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Australian News

Green Left Weekly issue #721, 22 August 2007
A new attack on civil liberties

BRIEF #151; On August 8, a new attack on civil liberties was approved by the federal parliament with the passage of amendments to the National Investigative Powers and Witness Protection Act (2006). The amendment bill was pushed through the Senate in 24 hours, with the ALP’s support. » Conference discusses West Papua's future

BRIEF A conference organised by Indonesian Solidarity, in association with the University of Sydney Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies’ West Papua Project, was held on August 9-10, gathering West Papuan government and NGO representatives, academics and international solidarity activists to discuss... » Hospital workers strike for better pay

BRIEF On August 15, 150 of Western Australia’s lowest-paid workers took strike action and rallied in a campaign to win better wages. Staff at the Royal Perth Hospital, including orderlies and kitchen staff, are seeking a $3 increase to their $16 hourly wage. » Posties protest mail centre closure

BRIEF On August 12, postal workers from the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) communications division and their supporters protested against the closure of the Fitzroy mail centre. » Unfinished business

BRIEF Indigenous comedian and winner of ‘Deadly Funny 2007’ Mia Standford cracked everyone up at the ‘Unfinished Business’ concert — a joint fundraiser for Green Left Weekly and Indigenous children’s service Yappera at the Retreat Hotel in Brunswick on August 11. West Papuans mark anniversary

BRIEF On August 15, 25 of the 43 West Papuan refugees who sought asylum in Australia in 2006 joined a protest outside federal parliament to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1962 New York Agreement — the US-brokered agreement to transfer West Papua from Dutch to Indonesian control that included the gu... » Wilderness Society loses case

BRIEF A court challenge brought by the Wilderness Society (TWS) against the federal government was rejected on all counts on August 9. TWS alleged that environment minister Malcolm Turnbull had not properly assessed the environmental implications of the proposed Gunns pulp mill development in the Tamar Va... » Thousands demonstrate for same-sex equality

Three years on from the passage of the federal ban on same-sex marriage, people have not given up on fighting back. Around 3000 people protested nationwide during an August 12 national day of action calling for same-sex marriage rights, civil unions and adoption rights. » Crossroads meeting draws 1000

On August 8, 1000 people packed into the Brisbane City Hall for a public forum on “Australia at the Crossroads: A New Direction”. Organised by the Just Peace and the Just Rights groups, the forum was sponsored by a wide variety of peace, environment, social justice and political organisati... » Customs targets activist

An Australian citizen passing through airport customs on August 6 came under invasive scrutiny because she wrote “activist” as her occupation on the landing card. Jessica Markham, who works for the Californian-based East Bay Local Clean Energy Alliance, was returning to Australia for three... » Deportation, suicide threat at Villawood

On August 15 at 9.30pm, Wang, a Chinese man in the maximum security building at the Villawood immigration detention centre, climbed onto the roof and threatened to kill himself. Wang, normally a happy man in a terrible environment, was driven to take this action after the immigration department refu... » Esselte workers speak out

Warren Small and Norman Ham, striking workers from Esselte — a stationery company in Sydney’s south-west — spoke at the August 13 Parramatta Your Rights at Work meeting on their struggle against individual contracts (AWAs). » Film exposes Howard's construction of fear

“If you can’t stand up and say what you feel and believe, then you’re a slave. And I ain’t no slave”, said one of the building workers prosecuted by the Howard government for withdrawing labour after the unfair dismissal of his shop steward. » Forum dispels Howard's nuclear myths

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit could be the platform for Howard to announce a joint US/Australia nuclear action plan”, Imogen Zethoven, an anti-nuclear campaigner with the Wilderness Society, told a 50-strong public forum on August 15 organised by the Sydney Nuclear Free Coalition... » Foster's refuses union agreement

Around 30 workers and supporters rallied outside Foster’s Queensland marketing headquarters in Fortitude Valley on August 9. Foster’s is still refusing to accept a union-backed collective agreement despite it being the choice of the majority of workers at the Yatala Brewery. » H-Day rally condemns nuclear industry

Hiroshima Day “is not just a day for commemoration, but a day for action”, Nic Maclellan from the Nuclear Free Independent Pacific told a rally of around 200 people on August 5. » Iraq war veteran condemns occupation

“The only way this war will end is if we end it” — this was the central point of a talk by Matt Howard to an audience of around 100 people at the University of Sydney on August 14. Howard, a former soldier and a member of the US-based group Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), was in... » Justice for the innocent

More than 200 people gathered at the Arena on August 11 for the “Justice for the Innocent” benefit gig for the Doomadgee family of Palm Island. The gig raised funds for the civil case against the Queensland police and Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley, who admitted that his actions caused the d... » Laywers to video police during APEC protests

A group of 30 lawyers and law students have established a group to film police behaviour during protests against the September Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to ensure that the police do not use unnecessary violence or break the law. » Parramatta preselects socialist candidate

Rachel Evans, a well-known campaigner for refugee, workers’ and queer rights, was preselected as the Socialist Alliance candidate for the federal seat of Parramatta at a meeting of the Sydney West branch on August 7. » South Australia defenceless

Hundreds of people in South Australia could soon be left without defence lawyers, part of a nationwide crisis in the under-funding of essential legal services. » Venezuelan revolution 'the answer to humanity’s crisis'

Venezuelan charge d’affaires Nelson Davila was the feature speaker at a seminar and film showing co-sponsored by the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network and the Australia Cuba Friendship Society on August 11. More than 60 people attended the event, which discussed the gains of the Venezuelan... » WA socialists plan campaigns

Around 50 activists gathered on August 11 in the Maritime Union of Australia offices to nominate Socialist Alliance Senate candidates in WA and plan campaigns. »


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