Geoff Payne

The first day of NSW parliament this year was met with a strong protest against the announced shortening of the heavy rail line to Newcastle. Organised by Save Our Rail, a large contingent boarded the 8:03am express from Newcastle Station. Supporters saw them off, while others hopped on at outer stations. Leaflets were distributed and petitions were signed as activists explained to the other passengers what the state government was proposing. The media were regularly on the mobile phone to Save Our Rail president Joan Dawson.

“The revelation that Sydney’s Labor powerbrokers are determining exactly what their Newcastle Labor candidate says to the media offers a glimpse into how the Labor candidate would be handled if she were elected in March”, Michael Osborne, the Greens candidate for Newcastle, said on October 29.

The local Reclaim the Night rally, held on October 27, attracted 130 people. The rally demanded an end to sexual assault and violence against women and children.

“If you’re angry, you’re not mad” declared a banner at a march and rally of 120 supporters of the rights of the mentally ill on October 14. The action was part of the local Mental Health Week activities and was organised by the Association of the Relatives and Friends of the Mentally Ill.

NEWCASTLE — There is mounting pressure on Premier Bob Carr's Labor government to retain rail services throughout NSW, as people organise to defend public transport. In the face of this, the government and its lackeys can only lie

NEWCASTLE — On November 19, 50 opponents of the state Labor government's plan to cut rail services between Broadmeadow and Newcastle boarded the 8am train to Sydney to rally outside Parliament House. Chanting slogans made up on

NEWCASTLE — The Lower Hunter Transport Working Group (LHTWG), set up by the NSW Labor government with wide terms of reference, issued its first report on September 19. There were no surprises. Some options, like replacing the heavy

NEWCASTLE — For those who don't know, Newcastle is a beautiful city. The sight of a massive bulk carrier being pulled and pushed into place by its attendant tugs is common. Even more special is when the ship appears, then

Newcastle holds People's InquiryNEWCASTLE "Madre, they will kill us." These words have stayed with Sister Carmel Hanson, even since she returned from East Timor last year. She feels that her assurances to people there that the

New BHP boss bad news for workersNEWCASTLE — The appointment of Paul Anderson as the new face at the top of Australia's largest company adds a new element of insecurity for BHP's workers. Anderson says he wants to "increase

In September 1999, the last billet of steel will roll out of the bloomcaster. More than 80 years of steel making in Newcastle will end, and thousands of jobs will be lost.

NEWCASTLE — In the early 1980s, during the push for the 35-hour week, workers did not rely on Labor politicians winning office in the hope they would meet workers' demands. Instead, mass meetings of workers endorsed an