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Refugee display stirs controversy

BY KERRIE BARRON CANBERRA — A library display highlighting the plight of asylum seekers was removed on August 9 after it prompted a violent response. The Refugee Action Collective (RAC) was asked to pack up its display because library

Write On: Letters to Green Left Weekly

Fond Memories of Cuba Despite his use of the tired old cliche "cappuccino revolutionaries", David Bradbury's criticisms of Cuban socialism (Write On, #501) may well be valid. At least it is good to see this issue being debated (if that is the word)

RMIT forced to drop detention centre bid

BY NATALIE ZIRNGAST & KYLIE MOON MELBOURNE — In a victory for the staff and student campaign against RMIT's bid to provide education and recreational facilities to asylum seekers in detention, RMIT vice chancellor Ruth Dunkin announced on

TPV holders threatened with deportation

BY SARAH STEPHEN Refugees on temporary protection visas make up an expanding component of the Australian government's intake of refugees. At the end of May, there were 8400 people living in Australia on TPVs. Between July 2000 and June 2001, more

Letter from an Afghan refugee

NAURU — I am an Afghan asylum seeker from Nauru camp. I am writing this letter hoping that you would understand and help us. About nine months ago the Australian government brought us to Nauru Island and put us in a very bad camp called

Badraies granted protection visas

BY SARAH STEPHEN After a two-year fight, the Badraie family, who fled to Australia from Iran in March 2000, have been granted refugee status and issued with temporary protection visas. The Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) announced its decision on

Museworthy: Unborn

Museworthy: Unborn At 3am I paint the solesof my daughter's feetwith red glitter There are no reasons to deathbut how greatunreason The silver cars on their dark wheelsare parkingin our street The baby of the poor womanhas put its

Flags, solidarity and sleeping bags

BY TAMARA PEARSON  BATHURST — Charles Sturt University's (CSU) solution to federal funding cuts is to axe courses and fire staff. The students' response has been to organise. The students have been camping outside CSU management's

TURKEY: US pushes Ankara toward war with Iraq

BY ERTUGRUL KURKCU ISTANBUL — Top Pentagon brass may have doubts about the feasibility of the circulating war plans for Iraq, but George Bush's envoys have convinced Turkish decision-makers that a US military operation to overthrow Saddam

Janet Giles: 'Unions need to be activist organisations'

BY JOHN MCGILL ADELAIDE — Janet Giles, former president of the South Australian branch of the Australian Education Union (AEU), was recently elected unopposed as the secretary of the South Australian United Trades and Labor Council (UTLC). She

Loose cannons

Unless it's private health insurance funds "Well we're not in the business of bailing out commercial enterprises... I can assure you that that won't be happening." — Prime Menzies John Howard, speaking to 3AW's Neil Mitchell on August 2, in

High Court ruling: Refugees denied justice

BY SARAH STEPHEN Two Indonesians of Chinese descent fled to Australia from Indonesia seeking asylum on the basis of religious and ethnic persecution after the fall of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998. Assessed as separate cases, they were