorian Community and Public Sector Union secretary Jiselle Hanna, United Workers Union organiser Caterina Cianni, Australian Nurses and Midwives Federation activist and SA member Jackie Kriz joined Singaporean labour researcher Suraendher Kumarr聽to discuss their approach to defending and extending workers鈥 rights.
Another popular panel featured Indonesian socialist activists, including eyewitnesses, discuss the significance of the protest upsurge across Indonesia.
Ecosocialism 2025 also hosted its聽, featuring Markela Panegyres, Jepke Goudsmit, Melissa Corbett, Howard Smith, Ron Guy, Mariota Spens, Zebedee Parkes, Ishtar Hope and Josue Valenzuela. Artist Mariota Spens examined how art can be a tool for resistance.
Palestine was a big discussion, of course, with Palestinian-Australian Yousef Alreemawi, Jordy Silverstein from Loud Jew Collective and Panegryes, a boycott, divestment and sanctions activist examining the settler colonial origins of the Israel state.
Adam Hanieh, Professor of Political Economy and Global Development at the University of Exeter, Janet Parker, founding member of Jews for Palestine WA and Amin G Abbas, from Free Palestine Melbourne, discussed the struggle for Palestinian self-determination in the context of the Donald Trump presidency.
A closing panel heard guests from the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Singapore and the US, alongside SA co-convener Sue Bull, reflect on the themes discussed over the weekend and make suggestions for Ecosocialism 2026.
The conference was organised by 麻豆传媒 and , with co-hosts and .
[Recordings from panels at Ecosocialism 2025 can be seen聽.]