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Have you got what it takes? Joining the Australian killing machine

BY CHRIS LATHAM In 2002, 5836 people joined the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as regular members — about 700 more than joined in 2001. The vast majority of them were young people between the ages of 18 and 24. While no survey has been taken

Picnic for peace

BY BRONWYN JENNINGS GEELONG — One hundred people attended a January 18 "picnic for peace" on the Geelong waterfront, initiated by the Geelong Greens. Federal ALP member for Geelong, Gavin O'Connor spoke out against a war on Iraq outlining the

Loose Cannons

Old McBush, IEAE Oh! "And then the North Koreans made a decision ... to ignore international ... agreements that they had reached, and start building potential nuclear weapons, enriching uranium. And now they are ... in the process of kicking out

Apollo Bay rallies against Iraq war

BY SALLY BROWN APOLLO BAY — "With around 400 women, men and children marching along the Great Ocean Road in solidarity chanting 'No blood for oil' and 'Australia does not want this war', this rally is not only the first rural town to have a no

Pro-refugee writing jeopardises student's HSC

JAMES GIUGNI made the front page of the December 21 Sydney Morning Herald after a creative writing response in his final English exam, dealing with the frustration of a detained refugee, almost resulted in him not gaining his Higher School

Wharf protest first of many

BY ALEX BAINBRIDGE HOBART — The state Labor government has ignored the January 1 deadline — imposed on it by the Tasmania Together consultation process — for ending clear-felling in some forests classified as "high conservation value". Many

Nauru: 'Do not force us to return'

[The following letter was sent to Australian human rights groups on January 2 by an Afghan asylum seeker imprisoned in Topside camp on Nauru.] Since December 24, the detainees of State House detention [one of the two detention

Write on: Letters to the editor

Freedom of information? On December 16, [ABC journalist] Geraldine Doogue interviewed an Australian National University lecturer about the situation in Aceh. Though Geraldine's questions were incisive and to the point, the answers were evasive

Construction giant threatens lock-out

BY JODY BETZIEN MELBOURNE — Around 600 workers from Grocon's five construction sites and two construction yards staged a four-hour stop-work meeting on January 17 to determine what industrial action would be taken to pressure the company into

Ruddock's blackmail: refugees robbed of human rights

BY SARAH STEPHEN On December 20, Afghan refugee Riz Wakil, living on a temporary protection visa that is about to expire, received a letter from the immigration department. The letter informed him that he had until June 30 to take up the

Protest against warship

BY PETER ROBSON NEWCASTLE — "Bring all the warships home!" was the rally cry on February 18 at the National Maritime Festival where the HMAS Newcastle was on show to the public. The Newcastle No War Collective organised a snap protest, because

Chumbawamba release anti-war song

British rebel band Chumbawamba's new song "Jacob's Ladder (Not in My Name)" expresses fury and revulsion at the blatant lies being broadcast to create a climate for war. "Jacob's Ladder" is featured on the band's latest album Readymades.