Banks 'ripping off customers'
Australian Banks, by increasing their margins — the difference between the cost of funds to banks and how much they lend them for — over the past year, have cost customers an estimated $790 million.
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Global citizenship I would like to introduce Green Left Weekly readers to a publication that I think will be well worth your time if you have a sincere concern for the intellectual and social growth of young people. Skipping stones is "a
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"A trade deal simply limits the extent to which the US or other signatory governments may respond to pressure from their citizens", says Michael Walker, executive director of the right-wing Canadian Fraser Institute, affirming
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SYDNEY — "I wrote to the minister for Corrective Services complaining about how visitors to prisons are treated, and I was rung by the superintendent and told not to write any more letters. A week later, my dog was hung from my
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Story by John Nebauer and Karen Fredericks Photo by Miguel Troncoso While Keating and Hewson primped, preened and consulted their autocues for their televised Mabo speeches, thousands of Aboriginal people mourned the loss of yet another young
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Timber workers This weekend (26-29 November) environmentalists from all over the country will be congregating in East Gippsland as part of the ongoing campaign to stop woodchipping. In the past woodchipping campaigns have been fought as a battle
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50% of the spoils? No doubt the 40 serving and former women Labor MPs who met in Perth on the weekend of November 13-14 to plot their campaign for 50% of state and federal Labor parliamentarians to be women by the year 2000, will be expecting
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SYDNEY — Under the banner of "No Home, No Job, No Life", 600 parents, friends and young people with intellectual disabilities rallied outside Parliament House on November 17. They were organised, vocal and determined to
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Moves to reform marijuana lawsUse of marijuana is so widespread in Australia that it represents civil disobedience on a mass scale. So it was only a matter of time before it returned to the political agenda. An
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Of 900,000 hectares of forest in East Gippsland, 500,000 have never been logged. About half of the unlogged area is old growth forest. These forests contain trees that are 300-400 years old. The average mature trees are 200
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ADELAIDE — Around 200 women rallied on Sunday, November 14, to demand the repeal of all abortion laws. Barbara Baird, Lyndall Ryan and Margie Ripper spoke about the past, and present restricted access to abortion, and Melanie Sjoberg from the
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Doubts over Mt Lofty Ranges strategy ADELAIDE — The Mt Lofty Ranges, the hills face zone surrounding Adelaide and providing its water catchment, was the subject of a multimillion-dollar review begun in 1987 and completed in October. Attempts
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SA legislation targets youth ADELAIDE — "The Labor Party has failed: another 7800 on the dole queue in October alone. How many more thousands of people haven't even registered for the dole?" Andrew Hall, Democratic Socialist candidate for
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"The same woodchip shadow from Daishowa in the NSW south-east forests is creeping further and further north. It is now threatening the integrity of parts of the Deua wilderness near Cooma. There seems to be an insatiable
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Have you ever thought that something written in Green Left was wide of the mark? Ever wanted to raise a controversial political issue for national debate? If you answer yes to those questions, then you're probably already an avid reader of the
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In the mountainous rainforests of Australia, something terrible is happening. Scientists first noticed the phenomenon in 1979. Since then, it has stuck ruthlessly. Its victims simply vanish, either totally or from certain
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'Just our presence was our work'BRISBANE — Peace Brigades International "stands between conflicts. We provide people to help people under threat because of their human rights activities" in many countries divided by civil
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Violence, poverty, homelessness and other forms of oppression and suffering experienced by young people are usually dealt with in compartments, separate and unconnected. A Lost Generation, a report prepared by the Australian Youth
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Radio Skid Row-Koori Radio 2RSR-FM radiothon — From November 27 until December 4, Sydney's inner city public radio station 2RSR-FM (88.9) is holding its annual radiothon. Radiothon week will feature extra special programming, give-aways and prizes
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During the 1980s, "Special Operations", along with "Low Intensity Conflict" (LIC), became Washington's favourite buzz words. US policy makers view special forces as the solution to a world where threats to US interests are
News
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WA meatworkers strengthen leadershipPERTH — Elections in the meatworkers union here have consolidated the team around branch secretary Glenn Ferguson. Ferguson originally won his position 18 months earlier, but
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'Education is the key' in SAIT campaignAdelaide — South Australian Institute of Teachers (SAIT) president Clare McCarty on November 14 publicly launched her bid to be elected to the Legislative Council. About 150
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Hospital workers win a battleMELBOURNE — After eight days of Industrial bans, management at the Austin Hospital was forced to back down and reach agreement with the Health Services Union (HSUA) on procedures to be
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ADELAIDE — Hindmarsh Island is a picturesque spot near Goolwa on the Fleurieu Peninsula south of Adelaide. Still home to some of the indigenous people, it is also a popular holiday area for boating, fishing, swimming and
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Socialists launch campaignADELAIDE — The Democratic Socialists formally launched their state election campaign at a relaxed dinner on November 19. Andrew Hall, candidate for the seat of Adelaide, told supporters
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Residents slam Lang Park takeoverBRISBANE — Milton and Paddington residents outraged at the state government decision to fast-track redevelopment of the Lang Park rugby league stadium met on November 19 and called on the
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CANBERRA — More than 1000 secondary students participated in a walkout of classes, on Tuesday, November 16, to protest against the ACT Labor government's recent cuts to education. Eight of the nine colleges and five high schools
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Charges against squatters dropped SYDNEY — Twelve people arrested in July for occupying a disused Department of Housing house in the inner Sydney suburb of Chippendale, despite having been given verbal agreement to do so, had charges against
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Community independent standsADELAIDE — Despite being offered little choice between the ALP and the Liberals in the state elections, South Australians will have the chance to vote for another alternative candidate.
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Testimony blocked in child rape caseHOBART — A Supreme Court judge has refused to swear in a 12-year-old boy because he did not believe in God. The boy was called to give evidence against the man accused of raping him.
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Or a chook "The economy is not taking off like a rocket. It's taking off more like a large plane, gradually gaining altitude. We expect it to stay airborne for some time." — Treasurer John Dawkins. On the job training "Well, I'm the prime
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Lismore residents discuss MaboLISMORE, NSW — A public forum on Mabo, organised by the newly formed Lismore Human Rights Group in conjunction with the Lands Council, held here on November 18, was an overwhelming
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Anti-vilification bill passedThe New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Act has been amended to outlaw vilification on the basis of a person's homosexuality. The private member's bill, introduced by independent MP Clover
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Protest hits waste incineratorBRISBANE — With placards declaring "School kids demand clean air", some 40 protesters met outside state parliament on November 16 to oppose the continued use of Ace Waste incinerators at
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MELBOURNE — Community groups and environmentalists are highlighting the threat to Port Phillip and Westernport Bays by the oil industry and the danger to the Altona and Williamstown area from the proposed expansion of the Mobil Altona refinery.
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Against the blockade of Cuba The Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) is inviting people around the world to participate in the struggle against the US blockade of Cuba by submitting written or graphic material for a
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HOBART — The Groom Liberal government is trying to cut the number of members in the House of Assembly from 35 to 30. The effect will be to weaken significantly Tasmania's democratic proportional representation voting system.
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Appeal for delegates to African conference The Melbourne-based Union for Democracy and Development in Kenya (UDD Kenya) is calling for donations to help fund two delegates from their organisation in Australia to attend a pan-African conference
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Danger seen in Lucas Heights waste Storage facilities at Australia's Lucas Heights reactor have reached full capacity and a "crisis shipment" to the United States is needed, according to documents obtained by Greenpeace. Nuclear campaigner
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Blockade planned against cable-carKURANDA — Preparation is being made for a campaign of direct action to prevent the construction of a sky-rail cable-way in World Heritage-listed national parks land just north of
Analysis
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ACOSS aims wide "At least initially, someone will have to reduce their disposable incomes if job opportunities and working hours are to be shared more widely and the needed expenditure measures financed." That sounds familiar: is it another
World
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Is Cuba a racist country, denying equality to the considerable black portion of its population? Yes, say the New York Times and many books and articles appearing in the United States. But wait. The US is still fighting a cold war against Cuba, and such accusations are surely suspect. We spent 10 days in Cuba earlier this year to learn for ourselves.
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AUCKLAND — With postal votes now counted, the National Party has retained government with 50 seats in the 99-member parliament. This result will only increase the alienation from mainstream politics felt by many young people in
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The international human rights watchdog Amnesty International says Papua New Guinea government troops and their allies are continuing to murder, torture and rape suspected opponents and non-combatants on the island of
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CIA paid off Haiti coup leaders US officials have admitted that the Central Intelligence Agency paid key leaders of Haiti's military from the 1980s at least until 1991, when the army deposed elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in a bloody
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MOSCOW — During August, industrial output in Russia declined at an annual rate of 34%, the sharpest drop since the grim days of the Nazi blitzkrieg. In September the situation grew still worse: according to seasonally
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SAN FRANCISCO — Gays in the US overwhelmingly supported Bill Clinton in last November's presidential election, largely because of his promise to end the official ban on homosexuals in the military. As
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NTOMBENTSHA NCIZA, a member of the ANC Women's League and a leader of the National Education Coordinating Committee, and DIKELEDI MAGADAZI, secretary general of the Northern Transvaal ANCWL, recently visited Adelaide as part of a work experience
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Ha'fa Baramki, director of continuing education at Bir Zeit University on the West Bank, was in Sydney recently and spoke to Green Left Weekly of her experiences of the Israeli occupation. At the beginning of the
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Land redistribution will be a crucial question for the incoming majority government in South Africa after the April 27 elections. The secretary general of the African National Congress, Cyril Ramaphosa, gave the opening address to the Conference on
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LONDON — Winter in Britain this year looks like being a bitter and stormy one, with news that the November 30 budget is to target welfare cuts to single parent families and to entrench a harsh new tax on separated fathers.
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MANAGUA — While Nicaraguans have seen more than their share of nature's foul moods, a recent disaster brought widespread realisation that human hands can sometimes tip nature toward malevolence. Beautiful and historic Lake
Culture
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Desperate Remedies Directed and written by Stewart Main and Peter Wells At Melbourne's Kino Cinema from November 26, Sydney's Mandolin and Perth's Paradiso from December 2 Reviewed by Peter Boyle If you liked Orlando, you should like
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Oz Shorts Two feature length programs screening on alternate nights until mid-DecemberAcademy Twin, Paddington and then in selected cinemas in most capital cities Reviewed by Norm Dixon When I was a just a little tacker, the highlight of the
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Southeast Asia Rainforests: A Resource and Action Guide Edited by Martha Belcher and Angela Gennino Rainforest Action Network in cooperation with the World Rainforest Movement 1993. 100 pp. (large format) Reviewed By Jon Lamb This
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Done Bali SBS Television 8.30 p.m. (8 Adelaide) November 30 Reviewed by Ignatius Kim Bali is to Australia what Acapulco is to the US: an escape for Western suburbanites that's seedy for some, exotic for others. Like Acapulco, Bali
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Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory By Deborah Lipstadt. New York: The Free Press, 1993. 278 pp., $39.95 (hb) Reviewed by Phil Shannon Did the Holocaust — the systematic annihilation of 4-6 million Jews under
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Wait for the surprises Red Rock West A film By John Dahl At Melbourne's Cinema Nova and Valhalla Reviewed by Alex Cooper Red Rock West, the latest offering from John Dahl and his brother Rick, centres on Michael (played by Nicholas
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Writers Defiled: Security Surveillance of Australian Authors and Intellectuals 1920-1960 By Fiona Capp McPhee Gribble, 1993. 239 pp., $19.95 (pb) Reviewed by Phil Shannon Intelligence organisations are in the business of "security", which,
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Get your action on TV ASEED UK is inviting campaign groups from around the world to send in video material for Hot Spots — a weekly five minute radical environmental activist bulletin to be shown on Sky Television. Sky TV is a satellite
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Two plays on domestic violence The Keys to the Animal Room By Peta Murray Flowers and Chocolates By Glenn Perry Both at Junction Theatre, Thebarton Community attitudes about domestic violence are still shaped by common mythologies
