Australia

The reintroduction of a rail-based public transport system for Cairns and promotion of rail freight in far-north Queensland were the key themes of a 100-strong public meeting on March 18.

One hundred people gathered on March 17 at the Wollongong City Diggers Club to celebrate the life of NSW Public Service Association (PSA) activist Anne Meehan who passed away on March 12 after a long illness.

On March 23, 100 students attended a demonstration at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)_organised by the Islamic Society, as part of a long-running campaign for a dedicated Muslim prayer facility on the city campus.

Biochar production has been the object of considerable research and experimentation in Australia.

More than 6000 people rallied against the Sri Lankan government’s war on the Tamil people in Sydney on March 28.

At the Queensland state election on March 21, the Australian Labor Party, led by Premier Anna Bligh was returned with a reduced majority.

The Western Community Action Network (WeCAN) held its first public forum at the Footscray Town Hall on March 19.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, in Washington last week to meet US President Barack Obama, made clear the ALP government’s support for the US’s wars overseas. The Australia-US war alliance is as strong as ever, he declared.

Dozens of actions were held outside the offices of MPs nationwide on March 27 to protest the Rudd government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).

The federal ALP government, in league with employer organisations and conservative economists, wants workers — in particular the lowest paid and most vulnerable — to pay for the economic downturn.

The Australian Greens’ March 21-22 national council meeting in Perth discussed the party’s climate change policy. The council called on the Rudd government to adopt stronger emissions reduction targets.

In its latest Report of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations, released in 2009, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has called on the federal government to suspend the operations of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) and comply with ILO recommendations.