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Tjandumurra O'Shane Appeal

Tjandumurra O'Shane Appeal Tjandumurra O'Shane, the six-year-old boy doused with petrol and burned at his primary school in Cairns, is undergoing treatment in Brisbane and will be hospitalised there for a long time to come. A fund has been

Human Rights Commission hit by funding cuts

By Bill Mason BRISBANE — The joint office of the federal and state Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission here is to close on December 9, following a funding dispute between the Howard and Borbidge governments. HREOC offices in

Court responds to 'Racism No!'

By Anne O'Callaghan PERTH — "Racism No!", a ticket running two candidates for the upper house in the South Metropolitan Area in the December 14 state election, was officially launched on the national day of action against racism, November 23.

CES/DSS industrial action begins

By Paul Oboohov and Bill Mason Community and Public Sector Union members in the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs/Commonwealth Employment Service (CES) and Department of Social Security (DSS) offices around the country

'Conqueror's justice' rules in Germany

On November 12, the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany upheld convictions and sentences against three former officials of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The decision appears to violate both the German constitution and the treaty

Mental Health Act increases powers of WA police

By Chris Latham PERTH — Police in Western Australia are to receive increased power to detain mentally ill individuals and seize their possessions as part of the Mental Health Act 1996, which had its second reading in the Legislative Council on

Inspiring glimpse into Ireland's struggle

Before the DawnBy Gerry AdamsLondon: Heinemann, 1996. 347 pp., $39.95Reviewed by Bernie Brian There is an incident towards the end of Gerry Adams' very readable autobiography that symbolises the depth of the spirit of Irish freedom fighters. It is

Help break the rural drought

Going to the country for a well-earned break after exams or for your annual leave? Consider taking along the best progressive newspaper in Australia. There's more than one sort of drought in rural Australia, and it's caused by a lack of access to the

Tonga detains pro-democracy campaigners

By Norm Dixon Just weeks after the release from prison of pro-democracy campaigner and popular parliamentarian 'Akilisi Pohiva and deputy editor of the Times of Tonga Filokalafi 'Akau'ola, Tonga's government has again detained the two as well as

Liberals offer $8 worth of crumbs

By James Vassilopoulos SYDNEY — A Tandberg cartoon in the Sydney Morning Herald captured very well the Liberal government's offer of an $8 a year increase to low-income earners. It shows a worker walking away from Howard sitting at his big, big

How the west armed the Interahamwe

By Norm Dixon The genocidal former rulers of Rwanda and their vicious Interahamwe death squads murdered more than 500,000 people in the space of three months in 1994. The west stood by as this massacre unfolded. Only as the regime was being

Action updates

Boycott Burma campaign SYDNEY — Campaigners for a tourism boycott of Burma claimed a victory on November 18 following a protest outside the Ultimo office of STA Travel. The dictatorial SLORC regime has launched a "Visit Myanmar" campaign. A