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Prominent Iranian left-wing activist Jamal Saberi (Jalal Amanzadeh Nouei) is facing deportation to Iran from Japan, despite having lived there for 18 years, being married to a Japanese woman and having a child there.
According to an immigration department spokesperson, there are currently 275 people housed in eight tents in two separate immigration detention facilities on Christmas Island. One of the detained refugees spoke to Green Left Weekly’s Niko Leka about living conditions there. He asked that his name not be used as he was afraid it would affect his visa application.
BRISBANE — “We don’t need nuclear power”, Sam Watson, Aboriginal community leader and Socialist Alliance Senate candidate, told a picket against the proposed nuclear waste dump at Muckaty in the Northern Territory, held outside PM Kevin Rudd’s electorate office in Norman Park on April 12.
An Upper Hunter community campaign for a full comprehensive health study on the effects of air pollution from coalmines and coal-fired power stations is coming to a head.
BRISBANE — The Climate Summit 2010, held in Canberra in March, “provided a launching pad for the building of a grassroots, activist climate action movement around the country”, Ewan Saunders, Community Climate Network Queensland activist and Socialist Alliance candidate for the federal seat of Brisbane, told about 100 people at an April 14 CCNQ forum.
The April 9 announcement by immigration minister Chris Evans that, “effective immediately”, Australia would suspend processing asylum claims by Afghans or Sri Lankans is in contravention of the 1951 Refugee Convention.
BRISBANE — Fifty people gathered in Brisbane Square on April 16 to speak up for refugee rights. The action was sponsored by the Refugee Action Collective, and demands include that the government immediately resume processing Afghan and Sri Lankan asylum claims and respect its international obligations.
The Greens face a choice between taking the Australian Democrats road of balance-of-power politics or becoming a more influential left-wing party, Sylvia Hale, Greens member of the NSW upper house, said in the 10th annual Juanita Neilsen memorial lecture on March 23.

A mass community protest at the biggest coal port in the world, Newcastle, has succeeded in preventing coal ship movements all day on March 28. Hundreds of peaceful protesters occupied the harbour since 10 am in the morning.

Twelve groups supporting refugee rights met on April 10 to discuss the possibility of joint actions.
The F Conference, a historic conference given the long gap between such gatherings, drew a diverse, non-separatist, multi-generational crowd . About 500 gathered at NSW Teachers’ Federation over April 10-11 to discuss feminist ideas and campaigns.
The following was posted on Climateandcapitalism.com on March 16 by Britain-based environmental and social justice group The Corner House.]