Australia

The Australian Labor government remains committed to big military spending - currently over $80 million per day. Australia's military spending will continue to be the highest regionally and, per capita, second only to the USA, the world's biggest military spender.

About 50 shopping centre cleaners and their supporters rallied on July 13 outside the Westfield head office in Market Street to demand a better deal on pay and conditions. The protesters chanted, “Hey Westfield, listen up! The cleaners are standing up!” and, “What do we want? Clean Start! When do we want it? Now!” They were also protesting an assault on a union organiser at a protest outside the building the previous day.

After its successful participation in Freedom Flotilla Two and Freedom Waves last year, Free Gaza Australia (FGA) in cooperation with its international partners is launching a new initiative: Gaza’s Ark — Building Hope. Gaza’s Ark will challenge the illegal and inhumane Israeli blockade of Gaza that collectively punishes more than 1.5 million Palestinians. Gaza has “officially” been under an Israeli blockade since 2007, but the restriction on the movement of the population of Gaza began in 1991 when Gaza was first cut off from Israel and the West Bank.

A NSW police convoy consisting of 40 Public Order and Riot Squad officers entered Grafton on July 11. Its mission — to “quell” the peaceful community members of Grafton and the Clarence Valley who were trying to be heard. The citizens and the Public Sector Association (PSA) had been seeking consultation with the NSW government over a decision that directly impacted on their lives and businesses — the “downsizing” of Grafton Gaol. But the government arrogantly refused to hear.

The indefinite strike by Coles warehouse workers in Somerton, Melbourne, began with a few hundred people on the picket lines from 6am on July 10. At the time of writing, no trucks have been allowed in or out of the site. Coles outsources the operation of the warehouse to Toll Logistics. Coles and Toll had expected industrial action, but they hadn’t expected that the workers would vote for an indefinite strike.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) forced the ABC to retract a story about a recently changed “individual allowance program” for detained refugees to buy canteen items and phone cards to call home.

Labor for Refugees sent the letter below to NSW Labor general secretary Sam Dastyari on July 11. * * * Sam Dastyari General Secretary NSW Labor [email protected] Dear General Secretary, At our Labor for Refugees meeting last night, members resolved unanimously, that I write to you re the issue of Greens preferences and send a copy of my letter to the Prime Minister and Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. The content of our letter follows: Labor for Refugees is disappointed with your attack on the Green’s position on refugees.

The ObserverTree.org released the statement below on July 10. * * * Today, Miranda Gibson breaks the Australian record for the longest tree sit. Miranda has remained at the top of a tree, 60 meters above the ground for 209 days, in protest of the ongoing logging of Tasmania’s high conservation value forests.

Lizard's Revenge is an anti-nuclear protest camp planned for mid-July outside BHP’s giant Olympic Dam mine — the world’s biggest uranium mine. The protest camp, near Roxby Downs in South Australia, will feature a music and arts festival alongside non-violent protests against the mine’s planned expansion.

With impeccable smiling customer service staff motioning to myki readers and swarms of grinning, armed, uniformed officers pursuing passengers for a chat, the Victorian Liberal government hopes to win support for its public transport agenda. Public Transport Victoria stopped selling weekly, monthly and yearly Metcards on July 2. More than 80% of Metcard machines have been removed from train stations. The expensive and unpopular myki system will soon take over.

In 2006, Alternet's Joshua Holland coined the “zombie lie”: an untruth that returns from the dead to haunt us, despite already being demolished by arguments and evidence. Politics is dominated by zombie lies. “Asylum seekers are 'queue jumpers' arriving here illegally” is a classic example. Over the past few decades, zombie lies have helped legitimise paternalistic, punitive welfare reforms. They still shape debates about how to treat poor and unemployed Australians.

The Lock the Gate Alliance released the statement below on July 6. * * * Coal seam gas companies are 'getting away with blue murder' despite mounting evidence from around the country of the environmental damage they are causing, according to Lock the Gate Alliance. Lock The Gate has responded with dismay to news today that Santos and Eastern Star Gas have been fined only $3,000 for breaking environment laws in the Pilliga forest by polluting a local creek system with coal seam gas waste water.