Activism
The ASCM has had a long history of activism, which led to the movement being monitored by the Commonwealth Investigations Branch (CIB) and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation in the 1940s and 1950s, worried about the ASCM's work with refugees and the pacifism and conscientious objection of some of its members. During the Vietnam War the ASCM was involved in subverting the Draft and providing support for so-called draft dodgers.
Today the ASCM is involved in the struggles for the liberation of women and of gay, lesbian and bisexual people, in the work against racism against both migrant and Aboriginal people and the exploitation of the people and lands of the Asia-Pacific region. This is reflected in the history of the ASCM with their explicit support for Gandhi, the equality of women and their activism for changes to the White Australia policy which reached its climax in the 1960s with the Sydney branch leading the way. ASCM are still politically active and continue to offer opportunites for students to be involved in Human Rights and a world wide recognition of women's rights in differing cultures. ASCM is seen to promote a mature faith of intellectual engagement.
Read more about this topic: Australian Student Christian Movement