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A blow to solidarity action

By Melanie Sjoberg The Liberal-Democrat deal on the amendments to the Workplace Relations Bill will very seriously undermine the ability of working people to organise effectively in defence of their interests. This is what the government

Greens sound alarm on secondary boycotts

By Jennifer Thompson Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown has raised the alarm over the so-called exemptions for environmental and consumer actions from being defined as "illegal" under the Coalition-Democrat amendments to the Workplace Relations

Union organiser run down on picket line

Union organiser run down on picket line By Tim Gooden CANBERRA — On November 7, at a picket line established outside the government workshops in Fyshwick, Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union organiser Geoff McGowan-Lay was run down

Living wage case: Too little, too late

By James Vassilopoulos Is the ACTU's living wage case a salvation for the growing number of working poor, or is it merely a public relations stunt to make the ACTU appear relevant to workers? The ACTU has lodged a claim before the Australian

Woodchipping — another gift to business

By Marina Cameron Less than two years ago, thousands of people took to the streets around Australia to protest against the Labor government's expansion of the woodchipping export quotas and the granting of licences to woodchip areas of high

Melbourne anti-racist meeting plans action

A lively anti-racism public meeting in Melbourne on November 6 echoed the calls from other cities for a national day of action against racism. Sue Bolton reports that more than 60 people turned up to hear Lam Nguyen, a Vietnamese secondary student;

Latin American solidarity activists meet

By Marg Gleeson SYDNEY — Activists from around Australia met here on November 3 for the annual national consultation of the Committees in Solidarity with Latin America and the Caribbean (CISLAC). The consultation was preceded by a public seminar

Migrants don't cost jobs

By Peter Boyle If recent polls are to be believed, a majority of Australians are in favour stopping immigration at least in the short term. According to a November 2-3 AGB-McNair poll, 62% are in favour of a "short term freeze", and a Bulletin

'Rally Against Racism' in Sydney

Sydney's Campaign Against Racism coalition decided at its meeting on November 8 to organise a "Rally Against Racism" on November 23 as part of the national day of action called by the Brisbane Anti-Racism Campaign. The Sydney coalition's decision

The 1980s' free education campaign

In the second in a three-part series on the history of the student movement in Australia, MARINA CAMERON spoke to JORGE JORQUERA about the lessons from the free education campaign in the 1980s. Jorquera was an activist in that campaign, secretary of

Cancer cure in private hands

By Jennifer Thompson At the beginning of October, the former publicly owned Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, now CSL Limited, announced a breakthrough discovery — a therapeutic vaccine against a bacterium which causes peptic ulcers and sometimes

On the box

Actively Radical TV — Sydney community television's progressive current affairs producers tackle the hard issues from the activist's point of view. CTS Sydney (UHF 31), every Thursday, 7pm. Access News — Melbourne community TV, Channel 31, has