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GST: a blank cheque for ripoffs

By Sue Boland The furore over the government's intention to impose the GST on tampons — which are presently sales-tax free — is symptomatic of the anger that is building against the GST as its impact and the complexities involved in

Blaming the unemployed

By Dave Matthews The federal Coalition government showed its true colours on Australia Day (January 26) by announcing it's latest plan to harass unemployed people. The plan involves tightening the government's grip on dole recipients

BHP digs in over individual contracts

By Melanie Sjoberg The ACTU has gained a small win in its legal challenge to BHP's offer of individual contracts (Australian Workplace Agreements — AWAs) to iron ore workers in the Pilbara. On January 31, the Federal Court granted the ACTU an

University plan is no solution

University plan is no solution By Keara Courtney CANBERRA — The Australian National University (ANU) has found $97 million from within its budget to fund its "Year 2000 growth plan". Of this, $70 million will come from the profit made from

Elian not the first Cuban child kidnapped

By Deborah Shnookal Six-year-old Elian Gonzalez, the small Cuban boy plucked from the sea and taken to the United States against the will of his family and country, has become the focus of Washington's cold war against Cuba. However, this is not

Three Kings and a million dead

Three kings and a million dead By Ciaron O'Reilly It has taken Hollywood nine years to acknowledge some of the truths of the 1991 US massacre in the Persian Gulf. Not that it required rigorous research to uncover the realities layed bare in the

Why the West allows Russia to butcher Chechens

Why the West allows Russia to butcher Chechens By Norm Dixon "Troops descended on the town ... and detained at least a dozen men and 20 cars ... Villagers had a similar wake-up call two days earlier when ... troops swept in and beat or harassed

The changes

Issuing job seeker diaries (JSD) to all new claimants of Newstart and Youth Allowance. At the moment, less than half of the unemployed are issued with diaries. The number of required job search efforts has increased from eight to 10 per fortnight.

National Textiles workers confront Howard

National Textiles workers confront Howard By Adam Leemanand Alison Dellit NEWCASTLE — On February 4, sacked workers from National Textiles protested outside the Williamtown RAAF Base. A delegation of the workers met with PM John Howard in an

Washing the blood from their hands

Washing the blood from their hands "I think any comment [beyond "understanding and sympathy"] is really intruding a little into the internal affairs of another country", Prime Minister John Howard opined on the outcome of the Indonesian and United

CPI-ML on the way forward for the Indian left

CPI-ML on the way forward for the Indian left BALASUBRAMANIAN SIVARAMAN, politburo member of the Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist (Liberation) (CPI-ML) and editor of the party's monthly journal, Liberation, attended the Marxism 2000

Biosafety protocol signed

By Daniel Jardine One hundred and thirty governments concluded an agreement in Montreal, Canada, on January 29 on the international transport of living modified organisms that have been created by genetic engineering and biotechnology. Negotiations