GLW issue 728, published 2007-10-24.

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Student walkout against Gunns

On October 19 Students Against the Pulp Mill handed out fliers advertising a student walkout against the Gunns pulp mill. The fliers were handed outside Hobart ANZ bank , in Elisabeth Mall. Gunns is relying on ANZ to finance its pulp mill in Tasmania’s Tamar Valley. The walk out is organised for November 1, will gather for a rally at 12.30pm at Parliament House lawns. If you wish to get involved with the student walk out call Gabby on 0400 91 7753.

Conference builds left alliances and international solidarity

More than 400 people participated in around 65 workshops and 10 plenary sessions to discuss a myriad of national and international campaigns against imperialism and neoliberalism at the Latin America and Asia Pacific International Solidarity Forum held at Victorian Trades Hall and the RMIT on October 11-14. The participants included 33 activists and leaders from people’s movements and political parties in 20 countries, the most diverse left gathering hosted in Australia for years.

Rally condemns pulp mill decision

ADELAIDE — With just two days' notice, 80 people gathered on October 7 to voice their opposition to federal environment minister Malcolm Turnbull's approval of the Gunns pulp mill in Tasmania's Tamar Valley. The rally, called by the Greens, was addressed by Sarah Hanson Young, the Greens' lead Senate candidate in South Australia. Greens MLC Mark Parnell also spoke, condemning the South Australian Rann Labor government for its failure to perform an environmental impact study for a new pulp mill at Penola in the state's south-east. Kris Hanna, independent MLC, and Ruth Russell of the Democrats also spoke. Socialist Alliance activist Ruth Ratcliffe called on those present to continue the campaign against the pulp mill and for a massive turnout at the Walk Against Warming protests.

Build the vote for Socialist Alliance!

As the 2007 federal election gets underway, an odd trend is showing up in the opinion polls. After eleven-and-a-half years of Coalition government and an ALP “opposition” that stood “shoulder to shoulder” with it in so many of its crimes, the combined vote for the two “parties of government” is back up to 90% (48% for Labor and 42% for the Coalition according to the Nielsen poll released on October 19).
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