Mike Byrne

  • Telstra deal will sacrifice services and staff

    On August 16, federal cabinet endorsed the full privatisation of Telstra, despite 70% public opposition according to a recent Newspoll. At the time, Queensland National Party senator Barnaby Joyce was threatening to cross

  • Joe Strummer and political punk

    Punk rock legend and lead singer of the Clash, Joe Strummer, died of a heart attack on December 22, aged 50. Born John Graham Mellor in 1952, the son of a British diplomat, Strummer became disillusioned with his middle-class

  • Residents oppose detention centre

    BRISBANE — More than 80 people met on April 7 to discuss immigration minister Philip Ruddock's proposal to build a 200-bed medium-security detention centre at Pinkenba, close to Brisbane airport. The meeting was called by federal

  • Labor for Refugees launched

    BRISBANE — A new group has been established in Queensland to influence the Australian Labor Party's policy on refugees and immigration. Queensland Labor for Refugees was launched on November 27 at a meeting attended by 35

  • Activists converge for counter-conference

    BRISBANE — While originally billed as a "counter-conference" to the planned Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, a teach-in attended by over 150 activists expanded its field of vision and discussed the US war in the Middle East

  • Anti-racist peace march, counter-conference planned

    BY TIM STEWART & MIKE BYRNE BRISBANE — Spurred on by the threat of US military strikes, the CHOGM Action Network (CAN) has decided to add the slogans "No to war!" and "No to racism!" to the October 6 march on the Commonwealth Heads of Government

  • ASIET meeting on East Timor

    ASIET meeting on East TimorBRISBANE — A public meeting at the Resistance Centre on March 17, organised by Green Left Weekly and Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor (ASIET), discuss "Which way forward for an

  • 'Australian government owes East Timor'

    BRISBANE — An interview with jailed Indonesian trade unionist Dita Sari, filmed secretly at Jakarta's Tangerang women's prison in August, was shown here on February 20. A documentary, Bitter Paradise, by Canadian

  • Speak-out slams racism

    Speak-out slams racismBRISBANE — "We have called this rally to highlight the need to actively campaign against racism as the key issue in this election", Graham Matthews, the Democratic Socialists' candidate for Brisbane, said in

  • Sandinista activist speaks

    Sandinista activist speaksBRISBANE — More than 50 people attended a forum on land rights and autonomy in Nicaragua at the Resistance Centre on April 27. Sandinista national directorate member Dorotea Wilson spoke

  • Telstra paves the way for final sale

    It was no surprise when Telstra revealed plans to further reduce its workforce by at least 3000 workers to the Senate estimates committee on May 26. A week of fudging by Telstra's senior management had followed the Australian