BRISBANE — Aksi and other concerned groups protested on September 24 against the Warana festival's theme of "Celebrate Indonesia". The protest highlighted the Suharto regime's suppression of democratic rights and independence struggles in East Timor, West Papua and Aceh. The Suharto regime provided close to $1 million to the organisers of Warana to promote sister city relations between Brisbane and Semarang in central Java.
MELBOURNE — A draft plan for public transport in the northern suburbs is available from the Upgrade Upfield Coordinating Committee. The report argues that it is more cost effective to develop public transport than to destroy it. It calls for increasing the frequency of trains and the provision of trains after 7 p.m. and on Sundays. Copies can be obtained by writing to the committee c/o 158 Nicholson St, East Brunswick 3057 or Nik Dow, 36 Austral Ave, Brunswick 3056. Or ring Jo Connellan on (03) 380 3239 during office hours.
SYDNEY — Chanting "Fund the library, stop the cuts!" around 60 students protested on September 23 against planned cuts to library services at the University of New South Wales. The university administration plans to cut around 20 staff from the library and cease subscribing to a range of periodicals. The decision came not long after $2.5 million had been spent refurbishing and redecorating the administration buildings and the vice chancellor had been granted a $24,000 pay rise.
- 150 students rallied outside the University of Technology, Sydney, and occupied the office of Vice Chancellor Gus Guthrie on September 22, demanding that proposed cuts to the Bachelor of Arts (Communication) course be rejected. The cuts will reduce subjects and face-to-face teaching hours, increase class sizes and put an increasing strain on equipment for the popular and respected media course. "They're particularly cutting back the production component", student representative Bettina Frankham told Green Left, "and not advertising the changes so prospective students are fooled into thinking there's a media course with a significant production component".