CANBERRA — Charges of offensive behaviour and hindering police against antiwar protester Sean Kenan were dismissed in the ACT Magistrates court last week. Kenan was arrested on February 24, outside the prime minister's house. A charge of assault against Heather Jeffcoate, alleged to have hit a policeman on the buttocks with a frying pan, was found proved but was dismissed by the magistrate because of her previous good record.
MELBOURNE — The Brunswick City Council sponsored a recent 150-strong public meeting to demand "the complete shutdown of the uranium industry in Australia on the grounds that it is neither economic or safe". The meeting also demanded an increased federal government commitment to development of safe, renewable energy sources. Also sponsored by several environmental groups, the meeting was addressed by Labor MP Peter Milton, Dr Bill Williams of Doctors Opposing the Nuclear Threat and Greenpeace nuclear issue coordinator Jean McSorley. A resolution from the meeting will be distributed at the ALP national conference in Hobart.
PERTH — The Campaign Against Poverty and Unemployment is planning a rally for June 29, immediately before the abolition of unemployment benefits and their replacement with the
NEWSTART program. Organisers Lesley Elliott and Rob White say CAPU was reactivated early this year due to rising unemployment. The group is demanding federal and state government job creation and increased welfare payments. Slogan for the rally is "Create real jobs not fake training". Support is coming from unions, student guilds and public servants. The rally will begin at 11 a.m. on June 29 at the corner of Hay and William Sts, followed by a march to the Esplanade for a speakers' platform.
WOLLONGONG — After a three-year break, Wollongong Out of Workers Union (WOWU) is to re-form. There are 25,000 unemployed in the Illawarra region, and more than one in three local young people are out of work. WOWU will campaign against the Hawke government's NEWSTART contracts scheme, due to begin on July 1. Organisers are particularly concerned that the unemployed will be required to cross picket lines and become strikebreakers. WOWU will hold a rally and soup kitchen on July 1 outside Wollongong's Department of Social Security between 9am and 12 noon.
SYDNEY — The Reverend Fred Nile has claimed victory in the contest for the 15th seat in the NSW upper house. Nile received 113,718 first preference votes against Cohen's 105,505. With both candidates relying on preferences to take them over the quota of 200,000, it seems Nile will fall across the line
less than 10,000 ahead.
Final results for NSW lower house seats were declared this week. Results for Green Alliance candidates were:
Bulli:Carole Medcalf, 2553 votes, 7.0%.
Drummoyne: Bruce Threlfo, 1416 votes, 4.4%.
Heffron: Mark Berriman, 2208 votes, 7.5%.
Lismore: Joy Wallace, 1471 votes, 4.6%.
Marrickville: Bruce Welch, 3654 votes, 13.0%.
Port Jackson: Hall Greenland, 2140 votes, 7.0%.
Vaucluse: Geoff Ash, 1509 votes, 4.9%.
Wollongong: Steve Brigham, 1600 votes, 5.3%.