BRISBANE - An East Timor video and cultural night was held in the Resistance Centre here on April 25, sponsored by Action Solidarity Indonesia (AKSI) and the East Timorese community. Traditional Timorese dancing was followed by a showing of the video, Buried Alive: The Story of East Timor. To support the campaign for East Timorese self-determination in Brisbane, phone 358 4875 or 359 0048, or write to AKSI, PO Box 1293, Fortitude Valley 4005.
* The Queensland Conservation Council sponsored a "Don't clear the trees" cabaret on April 23 to launch the QCC's campaign against the massive destruction of forests which is continuing across this state. A QCC pamphlet explains, "One billion trees are not enough ... when one hectare of bushland is being cleared every minute in Queensland alone." To get involved, contact the QCC at PO Box 238, North Quay Qld 4002, or (07) 221 0188.
* The East Timorese community and Action Solidarity Indonesia (AKSI) held a protest outside the Commonwealth Government Building in Brisbane on April 24 to condemn Prime Minister Keating's visit to Indonesia.
MELBOURNE - At a Committee in Solidarity with Latin America and the Caribbean forum on April 16, Fernando Herrera from Radio Venceremos, recently returned from an FMLN conference in El Salvador, spoke of the recent peace accords and their meaning for the future of the country. Ofelia Lopez from COMADRES spoke about the role women have played in the movement for social change and peace in the country. Herrera that "the most important thing in making sure that the accords succeed is the amount of international pressure the solidarity movement can put on the Salvadoran government".
* Activists and members of the East Timorese community demonstrated here on April 22 against Paul Keating's visit to Indonesia. Protesters and passers-by heard speakers from the East Timorese community, Campaign Against Militarism, Indonesia Solidarity Action and other organisations.
PERTH - Neil van Zee is the first openly gay candidate to announce for the upcoming Perth City Council elections. "I believe ethnics, gays and other minority groups are not properly represented on the Perth Council, which is packed with businessmen who don't even live in the area they are supposed to represent", said van Zee.
SYDNEY - The Gay and Lesbian Teachers and Students Association has applauded two recent television programs for portraying true-to-life lesbian and gay characters. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (ABC), the story of a young lesbian breaking free from a religious background, and a recent issue of A Country Practice (Channel 7), dealing with homophobia and gay bashings, have been commended by the group for their realistic depiction of the issues faced daily by gays and lesbians.
* Christian schools which withdrew students from the Bell Company's production of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice last pens with two male friends kissing, have been criticised by the Gay and Lesbian Teachers and Students Association. The group's convener, Derek Williams, said, "It tells you a lot about a school when they are happy for students to be exposed to anti-Semitism but walk out as soon as love is expressed between two men".
* Disabled people claiming inadequate public transport excludes them from the workforce and leaves them socially isolated protested outside Parliament House on 15 April. The protest was organised by Citizens for Accessible Public Transport, whose request for accessible buses for the disabled was ignored earlier this year when a fleet of 300 buses was bought by the NSW government.
* Greenpeace is calling for the Waverley and Woollahra councils to close their Waterloo incinerator, claiming it turns garbage into pollution and toxic ash. Local residents joined with Greenpeace on April 21 to block the entrance to the incinerator, preventing waste transfer trucks from dumping their post-Easter loads. Toxic emissions from the incinerator are estimated to be over 60 times higher than safe limits established by the World Health Organisation. Greenpeace is calling for comprehensive recycling schemes to replace the current system.