Defending democracy at work and in the community

About

This course explores the growing influence of the far right, the threat this poses to workers, unions and democratic life.

Participants will explore common far-right narratives and the tactics they use to exploit fear, alienation and workers’ grievances. It covers factors that have led to their rise and actions unions can take to counter their influence including how to respond when these ideas surface in workplace or union settings.

Outcomes

At the end of this course participants will be able to:

• Define far-right ideology and articulate their purpose 

• Explain why and how far-right movements target workers  

• Identify common far-right narratives and their inherent contradictions 

• Identify neoliberal impacts on workers and unions  

• Explain how contemporary media ecosystems enable far-right organising 

• Identify disinformation tactics used by far-right campaigners 

• Apply WHS approach to manage workplace risks 

• Apply techniques to assist in challenging harmful narratives in the workplace 

• Use a PEST analysis and SWOT to inform campaign and organising against far-right influence 

Content

• Far-right narratives and tactics of division  
• Factors that have led to their growing influence  
• Structural causes of inequality namely neoliberalism impacts  
• Disinformation, social media and decline of civic engagement  
• Techniques for empathetic and effective conversations  
• Identifying and managing WHS risks 

Delivery Style

Highly interactive, combining: 

• Problem solving activities 

• Small group discussion and reflection 

• Planning tools to counter far right influence 

Prerequisite

None