Workers rally for jobs
ADELAIDE — Manufacturing workers, supported by a host of unions and the SA United Trades and Labor Council, marched on Parliament House on May 23 to protest against the lack of state government action to prevent job losses in their industry. The protesters chanted: "The workers united will never be defeated" and "Save our state, safe our jobs".
The 600 workers came from the Adelaide Submarine Corporation, Perry's Engineering, Mitsubishi and Port Stanvac, all of which have threatened their employees with redundancies. Several of the companies attempted to prevent their workers from attending the rally.
Politics in the Pub relaunched
PERTH — Politics in the Pub was relaunched in Fremantle on May 12 with a successful and inspiring public meeting on federal government policy on race.
The forty people who attended the event, organised by the newly established Fremantle branch of the Democratic Socialist Party, discussed the Coalition government's racism in refugee policy, mandatory sentencing and its attitude to the stolen generations.
Politics in the Pub in Fremantle will now be held monthly. For more details, phone 9218 9608.
Students confront Costello
CANBERRA — Fifty students confronted federal treasurer Peter Costello when he spoke at the Australian National University on May 25.
The protesters, organised by the Students Association, sung songs and chanted slogans against the treasurer and his GST, drowning out a handful of Liberal Party students there to support Costello. A larger demonstration against the GST is planned for Canberra on July 2.
Cultural Awareness Day
SYDNEY — Three hundred people demonstrated their support for reconciliation by participating in the Aboriginal Culture Awareness Day organised by the Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation Lowe Action Group at the Concord Community Centre on May 20.
Aboriginal singer and songwriter Betty Little performed, as did Henry Phineasa and David "Geordie" McBurney, hip hop performance poet Romaine Moreton and the funky Eora band Wakka Blonde. Event organiser Bernadette Moloney said, "We are absolutely thrilled with the turnout on the day. It shows that the spirit of reconciliation is burning bright in the inner west."