Issue 121

News

By Chris Spindler ADELAIDE — The October 30 State Council meeting of the South Australian Institute of Teachers endorsed SAIT president Clare McCarty to stand as an Education Independent for the Legislative Council in the state elections.
Jervis Bay strike near victory By Russell Pickering WOLLONGONG — An end is in sight for the strike by 24 civilian support workers at the naval training base, HMAS Creswell, Jervis Bay. The workers have been on strike and have
Secret tour exposes illegal waste dumps By Bill Mason BRISBANE — A late-night tour of illegal waste dumps here has given Queensland Greens convener Drew Hutton the information he needs to expose the racket of organised environmental crime
Blacks oppose CRA mine pipeline By Bill Mason BRISBANE — Aborigines at the Doomadgee community in north-west Queensland have confronted mining giant CRA over plans to build a zinc slurry pipeline to the sea near their land. On
By Peter Boyle Coolibah is a day centre, run by the Brotherhood of St Laurence, for isolated older people in Melbourne's inner city. But according to the Barry Pearce, the centre's coordinator, these days Coolibah is constantly having to turn
By Michael Boswell PERTH — The WA Liberal government will dissolve the City of Perth council at the end of 1993. Since the former Labor government introduced adult suffrage in local government in the mid-'80s, pressure has been applied by city
The Environmental Youth Alliance organised protest actions in most capital cities during October on the theme "People against pollution". In Brisbane 50 people gathered in the Queen Street Mall, for an environmental speakout on October 23. Following
By Wendy Robertson MELBOURNE — Despite being signatory to an agreement which protects forests of high conservation value, the Victorian government announced on October 27 that it was giving the go-ahead to large-scale woodchipping in the old
By Lesley High ADELAIDE — Green Alliance launched its campaign and selected candidates for the state elections at a meeting here on October 30. Trish Corcoran and Col Smith will stand in the Legislative Council. Green Left Weekly spoke to both
By Sue Bolton MELBOURNE — Ray Fulcher, a Public Sector Union delegate for Department of Social Security Area West B Victoria, has had his rights to use departmental facilities withdrawn. In a letter dated October 27, Kerry Blackburn, the
EZ sacks 330 By Dave Wright Hobart — Pasminco Metals EZ has sacked 333 workers at its Risdon plant. EZ is implementing a comprehensive plant restructure which it claims will save over $8 million. Unions believe that the company
By James Basle CANBERRA — In one of the largest expressions of student anger in recent history, 2500 college students walked out of classes on October 27, in protest at education and teacher cuts. This represents about 40% of all college
By Sean Malloy SYDNEY — "What we represent is the community, and hopefully the community will also represent us", said Brad Roberts, coordinator of Glebe Youth Centre, in the midst of a campaign to save the centre from closure. Funding
Learning about history "We're not putting him up there as a role model of any sort. What Milken did in the whole junk bond period really did change the face of corporate America, and I don't think there is any more dramatic way of learning about
By Chris Spindler ADELAIDE — Campaigns by a number of progressive candidates, including the Green Alliance, a teachers union candidate, the Democratic Socialists and independents, in the December 11 South Australian elections have added
Public sector strike By Geoff Spencer MELBOURNE — There was a 70-80% stay-away rate of Public Sector Union members here during the strike on October 25. Picket lines were set up at all major public service offices in the city (ATO,
By Dave Wright Hobart — The Independent Reform Group will stand candidates for all official Public Sector Union positions in the November PSU Tasmanian branch elections. The IRG will be campaigning particularly against what it calls
SYDNEY — Professor Albie Sachs, a prominent leader of the African National Congress, addressed a meeting of 150 people at the Sydney Town Hall on October 25. Sachs, author of the ANC's constitutional guidelines, reported on the progress being made
Brewery to sack 200 By Anthony Thirlwall ADELAIDE — New Zealand brewer Lion Nathan continued its national round of attacks on workers when it announced plans to retrench 200 of the 500 workers at South Australian Brewing. After
By Wendy Robertson MELBOURNE — The consultants who reported that Mobil's Williamstown refinery expansion plans did not meet state safety guidelines have reversed their findings following a demand by the Victorian government that they review
By Karen Fredericks Reclaim the Night marches, against protesting violence against women, gathered more support than ever around the country this year. Green Left Weekly spoke to women who attended marches in just some of the many centres in
By Kerry Vernon BRISBANE — More than 300 women workers at Triumph International women's underwear factories at Ipswich and Wynnum went on strike from October 26. The strike is in response to the refusal of the company (trading as the House of

World

By Mike Karadjis Three years of ferocious attacks on living standards were decisively rejected by voters on October 10, when the ruling right-wing New Democracy party was crushed and the Panhellenic Socialist Party (PASOK), led by Andreas
By Ossi Rask Something is wrong. It has something to do with the unofficial slogan of the lower-level bureaucrats: "The more chaos, the better". The gross national product of China last year grew by 12.8%. In the first quarter of this year
By Nick Fredman The 50,000-strong October 16 rally on the south-east London headquarters of the fascist British National Party (BNP) showed the anger of ordinary people against the rising level of racism in Britain. When I was in Britain in
By Norm Dixon The Bougainville Revolutionary Army has claimed it has uncovered a Papua New Guinea Defence Force plot to kidnap the Bougainville Interim Government's representative in the Solomon Islands, Martin Miriori. Miriori has been the
McDonald's sues activists Worldwide hamburger giant, McDonald's is suing for alleged libel two London Greenpeace activists who distributed leaflets criticising the corporation's practices. In 1985 London Greenpeace (a small, independent
On October 23-24, 1000 delegates and activists met in Manila to form a new socialist organisation, MAKABAYAN (Liberation Movement of the Sons and Daughters of the People). The founding congress elected a leadership council, decided on a national plan
Cuba travellers threatened On October 17 and 18, most of the 175 US citizens from various walks of life who participated in the Freedom to Travel Campaign were detained by US Customs agents as they returned from a week-long vacation in Cuba.
By Frank Noakes AUCKLAND — Matiu Rata, leader of the Maori party Mana Motuhake, has an infectious enthusiasm. A candidate for the Alliance, of which his party is a constituent member, Rata is no newcomer to politics: a minister for Maori
By Craig Etcheson Thailand is emerging from the Cambodian peace process as a big loser. Patient efforts by the UN in Cambodia to cut Thai military and business links to the Khmer Rouge have yielded little but frustration. The United Nations
By Frank Noakes AUCKLAND — "We are the only party that is actually offering a comprehensive strategy to deal with unemployment. And yet, we're still so low in the polls that nobody's taking it seriously. "We have a health strategy that is
By Poul Funder Larsen MOSCOW — "In general the left is in an extremely difficult position, particularly as regards the coming elections, which by all accounts will be a farce ... We are facing a nearly impossible choice. Either we stay out and
By Ana Kailis AUCKLAND — An October 29 Herald opinion poll shows support for the Alliance (composed of Greens, Democrats, NewLabour, Mana Motuhake and Liberals) growing. Support for the Alliance has risen from 12% a week ago to 17%. Pockets of
By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — When a country's parliament has been abolished, the Constitutional Court suspended and the constitution overturned, it is hard to argue that a coup d'etat has not taken place. Accordingly, the more brave of Western
By Helen Shaw and Duncan Chapple LONDON — In the largest anti-racist mobilisation in Britain since the 1970s, 50,000 mainly young people marched in protest towards the British National Party headquarters on October 16. The march's progress

Culture

Fighting Back Peter Hicks & the Born Again Pagans CD or Cassette $20/$15 Recorded & mixed at Rising Damp Studios Reviewed by Paul Boundy Peter Hicks and the Born Again Pagans launched their new CD at the Sydney Cultural Dissent evening
Time Will Tell Shane Howard BMG Records Reviewed by Ignatius Kim For an artist of his abilities, Shane Howard is strangely unnoticed here. As special guest on Mary Black's recent Irish tour, he played with Black at the Fleadh festival in
Beyond Beef: The Rise and Fall of the Cattle Culture By Jeremy Rifkin Dutton, 1992. 353 pp., $26.25 Reviewed by Dave Riley As rural researcher Geoffrey Lawrence has pointed out, "Farmers do not care who buys, so long as someone buys." That
Anger and Love By Justina Williams Fremantle Arts Press. 280 pp. $16.95 Reviewed by Dave Riley In answer to the question, "Are you or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?", many supporters of the federal Labor government
Something to sing about The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir recorded live by the ABC Larrikin records, $25 (proceeds to the AIDS trust of Australia) Reviewed by Karen Fredericks One of the things I really regret missing this year is the
By Bronwen Beechey MELBOURNE — Since its launch in 1991, the yearly production of the Women's Circus has been an eagerly awaited event. Audiences have been thrilled by the celebration of women's diversity, vitality and strength in the previous

Editorial

Back to the trenches "Our willingness to compromise has been callously rejected. We will not stand by and allow the irreplaceable old growth and wilderness forests of the south-east to be trashed by the woodchip industry. It's back to the