By Ana Kailis
A report commissioned by treasurer John Dawkins has called on the Federal Government to abolish the award system and to end trade union monopoly rights in enterprise bargaining. Written by the Industry Commission (the federal
Issue 117
News
By Ray Fulcher
MELBOURNE — In November, thousands of long-term injured workers will be pushed from Victoria's WorkCover scheme onto Social Security benefits. Before then, thousands more will be encouraged to jump with lump sum pay-outs of up
Phhew!
"Queen: I will accept republic." — Headline in Sydney Morning Herald after King Paul's meeting with Queen Liz.
Name two, please
"I did build many, many things, and people forget to mention them." — Bankrupt entrepreneur Alan Bond,
Quarantine sackings despite anthrax outbreak
By Steve Rogers
CANBERRA — Federal budget plans to slash quarantine staff are to go ahead despite the outbreak of anthrax in Queensland. The cuts mean that some 30% of the Australian Quarantine
Garbos oppose redundancy deal
By Maurice Sibelle
BRISBANE — Three hundred garbos rallied at King George Square on September 22 to protest against a redundancy deal being offered by the Brisbane City Council. Eighty out of three hundred
By Joe Vialls
Staff at the secret US Omega facility in East Gippsland are worried about job security after a sudden Australian government decision to close the station by February unless alternate funding can be found.
Omega started
ACT teachers to strike
By Kath Gelber
CANBERRA — Three thousand members of the Australian Education Union (formerly Australian Teachers Union) voted at a stop-work meeting here on September 23 to strike for a full day on October 28 in
Boycott Mitsubishi campaign launched
The Rainforest Information Centre and the Environmental Youth Alliance launched the Australian Boycott Mitsubishi campaign on September 24. The "Mitsubishi Challenge" National Basketball League will be
Amcor monopoly threatens Victorian forests
MELBOURNE — National Wilderness Society spokesperson Georgie Stewart, speaking here on September 16, said that Amcor's success in establishing a monopoly on the production of higher grade papers in
By Pip Hinman
One of Australia's leading jazz musicians, Vince Jones, has condemned the logging of East Gippsland's old growth forests. What the so-called selective logging really amounts to, he told Green Left Weekly, is mass destruction. And
Asia-Pacific workers' conference
By Geoff Spencer
MELBOURNE — Twenty-two leading trade unionists and labour researchers from the Asia-Pacific region will participate in the "Workers Change the World" conference here from September 29 to
WA budget continues shift of resources
By Rodney Cheuk
and Jon Strauss
PERTH — Business lobby groups and the West Australian have howled about a loss of "reforming zeal" on the part of the Court Liberal government because its September
Surveys find profits booming
By Peter Boyle
Corporate profits have shot up dramatically — almost returning to their peak before the recession. The Australian Financial Review's survey of 500 large companies, released on September 21,
By Ray Fulcher
MELBOURNE — One year after the election of a Liberal government, Victorians are facing a worsening standard of living. Official unemployment is 13%, and in some areas youth unemployment is 40%.
Premier Jeff Kennett is
BRISBANE — Aksi and other concerned groups protested on September 24 against the Warana festival's theme of "Celebrate Indonesia". The protest highlighted the Suharto regime's suppression of democratic rights and independence struggles in East
WA Greens Senator CHRISTABEL CHAMARETTE recently visited Aboriginal communities in the state's north to consult with them on land rights and the government's Mabo legislation. She was interviewed in Perth for Green Left Weekly by MICHELLE HOVANE.
World
For three weeks in late June and early July, Ecological Enterprises, a Papua New Guinea and United States-based rainforest preservation group, worked in East New Britain, home an incredibly diverse ecosystem. However, East New Britain is also one of
New laws slash asylum numbers
New laws which went into effect on July 1 have halved the number of asylum seekers entering Germany.
However, in an interview with the Bild newspaper, interior minister Manfred Kanther on September 7 urged
By Renfrey Clarke
MOSCOW, the "White House", September 24 — As the rouble crashed and opposition newspapers were shut down, Russians on the fourth day after President Boris Yeltsin's coup d'etat were pondering a future of shattered links
'Stop the Chainsaw Massacre'
Activists from the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) blocked the main entrance to Paramount Studios on September 15, demanding that the film and entertainment industry stop using tropical rainforest wood in set
By Renfrey Clarke
MOSCOW — "The Executive Committee of the Council of the FNPR calls on affiliated organisations, labour collectives, and blue and white collar workers to use all available means, including strikes, to make a decisive protest
By Renfrey Clarke
MOSCOW — "The Russian government's economic program cannot be implemented by democratic means", a speaker argued bluntly at an international conference held by the Russian trade unions on September 16.
The same day,
By Allen Jennings
Hard on the heels of tropical storm Gert, and after last month's hostage crisis and the taking of Esteli in July, Nicaraguans face yet another crisis. This one is caused by the Chamorro government's neo-liberal economic
Change to PNG provincial government law
The Papua New Guinea parliament is proposing changes to the Organic Law, which deals with the provisional government system. The law, passed in 1976, guarantees Bougainville autonomy within PNG. It was
By Sean Malloy
The US pressed for a peace agreement between Israel and the PLO as part of consolidating its own interests in the Middle East, argues Joe Stork, editor of Middle East Report. In an interview with Green Left Weekly, Stork explained
By Sean Malloy
The vast majority of Palestinians in the occupied territories support the agreement between the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Israeli government, says Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab. Green Left Weekly spoke to
On September 15 a PNG police riot squad detained, interrogated and severely beat Gewai Dusty Zamunu, a village leader and project manager working for a joint Rainforest Information Centre and Village Development Trust community development and
By Max Lane
MANILA — A struggle within the Filipino communist movement has spread and sharpened within the Communist Party of the Philippines-influenced legal National Democratic (ND) organisations. The issues are Stalinism, internal party
By Ana Kailis
The Alliance, a coalition of progressive parties, has announced a platform of six basic principles for the November 6 New Zealand election.
Formed in 1991, the Alliance groups NewLabour (a left split from the Labour Party),
Culture
By Ignatius Kim
I recall being thunderstruck upon first hearing Kev Carmody's debut single, "Pillars of Society", in the summer of 1990. In fact, I could tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing. With a moving power, it expressed
Three generations of Chinese women
Wild Swans
By Jung Chang
Flamingo. $16.95
Reviewed by Alex Cooper
Having read Wild Swans once, I found myself wanting to read it again straightaway. This is a fascinating account of three generations
Olivier Olivier
Written and directed by Agnieszka Holland
Exclusive Melbourne Season at Cinema Nova
Reviewed by Elle Morrell
Inspired by a report in a newspaper, Agnieszka Holland has provided a powerful portrayal of an intriguing story
A fierce rave around the world
BRISBANE — "The People will be Seen, The People Will Be Heard" were the words that greeted more than 300 people at FIERCE at Boulder Lodge on Friday night, September 24.
The cross-arts extravaganza attracted
Jurassic Park
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by Michael Crichton and David Koepp
Starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough and Jeff Goldblum
Reviewed by Karen Fredericks
Before the dinosaurs turn nasty in Jurassic Park,
Irish to the core
Belt of the Celts
Irish to the core
The Wolfe Tones
Shanachie through Larrikin
Reviewed by Ian Jamieson
Like many on the Australian left, particularly those of us with dubious Irish ancestry, I came to appreciate
Imprisoned women
Picking Oakum: women and criminality
SBS Television
October 7, 8.30 p.m. (8.00 Adelaide)
Reviewed by Ignatius Kim
This is an excellent documentary from Britain's Channel 4. It takes its name from the common form of
Pornography debate on SBS
Patently Offensive: Porn under siege
SBS Television
October 4, 11.40 p.m. (11.10 Adelaide)
Reviewed by Ignatius Kim
The key focus of the debate on pornography is whether it contributes to sex crimes. Does
It's the men who 'matter'
Mad Dog and Glory
Directed by John McNaughton
Starring Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman and Bill Murray
At the Valhalla Cinema, Melbourne
Reviewed by Vannessa Hearman
Directed by John McNaughton of Henry:
Music worthy of the film
Soundtrack to The Piano
Composed by Michael Nyman
Virgin Records through Larrikin
Reviewed by Zanny Begg
In both An Angel at my Table and The Piano, Jane Campion examines women who are repressed by society but
By Lucifer Skycrawler
While you have been planning this or wishing for that, the stars have been organising your life — and do you think they give a stuff about what you want? To find out what location in the Celestial Sump has been reserved
Radiance
By Louis Nowra
Directed by Rosalba Clemente
With Rachael Maza, Lydia Miller and Rhonda RobertsBelvoir Theatre, Sydney, to October 17. Reviewed by Zanny Begg
Radiance is a play about the search for self identity. Set in North
Editorial
Kennett's failed experiment
One year ago Jeff Kennett became premier of Victoria because of widespread disillusionment in the previous state Labor government. He immediately launched a blitzkrieg of cuts to education, health, public transport