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Threat to split WA anti-war movement

BY RUSSELL PICKERING PERTH — Not everyone has been pleased by the success of the NOWaR Alliance (Network Opposing War and Racism) in organising some of the biggest anti-war protests ever in Perth. Jan "JJ" Jermalinski, who claims to represent

Blue Ribbon lockout enters ninth week

BY KAMALA EMANUEL LAUNCESTON — A picket by 23 meatworkers, locked out by smallgoods manufacturer Blue Ribbon, has entered its ninth week. The workers, members of the Australasian Meat Industry Employees' Union, are seeking reinstatement and

Telstra paves the way for final sale

BY MIKE BYRNE It was no surprise when Telstra revealed plans to further reduce its workforce by at least 3000 workers to the Senate estimates committee on May 26. A week of fudging by Telstra's senior management had followed the Australian

Sydney Film Festival marks 50th year

BY SARAH STEPHEN This year is the Sydney Film Festival's 50th year. It runs from June 6 until June 20, presenting a feast of short films, features and documentaries from all corners of the world. There are several which will be of special interest

A vacancy that doesn't need filling

@box text intr = So Peter Hollingworth, Australia's most infamous paedophile protector, has finally resigned his position as governor-general in disgrace — taking his "pension" of $184,860 a year with him — and the search will begin for a new

Campaign 2003 industrial action spreads

BY GRAHAM WILLIAMS & MATTHEW RICH MELBOURNE — The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union currently has more than half a dozen workshops out on strike in Victoria, trying to win a pattern bargaining agreement through the state AMWU branch's

1975 and the 'end of reform'

REVIEW BY NANCY ATKIN 1975Melbourne Workers Theatre and the Canto Coro choirNorth Melbourne Town Hall Arts House, cnr Errol and Queensberry streetsWednesdays to Saturdays, 7.30pm, until June 7Tickets:$25 ($20 for union members, $15

IRAN: Rumsfeld puts Tehran 'on notice'

BY DOUG LORIMER "Iran should be on notice that attempts to remake Iraq in Iran's image will be aggressively put down", US war secretary Donald Rumsfeld declared on May 27. Rumsfeld's comment was part of a steadily mounting campaign to make Iran the

INDONESIA: Aceh war overshadows Jakarta peace conference

BY NICK EVERETT JAKARTA — On May 19-21, more than 60 peace activists from 26 countries met at Hotel Wisata to assess the challenges faced by the global peace movement and to develop a plan of action. The conference coincided with the Indonesian

WORLD ECONOMY: Stagnation fuels fears of deflation, trade war

BY DOUG LORIMER "The industrial economies are awash with excess capacity, most are experiencing disinflation and some are threatened by outright deflation. With unfortunate echoes of the 1930s, policy-makers are being tempted to use exchange rates

IRAQ: Resistance forces US about-face

BY ROHAN PEARCE On May 14, the US Army's Lieutenant-General David McKiernan announced that the almost daily attacks on the US-led occupation forces in Iraq were not being carried out by mere criminals after all, but by "regime elements". McKiernan

Budget petition presented to MP

MELBOURNE — On May 29, a group of activists from the Footscray Socialist Alliance presented a petition to the electorate office of Nicola Roxon, ALP federal MP for Gellibrand. The petition, signed by 300 residents of her electorate, called for the