The following appeal for solidarity with the Pakistani peoples struggle for democracy has been initiated by Melbourne civil liberties lawyer Rob Stary.
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“When Ken Fry came back from a funeral several years ago he complained that one of the speakers ’went on about the bloke as though he was a blessed saint … I hope they don’t go on about me like that when I go …’.”
After complaining bitterly about federal ALP leader Kevin Rudds plan to keep key elements of the Howard governments Work Choices laws such as restrictions on the right to strike, the Victorian branches of the Electrical Trades Union and the United Firefighters Union have decided to give substantial support to the Greens in the November 24 federal election. Both unions have constructed big billboards on their offices advocating a vote for Greens candidate Adam Bandt in the seat of Melbourne. The ETU has also donated $20,000 to the Greens.
People before profits was the message coming from the rally for rights organised by the Socialist Alliance in Newtown on November 9. The rally was addressed by Catholic priest Peter Maher, Your Rights At Work campaigner Michael Haines, three representatives from Community Action Against Homophobia (CAAH) and Greens candidate for Grayndler, Saeed Kahn.
Figures released by the Howard governments Workplace Authority on November 9 showed that almost half of the industrial agreements so far vetted by the authority since the government introduced its fairness test in May have been rejected by the authority.
Workers at the Foster’s Yatala brewery, south of Brisbane, have voted down two non-union agreements put forward by Carlton and United Brewery (CUB) management, and are engaged in industrial action to win a union collective agreement. The brewery workers — 85% of whom are pro-union — come from the Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU), the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU).
More than 100 people gathered in the Footscray mall for the western suburbs community rally African refugees are welcome here! on November 10. The rally was organised in response to immigration minister Kevin Andrews' comments last month that African refugees were not adjusting, and the slashing of the African refugee intake from 70% to 30%. The rally demanded an increase overall refugee intake; no cuts to African immigration; and an end to the racist attacks on the Sudanese and African community. The rally was supported by the African Think Tank, Maribyrnong Mayor Michael Clarke, Eritrean Community Association, Sheik Isse Musse from the Virgin Mary Mosque, AfricanOz.com.au and the Socialist Alliance.
Labor leader Kevin Rudd and IR spokesperson Julia Gillard have fallen into the trap set for them by PM John Howard. By accepting the need to crack down on unionists in order to make Labor look respectable to big business, Rudd and Gillard have given credibility to the Coalitions witch-hunt about the union threat to the economy.
No housing crisis in la-la land
Writing in the Australian Financial Review, former Labor leader Mark Latham opines that the "housing crisis" is completely manufactured, a creation of people who are having trouble upgrading from two- to three-car
As the federal governments Northern Territory intervention grinds on with an escalating price-tag and concomitant obfuscation from politicians and bureaucrats about its actual implementation, we are beginning to see media reports especially from the rampantly pro-intervention Rupert Murdoch stable of support for the measures from the affected communities. While most of these refer to whitefella bureaucrats or store managers, the most cherished, obviously, have been apparent endorsements from Indigenous people as each new phase is rolled out. Most recently, weve seen the same pattern as welfare quarantining has started to come into effect in some communities.
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