Issue 123

News

Call for women's solidarity BRISBANE — Murri women here have issued an appeal for support and solidarity from all women regarding black deaths in custody: "We, the women of the Aboriginal community send this plea for support and
Call for ban on steel jaw traps By Kate Shannon On November 13, National Anti-Steel Jaw Trap Day, Animal Rescue called for a total ban on traps and snares in Australia. Such a ban exists in 68 other countries. Current laws in Australia
By Di Quin MELBOURNE — The Victorian state government has begun a vilification campaign against the deregistered Builders Labourers Federation because of the recent appointment of three Victorian BLF members as organisers within the state
By Karl Miller SYDNEY — "After twenty years of conflict, division in local communities and environmental destruction, the South East Forest Protection Bill gives Australia its best chance to free the forests of the bulldozer and chainsaw and
Powerful arguments "When you get into Cabinet, if you don't have the support of the prime minister, at the end of the argument you don't win." — Health minister and numbers man Graham Richadson. What a relief "Pentagon officials now
Brisbane garbos reject offer By Bill Mason BRISBANE — Brisbane garbage collectors are continuing to campaign for a better redundancy deal when one-person collection is introduced next July. Transport Workers Union state secretary
Bougainville Tent Embassy CANBERRA — Medicines donated by organisations, doctors and hospitals were delivered to the Bougainville Tent Embassy in front of Parliament House here on November 4. Alan Coe, representing the Victorian Aboriginal
By Arun Pradhan ADELAIDE — Despite the establishment media's focus on the two major parties, the vast disillusionment in these parties is reflected in the large number of alternative candidates contesting the upcoming state elections. The
Melbourne residents fight boundary changes By Geoff Spencer MELBOURNE — With its City of Melbourne Bill about to become law, the state government of Jeff Kennett is making drastic changes to local government. The bill is about
Hospital workers resist contracting By Roberto Jorquera MELBOURNE — Health Services Union (HSUA) members at the Austin Hospital voted on November 11 to "commence a campaign of industrial action" until the hospital management agreed to a

World

By Vivienne Porzsolt Dr Gabriel Baramki, president of Bir Zeit University, in Sydney on a recent visit, spoke to Green Left Weekly about the prospects for peace following the signing of the Declaration of Principles on September 13. Dr
Amnesty International has criticised UN forces in Somalia after receiving reports of killings and unjustified detentions by UN troops. AI says the reports indicate breaches of human rights. Hundreds of Somalis have been detained for short
By Catheryn Thompson Vudthikorn Chittiwan is a lecturer in aquatic science at Prince of Songkla University in south Thailand. He has a scholarship from the Australian government to study the environmental impacts of prawn farming on mangrove
By Sean Healy BRUSSELS "Workers across Europe appear to have taken strength from the spectacular victory of Air France employees ... In Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain and France, employers are facing increasing militancy as they demand job cuts
The United Nations has gone on record for the second time urging the United States to lift its 30-year economic blockade of Cuba. The vote on November 3 in the General Assembly showed a strong world majority against the US policy: 88 countries voted
In New Zealand's dramatic election, a progressive coalition, the Alliance, emerged as the major winner. Although two parliamentary seats fail to reflect its 18.3% vote, it is assured of a big role in the country's political future. MATT McCARTEN, the
By Alex Chis On October 31 in Moscow, three television cameras and numerous radio and press reporters recorded the newly formed US Committee for Democratic and Human Rights in Russia read a statement condemning the attacks on civil liberties and
El Salvador's right wing has stepped up intimidation with the death squad murders of four FMLN members in one week. On October 27, just two days after FMLN leader Francisco Veliz was shot while taking his toddler to a day care centre, two FMLN
Militants arrested in Senegal A number of Senegalese trade union and socialist militants were arrested and many people were wounded on November 4, when a peaceful demonstration of several thousand people, protesting against a projected 15%
By Max Lane The Suharto regime in Jakarta seems unable to end the resistance to Indonesian occupation in East Timor or bring to an end the international diplomatic controversy about the occupation. The regime continues to pretend that things are
Amazon peoples take Texaco to court By Penny Saunders QUITO — Representatives of several groups of indigenous peoples from the Ecuadorian Amazon region left for New York on November 3 to begin court action against the US oil company
By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — For Russian trade unions, the coup d'etat launched and consolidated by President Boris Yeltsin between September 21 and October 4 dramatically increased the difficulties of defending jobs, wages, social benefits and
By Reihana Mohideen MANILA — SANLAKAS (People's Solidarity for Democracy and Freedom), a broad coalition of organisations campaigning for national freedom and democracy, held its inaugural convention here on October 29. The coalition is

Culture

Just right for the stocking Black 'n' White 'n' Green Edited by George Hirst Envirobook, 1993. 128 pp. $14.95 Reviewed by Allen Myers The subhead says it all: "Australia's top cartoonists draw the line on the environment". This is a
Save Our Planet Earth Jimmy Cliff Musidisc through Festival Reviewed by Norm Dixon Amongst the latest albums from the French Musidisc label to be released in this country by Festival Records is a little gem by Jamaican reggae great Jimmy
Lucky Dube give-aways! South Africa's leading reggae star, Lucky Dube, is again to tour Australia. Those who witnessed Dube's two previous tours marvelled at this performer's inexhaustible energy and total commitment to ending racial
By Jill Hickson SYDNEY — Around 70 people packed into the Art Resistance video studio here recently for the premiere of a new video on Bougainville. Bougainville: Australia's Hidden War was produced by Actively Radical TV, a community-based
By Kirsten Dunlop The birth of a journal is not unlike the birth of a star: it happens all the time and goes unnoticed by a vast majority of the population. It is rare for a journal to be born which has a potential for a stellar existence. Siglo
Vietnamese Children's Drawings Brisbane Town Hall Until November 20 Reviewed by Dave Riley Vietnam, after more than 30 years of war, has not yet won the peace. The brutal price that the people of Vietnam have paid for their independence
John Romeril Edited by Gareth Griffiths Australian Playwrights Series, No. 5 Editions Rodopi B.V. 1993 Reviewed by David Adamson This is a generous, well-compiled and broad-ranging account of one of Australia's most significant and
Imagined Communities By Benedict Anderson Verso, 1993. $32.95 Reviewed by Jeremy Smith This is the second edition of Anderson's quite original piece on the emergence of nationalism as a form of mass consciousness. It is the second

Editorial

It's called democracy "With the pace-setter across the Tasman hobbled, the pressure for reform in Australia — especially the labour market— will be diminished", wrote Steve Burrell in the Financial Review. Reason enough to celebrate the